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Posts Tagged ‘social networking’

What’s The Interest With Pinterest?

Posted on: March 5th, 2012 by Beth Heilman

What's the Interest with Pinterest?

There's a new kid in town on the Social Media landscape and it's taking the internet marketing world by storm. So what's all the interest with Pinterest? Pinterest, an image sharing site where fellow "pinterites" (I just thought of that one…cute, huh?) can visit your Pinterest page and "like" and repin photos you've posted on virtual bulletin boards you create within your account.

Folks are pinning things like motivational quotes, yummy recipes, cute critters and very cool clothes. Then there are those (like you and me) that see the enormous business potential this has.

Unlike sites like flickr where folks just go to look at lots of pretty pictures, Pinterest is proving to be a marketing powerhouse with incredible reach. In January 2012 alone, over 10 million visitors frequented Pinterest. Ten Million!! That's a lot of pinning!

For the average business owner Pinterest has enormous potential. For the Real Estate pro (that would be you) using this as one of your marketing channels could blow the doors off how you showcase your listings like nothing you've ever done before.

How, you ask? Let me tell ya…

Say for instance you get a really cool listing. I know, any listing is really cool, but follow me here. You upload photos of the house to the normal channels; your local MLS, Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow and you throw in Craigslist for good measure. Great job…you're cookin' with gas, and here's where the new kid on the block comes in.

You go to your Pinterest account and create a bulletin board JUST for this listing. You add the photos, put in some really catchy comments and hit the "save" button. The potential for what's next is enormous…

Say you have some fellow "pinterites" (heehee) stop by and repin your photos to their boards. Their friends stop by, people you may have never even met, like what they see and repin to THEIR boards. And so on and so on and…well, you get the picture (yes, pun intended).

But wait, it gets better. Every photo you pin to your board includes a link back to the original "pinner" (that would be you) so anyone interested in finding out more about that particular house can find you. and research shows that over 50% of people who repin, click through to the site the photo originally came from to find out more information. Are you happy dancing yet?

It's a backlink strategy made in heaven. (Note: for those not familiar with backlinks and other internet wizardry stuff, that's why I started Red Leopard Marketing in the first place, so you wouldn't have to try and figure it out. That's my job 🙂 )

Guys, Pinterest knocks most other kinds of ways to visually market your homes on their ear because of the HUGE potential to go viral. People all over the world will be able to check out your listings in a casual, fun way AND had direct access back to YOU!!

Are you excited yet? You should be…

Pinterest is still in the Beta phase as I write this, so you have to be invited to join (and yes, it's free). If you can see how awesome this can be for your business and want to learn more, shoot me a message along with your email and I'll send you an invitation. I look forward to meeting you and seeing what fun things you have to share. And please leave a comment below and let everyone know how you're using Pinterest (or would like to 🙂 ). Until then…

To Your Pinning Success,
Sonrisas(smiles),

Beth

 

Beth Heilman is a 20 year Real Estate veteran and Owner/CEO of Red Leopard Marketing, a company specializing in using Social Media Marketing (and some other nifty cool things, too) to help Real Estate Professionals attract, engage and keep their ideal customers. After experiencing the devastating effects the housing market crash had on her and her fellow Real Estate peeps, she has made it her mission to get businesses back on track using innovative marketing strategies with an emphasis on Social Media. Business as usual just doesn't work anymore. Beth has lived in fabulous Las Vegas for 30 years. She's a mom of four great kiddos and a "gramita" to 10 amazing grandmunchkins. Her philosophy in business and in life is "when you do the right things for the right reasons, things will turn out just fine". Believe it…

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How to Avoid Bunny Trails When You Work Online

Posted on: January 30th, 2012 by Beth Heilman


Facebook and YouTube and LinkedIn, oh my. You know how it goes. You start your day of work online innocently enough logging in to your Twitter account. You see a few tweets with interesting links you want to check out…

Then of course you need to check out Facebook, too. Need to stay on top of the most current streams so you're "in the know" for your customers…

Oh, and then you remember the Farmville invitation you got from your cousin on the East Coast. It won't hurt to play for just a little while.

Next thing you know, you look at the clock and "Oh CRAP!!".

It's noon and nothing on you desk has gotten done. Sound familiar? Know anybody who does that (because we know it's not YOU!!) wink, wink

Ok, enough kidding and I'm certainly not scolding. When you use the Social Media sites for your business, they open up a world of
possibilities that weren't even available a few years ago, but be warned.

They can become the black hole of your productivity and an endless supply of bunny trails if you're not careful. What to do? Thanks, glad you asked 🙂

First and foremost, have your day planned ahead of time. If you don't have a planner or daily calendar or at least a pad of paper with a to-do list sitting on your desk, run to the store and get one…now. You'll be a whole lot less likely to roam around in cyberland if you have a plan.

Second, get thee a timer. Doesn't matter what kind…egg timer, digital timer, stop watch, set the alarm on your phone; something that you can set for a specific amount of time and preferably something that makes a loud, obnoxious noise when it's time to get your nose out of the cyber-barn.

