It’s been a year since we launched this Blog in its current form, and it’s been an amazing year. I remember getting giddy over 30 hits in one day; now we get thousands. Good times.
The fun part about having a Blog is analyzing the statistics, which can be a bit addicting, like when I used to play Strat-O-Matic baseball at overnight camp. So here are some stats crunching from the last year:
274,873 total page views
Busiest month: April 2010: 49,145 page views. See below for why.
Busiest day: April 15, 2010–4,500 hits. This was tax day, and most people were searching about the Mass. flooding tax extension.
2.9 average pages per visit
20% bounce rate (the percentage of visitors who leave the site after only one page visit–the lower, the better)
2:24: average time on site (shows you only have a limited attention span for readers–keep posts short and to the point).
83% of visitors are new to the Blog
79% of traffic came from search engines; remaining 21% came from link referrals (Facebook, Twitter) and direct traffic
Visitors came from as far away as Australia, Brazil, China (got around the censors), India, and Malaysia.
Of course, the million dollar question is whether blogging has resulted in leads and business. Without divulging actual numbers, I can say emphatically HELL YEAH! In fact, I estimate that leads generating from this Blog account for at least 40% of all new business development for my firm, the Vetstein Law Group, and to our sister company, TitleHub Closing Services.
It’s an investment in time mostly, but I love to write, I’m a bit of a techie, and I love learning about new things in my industry. If that appeals to you, consider starting a blog, like many of my Realtor and attorney friends have done or are considering now. Plus, the real estate business is very much oriented to online marketing and social media.
This is another post in our ongoing series on Social Media For Real Estate Professionals. We are now providing Social Media Solutions for real estate agents, mortgage brokers and other real estate professionals through our affiliated company, HubConnected LLC. Please contact us for more info.
A hyper-local real estate blog is a blog targeted at a single town, city, neighborhood, or even a subdivision/gated community. By focusing on, and providing content for, one (and only one) geographic area, a hyper local real estate blog can outperform a more broadly targeted website/blog for lead generation and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Why Hyper-Local Blogs Work For Real Estate
The real estate market is extremely saturated with agents who all have static websites and blogs which appeal more to the masses. Using a hyperlocal strategy can help set an agent apart from the sea of agents that are just blogging generally and don’t have a focused SEO strategy.
Today, consumers using search engines are increasingly searching for hyper-local, specific search terms, such as “Brookline, MA places to eat shop” or “Needham MA tennis courts”. A hyper-local blog, if properly managed, can rank high for these hyper-local search terms, even above the restaurants, stores or tennis facilities the consumer was originally searching for. If the consumer clicks on your hyper-local blog, and a trust relationship is created, BINGO, you’re in business and have created a relationship that may result in a lead or referral.
Finally, hyper-local blogging helps build relationships with not only potential buyers and sellers, but other members of the local business community that might provide referrals and other business opportunities. A hyper-local blogger can write restaurant reviews, promote referral partners, the schools, road construction, you name it. A hyper-local real estate blogger can quickly become THE local expert about their community–and that’s exactly where a real estate agent wants to be.
If you are interested in learning more about hyper local blogging, a good place to get started is at HyperLocalBlogger.com.
Here is an example of a hyper local blog for Glendale, CA. The Realtor, Kendyl Young, does an innovative series called 365 Things To Do in Glendale, CA where she posts something every day of the year.
Similar to the obsession over Massachusetts real estate and addiction to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is our addiction to The Bachelor / The Bachelorette TV series. Many of us really didn’t want to admit that we were glued to the TV/DVR on Monday nights, or that we conveniently didn’t want to make plans, for fear of missing this show. For those who have much better things to do than to watch, the series revolves around a single bachelor or bachelorette (deemed eligible) and a pool of romantic interests (typically 25). The Bachelor/Bachelorette then go through a *grueling* series of dates with the pool of potential mates, weekly-elimination style, with the winner getting the “final rose” and possibly a marriage proposal.
As a busy Metrowest Massachusetts Realtor and an admitted fan of the show, I can attest that the process that each Bachelor and Bachelorette go through to find *true love* can be easily translated to the real estate home buying and selling process.
Buying & Selling Real Estate Is A Lot Like Matchmaking
Buying and selling a house is serious business. For most, you are buying or selling your largest single asset. In addition to needing data and supporting information to make a sound business decision, there is tremendous emotion that goes into the process. Getting married is more serious (well, to some), but the process is comparable. At the end of the day, if you have grown out of a house, you can sell it. Not as easy in a marriage.
