Welcome to Part 2 of “50 Ways to Use Your Fan Page”. Each post I will give you 10 more ideas on what kind of information to post and provide on your Facebook Fan Page. I’ll give you unique and creative ideas on how to promote yourself, your listings, your website and your company online using Facebook. I’ll also provide you how-tos on promotion of the page, reading statistics and more.

The next 10 ideas on how to create value and promote your Facebook Fan Page are listed below. If there is something you would like to know more about or if you have an idea or suggestion you feel works, please feel free to let me know or post it below! After all, social media is all about sharing and collaboration. It is only successful when others participate.

1. Post personal photos. Photos are probably one of the most popular uses for Facebook. Photos grab attention and encourage people to take a look at your page. You can and should post personal photos but keep it professional. Make sure you keep in mind that this is a professional fan page and use discretion.

2. Post photos of properties. If you have a particular property that you are featuring on your website and would like to get some extra viewing time on, post an album in the photos section that is of the property. Be sure to put the properties address as the name of the album. For added benefit, go into the settings area of your album and set it to ‘everyone’ can view. That way, even if someone can’t see your profile, they will be able to see that particular photo album. (You can designate settings for each album.)

3. Post photos of events you attend. Make sure you take great photos of any events that you attend. If there are people you know who appear in the photos, get their permission and “tag” them. Tagging can be done as you are uploading your photos or after you have posted them to your album. When you tag a photo of someone, Facebook sends them an email letting them know and encouraging them to visit your page. This is what creates the “community” feel of your page. The more personalization you put on the page, the more likely it will be it gets visited.

4. Start a Discussion. Discussions provide a way to initiate conversation on your profile and encourage people to network with each other. Allow others a chance to communicate with you and your friends. It draws users in creates commentary. Click on the ‘discussions’ tab at the top of your fan page. Click the ‘start new topic’ link and enter the information. Once you’ve entered it, be sure to post on your wall that you’re starting a discussion. Keep it interesting; talk about current market events, or use it as a question and answer session. If you can provide valuable advice, you’ll get fans coming back for more.

5. Advertise your Open Houses. At the top of your fan page is a tab called “Events”. Here you can post upcoming events like your upcoming open houses. You can even attach links to a map for driving directions.

6. Add your own functionality through FBML (Facebook Markup Language). Facebook Mark Up Language allows you to add advanced functionality to your fan Page using this application. If you know HTML, you can design and create your own pages or have someone do it for you. This application will add a box to your Page in which you can render HTML or FBML (Facebook Markup Language) for enhanced Page customization. Click here to add the application: http://harvard.new.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=4949752878

7. Announce your blog posts. You can advertise new posts to your blog simply by posting it as an update on your wall. You can attach a link directly to your blog that will direct fans right to the article.

8. Use Twitter to drive traffic. Use your Twitter updates to let your followers know of unique and interesting content or new content you’ve posted to your fan page. Cross marketing is an extremely effective way to get social media to work for you.

9. Become a fan yourself. Not only should you make sure that you become a fan of your own fan page through your personal profile, you should also make sure that you become a fan of other causes, companies, brands and people with whom you know and do business. Reaping the benefits of social media means you have to participate in it as well. Make sure you are cultivating the online community by searching around for pages that match your specific interests. A consummate professional pays attention to the causes and companies that matter most to their clients and becomes fans of them as well. One good turn deserves another.

10. Visit at least two fans per week. Social media is like any other kind of socialization. You have to make yourself available to others for it to work. In today’s hectic business climate, you may find it difficult to pick up the phone and call people just to say hello. Facebook profiles make it much easier. Be sure to pick at least two fan’s profiles per week to visit. Post a friendly ‘hello’ on their wall. They will get emailed that you posted and feel good you reached out to them.


This concludes part two of my series. I hope you’re playing around with your fan page and starting to get a hand of its functionality. Check back soon for 10 more ideas as we work towards providing you with 50 ideas on how to use your Facebook Fan Page!

Until then, Happy Socializing!


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CyberSunshine, Inc. is real estate web design firm that has been developing website and intranet applications for the real estate industry since 1998. Regarded as one of the industry's premier technology development companies, and recently named as one of Florida’s Top 100 Small Businesses, CyberSunshine, Inc. enables clients to maximize their marketing and sales potential through the internet by providing flexible, dynamic systems with robust web-based solutions tailored to their specific needs. For additional information call 239-437-2628 or visit http://www.cybersunshine.com.

Labels: CyberSunshine, Facebook, Fan Page, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Web Design, Social Media

I am remembering my grandfather today who was a WWII Bomber Pilot. A member of the 449th Bomb Group, he was shot down and taken as a POW. My grandfather flew a bomber that they named "Reluctant Liz" after my grandmother, Elizabeth (Betty) Bontly. On April 4, 1944 known as 4/4/44, seven of the original planes from Bruning in the 449th were shot down in that single day. This event was immortalized in the paintings by artist Jim Dietz entitled "Maximum Effort". The painting commissioned by Col Hollie Wilkes hangs in the Pentagon. I have included an image of that painting in this note. The 449th received a DUC for a mission on 4 April 1944 when the group, flying without escort, raided marshalling yards in Bucharest; although heavily outnumbered by German fighters, the group succeeded not only in bombing the target but also in destroying many of the enemy interceptors The most successful operations of the allied strategical air warfare was against the German fuel supply which proved to be the fatal blow for the luftwaffe. The 449th Heavy Bomber group flew raids over Romania and is credited with the destruction of the oil refinery at Ploesti.

30 members of the 449th were killed over Austria in the worse of midair collisions. In all of the 449th Group, 388 men were killed in action, 363 were taken Prisoner of War and 101 planes (B-24's) were lost.

My grandfather survived and lived to tell the tale. We have quite a bit of information, as he was more willing to talk about it later in his life. I have always been incredibly inspired by my grandfather's efforts in this war and will continue to pass his story down to Baby Chase once he's old enough to understand, though I pray that when he's old enough "war" will be a concept we only read about in history books.