You have important work to do and while it's okay to veg out for a few minutes with some of that stuff, collecting virtual cows and
chickens ain't gonna pay the power bill. Agreed? Moooooving on…

Third tip-o'-the-day is to automate. As much as possible you want to schedule tweets, article posts and the like in programs like Social Oomph ( SocialOomph.com) or my personal favorite, Hootsuite (hootsuite.com) Both of these have free and paid versions, both allow for scheduling and posting tweets and updates ahead of time. What a time saver!!

Hootsuite is great because you can hook your YouTube channel, Facebook (both personal profile and business page) and LinkedIn profile and access them all from one dashboard. Now, pre-programming everything will never take the place of live interaction and it's not supposed to.

Social Media is meant to be just that, social. But isn't it nice to be able to pop in to engage in a conversation and pop back out to take care of something in the "real world" (like say, meeting with a client or feeding your kid) and because you programmed things to post throughout the day, your content is getting seen even if you aren't. Bonus!!

And one more thing about Hootsuite. They have an app for iPhone and Android so you can set everything up over the phone!! It's a
HOOT!!…sweet! ;)

So there you have it. Three simple recommendations to corral those bunnies and keep your work day on track. Simple, yes. Sometimes the things that work the best aren't complicated at all. You have work to do…now hop to it.

This is where I ask what your favorite tools are to keep you on the straight and narrow in your business. Please do share below in the comment section. You'll be helping lots of other folks and they thank you…and so do I. Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas (smiles),

Beth 🙂

Career Change Agent, Social Media Maven and Realtor Extraordinaire, Beth Heilman is a 20 year Real Estate veteran and Owner/CEO of Red Leopard Marketing, a Social Media Marketing company created to help small businesses and solopreneurs "Connect the Spots Online". Beth is a 30 year Las Vegas resident, a mother of four great kiddos and a "gramita" to 10 wonderful grandmunchkins. Her philosophy in business and in life is "when you do the right things for the right reasons, you'll always succeed" and "there is always a way". Do you believe that? You should… 🙂

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Fellow Real Estate People: Your Clients Are Checking You Out Online. Will They Like What They See?

Posted on: January 26th, 2012 by Beth Heilman

Ahhhh, the internet. Whether you love it, hate it or are somewhere in between the fact is, an amazing tool…and it's here to stay. There's not much that you CAN'T find on the internet. Including information about you.

Do you like what it says? A more important question might be, when a new or prospective client does a search on you Will they like what they see?

Now I'm not talking about old photos that an ex-boyfriend took and posted on his Facebook wall (although if there are any of those floating around, you might want to see about getting rid of 'em). What I'm talking about is the impression folks get when they read your bio on your company's website, or Google your name to find out more about you and how you do business.

It's not any breaking news to Real Estate folks that upwards of 93% of people wanting to buy a home do their searching online before they ever contact a Realtor. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that while that same client is checking out that sweet three bedroom colonial on Maple Street you have listed, they're also checking out… you.

Have you taken ownership of your online presence?

If you haven't, it's time you do before someone else does.

Now, I'm not trying to sound ominous, but in today's society it's the negative that gets reported and you know how people like to talk about the least little negative thing. But let's not dwell on that…

Fact is, in today's internet world you can let people not only know what you do, you kick-butt Real Estate pro, you; but by having your own blog and Social Media presence you can let people know who you are as a person. You get to sell you.

In today's market, it's the person who takes the time to build the relationship with their customer and treats them well that makes the sale. Are you doing something everyday to show prospective clients how awesome you are by sharing a more personal side of you?

I hope so. If you're not, I hate to be the one to break it to you,but you're going to be left behind…or at the very least stagnate where
you're at.

Tomorrow's business goes to the one who builds the relationships today.

Claiming your place on Social Media will help build and nurture those relationships. Are you using it to build your business?

I'd love to hear how you're using Social Media to market and grow your business. Leave a comment below and let me know what you're doing. Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas(smiles),

Beth 🙂

Beth Heilman is a 20 year Real Estate veteran and Owner/CEO of Red Leopard Marketing, a company specializing in Social Media Marketing to help Real Estate Professionals attract, engage and keep quality customers. Beth is a 30 year Las Vegas resident, a mother of four great kiddos and a "gramita" to 10 wonderful grandmunchkins. Her philosophy in business and in life is "when you do the right things for the right reasons, you'll always succeed". Do you believe that? You should…

 

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To Succeed, You Have To Be Seen

Posted on: January 16th, 2012 by Beth Heilman

To succeed in business, just like in any area of your life, you need to put yourself out there. You need to be seen.

That exposure…that standing in the spotlight, can scare the bajeebers out of some people. And it will kill any chance of succeeding on any big scale.

It will kill your dream.

For the purpose of what we're talking about here today, we're talking about your business but it could apply to any area of your life.

Whenever you start anything new, like your own business, there's always the the initial start-up jitters. A thousand questions race though your brain simultaneously.

