http://marketingsource.com/articles/ Articles at marketingsource.com Articles Library en-us http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/outsourcing-architectural-renderings.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/outsourcing-architectural-renderings.html Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:35:38 -0600 ever had.

Why Outsource?

Outsourcing isn’t a good idea in every application, but choosing to outsource your need for architectural renderings can really provide you with some amazing benefits.
Outsourcing your architectural renderings can provide you with a photorealistic sketch within a week.

Outsourcing your architectural renderings can save you thousands of dollars, as you don’t have to implement the infrastructure you might otherwise need for this service.
Outsourcing your architectural renderings may actually mean you have the option of better customer service. Because you can choose the firm that best suits your need for every rendering you order, you have a much better chance at finding the company best suited for each task on an ongoing basis.

What to Look For
When you do decide that outsourcing 3D architectural rendering needs is a good idea, it’s essential that you find a company that meets your needs. Look for a company that can provide you with the details required to improve the overall design of the architectural rendering. Things like color, texture, and design patterns in the samples you see should certainly factor into your decision on the right architectural rendering firm for you. Look for a company that can give your clients the realism they need in an architectural rendering. After all, it is that realism that means the difference between increased client numbers and sales figures. Finally, look for a company that uses the industry’s best software and technology to ensure you get the product you desire. Lots of companies have good software available, but only a firm that can use the software appropriately will give you great products.

The Right Company
NJrenderings.com is the architectural rendering company to meet all of your needs. We have the experience necessary to give you the rendering that will close the sale every
single time. What’s more is that we will deliver on time and on budget unlike many of the other young start-up companies out there. If you’re looking for the power that a strong architectural rendering has to offer, look no further than NJrenderings.com.

]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/using-rss-to-your-advantage.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/using-rss-to-your-advantage.html Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:16:42 -0600
There are at least two ways of using RSS feed to your site’s advantage. One is to syndicate your own content. The other is to link to another site’s content. Both work well to build links and each has its own perks and cautions.

Syndicate Yourself
The first method is to use RSS technology syndicate your own content. There are software systems that you can learn and use to write and publish your own content. However, unless you are adept at code you will likely have your website professional create a simple tool for you to use instead. Having an expert do this will probably get you to your first feed a lot faster and more efficiently.

If you plan on syndicating you content, be sure you have something to say on a regular basis. Most people who sign up for feed want and expect regular content updates, whether it is on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. If you don’t keep up with your updates, you may lose your audience.

Your content also needs to be strong in order to keep your audience. You readers will expect you to give them something of value on each update. It can be informative or entertaining but it must be engaging. If your writing skills are not strong or you cannot commit to regular updates, this method may not win you the audience you want. However, it you can churn out a regular feed that readers value, your site traffic can rise dramatically.

Insert an RSS Feed
Another method of using RSS on your site is to place someone else’s feed on your site. Again, you website professional can build the tools you need to make this happen. It can be an interesting addition for your site visitors.

When adding an RSS feed to your site, be cautious. You will not have any control over what content is pushed out to your visitors so make sure it is from a trusted site without any offensive or controversial material. You will also want to make it relevant to your readers. Something like an RSS feed of current mortgage information would be a good choice for a real estate agent. Local events and weather updates also make for interesting site updates that you can incorporate into your site.

Resist the urge to clutter your site with feeds and maintain the best placement for your own content. Take a look at the ways RSS can be used to increase your site’s traffic. ]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/building-bridges-link-building-strategies.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/building-bridges-link-building-strategies.html Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:13:31 -0600
Links are connections within a website and from one site to another. The more of these online bridges that you build, the better you site is rated on search engine results. (The links should of course make sense and be appropriate for your business in order to really get the engine crawler buzzing.) Bridge building online can be nearly as much hard work as it is on land, but it is always worth the effort. Here are four link building strategies you can employ to help improve your site’s rankings.

Internal Links
Internal links are bridges from one part of your site to another. While external links are better for rankings, internal links are more controllable and can be accomplished almost immediately. They pose no risk to your site since you have already approved the content as part of the site. You can link from your blog to your ebook or to a longer article. Reference your FAQ’s page when posting a topic. These links help crawlers find your content easily.

Blog Comments
This option will take a bit more time on your part. Most blogs have a place where you can enter your own site address when you comment on their posts. If you choose reputable sites with good content that relate to your site, this can be an effective way to interlink your site with others. However, you have no control over the discussion or the content on that site so be careful where you choose to comment and always watch your words.

You can also allow comments to be posted on your blog. Many bloggers find this to be a great way to encourage conversation and participation. However, it can also leave you open to spammers and tasteless comments. Most companies screen comments before allowing them to appear on the page.