Please take some time today to remember those who have served in our military and died for our freedom. My grandfather was a brave but humble man. He probably would have laughed at me for posting this online but I know he wouldn't be mad. :)

This is the official website for the 449th Bomb Group:
http://www.norfield-publishing.com/449th/449site.html


Additional Historical Information:
==========================

Labels: CyberSunshine, Memorial Day, WWII

My last post told you all about how to create a fan page on Facebook. Oddly enough it can be really hard to find exactly where you can create a page, once you have a login to this popular social media site. In my last post I provided you a quick link. Check it out if you still haven’t created your Page.

To those of you who have created your Page and are now ready to move to the next step, let me first commend you for your efforts! I know this can be scary…but don’t worry! It’s FREE and the only way to truly goof up is to not do anything! Keep in mind that your goal in developing a social media marketing campaign is to keep it professional, build networks and cultivate relationships that will ultimately turn into business leads.

The first thing you need to do is look over your info section. Make sure that you have filled everything out entirely. You don’t have to give everything away but make sure that it at least provides your contact info and where you work. If someone is interested in getting in touch with you, this is where they’ll look so make sure it’s all accurate and up to date.

Secondly, you’ll want to check your settings and information. At the top left hand of the page, there is an ‘edit’ link. Within the edit section, you’ll find settings, wall settings, mobile, discussion boards, events, information, notes, photos, video, wall and more applications. To edit any one of these sections, click the small pencil icon to the right and then select ‘edit’.

• Under “Settings”, make sure that under “Published”, the “Published (publicly visible) is selected. Once you have “published” your fan page, it will become visible to other users.

• Under ‘Wall Settings” you can change the default view for fans and control who posts to your wall. This is where you can control who can post what to your page.

• “Mobile” allows you to publish your status updates via mobile phone for when you’re on the road. Once you get comfortable with Facebook, this can be a great way to let people know your status updates quickly. You have to have a carrier that works with this service so check your service plan.

• “Discussion Boards” allow you to get a conversation started about topics of importance or interest. This can be a great tool for you to get some valuable feedback from your clients. You set the topics and promote the discussion.

• “Events” is a great feature. This is a fantastic way to get the word out about any event you have coming up. Post open houses, grand openings, social gatherings, real estate seminars and more. If you send emails out to clients about events you would like to attend, make sure you post them to your fan page as well. Once you create the event, you can promote it to your fans through Facebook. Your fans are sent the info and they can even RSVP to it.

• “Information” is where you can manage the information settings on your page. This is where you can add your website, picture and basic info.

• “Links” provides you the ability to determine who can post links to your fan page. You can post websites, blogs, videos, and songs, as well as content on Facebook, like profiles, photos, notes, groups, and events. You can allow all fans to post links or only allow admins. This is your decision.

• “Notes” allows you to share information through written entries. You can tag people you know in these entries and others can leave comments. If you want to write an article about something important, or perhaps you want to write a thank you to a recent client, you can use this feature and then tag that person. They will get an email that they are in that note and can go right to it on your page.

• “Photos” allow you to upload your own personal photos to your fan page. In my opinion, photos are a really great way to gain interest in your fan page quickly. People like to look at photos online. Once you upload them, you can add comments and tag other fans in them. The photos are also posted in news feeds of your fans, which can get their attention and encourage them to take a look (which drives them to your page). You can create your own albums and then share them with others. If you go to an event, take photos of that event. If you have a property that is especially enticing, create an album for it. I’ll have more ideas to share about how to use this great application in future posts.

• The “Videos” section allows you to post, record and send videos to fans. This is a great way to generate interest, as videos can be extremely viral. Viral means that others will see it, then forward it to their friends, who forward it to theirs, and so on. If you have a video of a community or property, this is a good place to include it.

• Your Facebook “Wall” is the open forum where you communicate with your fans. It’s the best place to interact with them through comments, posts, insights and more. Think of your wall as your customizable bulletin board where you can post interesting bits of information. The best part about the wall is its interactivity between you and your fans. With it, you can share information and not only become an information resource, but obtain valuable feedback for your business.

That wraps up the overview of your new Facebook Fan Page. In the next week, take a look at all of the features of your page and get familiar with them and how they function. If you’re interested in learning more about social media and Facebook, please follow my blog. Next week I will be starting a new blog series, “50 Ways to Use Your Fan Page”. It will be a five week series that will provide you with 10 unique and creative ideas each week on how to use your fan page in business networking. If you’re interested in getting started but feel stuck on what to do next, you’ll want to check back each week. I hope to get an interesting discussion started on how we can all use this fantastic media to cultivate new and rewarding relationships.

If you use Facebook and feel it has been successful, I’d like to hear from you! Let me know how you have used it in your business to help promote yourself and your services.

Until next time, Happy Socializing!

Labels: business networking, CyberSunshine, Facebook, Internet Marketing, Social Media, social media campaign, Stuff You Need, yberSunshine

Facebook Fan Pages are getting a lot of attention lately in the media and rightfully so. Research indicates that 70% of viral marketers report increasing brand awareness as one of the most successful areas of their social marketing campaigns. Not since the onset of the internet and websites have you been given the ability to reach out across the miles to millions of potential prospects in such an exciting and targeted fashion. Best of all, it’s FREE!

As a real estate professional, you are your brand. You create logos around your name and business. If you’re a broker, then brand awareness is even more crucial. If you have an organization, business, product or personality that you intend to keep in business through this year and beyond, well then you’ll want to setup a Facebook Fan Page.

Facebook Fan Pages are customizable pages setup to help a variety of promotional groups “join the conversation with Facebook users”. They allow unlimited users (unlike personal profiles), business-to-consumer interaction, and content sharing. One of the most important aspects, but often overlooked is the fact that they allow you to create a very targeted focus group for your business. If all that still hasn’t convinced you, well then you should know that they are even beginning to show up quite quickly in major search engines. Did I get your attention now? Everything from corporations, major newspapers and television shows to individual celebrities and non-profits can leverage the power of a Facebook Page to promote brand awareness.

