Women In Real Estate – Iron Butterflies and Beyond

Roughly sixty percent of real estate professionals are women. Surprised? Or does that sound about right? The skill-set necessary for an agent seems right up the alley of a woman’s natural abilities. Work long and hard, connect with your customers on an emotional and professional level, persevere when road is bumpy and frustrations are plentiful. No matter what the occupation, women making a place... [Read more of this post]

The Future of Marketing Via Social Media

“What’s the next Twitter?” “What’s going to be as big as Facebook?” It seems as soon as we get comfortable with marketing and communicating with social media tools, something else captures the public’s attention. The Next Big Thing? Think Mobile. Even as we run our businesses with what’s current and popular, we always need to be on the look out for what’s next and how it can help... [Read more of this post]

Marketing 101

This post is a bit longer than usual as I know most of you are reviewing and finalizing your marketing plans for 2011. Some of you may be going through a re-branding phase. Gail’s Graphic Designs is right there with you.  My company name has changed to Gail & Co. You will begin to see changes in the new year. Read through the post and share with us your plans for 2011. It is my goal to... [Read more of this post]

Tremendous Opportunities with Some Risks

In today’s economy, every real estate professional is looking for ways to expand their marketing reach for potential new clients. Social media – free, easy and without tech wizardry needed – can seem the ideal tool for advertising and connecting with the community. And as “Do you have a Facebook page?” is rapidly replacing “Do you have a business card?” a RE professional must consider... [Read more of this post]

Tips To Improve Your Google Rank

We all want to be #1 on Google.  Hopefully you’re blogging, that’s half the battle.  The other half is making sure people see your site or blog.  Here are some great tips to get your blog noticed: Back Links-Google’s algorithm loves back links and back links that are relevant to your topic are especially important.  So if a site has excellent ranking on the search... [Read more of this post]

Where is Social Marketing Going?

Twitter…Facebook…LinkedIn and countless other social marketing networks have become part of our everyday lives, both personally and in business.  The question is where is it going?  How prevalent will these forms of communication be? I spend lots of time honing my social marketing skills and have been observing countless experts and futurists so I can be informed, and in turn, separate... [Read more of this post]

What You Should Know About Mobile Marketing

When shopping at the mall I take photos of a cute top or fabulous pair of jeans on my mobile and email it to my sister for her opinion.  I sometimes send her a BB (blackberry instant message) with a link to the store’s site. She in turn sends me links to items she would like me to purchase. While in the store I open the link…show the item to the sales person and then I am off.  No printing of... [Read more of this post]

Let Them Know You Exist: “Promote And Prosper”

According to Ms. Raleigh Pinskey, Author of 101 Ways to Promote Yourself — “In order to promote and prosper, I feel that you have to take responsibility for your own success, take charge of your destiny.  If you don’t introduce yourself, if you don’t tell them what you’re all about how are they going to know you exist?” Here is a list of 10 ways to promote and prosper as recommended... [Read more of this post]

Website Design: Template or Custom (Part II)?

Last week’s post discussed the pros and cons of using a template for your website design.  Let’s now review the pros and cons of a custom website design. Custom Web Design Pros Custom layout Search engine friendly Built for your needs Scalability Custom Web Design Cons Takes longer to design Higher Costs With a custom website coding and page design is done from scratch. Therefore it takes... [Read more of this post]

Website Design: Template or Custom (Part I)?

I recently sent out a proposal for branding the company of a small business owner. For illustrative purposes we will call the client Joan. Joan was on a very tight budget as all start-ups are.  I mentioned to Joan that instead of a custom website we could cut cost and time considerably if we customize a template for her. I told Joan a website is like building a house from the ground up or purchasing... [Read more of this post]