Virtual Views - The View From Here : April 2008

In real estate, a popular refrain is "Location, Location, Location". When it comes to marketing, the refrain should be "Exposure, Exposure, Exposure".  

What can you do after you have placed a For Sale sign, an MLS listing, and scheduled the property for an ad campaign in the local newspaper?  In most areas, you can also list the property in a Real Estate magazine;  an expensive form of advertising. Now, you have done everything you and your competition normally do.

Real estate is competitive; you want to stand out from the crowd. What else can you do?  

List more! Not more properties (although that is a great way to increase your earnings). I am talking about listing the property in an Online Multiple Listing Service.  There are several sites offering free or low-rate listing services. Some sites offer classified ads that feature the property on its own mini-website. The listing services and the single property websites also submit the property to all the major search engines and various sites for further exposure at no extra cost.  

No time to manage another listing service, upload photos and/or virtual tours? Consider using your friendly Virtual Assistant. A Virtual Assistant can input the initial data and manage the listing for you.  

Second Self Virtual Assistance is a full service company. We know the multiple listing sites and the classified ad services that will meet your needs and budget. Second Self Virtual Assistance specializes in offering customized services to our clients. Call for a free consultation.

    
 

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Pamela Cendejas

In the case of the real estate agent, Big Brother is your friendly Search Engine; the most popular of which is good ole Google.  

When writing articles and community information for your website, be sure that your content is fresh and unique. The large search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN filter your pages when looking to rate your site. These filters look for content that appears to be duplicated from other website pages. If the search engine finds content which they determine to be duplicated, your site will receive a "duplicate content penalty" lowering your website ranking. The search engines, as yet, cannot determine which site has the original content.  Search engines can only determine that more than one website has several sentences, paragraphs or entire content that appears to be the same.  

So, a word of caution when you are writing pages to be posted on your site: be sure all content is distinctive and unique.  

Most real estate professionals prefer spending their time doing what they do best; meeting with potential clients and customers, assisting them to a successful close of escrow (and collecting their pay for doing a job "well done") rather than writing website content with the added task of making sure that the wording they have used does not appear somewhere else on the web.  

Once again I suggest using a Virtual Assistant to do the job for you. A good Virtual Assistant will write relevant and informative articles for you and make sure that the content is unique to your website.  

If you are considering the advantages of a Virtual Assistant, feel free to contact me for a personal consultation. The services at Second Self Virtual Assistance are customized to meet the needs and desires of each individual agent we serve.

    
 

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Pamela Cendejas

I sometimes think of the virtual world as being out there in the great beyond; for me that brings to mind images of the sky. A new image in that sky is one of a ghostwriter.  

One of the newest services being offered by freelance writers and virtual assistants is that of a blog ghostwriter.  Blogging has become an important part of the internet and real estate agents in-the-know are taking advantage of it to meet other professionals, those in their community and potential clients. To be effective, blogging takes a commitment of time to make it a successful endeavor. Blogging must be done consistently and often.  

Real estate agents are joining celebrities and CEOs, among other professionals, who are using this service. Due to their busy lifestyles they find that blogs are beneficial.   Unfortunately, they just do not have the time to write and maintain them, much less to do it consistently and often.  

Since virtual assistants know their clients, they are able to write blogs in a style and tone that is reflective of that particular client. Real estate virtual assistants are able to blog in a knowledgeable manner because they spend many hours per week doing extensive research in regards to the marketplace and the industry itself to provide their clients with quality service in website maintenance, marketing, and now blogs.  

A virtual assistant is an excellent option for those who dislike writing or feel that their writing skills are not their best asset.  A real estate virtual assistant is able to create quality relevant blog content and can aid you in a variety of ways.  For the low-key, "I-don't-know-and-don't-wanna-know" types, the virtual assistant can do it all.  

The best blogs are those where the agent and the assistant work together. You can give the virtual assistant a list of blog ideas that they can use to create your blog. You can submit a rough draft of your blog and your virtual assistant will polish it up and then post it.  

There will be times when you just won't feel like writing or you will experience writer's block or you may just need a little time off. For those times you can call on your virtual assistant to temporarily help you out. Virtual assistants can create a blog from a list of ideas, personal information or stories which you have supplied and are kept on file.  The virtual assistant can also create a blog from instructions that are given by phone or email. Get an idea, jot it down, then fax or email it and viola you have a blog.  

The virtual assistant can do it all and they are able to write excellent content for you.  However, the best person to respond to the comments and inquiries you receive is you. Sometimes agents will spend large amounts of money and time on a marketing campaign but do not take the time to do the follow-up needed to make that campaign a success. Don't make that mistake with your blog. Get assistance from a virtual assistant blogger so that you will have the time to keep up with  (the reason for the blog in the first place) your readers and potential clients  

Another great aspect of using the services of a virtual assistant to create or help you create articles for your blog is their reasonable pricing.  

For those of you, who feel that ghostwriting just isn't quite fair, remember top producers know "the art of delegating".  No one discounts the services of a transaction coordinator, marketing assistant or a secretary. The use of a virtual assistant in this area is really no different.  