Facebook Pages are similar yet quite different from personal profiles. Instead of “friends”, Pages acquire “fans”. Fans are sent updates (posted by page administrators) via news feeds on their personal profiles, which are then promoted to their ‘friends’. Under ‘News Feed’, you’ll see a list of the updates that have been made by your friends. Along the far right hand side of the page you may see thumbnail images with the title along with an announcement that “John Smith” is a fan. Along with it is a link for you to click to “Become a fan”. Page creation can be difficult to find. I’ve provided you a quick link to help you out (you can thank me later). http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/create.php Creating a page is not difficult or time consuming, and involves only a few fields of pertinent information.

1) First, choose the category in which your Page will be seen in the Facebook directory. Select whether you are Local, a Brand or Product, or an Artist, Band or Public Figure. As a real estate professional, you’ll most likely find the right designation under “Local”. Select ‘real estate’ from the drop down menu. (Note: if you want to setup a Page for a non-profit you care about, you’ll find “non-profit” under Brand or Product)

2) Choose your name. This part’s important. Tread carefully!! Once you have chosen it, Facebook does not allow you to change it. It’s also important to know that whatever you choose will be found in the URL of the page, which is great for search engine effectiveness. That’s why you’ll want to make sure that the name you use is the one that you use in all of your other marketing. Now is not the time to be cute – keep it simple and obvious. If you’re not sure, take a look at your marketing tools; business cards and brochures…how do you present yourself? Go with what you see most often in your real estate marketing materials, whether its your name, your company name or a real estate website, select the name that you feel a potential buyer or seller would use to search for you.

3) Finally, perform the “security check”. The security check is just simply a Captcha box that requires you to type in the words you see on the screen. This is just so the system can verify that you are indeed a human.

4) Click ‘Create Page’ and you’re done!

Now what do you do?

1) Take a break and get a treat for yourself…you’ve officially began your social media campaign!

2) Start customizing. Select an image to upload- make sure its professional looking. A logo or photo identifying your Page is critical…don’t leave the goofy question mark you’ll see there (you can change this any time if needed).

3) Fill out the info page. This is good for search engines; add as much as you can and be as descriptive as possible. You want people to relate to your group so they’ll become your fan.

4) Fill the page with useful and interesting content. You’ll want to start obtaining fans but if you have nothing interesting to lend, you won’t have any fans.

If you’re a real estate brokerage, post statistics on your market area, show off your company real estate websites, and brag about your sales numbers. You can announce new agents to your team, brag up a particular listing agent who was a recent top producer or even highlight an agent of the month. Use the page as a way to market your business.

If you’re an agent, post open houses to your events, show off your website(s) through link posts, share photos of featured listings and communicate with prospects via updates. Be creative! The more clever you are, the better your Page will be.

5) Finally, start promoting. Remember you are now a needle in a haystack. You need to spread the word about your page. Post your Page information to sites like delicious.com, twitter, your website and your blog.

In my next post, I’ll give you all kinds of information on how to promote your Page, how to update your fans, how to target your updates and more. Until then, Happy Socializing!

Labels: CyberSunshine, Internet Marketing, marketing quick tip, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Web Design, Social Media

Social media a new set of internet tools that enable shared community experiences, both online and in person. As social media gains more popularity among all generations, many people are using the internet for both personal and professional reasons. It's a great idea to use the internet for your profession, however much like in life, it's always best to separate your personal life from your professional life. Social media is one example where this is crucial.

Social media is quickly becoming one of the fastest, most effective ways to network. It can be extremely beneficial to connect and network with friends and business associates. Many people have reconnected with people they haven't seen in quite some time, which can be quite fun. Sites like Facebook and MySpace can become virtual class and family reunions that allow you to share and collaborate with people you may not see that often.

At the same time, social media can also be a great way to network professionally with business associates and clients. Many real estate agents have begun using social media websites to network themselves with other business professionals and prospects.

Utilizing social media can be extremely effective. You build relationships with people through sharing and collaboration. The drawback is that you can find yourself sharing information that you didn't expect- or showing your business associates and potential clients a side of you that might be less than flattering. It's important to remember that people may judge you not only by your behavior but by those with whom you associate. Remember that on many social media sites, you can't always control what other people post about you or themselves. Your clients and prospects might not find that photo of you with friends drinking at the bar and being silly all that humorous or professional. You can't control what others say and do online. That's why it's crucial to always keep your online personal and professional life separate.

Keeping your personal and professional life separate as much as possible can be difficult when your business associates become your friends. However, if you want to use social media as a way to network with clients, you must be very skilled at navigating these tricky waters. Your clients and business associates gain a first impression from you based on your initial contact, regardless if it was in person. That means if they 'meet' you on online in a social media site like Facebook or MySpace, your profile page will be their first impression. Make sure that whatever social media site you utilize that you can control the settings – you want to be able to decide who gets to see your information and what they can post. Your friend from college might think it's funny to post that story about your past party escapades, but your potential clients might not find it quite so intriguing.

If you wish to use a site like Facebook, setup a profile for your personal friends and family, and setup a separate one for your persona as a business professional. A word of caution! Facebook terms of use clearly state, "the Service and the Site are available for your personal, non-commercial use only". Do not use a Facebook personal profile page to promote or recruit for your company. You can use it to talk about what you're doing, accomplishments, answer client questions, post photos and more, but if you use it too much as an advertisement, Facebook may contact you and you could have your profile shut off. If you wish to promote your company, utilize "Facebook Pages". Facebook Pages are special profiles used solely for commercial, political, or charitable purposes. You can create a page for your company under your own profile login to make administrating it easy. You can also add other members of your company as admins. There are a varitey of tools you can use on these pages that have been created specifically for business ues. I'll cover how to utilize social media for your business in a later post. To create a professional social media profile, here are some do's and don'ts:

DO:

1. Post personal information about yourself, but keep it professional. Use a professional head shot for your profile photo. Stay away from using photos that portray you casually. The photo of you hanging out with friends at a party is a poor choice. Remember this is a professional representation of you- make sure that you're portraying yourself appropriately.

2. Include relevant information that would connect you with another individual's personal experiences. Where you grew up, went to school, perhaps whether or not you're married and for how long, how many children you may have and any places you've traveled is all fair game for a professional profile. Other people identify with groups you may belong to- alumni groups are a great way to create a personal connection. * Warning! Keep it brief! Don't bore everyone with too many personal details. Keep it only to that information you would share in a business networking situation.

