July 1, 2007...
hi everyone. Well it's official, this week our little marketing group here on Active Rain passed the 2000 member mark.
Since that number includes many new members, before pointing out some of this week's outstanding marketing posts, I'd like to encourage everyone to read the following posts in particular because they bring up and address some of the problems in a growing online community or social network like Active Rain.
ActiveRain | Stand Out and Shine in the Rain! by Colleen Kulikowski, this is a must read for every member posting or commenting in any group!
Top 5 Lazy Active Rain Bloggers by Daniel Bates, some very interesting and painfully true points raised.
Are we Struggling just to find a post worth a comment? by Teri Ellis who also raises some issues about commenting and the quality of posts in general.
Normally I wouldn't feature stuff like this in a marketing review but lately there have been so many off topic posts placed in groups that have nothing to do with the group's topic so... I thought it would be a good time to remind us all about what the groups are for. Stick to the topic, keep the content relevant and if you're just posting/commenting for points, it's obvious to everyone and won't build much of a following for you in the AR community.
OK, on to the good stuff. As usual there were many well researched, thought provoking and insightful marketing ideas posted this week. Here are my favoritesin no particular order...
Outstanding Marketing Ideas & Posts
The elegant simplicity of Edith Wharton's... Here's a COOL new way to get your marketing letters opened!
A nice collection of marketing ideas from Jeff Belonger... Active Rain feedback..... Do you listen? -- Marketing Ideas
A great way for you to connect to your local schools and community with Bobby Carroll's... Go To School For New Prospects - Your Marketing Tip of The Week!
A good intro for tech virgins about Google's Page Rank by Jordan Mackey... SEO For Dummies - Google Pagerank Explained - SEO 101 Series
Be sure to check out the informative comments in a post by Michele Connors that got a lot of people talking & participating... The Flypaper Of Real Estate
For an in depth look behind a successful realtor's blog, check out Kevin Tomlinson's... For The Techie In You: A Behind the Scenes Look at My Blog
Another must read is a post by Brian Brady sharing his experience and thoughts about... Viral Marketing For Realtors: Infect Your Customers and Build An Audience
Technology Roundup
Here's an interesting exercise by Brad Carroll to see how your website stacks up against keywords you're in competition with on the search engines... Here Is Your Chance to Brag!
A comprehensive list of places you can submit your RSS feeds to by Elizabeth & Justin Thayer... Get Max Exposure by Syndicating Your RSS Feeds- ALL U NEED 2 KNOW!!
News You Should Know
From James Boyer... Realtor.com Blogs another blog platform
A great interview(podcast) with Brad Inman, founder and publisher of Inman News by Morgan Brown... Brad Inman, Publisher Inman News Interview
Special Mentions
Congratulations to Julie Ferenzi for My Active Rain Blog was included in the July Issue of Illinois Realtor! as proof that blogging can really payoff BIG time.
A few final words... I'd like to wish all of our Canadian members a very Happy Canada Day "eh" and an equally Happy Independence Day to our American members.
As usual, the posts mentioned above are just a few of the many great blogs that were submitted in the past few days. I look forward to seeing more great contributions from all the Rainers. Have a great week everyone and thanks again for sharing your ideas, knowledge and opinions...
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Teri... hi and thanks. Yes it was a bit of a task going through everything but it was fun and I even found a few things I had missed along the way.
Thanks again for your great posts.
Marti..... I think this was great. And not just because you mentioned me, which I appreciated. I am not sure why this is getting overlooked. It has some very good posts in regards to marketing. Again, great job.
I went through several of the links and found myself deeper in the comments - it's so much to wade through! but very useful. it's hard to come up with great blog content all the time and i think we all need to take a break once in awhile from it all - i'm actually looking forward to my vacation in the mountains soon where reception is terrible and i can't get to a computer. i love this place but i've been telling people it's almost like a second job - but the first page hit on google searches keep me coming back for more and hopefully i can continue with good content and comments in my blogs and words to others.
thank you - happy rainy monday from TEXAS
Brad... no problem, we're just trying to keep the best content visible, especially for those who may have missed some.
Also thanks again for the input, feedback and great info on SEO. You're a valued resource for all of us.
Marti,
Thanks so much for this information. I am new to the blogging and posting world and didn't know the "rules". I've often wondered why some of the things that you mentioned above were happening but I'm sure that the points are often the motivation and understandably, but it is annoying. I admit that I have been guilty of some of the above but now I know the rules and will abide. I have book-marked this post so that I can refer back and lead others that I have invited here for the same information.
Maureen... my favorite Rockland stager, how are you? Thanks for the feedback.
I just checked out your website, the first set of pics in your portfolio is such a dramatic difference, keep up the great work.