There are so many commonalities between matching Bachelors/Bachelorettes and Home Buyers/Sellers. There is no such thing as a “typical” transaction/relationship. When representing either side, it’s so important to understand the people and what makes each person tick. On the Bachelor, the first night cocktail party actually makes a lot of sense from a home buying perspective. So often, on the first day out with a Realtor, a home buyer will see everything that fits the criteria “on paper” that they think they want in a house. Just because you want a 4 bedroom/2.5 bath Colonial, doesn’t mean you will like all of them. Many get eliminated from consideration on the first day. Unlike the show’s host, Chris Harrison, my job is to understand why you eliminated specific suitors and to make sure that you aren’t introduced to any more!
The Bachelor/Bachelorette Desperately Need A Real Estate Agent!
Jake & Vienna, (c) ABC, The Bachelor
If The Bachelor or The Bachelorette producers are truly serious about helping its “star” find love, I think that Host Chris Harrison should behave more like a Buyer’s Agent during the next season of The Bachelor. For those of you who already appreciate and understand the true value of Buyer’s representation, you are one step ahead. For those of you who think you are getting “a deal” without Agent representation, I have 3 words for you: Jake and Vienna.
Last season’s Bachelor, Jake, had no help. Vienna, his now former fiancée, was the pretty house with the nice big kitchen and partially finished basement. She is the house that is lived in, a house that is ready for you to entertain in. But there isn’t much upstairs. Bedrooms are small, possibly mold in the attic, the poor quality roof needs to be reshingled every few years, ice dams in the winter, and the garage door doesn’t close (catch my drift?). As soon as the season ended, so did they.
If, like a Real Estate Agent, Chris Harrison were acting in the best interest of the Bachelor/Bachelorettes, it would have been his responsibility to not only introduce the Bachelor/ette to the appropriate suitors matching their needs, but to:
Assess the TRUE value of each suitor (house)
Give the Bachelor/ette some history about the suitor and the suitors’ family (neighborhood/community)
Provide information that would reveal any work that has been done to the house, before it came on the market, along with permits, etc.
Work with the Bachelor/ette on their financing – will they be able to afford their choice? What will it cost to maintain the relationship?
Disclose any and all research about their history. If any liens (restraining orders) are in effect, this would be important to know
Very importantly – negotiate EVERYTHING on behalf of the Bachelor/ette
Manage the home inspection (home visits) – make sure the Bachelor/ette is asking the right questions
Make sure that everything proceeds smoothly prior to and at the closing (Fantasy Suite and beyond…)
Getting That Final Rose (The Keys)
Ali & Roberto, (c) ABC, The Bachelorette
Bottom line is that your Real Estate Agent is there to guard and protect your real estate purchase and your wallet. We want you to be as sure about your decision as Ali seems to be with this season’s winner, Roberto. We aren’t here to tell you how to decorate or to follow you around a house like the helicopter date in Bora Bora. We are here to guide you, to tell you if we feel you are making a mistake (Jake and Vienna). To negotiate for you. To point out the big issues that we see while you are ogling the gorgeous marble in the master bath (Ed & Jillian). If you want someone to agree with everything you are doing, bring your BFF along. It could be the most dramatic home purchase process ever or it could be truly enjoyable and exciting (Trista and Ryan).
When buying a home, you don’t want to make a mistake. You don’t want to second-guess anything (Jason & Molly). As Real Estate professionals, it’s our preference that you don’t show up on the cover of US Weekly in tears (or the equivalent). If you decide to buy or sell on your own, don’t come crying to us “After the Closing” when you realize that you overpaid for the house that has taken 3 years to sell or that your Buyer couldn’t get their financing and now you can’t close on your purchase (Brad Womack). We would rather be handing you the final rose at your closing.
Carole Daniels and Gabrielle Daniels Brennan are the #1 real estate team in Sudbury. As a top producing, award winning Mother/Daughter team, Carole offers over 31 years of successful Real Estate Sales and Marketing experience. Daniels and Daniels are #30 in New England and within the top 1% of Agents internationally. Gabrielle and Carole have been a team for 7 years. Prior to Real Estate, Gabrielle spent over a decade in sports and event marketing for ESPN, The Olympics, Coca-Cola, Arby’s and NIKE. They work 24/7 for their clients and love what they do. For more information go to: www.liveinsudburyma.com.