3. Post professional accomplishments, acknowledgements and designations you have achieved. This is a chance to let everyone know your true credentials. Do not, under any circumstances, embellish your accomplishments! Even though it may be tempting, it's very easy to verify the truth online. If you're caught lying about your credentials, you lose all credibility forever. Be honest, and if you feel your profile needs more "fluff" go out and actually achieve the accomplishments you desire.

4. Post photos that portray you engaging in appropriate activities and refrain from posting too many. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether or not you'd hang the photo(s)on the wall in your office.

5. Post information about your company or your industry experience. Where the business is located, how you got your start, and where you are today are all great points. Include contact information and your website.

6. Post your professional news. This is your chance to get the word out about what you're doing lately. Announce a new client/listing, a recent sale, and recent accomplishments. Brag about your successes and achievements- this is your chance!

7. Keep current clients and potential clients informed about changes in your industry or your business practices. If you're now offering title insurance, or you just partnered with a great banker, get the word out on your profile page. It might just prompt someone to contact you!

8. Use "status updates" as a way to show how busy you are. Let people know you just updated your website or posted to your blog. Include a link.

9. Join networks that are specific to your area and profession. These can be great ways to connect with others who share your interests; a great starting point for business relations.

10. Connect with clients by posting relevant information to their profile pages; let your clients know you sold a property in their area, or market conditions that affect them. They'll appreciate the real-time updates and insider information they get from you first hand.

DON'T:

1. DON'T inundate your professional contacts with 'special requests' (like sending someone a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day or silly quizzes, etc.) Remember much of what you do on these sites gets emailed to your contacts when you do it. If you annoy your contacts with a constant barrage of irrelevant items, they'll start treating you like they treat their spam email…they'll delete you!

2. DON'T be annoying! Trying to friend people just to gain as many contacts as you can is irritating. Don't send people you don't know your other contacts unless they have indicated they are interested in them. If you suggest friends to other people, make sure you genuinely feel they might know them or benefit from knowing them. It's irritating to get friend requests from people you don't know and are not interested in knowing. Keep your profile page relevant and personal. Make sure you are communicating with people who will actually find your information relevant to them.

3. DON'T use status updates to show how mundane your life is. No one cares that you just did the dishes or that you just watched American Idol.

4. DON'T talk about your love life. It is unprofessional to air your ‘dirty laundry' to professional business contacts. "Hook ups" and break ups are off limits and whatever you do, don't talk about your relationship problems!

5. DON'T put someone else down. Keep it professional and above board. If you wouldn't say it to everyone you've ever known or talked to, then don't say it online.

6. DON'T put other companies down or use social media to slander others. It's poor business practice and only makes you look unprofessional. This is your chance to shine; don't waste your precious time on making others look bad.

7. DON'T forget that everything you do online is traceable. Make sure that whatever you say or do remains professional. You very often can't take back things that are said and done online.

8. DON'T post photos of you in compromising situations. Photos of you partying, drinking, or engaging in any illegal or questionable activity should be off limits! It only takes one unsavory photo to ruin your reputation forever. If you wouldn't give it to the media, don't put it online.

9. DON'T use your social media outlets just to connect with other real estate professionals. Use it as a way to connect with clients and potential clients as well. Offer them valuable information and they'll keep coming back for more. Encourage referrals!

10. Finally...never, EVER joke about engaging in illegal or dishonest activities or business practices online in either your personal or professional profile. As social media catches on, more employers and business associates will utilize social media to find out information about you. You want it to be a fair and accurate representation of the kind of business professional you are- it should work FOR you, not against you.

Social media is quickly becoming an extremely effective marketing tool. Though it can be great for driving business and contacts your way, it can also be detrimental if you make a wrong move. Make sure that whatever you post online you're prepared to defend.

Once you have setup your professional social media sites online, there are a variety of ways you can use them to benefit your business. I'll cover that in a later post. Until then, happy socializing!

Labels: CyberSunshine, Internet Marketing, Social Media

Labels: CyberSunshine, News

Put links to a few of your favorite websites on your homepage. But make sure they are links that are actually relevant to your website (for instance, as a real estate agent, you don’t really want a link to NASCAR). You can also send the company/website an email letting them know you linked to them. Maybe they’ll be nice and return the favor, which is free marketing for you!

Labels: CyberSunshine, marketing quick tip, Real Estate Blog, Real Estate SEO for Beginners

Labels: CyberSunshine

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family, friends, and food. In the spirit of remembering what Thanksgiving is about, I found a brief history to share with you.

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest
feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations
in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and
interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast
is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was
actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving
thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the
Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized
harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for
centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America. Read More...

And some fun facts to share around your dinner table:

• Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.


• The cranberry is one of only three fruits—the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape—that are entirely native to North American soil, according to the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association.


• Sarah Josepha Hale, the enormously influential magazine editor and author who waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the mid-19th century, was also the author of the classic nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."


• The first time the Detroit Lions played football on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country--the first national Thanksgiving football broadcast. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944); in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.

Labels: CyberSunshine

This is part of a new series I'll be doing that will give you tips on how to improve your blog with subtle changes and easy-to-implement techniques. The first tip I'm going to cover is replying to comments left on your blog.

There are several reasons why you'll want to reply to your comments. First, it shows the commenter that you actually read the comments you receive and you value them. Most of the time when people leave you a comment they come back to see if their comment got any responses. People get the warm fuzzies when they see that the blog author read the comment and actually responded. You'd be surprised to know how many blog authors don't bother to respond to comments, even though it seems like simple logic to you and I. Personally, when I leave a comment and it doesn't warrant a response, I feel ignored, and I find that rude. It's like when you leave someone a voicemail and they never call you back. Another reason to respond to your comments is that it can gain you additional comments. You can start a dialogue of sorts on your blog. If someone comments to you, you have the opportunity to respond and possibly open up a conversation (depending on the topic, of course). Then you can invite other people to share their opinions on the comment, and then you have a dialogue (or a debate, but we'll talk about that some other time). Not only does this dialogue get you more hits to your blog from people checking back to read the comments, but it also gives the commenting parties a feeling of community, as if they have made friends on your blog and they're sharing ideas and thoughts. That's another warm fuzzies type of feeling.