Social Media Networking
Social media is growing as a link building possibility. More and more search engines are taking it into account and the impact will only get more powerful over time. The initial tweet or Facebook post may not generate a link but the subsequent re-postings and discussions may generate many. Keep an eye on this strategy as it continues to grow.

Link Baits
Link baiting may sound a little strange or even unethical, but it is nothing of the sort. It is simply generating incoming links by offering engaging or interesting content. The content is something your audience will want to share with others. It could be an article, a photo, a video or any other item on your site designed to get readers to pass it on to other sites and people. Good link bait isn’t easy to create and you may need an expert to assist you with this technique.

Make the effort this year to build bridges on your site. The work you put into link building will be evident in your rankings. ]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/social-media/utilizing-social-media-with-a-custom-facebook-page-design.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/social-media/utilizing-social-media-with-a-custom-facebook-page-design.html Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:38:04 -0600
A simple personal page is not what a business needs to get the full benefit of Facbeook’s advertising potential. These just don’t have the impact your business deserves. A well-planned, active, professional page is a much better choice. You can build one on your own, but it won’t have the feature-rich punch that a custom Facebook page design will provide.

The point of getting involved in social media marketing is to start a conversation with a potential or current customer. Being actively engaged with people via their social network is crucial to an effective on-line campaign. A custom Facebook page design from Real Estate Marketing Support gives you a landing page where that engagement happens and happens quickly. Here are some ways we can help you join the on-going on-line conversation.

• Videos: Show off your new listings or products with videos.
• Photos: Let your fans see what you have to offer.
• Fresh Content: Keep your page up-to-date, all the time.
• SEO Content: Improve your on-line presence and search engine rankings with valuable content.
• Evaluation Tools: Keep track of what works and what doesn’t with included tools.

A custom Facebook page design from Real Estate Marketing Support will bring your on-line marketing efforts into a huge new arena. We do this with a level of personalization unrivaled by anyone else in the industry. When you take a look at the numbers and realize that they are growing every day, you will want to be a part of this expanding network. Contact Real Estate Marketing Support to find out how you can get connected with social media.


]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/web-based-solutions/web-site-design/php-web-development-going-beyond-good-design.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/web-based-solutions/web-site-design/php-web-development-going-beyond-good-design.html Sat, 13 Nov 2010 02:29:08 -0600
Think of the last site you visited that really got you involved and engaged in the site. Did it display lots of information that was updated regularly or was it a static page? Was it interactive? PHP web development tools are behind these interesting and dynamic websites.

Web development goes beyond web design. Web designers choose the elements that establish how a site looks and feels. Colors, graphics, logos, and layouts are the types of features that are created and handled by designers. The look of the site is important. It’s the first impression for your business and it gets the user’s attention. However, the features that a visitor will use are created by a different professional, a web developer.

Developers create the tools that make a site work, both for you and your site visitors. PHP web development makes your site a powerful data management tool and a source of usable data as well. A developer can build an easy-to-use interface where you can enter your data even if you have never before worked with a website. He can then write scripts that tell your website how and where to display that information to the visitor. You can update products, descriptions, or photographs without undergoing an expensive and inconvenient site rebuild.

PHP web development, in conjunction with databases, also gives you tools you can use to interact with your site’s visitors. These tools go hand-in-hand and unleash the power to search through lists, display results and gather customer data. Real Estate Marketing Solutions can help you design and build the tools that will make your website a powerful business tool.

Web tool development is a vital part of building a useful and interesting website. Real Estate Marketing Solutions provides the custom design and development your business deserves. Contact us to find out how your site can benefit by going beyond good design to good development.

]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/web-based-solutions/web-site-design/use-php-programming-to-activate-your-website.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/web-based-solutions/web-site-design/use-php-programming-to-activate-your-website.html Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:39:13 -0600
There is a difference between a web designer and a web developer. Both are necessary participants in the site building process. A designer makes the page look good. He will create graphics, layouts, and other visuals elements that create the look and feel of the site. Many businesses focus largely on design when they first begin to build a site. Unfortunately, looks aren’t everything. It’s important to have a great design but it does not give you the functionality your site needs. Without a web developer, your site won’t do much.

Websites today are much more active and engaging than just a good design can create. Web developers use languages like PHP programming to make your website dynamic. This type of programming gives your site an entire garage of tools for data management.

Here’s an example of what PHP programming from Real Estate Marketing Support can do for a site. Let’s say you are a realtor with many homes listed for sale. You want to show pictures and descriptions of the homes but you don’t want to do a site rebuild every time one goes off the market. A web developer can build an easy-to-use database where you can input your details about each home even if you know nothing about website design. PHP programming will then pull the details from that database and display them on your site. This way you can manage the content on your site without learning a new profession.