We attended the ActiveRain “Raincamp” seminar at the Boston World Trade Center earlier in the week, and wanted to share some great social media facts and tips that we learned. With 94% of all home buyer consumers starting their search online and Facebook just hitting over 500 Million users, Realtors who are effectively using social media are at a huge competitive advantage over those who aren’t. Thousands of leads are being generated online today, and you have to tap into that to be successful selling real estate today.
Here are a few of the lessons learned from the ActiveRain Camp…
Social Media Sites are Dominating the Internet
74.1% all consumers are online today, spending 32.7 hours/week online!
32% of time online is spent on some type of social media site
The fastest growing demographic on Facebook are females over 55. Yes, the grandmothers have figured out the best way to see pictures of the grandkids is on Facebook!
The top websites: 1. Facebook 2. Google 3. Yahoo 4. Youtube 5. MSN 6. Bing
The top social networks: 1. Facebook (55% market share), 2. YouTube, 3. Myspace, 4. Twitter
Facebook has over 500 Million worldwide users and 150 Million U.S. users
Facebook has 2.7Million users in Massachusetts
85% of available traffic come from search engines, namely in order, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Bing
94% of 24-44 year old’s search online for home buying
32% of buyers found the home they actually purchased online. (I found this to be one of the most impressive factoids).
Consumers don’t care anymore about big agency websites. They use Google as their home search start. They type in exactly what they want: “MA homes for sale”
61% of internet searchers think natural search results are more reliable. They know what are ads and what aren’t.
Blog Writing Tips
Write for the major search engines. That is, write articles you think potential customers are searching for on the Web.
Position yourself as expert for field or geographic location
Longer search engine searches account for 80% of search engine traffic. Ex: “Bellingham MA homes with waterfront” instead of “Bellingham MA homes.” Write posts that are hyper focused on those longer search terms.
Blog Post Ideas
Town School Rankings/District
Town Crime Statistics
Town Restaurants
Town Home Values/Trends
Town playgrounds, park and rec, lakes, ponds
Town sports
Town traffic, commute to Boston
Town neighborhoods/villages
Town shopping centers
Condos
55+ retirement projects
365 things to do
100 places to go
Feeling A Bit Overwhelmed With Social Media?
Starting a social media campaign for newbies can be very overwhelming and complicated because there are so many options especially for the technologically challenged. It’s best to consult with an expert before venturing out and making mistakes.
Since social media has been so successful for us as real estate attorneys and we have developed an expertise in the area, we have been giving very popular seminars on Social Media For Realtors at real estate broker offices across the state, and we have already helped numerous agents set up their own blogs and social media sites like Facebook Fan Pages. It’s been so much fun and successful that we’ve launched a new and exciting service for real estate professionals called HubConnected where we develop, build-out and manage all the various social media platforms for busy real estate professionals. That way, you can generate tons of online leads while concentrating on doing what you do best: selling real estate! Please contact me at [email protected]for more information, and look for more information here at the Blog.
Don’t forget to join us for the Greater Boston Real Estate Board “Under Agreement” Networking Event, on this Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 4:30pm-7:00pm, Hotel Indigo Newton-Riverside, 399 Grove Street, Newton, MA.
This will be a super fun night at a very swanky new venue. Think a little piece of Ocean Drive, Miami Beach in Metrowest. All real estate professionals are welcome: Realtors, mortgage professionals, appraisers, home inspectors, attorneys, etc. Sponsored by TitleHub Closing Services LLC, Bank of Canton, Old Republic Title and SocialMadeSimple.
This will be a super fun night at a very swanky new venue. Think a little piece of Ocean Drive, Miami Beach in Metrowest. All real estate professionals are welcome: Realtors, mortgage professionals, appraisers, home inspectors, attorneys, etc.
We created this cool video through the YouTube/Google Search Story creator. Not only is it a neat marketing tool, but for us, it really showcases how high we are ranking on Google these days. We are consistently on Google’s first page — and even #1 — for search results relating to all major topics of Massachusetts and national real estate law.
If you are a realtor, mortgage lender, or other real estate professional interested in contributing to our blog through guest posts and gaining some serious “Google Juice,” please contact us, and we’d be happy to discuss it.
Richard D. Vetstein, Esq. is regarded as one of the leading real estate attorneys in Massachusetts. With over 25 years in practice, he is a four time winner of the "Top Lawyer" award by Boston Magazine, a "Super Lawyer" designation from Thompson/West, and "Best of Metrowest." For Rich's professional biography, click here. If you are interested in hiring Rich or have a legal question, email or call him at [email protected] or 508-620-5352.