Now on to how to do it. First of all, you can't really respond to a comment like, "Great point, I love your blog!" and expect to start a conversation. You have to look for the right type of comment. If someone asks a question or makes a point that corresponds with your original point (the reason you wrote that post), then you can comment to get an intelligent conversation started. Sometimes it won't work, and the commenter won't return, and nobody else will comment. That's okay. You did the polite thing by responding, so let it go. Don't post an additional comment asking for more opinions or wondering where the original commenter has gone. It makes you look desperate, and nobody wants to look desperate. Another thing to remember is that you do not bother responding to mean, hurtful, or negative comments unless you are fully prepared to deal with the lashback. The blogosphere can be a harsh place. There are so many types of people with so many varying opinions, so make sure you can handle the heat if you're starting an arguement. When I get unpleasant comments, I usually just delete them and move on. To me, it just isn't worth the hassle of starting a huge arguement, and it makes your blog look unprofessional.

Good luck in your commenting endeavors, and try to remember a very important point. You will not get a lot of comments. That doesn't mean your blog is boring or you're unpopular. You're not writing a blog for the comments, you're writing it to boost your site and to introduce yourself to potential clients. The comments are just an added bonus.

Labels: Blog Project, Blogging Ideas, Commenting, CyberSunshine, Real Estate Blog

OK- a slight shift in focus here, but important none the less. Forgive us for straying from our topic, but this IS for a good cause. Does your love for animals cause you to ponder how to help alleviate the suffering of homeless pets in your community? Do you wonder if there is an organization that that can match your enthusiasm and passion to a good cause? The answer is a resounding YES!

CyberSunshine, Inc. is proud to sponsor the Animal Refuge Center (ARC), (http://www.animalrefuge.com/) a non-profit volunteer organization and sanctuary, providing a clean, safe, no-kill environment primarily for cats and dogs within SW Florida. ARC actively seeks their adoption to qualified individuals. Through public education and an active spay and neuter program, ARC strives to reduce the number of unwanted animals in the community. ARC also promotes animal welfare advocacy and cruelty investigations, as well as utilizing education as a major resource to reach pet owners on responsible pet ownership and kindness to all creatures.

In 2000, CyberSunshine donated an entire website with support and hosting at no charge to ARC of Fort Myers. The site allows volunteers of this organization post animals available for adoption to the site any time. It allows them to mark animals as adopted, add events, collect donations and more.

With the recent home mortgage crisis, not only are people losing their homes, animals are too. ARC needs help. In order to accomplish their goals it takes a strong staff complimented by a large network of dedicated volunteers and supporters. ARC is always looking to recruit more volunteers in Southwest Florida. They have many opportunities available; such as, planning and working special events, dog and/or cat care, dog and/or cat socialization, foster care, and maintenance and repairs.

If you live in Southwest Florida, please consider donating your time. If you are not local, and would like to donate to ARC, please visit their website at http://www.animalrefuge.com/ and click on the ‘donate’ link to the left of the page. It's safe and secure.

If you have interest in learning more about ARC and our volunteer program, please don’t hesitate to contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Lisa Morris, at vcarc@animalrefugecenter.net or visit our website at http://www.animalrefuge.com/.

Labels: CyberSunshine, News

One of the very first things you'll need to do when starting a website is write the home page content. That content is the paragraph(s) that describes who you are, what you do, where you sell and why anyone should stay on your site any longer.

When you start a new site with CyberSunshine, we always ask for this content. I am available to read over the content for you and make suggestions if you want. I actually recommend that. There are several things to consider when writing this content, and the most important one is keywords. You need keywords. You see, this content serves dual purposes. Not only is it a cute blurb about you and your company, but it also needs to house your main keywords several times. This is very beneficial to your SEO success. Basically, using your keywords in the main body of content assures the Google spiders that your site really is about what you claim. That's important if you want Google to like your site.

As with anything, there is a downfall to this. Over-using those keywords can make your blurb run together in a big, bland, monotonous run-on sentence. If your blurb sounds like you're fishing for keywords, you're going to lose potential buyers. People are not stupid, and many potential leads are going to be reading your site and they are going to realize that you're just trying to get Google's attention. That's going to lose you some leads.

The key is to come up with a balance. I recommend using your primary keyword phrase 3 times, and additional keyword phrases once each (and try to only use 2-3 of those additional keyword phrases). Your main keyword will be something like, Cincinnati Real Estate, and your secondary keywords will be things like, Cincinnati Realtor or, Cincinnati Properties.

When you feel like you've done the best you can, then email your blurb to all your friends and your family members and ask them to critique it for you. Then email it to me and I'll tell you if it needs any tweaks. The more eyes that see it before it goes on the web, the better.

Related Reading: Real Estate SEO For Beginners: Choosing Domain Names

Labels: CyberSunshine, Real Estate Blog, Real Estate SEO for Beginners

The National Association of REALTORS® will hold its annual conference and expo in Orlando, Florida this November 7-10. CyberSunshine, Inc. will be attending the Expo, located at booth 3367. This event should prove both exciting and helpful to real estate brokers and agents alike who want to get connected with other industry professionals to share ideas in a difficult market place. If you’re ready to take your website to the next level, stop by our booth and let us show you where real estate technology is heading.

Jump start your technology! Register for a chance to win a $500 Gift Certificate towards purchase by visiting our site online at http://www.CyberSunshine.com/500!

DURING THE EXPO: Visit our Booth #3367 to register for a chance to win FREE tickets to see Blue Man Group at Universal Studios, Florida! For a FREE Expo pass, email Sales@CyberSunshine.com or call 239-437-2628.