"Will it work?" Will people buy?" "Am I really cut out for this?" Round and round goes the brain till it looks a lot like Danica Patrick on a NASCAR track. Vrooom!!

It's really easy to head for pit row and want to stay there. It's safe.

You look like you're getting things done. There's a flurry of activity going on, but you don't have a chance to win unless you get back out on the track.

You have to be seen.

I've been stuck there, I know how it feels. You want so much to be one of those people you hear about who don't just make "get by" money.

They're freakin' killin' it and takin' it to the bank!!

Friends, they didn't get there overnight and they didn't get there by hiding in their home office. They got out of their comfort zone, put
themselves out there and got seen.

There are plenty of ways to promote yourself and your business. One of my favorite and most fun (not to mention far-reaching and cost effective ) is getting in involved in Social Media.

Just the number of people on Facebook alone is more than the population of many countries!! Imagine for a minute being able to reach out to someone halfway across the world with the click of a mouse. That was unheard of just a few years ago.

Think of the possibilities of building strong relationships with people who can't wait to do business with you because of how your share things about your life and the products and services you offer.

Think how gratifying it will be to be of service to people not just in you local area, but all over the world.

All because you let yourself be seen and you used Social Media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn) to do it.

It's no secret that things in the economy have gone crazy. Not just here in the US, but all over the world. And it's the small business owner that cares enough to put themselves out there that will get this mess turned around.

If you're already busy promoting yourself and your business, good on ya!

If you've been playing small and waiting until you have everything perfect…STOP!

The world needs you! It's time to be seen… 

What are your feelings on being seen in the marketplace and using social media to do it? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to know what you think. Until then…

To Your Success,
Sonrisas (smiles),

Beth

 

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Your Ideal Client: Narrow Your Focus For A Broader Reach- Part 2

Posted on: August 2nd, 2011 by Beth Heilman

In the last post we talked about narrowing down your focus when you’re looking for your ideal client.

We talked about how what’s called the “shotgun approach” to marketing never works. You can’t be all things to all people.

But how do you identify your ideal client? Who are they really and how do you find them?

Find Your Ideal Client

Find Your Ideal Client

For starters, look at all the customers you have now. Who is it you enjoy working with the most?

Are they in a certain age group? Are they men or women? What does your product do for them? Are they business owners or do they work for some one else? Are they single parents?

Demographics like age, gender. and family status and are just one part of the equation.

The other part and (probably the biggest part) of that same equation is:

What problem does your product solve?

If you have a great weight loss solution, do you work with people who have 5-10 pounds to lose and want to look fabulous for an upcoming class reunion or do they have 50, 100, 150 pounds or more to lose and if they don’t, they might not be here in 5 years.

How you talk to, market to and where you find those people who have a true obesity problem will be
light years different than the class reunion crowd.

Another example I can give you is my ideal client…you.

You’re more than likely here because you want to have your own business. You’re just starting out or most likely haven’t even started one yet. You probably aren’t sure yet what you want to do when you grow up, you just know that what you’re doing now isn’t it 🙂

You may have gotten the rug pulled out from under you when the housing market crashed like I did, but the thought of taking just any old job earning way less than you’re used to makes you want to cry.

You’re smart, you’re ambitious, you have tons of great ideas and things you love to do, but you’re not sure how to turn that into a business, a successful business, that not only earns you a great living, it allows you a great life. You’re who I love working with. 🙂

How can you find the clients you’ll love working with? You go where they are. We’re so lucky that with the internet, we have the whole world at our fingertips. There are online forums on nearly every conceivable topic, there are groups on social media like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For those of you who prefer face-to-face interaction there’s are meet-up groups all over the country. Go online and search for the problem your product solves then add forum or blog (for a virtual online meeting) or meeting after it and then add your city.

Ex: weight loss + forum OR dog lovers + meet up + san diego

Easy peasy, right?

Here’s another example for you. Some of my ideal clients happen to be Realtors. They were really hit hard in the housing crunch and many are just barely making it, but they’re not sure what else to do. I also
happen to be a Realtor so I definitely speak the language.

(Hint: always speak to your ideal client in the language they understand(no, I’m not saying learn a foreign language). If you deal with folks primarily in one profession ie; doctors, mortgage folks,
attorneys, truck drivers, chefs; learn some of the “industry speak” that they use.

Bottom line…meet them where they are. They’ll appreciate the effort and will feel more comfortable talking with you.

And always, always, (did I say always?) come from a place of service, sincerity and authenticity. People are savvy and will spot a phony (or someone who only wants to make a quick sale) a mile away. I know that’s not you 🙂

Finding your ideal client is a breeze when you really narrow down who you want to work with and the problem you can help them solve.

Let me know any ideas or any questions you have about where you can look for your ideal client.

Then again how would you like it if your ideal client found you?…

I’ll show you how in some upcoming posts. Until then…

Make it a wondermous day!

Sonrisas (smiles),
Beth

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