On this same fictitious site, your users could input their personal information for use in e-mail blasts and newsletters. They could make lists of favorite homes or desired features and search for homes that match. These are only a few basic ideas out of many more that a good programmer can implement.

Sites without this type of information management are static. They don’t change and they bore users even if they have the best graphics and design elements. A dynamic site can be updated regularly, which makes it more interesting and fun to use. It will also give you the ability to gather and use data from your site’s visitors. Real Estate Marketing Support can create a site that both looks good and works well for your business.


]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/social-media-using-your-instincts.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/social-media-using-your-instincts.html Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:11:25 -0500
Social media is inexpensive or free. It helps your build your business and your brand. It’s a friendly, nonthreatening method of remaining in contact with your clients. What could be bad about any of that? Unfortunately, there are a few bad apples that insist on spoiling the entire bag.

Bad behavior by a few agents on social sites can give all the others a bad name. Don’t become one of the “bad apples.” Use the instincts that have served you so well thus far when you use social media to market your business.

Meet people; form relationships.
One of the first things you learn when you begin a career in real estate is to start with people you know, people with whom you have a relationship. You build from there. It’s the same in social media marketing. Don’t try to collect meaningless “friends” or random “followers”. Invest your time in people with whom you can form some sort of a relationship.

Don’t be a shameless self-promoter.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who won’t let you get a word in edgewise? Have you ever had a co-worker who can’t stop telling you about all his successes? Do you have any acquaintances whose topics of conversation are limited exclusively to themselves? We all know these people and none of us wants to be around them. Social networking offers the opportunity to be a shameless self-promoter but we must resist the urge. Try to intersperse your posts about your listings with interesting articles or informative tips.

Participate.
The opposite of the self-promoter is the silent lurker. If you are going to use this vehicle you must be an active participant. You can’t just lurk in the background without commenting or communicating. That’s the social media network equivalent of being the wallflower at a party. Get actively involved in your on-line community.

You already know how to network or you wouldn’t be in this business. You just need to apply the skills you already have to a different forum. Just give it a try and let your instincts be your guide.
]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/implementing-a-brand-strategy.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/implementing-a-brand-strategy.html Tue, 21 Sep 2010 05:47:02 -0500
Once you’ve developed the core of your brand and decided how you plan to build it, you will need to implement that strategy. There are a number of tools at hand to do just that. In many cases, the assistance of a professional is needed to create the image you want and need to create. Here are of few of the tools a professional can offer that you may not be able to secure on your own.

Graphic Design
Your logos, letterhead and signage are a huge part of your business’ public face. Sloppy or amateurish graphics will not help you build a brand centered on excellence. Your clients notice the little things like attention-getting business cards and slick proposals. A professional graphic designer can help you create those touches that show the world who you are as an agent.

Web Design
Many, if not most, of your clients will spend more time with a real estate agent’s web site than they will with the actual agent. You can’t afford to have a site that is hard to navigate, unattractive or uninformative. Think of your site as a virtual representation of you. It should be smart and professional, helpful and friendly. Those attributes are tough to find in the average template. Real estate sites are rich with photos and descriptions; they are complex digital creations. This is one facet of your branding strategy that truly needs a professional touch.

Digital Media
We are living in a visual world. Images are often more important than text and the real estate business is a prime example of this fact. It is one thing to list the square footage or a home alongside the number of bedrooms and baths but quite another to show these features in a slideshow or a virtual tour. Technology offers some amazing ways to present digital images and multi-media presentations to your clients. If you aren’t using this powerful tool to implement your branding strategy you are throwing away an incredible opportunity.

It’s time to take control of your brand and your business. Let a professional show you how you can harness the tools to implement your branding strategy.

]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/blogs/meet-your-blogging-commitment-without-adding-to-your-schedule.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/blogs/meet-your-blogging-commitment-without-adding-to-your-schedule.html Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:34:00 -0500 social media marketing today. The ability to speak directly to the individuals who visit your website is incredibly valuable, and the benefits are quite numerous. This national phenomenon has not gone unrecognized. Kate Cassidy, of REALTOR Magazine had quite a bit of advice to offer on the subject earlier this year.

“If you’re committed to updating your Facebook page and sending out myriads of tweets each week, you should pay equal attention to your blog, which often best demonstrates your expertise and allows you to express your views on the issues you deem important for business.”

Naturally, for some, this presents a real problem. After all, just keeping up with Facebook and the tweets can be enough of a hassle, but finding the time to show properties, schedule client meetings, and still update a blog is overwhelming. Ghostwriting is the key for many, and Cassidy seems to agree.