Labels: Custom IDX, CyberSunshine, Real Estate Web Design

Ask your new clients how they found you! This may seem like a simple task, but you would be amazed at how many people forget! You can't make sound marketing decisions about your business or your website if you don't have true statistics. Was it a magazine ad, internet listing, yellow pages or website? Are you logging this information to an easy to find location? You should make this a standard practice when you make the first contact with a new lead, that way you know which of your marketing dollars were well-spent, and which didn’t warrant any results at all. Once you know that answer, you can start to make more confident marketing decisions.

Labels: CyberSunshine, marketing quick tip

You may have noticed that box on the sidebar that has little square pictures of people along with their names. That's a widget for MyBlogLog. MyBlogLog is a social networking site that allows you to keep track of friends (like Facebook) and it also streams in your newest blog posts. It's like a constant RSS Feed. You can also join communities to meet new friends, and it's a great way for people to stumble on your blog by searching for topics that interest them.

Of all the social sites, I actually find this one to be the most useful. It has a wide range of users, comes with a widget for your site (which is free), and has been more helpful for me when I'm looking for new blogs to discover. One thing I recommend is that you use a photo you want to keep using. People remember you based on that little avatar, so it's like a branding thing. Make sure that whatever you use is something you'll be comfortable with long-term. For more tips on ways to use MyBlogLog, go here.

The widget is by far the best feature for me. It allows you (and everyone else) to see who's been looking at your blog. I like to know who has been reading my blog, so that I can go read theirs and possibly introduce myself. You can never have too many friends! You can also send personal messages to your visitors by clicking on their photo. It takes you to their page and then you can learn about them and contact them.

If you're new to blogging, this should be your very first networking tool!

Labels: CyberSunshine, Stuff You Need, Website Tools

At CyberSunshine, Inc., we're dedicated to helping you understand everything you need to know about your online marketing objectives. Whether you're an individual agent, or a large brokerage, there are still far too many of you who have not committed seriously to your online program. You know who you are- it's been on your "to do" list for a long time, but you just don't know where to start. Or maybe you've had a site but it's just not doing the job. We're here to give you a back-to-basics refresher on how to use online marketing effectively.

1. Get a personal website and BRAND you or your company.

80% of all real estate transactions involve the use of the Internet. Buyers using the Internet end up using a professional real estate person to help them 90% of the time. In order to be successful in this industry, you need to think "Internet," yet also focus on branding. You should work hard as a real estate professional to differentiate yourself from competition in all aspects of your marketing. Building a brand is a critical piece to accomplishing this task, and is something that many real estate agents tend to overlook. You want your brand to mean something specific to the marketplace. Your brand is not just your company name, logo, website, or advertisements. A brand is what your clients think, say, and believe about your company. Your clients should be undoubtedly aware of the benefits you offer them. Your brand identity must work for you on your website and all other marketing materials you use throughout a specific time period. Use your brand identity to describe your services and how you can benefit your clients. It is important to realize that your brand is also deciphered into your logo so that it is easily remembered. When your clients see your logo, they should effortlessly associate it with your distinguished services and benefits.

2. Market your Site

It is extremely important to your continued success as a real estate professional to spend time on a marketing plan. You should work with an online consultant who will help you determine your goals and objectives for your online marketing. You MUST diversify your marketing strategies, much the same way you would with an investment portfolio. After all, the technology you purchase is an investment and it should be working for you at all times. Invest your money into a variety of different marketing platforms (e.g. natural search, pay per click, manual submissions, site adjustments, etc.) so that you get the maximum benefit for your expenditures, and avoid "putting all your eggs in one basket." We recommend participating in data push programs such as GoogleBase and Video portals for maximum exposure.

3. Enhance your listings- videos, photos and more!

In order to truly differentiate and stand out from other more standardized websites, there are many things you can do to enhance your listing and drive traffic to your site. You could add more remarks, photos, brochures and virtual tours. One way to truly stand out from the rest is by creating videos of your properties and the communities in which they are located. Video portals are an easy and convenient way agents can show video from their website and gain additional exposure of their properties. Web videos are a creative way to realistically show a home without physically having to be there. They offer a thorough, realistic view of a home, which allows the listing to become something of significance for buyers who are searching for a more tangible way to experience a particular property.

4. Work Hard and Commit Yourself to the Site

Too often, agents want their website to be simple and "do-it-all for them." The popular saying "If you build it, they will come" doesn't apply to real estate sites. You cannot build a site and then just let it sit there, expecting it to earn you business without doing anything. You should commit at least a couple of hours to your website per month. Two to three hours per week is preferable. Commitment to online advertising is critical. While real estate advertisers continue to cut back expenditures on print ads and direct mail, online advertising continues to grow in popularity and has become essential to the success of real estate agents. It is estimated that in 2007 50% or more of real estate companies spent more on their online advertising than on print. You need to be ready and willing to embrace this technology to stay in the game.

5. Reinvest in Your Technology

If you do have a website, you must continue to reinvest in it in order to keep it fresh, new, and innovative. A website is an investment just like a property. If you care for it and maintenance it, then it will flourish and make money for you. If you let it sit, it will do nothing and degenerate with time.Reinvest about one-third of your technology costs each year for maintenance, replacement, and training purposes. Invest at minimum, 5% to 10% of your revenue in technology. Set aside funds each time you make a sale into a marketing account for this purpose. Cutting corners when it comes to your technology will only hurt your long-term success. When implemented correctly, the savings of technology and return on your investment will far exceed the costs.

Follow these five basic rules and you'll be further on your way to a more successful online marketing approach. Keep in mind, however, that it is never a bad idea to enlist the help of a professional when determining your online marketing goals and objectives. If you sell real estate well, chances are you don't have a lot of time to devote to all of these things so you'll need to delegate. An experience professional can not only help you formulate a plan, but execute it as well.

Labels: CyberSunshine, Internet Marketing

Cassandra Engeldinger, the Vice President and co-founder of CyberSunshine, Inc. was named to the Fort Myers, Florida Animal Refuge Center Board of Directors in August. Cassandra has joined the board to assist them with promotion through technology, an effort she started almost nine years ago for the ARC through the implementation of their website, http://www.animalrefugecenter.com/ The Animal Refuge Center is a non-profit, no-kill shelter dedicated to the life and welfare of homeless and abandoned animals in Southwest Florida. The center is located just off of I-75 in North Fort Myers, FL. For information, please visit their website or call (239) 841-0810.