If you would like to know more about how a virtual assistant can help you with your personal blog or other businesses needs, you can contact me for a personal and a free consultation.

    
 

Subscribe in a reader

 

Pamela Cendejas

I sometimes think of the virtual world as being out there in the great beyond; for me that brings to mind images of the sky. A new image in that sky is one of a ghostwriter.  

One of the newest services being offered by freelance writers and virtual assistants is that of a blog ghostwriter.  Blogging has become an important part of the internet and real estate agents in-the-know are taking advantage of it to meet other professionals, those in their community and potential clients. To be effective, blogging takes a commitment of time to make it a successful endeavor. Blogging must be done consistently and often.  

Real estate agents are joining celebrities and CEOs, among other professionals, who are using this service. Due to their busy lifestyles they find that blogs are beneficial.   Unfortunately, they just do not have the time to write and maintain them, much less to do it consistently and often.  

Since virtual assistants know their clients, they are able to write blogs in a style and tone that is reflective of that particular client. Real estate virtual assistants are able to blog in a knowledgeable manner because they spend many hours per week doing extensive research in regards to the marketplace and the industry itself to provide their clients with quality service in website maintenance, marketing, and now blogs.  

A virtual assistant is an excellent option for those who dislike writing or feel that their writing skills are not their best asset.  A real estate virtual assistant is able to create quality relevant blog content and can aid you in a variety of ways.  For the low-key, "I-don't-know-and-don't-wanna-know" types, the virtual assistant can do it all.  

The best blogs are those where the agent and the assistant work together. You can give the virtual assistant a list of blog ideas that they can use to create your blog. You can submit a rough draft of your blog and your virtual assistant will polish it up and then post it.  

There will be times when you just won't feel like writing or you will experience writer's block or you may just need a little time off. For those times you can call on your virtual assistant to temporarily help you out. Virtual assistants can create a blog from a list of ideas, personal information or stories which you have supplied and are kept on file.  The virtual assistant can also create a blog from instructions that are given by phone or email. Get an idea, jot it down, then fax or email it and viola you have a blog.  

The virtual assistant can do it all and they are able to write excellent content for you.  However, the best person to respond to the comments and inquiries you receive is you. Sometimes agents will spend large amounts of money and time on a marketing campaign but do not take the time to do the follow-up needed to make that campaign a success. Don't make that mistake with your blog. Get assistance from a virtual assistant blogger so that you will have the time to keep up with  (the reason for the blog in the first place) your readers and potential clients  

Another great aspect of using the services of a virtual assistant to create or help you create articles for your blog is their reasonable pricing.  

For those of you, who feel that ghostwriting just isn't quite fair, remember top producers know "the art of delegating".  No one discounts the services of a transaction coordinator, marketing assistant or a secretary. The use of a virtual assistant in this area is really no different.  

If you would like to know more about how a virtual assistant can help you with your personal blog or other businesses needs, you can contact me for a personal and a free consultation.

    
 

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Pamela Cendejas

If you are reading this, you are obviously aware of blogging; but you may not have your own blog because you're not quite sure what to blog about or have the time to blog.  

Let's discuss why you would want to blog in the first place.  

First, there is the advantage of Search Engine Optimization. For this reason alone many realtors have started blogging or are considering doing so.  

Secondly, there is the advantage of target marketing. You are in the business of real estate and as in any business you need clients and customers. Blogging allows you to talk to people who are interested in real estate. People who read real estate blogs are currently in the market to buy or sell or are thinking of about it.  

Thirdly, the internet is becoming more of an influence in people's daily lives; especially in those of the young professional types. 80% of buyers and sellers are using the internet to gather information about real estate in general, the marketplace in their area and finding their prospective agent.

More than search engine optimization the world of blogging allows you to speak to a whole world of people about your area of expertise. This should be your focus when blogging. Blogging allows people to see you, as someone who is knowledgeable, professional and real. By blogging you are not just a website, you are a real person giving information about their community and profession.  

When blogging you can talk about anything. Blog about what you know: you and your community. Write about one of your funny real estate experiences, people love humor. Write about your community from local leadership to your favorite restaurant. Write about you so that your reader will feel like they know you as a real person. Write about real estate from a featured listing to real estate advice and tips.  

Now, let's discuss why you wouldn't want to blog  

First, there is the time element. Blogs should be written on no less than a weekly basis. Consistency is important if you want a loyal readership. You already have a long list of things to do and adding another is probably not very enticing. Blogging can be time consuming.   You must research to find a subject, then thinks of ways to express it, now write the blog, post it and respond to comments. Another 3 or 4 hours added to your schedule!  

Secondly, writing skills. You may not feel your writing skills are your best asset.    

Consider a real estate virtual assistant to assist you with your blog. Virtual Assistants, because of their expertise in the field of real estate and their skills in content writing, do not spend 3 or 4 hours per blog but can do it in less than half the time. All you have to do is reap the advantages.

    
 

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Pamela Cendejas