A few months back we hosted an article by one of the most prolific online marketers in the world today, Dan Hollings.  If you don’t remember, Dan spearheaded the online marketing efforts for the best-selling program, “The Secret”, which had over $200 million in sales.

We’re thrilled to announce that Dan has agreed to share a series of remarkable internet strategies with our Agent Inner Circle^® Community, as a 10-part sequence, starting today.  Here’s Dan’s helpful article (with more to follow)…

As I mentioned in a previous article here on Agent Inner Circle^®, understanding how your local prospect “thinks” when they do an online search is the starting point for getting found first on the internet.  (By the way, If you’d like to see my earlier article – the “first” in our 10-part sequence – simply CLICK HERE).

Today, I want to continue revealing top secret internet strategies specific to real estate professionals.  And we’ll start off in a place you might not expect – how to narrow your thinking to get rapid results online…

The internet, in the minds of most, is this big global network of people and computers plus a bottomless pit of information and resources so vast no human can really comprehend it.

And just when you think you’re beginning to grasp the massive breadth of all this, you’re dumbfounded to discover it’s likely doubled in size, and doubled again from what you last conceived.

Often in our fascination with the internet’s “bigness” and scope, we fail to realize how powerful a tool it can be on a smaller scale – locally.  It’s almost like thinking, “Hey this might be a great telescope, but lookie here, if I do it this way, it’s a great microscope!”

For most real estate professionals, the internet should be a local microscope, allowing you to focus in on YOUR neck of the woods in ways, only a few years ago, were totally impossible.

ADVANCED SECRET

INTERNET STRATEGY

“Think Local”…

Imagine this:

What if you could create a publicly searchable local map of all your happy clients and customers chock full of great stuff about YOU… testimonials, photos, links, videos and more.

Think it might impress a potential home seller? Think you’ll get the listing?

Oh, I almost forgot – What if you could do it for FREE?

How do you THINK LOCAL?…

Explore First, Then Plant Yourself Right Where

Your Best Prospects Are Looking…

First, discover LOCAL search.  I’ll focus for illustration purposes on Google Local, but all the major search engines offer local search results for keyword searches that are deemed “local.”

Go to Google.com and type in the address of where you live   Try it with the full address, then just your street name and city/state, then just your zip.

Any lights going off yet?  Something was FOUND, right?  Search engines seem to dig up something, no matter what.  But were any of the results useful?  And… Could you have been found there?

Now, try clicking on the MAP option that likely appeared when you did a street address search or ZIP CODE search.  You’ll notice under the search box a TAB called “Find Businesses” – click that.  Initially, you’ll get something like the image to the right.

In the search box to the left of your address, type in any business, keyword, or phrase you like.  In my example, I’ll type in what I do as my business… “Internet Strategist.” (next to location “Tucson AZ”)

Quick Side Note:  Google does change how their website looks from time to time.  So you may need to click “Show search options” and select “Businesses” from the drop-down menu.

As you can see, local businesses pull up on the left and at the TOP is my business (which I run from my home) called Web Services LLC.

Again, any lights flashing in your head yet?

Even on most other searches in my local area, my listing pulls up typically within the TOP 5 of local results.  If anyone searches by the county name where I live, or any neighboring communities… BINGO, they’ve found me.

If I were in any local service business, I could easily pursue a few simple steps and PLANT myself under keywords and phrases HOMEOWNERS, BUYERS, and PROSPECTS might type in when seeking to find the agent or services they need.

And to think, the population of Tucson, AZ is over

518,956

Out of over a half million residents living in my area, Tucson, I’m thinking a few might be seeking services or help, and many (if not more) in YOUR local area are desperately trying to find you… but can YOU be found?

It only gets better… Have you ever inquired what it costs to be in the local yellow pages?

Pick a big number and add several ouches afterwards.  Yet, Google and other search engines will give you a BIG yellow page style ad (with your own COUPON option) for absolutely FREE.  And we are not talking for just one year – we’re talking perpetually!  FREE!

So… you may be asking yourself, “Where exactly do I start to tap into local search?”…

1. FIRST identify the best sites to place your local business info.

Here are some HELPFUL RESOURCES to get you started…

2. NEXT, offer something of VALUE to local searchers.

Think about what YOU would want to see if you were searching for a local business…

• A “free home evaluation” coupon…
• Free “Consumer Real Estate Guides”…
• And, PROOF from satisfied customers

In my next article, I’ll unveil the step-by-step process SEO experts use to get found first online.

See you soon!

Would you like an easy way to attract buyers to your business for free?

Agent Rob Hernandez went from struggling rookie agent to attracting hundreds of buyer leads, without listings.  He explains how he gets unlimited access to new listings and how he promotes these listings for free on Craigslist.org.  Rob also includes an example ad you can use as a template to quickly post ads to Craigslist and start profiting immediately.

Here’s Rob’s description in his own words:

“When I first started in the real estate business, I only worked with buyers.  My problem was that I wanted to generate buyer leads, but I had no homes listed to advertise to attract those buyers.

And then I discovered the secret on how to legally advertise hundreds of listings that were not mine.  The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allows you to advertise their homes to attract buyers.  In my area, HUD pays a 5% buyers agent commission, which makes it worth it to sell just about any property they have available.

Fast forward to present day – I am still advertising HUD properties, but now instead of paying for classified ads I generate tons of free leads on www.craigslist.org.  HUD supplies me with a new batch of listings every week and I take about 20 minutes a day to post them on Craigslist.org.

Last month I generated over 100 leads who were interested in getting a list of foreclosures in my area.  I hope this helps some of the new buyers agents out there who are hungry and ready for new business.  Go to www.hud.gov to find out which homes are available in your area.”

Craigslist Ad Example:

“Real estate websites are ever changing and evolving and if you don’t stay ahead of the pack, you will get left in the dust and lose potential clients.

I have just recently added Google Talk to my website and in the first two weeks, I have gotten one listing appointment and one buyer, just because I was online when the potential buyer/seller had a question for me.

We all know that visitors to your site want information now, and if you’re not there or don’t respond to their request, they will simply go down the line until they find someone who responds quickly to their request.

Here is the link: http://www.google.com/talk/ Every Realtor should add this technology gadget to their website’s homepage.”

If you have a web site, make sure you advertise it everywhere. Besides my business card, I have it on bumper stickers, it is on the 2nd line of my return address stamp, on my email signature, on sign riders for my listings, printed on outside brochures for my sign post brochure box, and always included in any print or on line ad. I don’t show up high on a google search, but my site at www.LetsMove.net does get found and I do get leads from it. Always mention it wherever you can like I did in this tip.”