Labels: CyberSunshine, News

Keywords are one of the most important factors for your site, whether you're doing a redesign or starting from scratch. People find your website through search engines, and they use search terms (or keywords) to do their searches. So you need to have relevant keywords that will enhance your searchability while not being too complex. It's a delicate balance, and I'm going to tell you how I do it.

If you're a CyberSunshine client, you really don't need to worry about the technical stuff since we'll do that for you. So the first thing you need to do is figure out what your target market is. I'm going to use one of our clients as an example, because I've been working on her keywords a lot lately and it's fresh in my brain. Her target market is Naples Real Estate. She also sells luxury properties in Naples, but since luxury properties aren't a hot commodity right now, and people just aren't searching for that, we made the Luxury part a secondary keyword. Anyway, her old keywords focused mainly on her name. That's usually not the best idea. This particular agent had her name and several versions of it as her main keywords, and all her domain names consisted of some form of her name. Now, I'm not saying your name shouldn't be a keyword. Actually I think it should be. As a real estate agent, you brand and market yourself based around your name, so it's very possible that people are going to search for you by name sometimes (and if they do, you have an excellent marketing campaign going for you! The client I'm using as an example certainly does).

What I do first is establish what your main keyword should be. The best way to figure this out is to pretend you're searching for properties. So, I'm looking for a property in Naples, Florida. What am I going to search for? Well, most people tend to search for simpler terms, and then narrow them down if they don't get the results they want. With our client, I decided we should use Naples Real Estate as her main keyword phrase. I figure that if I'm going to be searching for Naples real estate, that's exactly what I'm going to type on Google.com. Now, Naples Real Estate is a great search term, but it is also being used by most agents in Naples. So I need to find additional keyword phrases. One of those is her name. She happens to have a name that is easily misspelled, so we also decided to use the misspellings of her name as keywords. Then, of course, since she told me she wants to emphasize that she sells luxury properties, we added Naples Luxury Real Estate. And just to focus on some of her primary markets, we added some other phrases, like Pelican Bay Naples Real Estate and so on.

Most of the time when people do searches, they will do several searches before actually finding what they want. So if a person starts with Naples Real Estate they're going to find a lot of information. They'll browse through whatever appeals to them and then do another search, like Pelican Bay Naples Real Estate (after they decide they want to learn more about Pelican Bay). So if they didn't find your site on the first round, they have another shot at finding you on round 2 (or 3 or 4 and so on). That's why you want to have an assortment of keywords. Plus, the more narrowed down the keywords are, the more likely you are to be in a less targeted market. So there's less competition for top placement on a search.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure that you're using keywords that are actually relevant to your site! We all know of someone, somewhere, who is using irrelevant keywords and getting high rankings for them. So what? If you're not actually selling properties in the South of France, then why do you need to market yourself for that area? Think about it logically. If I were actually searching for properties in France, and in my first page of search results I get a site for properties in Baltimore, Maryland, not only am I going to not click on it, I am also going to be pretty annoyed at that site. So if I do ever happen to be in the Baltimore, Maryland, market, guess which real estate website I'm going to avoid? Not only that, but Google is not stupid. Yes, the sites get crawled by automated spiders, not real people, but those spiders are clever. You can only get away with tricking Google for so long, and once you get caught, you'll regret the false marketing you're doing with your site. Google can and will ban your site, and then when people do a Google search, you won't come up in the results at all. It can take a very long time to recover your website from something like that. And since Google is the largest and most popular search engine out there, I'd recommend playing by their rules.

Now for the purpose of these keywords in relation to the building of your site. We do need keywords before we can finish your site and launch it. The reason for that it that we place them strategically all over the place in the back end of your website. Every image, every page, and every link has to be named, and we use your keywords in as many places as we can so we "embed" the keywords into your site. In addition, you'll need to provide content for your home page. That content should have your main keyword several times. But don't overdo it; people don't like to read sentences like, "Your Naples Real Estate Luxury specialist in Naples, Florida is here to help you with all your Naples Real Estate needs!" That's obviously an attempt at using keywords, and people don't like to feel like they're being sucked into a site with tons of keywords and little relevant information.

Good luck with your keywords, and if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask!

Labels: Custom Websites, CyberSunshine, Real Estate SEO for Beginners

The real estate market is slow. There is no denying it, no sugar-coating it. But that does not mean you should just curl up in a ball and give up. Its likely you're not selling as many properties as you were a few years ago, and you're either a) waiting tables/delivering pizzas/working the cosmetics counter at Macy's to pick up the slack, or b) throwing all your efforts into marketing yourself, improving your image, and getting to know the community around you. Can you guess which is going to pay off when the market starts to accelerate again?

I know, it's hard to imagine what it will be like when the market picks up, since you've spent so much time thinking about how down it's been. But if you've been in this business more than five years, you know that the market goes up and down and constantly fluctuates. Just like the dollar. So if you're smart, you're preparing appropriately.

Here are a few things you could/should be doing with your newly abundant free time:

• Blog. Yes, you should be writing a blog on your website. If you're a client of ours and you don't have a blog, email me and I'll get you all set up with one. If you're not a client of ours (then you should be, *wink, wink*!) you should contact your web company and demand they install a blog ASAP. Not only does a blog give you something to do, but it turns you into a human being. You will get readers and they will be interested in what you have to say. Imagine this... You currently get, say, 1,200 visitors each month to your website. Each visitor goes to maybe 5 pages on average while at your site. The reason they're there is to get to know you, and see what properties you have to offer. Well sometimes your About Me page just doesn't cut it. I can tell you, that's not enough information to sell me on a specific realtor. That's where a blog can be helpful. Not only does it turn you into a real person, it can also show how knowledgeable you are about your community, and how involved you are as well.


• Learn about SEO. Currently, you don't have any knowledge of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because you don't need to, right? Well, I can tell you from my own experience that the top real estate agents in this country right now know all kinds of stuff about SEO and how to enhance their sites. You should be one of them. You want to be on the cutting edge so you can stay in the game. If you don't focus on SEO now, while you have time, then once the market picks up you WON'T have time and all your competitors who spent the time and effort will have a leg up on you. If you want to know more about SEO or where to find some excellent resources that can help you get started, email me.