“Whatever the reason, hiring a ghostwriter to do your blogging may be an effective means to help your blog thrive. A ghostwriter can be a great asset to your blog if you choose the right person for the job, and monitor the content they produce. . . These individuals are knowledgeable in the field and have the grammar, organizational and spelling skills to make your blog sound professional and appear polished. Of course, it never hurts to send your blogger supplemental information if you think he or she needs to bone up about a particular issue or segment of the market, but on the whole, a well-researched, reliable company should provide equally reliable ghostwriters with enough know-how to produce some hit-worthy posts.”

For most, though, that leads to the next natural question. Where do you find someone who is qualified enough to handle the task. A simple search engine query is likely to give you thousands of results with writers who claim to be able to handle the task effectively. Are there a few ways to ensure you get a writer to meet your needs? Cassidy offers several solutions to this problem.

“Always review posts before they are published. This way, you can not only do a bit of fact-checking, but you can also get a sense of the writer’s tone and overall voice, and see how that may or may not mesh with something you’d like the public to associate with you and your business. Taking other precautionary measures, including signing a contract that addresses important aspects of your professional relationship (like plagiarism or submitting posts to an article directory to help improve your blog’s search rankings, for example) should be considered. And remember, the key to a successful real estate blog is consistency; ghostwriters should post quality pieces as often as possible.”

Not sure you’re ready to jump in headfirst? There are several ways to approach the situation if you feel a bit timid about hiring a ghost blogger. Cassidy suggest a partial hire.

“You can hire someone to supplement your own posting with a few pieces rather than have them do the entirety of the posting to cut down on cost while still saving yourself time. This will also allow you the opportunity to write about the things that you feel are most compelling, or are most deserving of your personal attention, while leaving the not so juicy stuff to the ghost blogger. In addition, having another blogger add to the volume of your posts will serve as a great way to generate traffic to your page, which again, is good for your wallet. The more posts you have, the larger body of key words you will have, and the more times your blog will pop up when those key words are searched.”

This leaves one final question on the minds of many. Is it really okay to hire a ghost blogger? After all, don’t realtors have a code of ethics to maintain? As efficient as a ghost blogger can be, is it really okay to suggest you’re creating these well written posts? Cassidy has a few suggestions here too.

“Consider disclosing when a blog is written on the behalf of and approved by you in an upfront manner on your website. You can also allow your blogger to interview you each week so that the material he or she produces is largely spun from your own words and knowledge base. Taking these steps is just another way to add professionalism and work toward greater success in the vast blogosphere of the 21st century.”

Ghost blogging can be the ideal situation for many, but before you decide it’s perfect to meet your needs, do a bit of thinking and make certain you find the right blogger.

Ready to get started? Contact us today! ]]> http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/3d-architectural-rendering-services.html http://marketingsource.com/articles/book-promotions/business/3d-architectural-rendering-services.html Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:09:30 -0500
There are many forms that 3D architectural rendering services can take and many different uses. Some agents prefer simpler formats for printed materials while other go all out, using every weapon in the arsenal to “wow” buyers and sellers with technological advances. Each approach has its own merits but there’s no arguing the importance of utilizing this important advancement in the visual image technology.

Visual images are vital to a strong marketing campaign. Whether you are focusing of e-mail blasts or postcard mailings your images must be clean, sharp and only of the best quality. After all, you are counting on this image to show the buyer or investor what he will be getting for his money. If a photo is not an option at this stage, a beautifully created image will be all you have to communicate the features and benefits of a property. It better be a good image.

Great images can come from modern technology or classic craftsmanship. A hand-drawn image is still a beautiful creation. However, the cutting edge of the field is focused on 3D architectural rendering services.

The traditional approach would use a floor plan to show a buyer a space and how the rooms relate to each other. However, there are limits to the imagination of most buyers and plain floor plans may be lacking on detail. Interactive floor plans, on the other hand, lack little in the way of detail.

An interactive floor plan looks much like a standard plan at first blush, but it also has “hotspots” dotting its rooms. Each hotspot is linked to a photograph, slideshow or rendering of that particular spot’s perspective on the room. It’s like being able to stand on the spot in the actual property and see the room opening in front of you.

Virtual staging is another way that 3D architectural rendering services can help an agent communicate with a potential client. It can be difficult to picture the purpose of a room if it is empty, especially if you aren’t there to walk around a feel the space.

Virtual staging fills the room with furnishings without buying or renting a single piece. The graphic artist fills in the room virtually, using computer graphics, thus producing a room that communicates its purpose in the home. A room could even be virtually staged in different styles to appeal to different buyers. It is a tool many agents will love to use.

Your website is the best place to showcase 3D imagery, although many real estate agents use it for presentations and visual displays elsewhere as well. Your listings will stand out among the competition and your site traffic will increase with the added information. The more you have for the buyer or seller to see, the longer he will stay on your site and the more likely he will become your next client.


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