Thanks Marti - Who would put a modern 80's abstract next to one of those Thomas Kinkade pictures. I guess that begs the question who would even buy one of those Thomas Kinkade prints? I realize there is a duplicate picture on in my before and after pictures. I'm working on getting it fixed.
I'm so glad you're back!
Maureen... it's nice to be back, You guys are like my 2nd family. I just became super busy the past few months with too many projects, exhibits and a lot of travel.
Don't even talk to me about Kinkade. As you probably know, my other career is as a painter and his reputation in the art world is kind of like what McDonald's is to the world of fine cuisine. Later M...
thanks for review everything and share it with us :) keep the good blog !
Marti...somehow you have found the magic formula for creating more than 24 hours in a day to pull all of this information together....can you tell everyone how you do it?
Thank you for including me in this illustrious group!
Marti... These were all good... I bookmarked almost all of them!!!
Wow... I can't believe I missed so many... Great job!
Jackie, Bill & Barbara, Ray, Jennifer... hi and a warm welcome to all of you to the marketing group.
I'm glad the summary is helpful. AR is growing so quickly so it seems to help to gather the best stuff in one place. Thanks for stopping by and for your feedback.
Bobby... as for finding time, I have no idea. I probably had too much coffee in my system on Sunday afternoon.
Also, thanks for your always inspired, on topic posts and practical advice. Both you & Brad are great assets to the marketing group.
Colleen... you're welcome and I thank you for your post. It was very timely and much needed by our group as well as the rest of AR.
Nattalie... welcome and thanks for your feedback. We've been fortunate to have a lot of really good contributors. Don't be shy to share your experience & advice. We're all learning from each other.
Kimberly... welcome to the marketing group. It's nice to have another new face here, looking forward to your input as well.
Vickie... hi and thanks. Happy July 4th to you as well.
Great Job. There were some really really good ones that I missed. I booked marked your post so i can get to them tomorrow. Many Thanks for you superb selections. A lot of difficult work went into this and we all appreciate it. Ok Marti, some of us more than others, lol
I have a question. How do you do the create such a fabulous graphic for the title? That I would love to be able to do.
Great stuff, Marti...... I am glad I am in the group..... thanks for the links and information!!
=-)
Very useful ideas and links...thanks.
Dave... hi, I'm glad it was helpful. We'll try to do more of these in the coming weeks/months since there seems to be a lot of interest.
Nancy... hi as well and I agree. Contributors to the marketing group have outdone themselves this week with some very useful posts.
William... thanks for stopping by. As usual there was a ton of great posts in the past week so we're trying to keep the best ones in focus. I'm glad you found them worthy of bookmarking.
To answer "I have a question. How do you do the create such a fabulous graphic for the title? That I would love to be able to do."...
My other career is in the art world. The spheres in my graphic above are just something I edited out of and pasted from one of my paintings.
I won't bore everyone with the technical details but if ever you need help with stuff like this, don't be shy to send me a note. I'm always happy to help out my fellow Rainers.
Sandra... we love having you as part of our group. I'm looking forward to your contributions, feedback & comments.
Jim & Maria... thanks for being part of our 2000+ members, it's really nice to have you both here.
This is a great group with some very insightful information on how to grow your business.
Marti, Great list! Guess I will be burning the midnight oil as usual o get all the reading done.lol.
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APPY 4TH!
Bruce... thanks for stopping by and for the feedback, it's appreciated. Have a great 4th of July.
Marti, I tried to edit the typos on my last comment and it's not working. my friut or non friut isn't showing...LOL! Happy Canada Day, Eh!
Ginger
Another bookmarked post! Thanks for all the valuable pointers! I'll be reading them for the next few hours!
Vicki
Bruce... thanks for the comment, the distraction is always welcome. The painting in my profile is just a sample of our branded closing gifts.
I'll be posting more info there soon about new online marketing tools we have for realtors including some very cool free stuff so check it out again soon.
Calie... hi and you're more than welcome, it's nice to see how many people appreciate the summaries. To answer your question about online marketing tools...
Soon, very soon. Right now I'm doing a lot of custom projects(branded widgets, etc...) for a few people so I'm drowning in work but stay in touch or check my profile in the next few weeks for news. Have a great 4th of July.
Marti...
"Success is at it's best when you bring someone along with you" by TLW...ROAR!
I am putting 'my' company motto here because you like it so much :)
TLW...ROAR!
TLW... your motto is a most excellent one. Is that what you use for your biz with Bryant? If so, let me know, I have an idea for something I'd like to do for you guys when I have some extra time.
Thanks for adding it to the group. it really does make sense and I love win/win ways of doing business and living life. Later...