• Network. And not just with people in your area, per se. You should be on the social media sites like Twitter, MyBlogLog, Facebook, Myspace, LinkdIn, and any others you can find. If you don't have time for that many, you should at least be on Facebook, Twitter, and MyBlogLog. Twitter is even mobile, so you can put it on your phone and keep up that way. And if you have an iPhone, Facebook has a really good version to use on the go. The purpose of all this networking is that one day, one of those awesome real estate agents in another part of the country may have a friend of a friend who needs a good real estate agent in your area. Who do you think will get the recommendation? You, or some realtor they have never spoken to before?



• Read Blogs. As many as you can find. I have a personal list of favorites that I visit frequently, and so should you. You should probably just subscribe to the blogs you like, that way you don't have to remember them all. By "subscribe", I mean via RSS Feed. You'll see a link for it on any kind of decent blog. We have one here, to the right and under the Archive. All you do is put in your email address and Voila! new posts are emailed to you for your enjoyment and convenience. The purpose of reading all those blogs is twofold. First, you can see how the market is doing in other areas, what other agents are doing to market themselves, and what topics are relevant to them and their readers. Second, you can stay on top of technology. Many real estate bloggers find some cool stuff on the internet and blog about it. You'll be privy to the cool tools they find just by reading their blogs.

I hope this has put some things into perspective for you, and if you have any questions about any of these hints, or need assistance implementing them, don;t hesitate to contact me. You can comment here or email me.

Labels: Custom Websites, CyberSunshine, Real Estate Blog, Website Tools

And Happy End of Summer! Well, it's happy here in Southwest Florida since the heat is leaving us. You Northerners are probably not so happy to see winter around the corner I bet. But, the kids are going back to school, so that's a happy occasion anyway!

A little Labor Day history...

Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894. It commemorates a march on City Hall in New York City on September 5, 1882. The march was a protest to the long hours, child labor, and low wages that basically every American was living with. Labor Day marks the beginning of child labor laws, worker rights, union strikes and minimum wages. So enjoy your day off to appreciate the laws and rights we have in this country, and spend your last sunny summer day lounging by the pool... That's where I'll be!

Labels: CyberSunshine, News, Real Estate Blog

This week, we were informed that CyberSunshine has been ranked in the Top 100 South Florida Small Businesses in South Florida Business Leader Magazine! There will be a mention of CyberSunshine in the upcoming South Florida 500 issue. Check back for a link to it when it's published.

Labels: CyberSunshine, News

Yes, it's true. CyberSunshine is now on Active Rain. The blog on Active Rain will feature some (but not all) of the same posts you see here on your favorite blog in the whole wide world.



If you want to check out the Active Rain blog we have, you can do so by clicking here. See you there!

Labels: CyberSunshine, Real Estate Blog

Labels: CyberSunshine

Welcome to the future of search engines. Pretty cool, huh?

Now let me tell you why this is important. There are a few reasons.

1. This is the new look of things. Just ask Steve Jobs. If you have an iPod, iPhone, or an i-anything, you know what I'm talking about. On the iPhone and in iTunes, when you look at your albums, they appear like this search engine does, with little squares that show you a thumbnail of each album cover. This is not only visually-pleasing, but it's also neat to flip through them. It's like a tiny, on-your-pc jukebox. And since we all know about the popularity of anything that starts with an i, you can bet that this look is going places. That means that all the twenty-somethings and younger are acutely aware of how this type of technology works. That's important because you WANT to be in the loop on things like this, otherwise you'll be behind the times.

2. People can see your website without going to it! Of course, for CyberSunshine this is awesome news since we specialize in building custom websites for real estate agents, and we pride ourselves on making sure they look amazing. So now when people search for stuff on SearchMe.com, they not only get perfect results (not quite as accurate as Google, but give it time), but they also get to see the site before they go to it. So now, having a visually appealing site just got even more important, don't you think? Just think, if your site looks really great, and its appearing in a search next to some ugly sites, where do you think the searcher is going to click? People naturally like pretty things, it's human nature.

This is the future of websites, and I can assure you that SEO and site design are going to merge beautifully with this type of technology. I bet Google is already scheming a way to use this technology to their advantage. Something to keep in mind when you're thinking about redesigns on your site...

Labels: CyberSunshine, Stuff You Need, Website Tools

Since CyberSunshine just kind of magically popped up in the blogosphere all of a sudden, I figured it would be nice if we were properly introduced. So I'm going to share a little bit about CyberSunshine's history and some stuff like what we do and why and how, so that you'll feel like we're old friends. Let's get to know one another, shall we? We'll start at the beginning…



About 11 years ago, a couple named Chad and Cassandra decided they wanted to do something a little different and somewhat cutting-edge, so they started a company that builds stunning custom websites for real estate agents and brokers. The idea was to offer services that other companies didn't, like integrating searches on the site itself and other tech-y stuff that we won't go into here (back in the nineties, having a search box on your site made you super cool, in case you didn't know!). Currently CyberSunshine does IDX Integration and loads of other really cool custom stuff that you'll love. Basically, we can make whatever you can dream up. Seriously.


Obviously, CyberSunshine turned out to be a success since we're still around. And we have thousands of overly-satisfied clients to boot. We try to stay involved in our community, since we know you (a real estate professional) are also very aware of being involved in your own community. You can also find us at numerous conferences and events all over the country, such as NAR and Inman. You all know about NAR and Inman, right? Look for us the next time you're there.


So today, CyberSunshine is breaking into blogging. We currently offer several SEO Packages to go with your custom-designed website, ghost writing and blogging services, and, of course, top-of-the-line designs accompanied by completely custom sites (even the programming is done on a per-site basis). Check out our Portfolio if you want to see for yourself.


If you want more info, feel free to send an email. Otherwise, make sure you keep an eye on our blog, it's going to be constantly changing and improving, and I can't wait to share all my knowledge with you.

Labels: Custom Websites, CyberSunshine, Real Estate Blog