If you’ve been following this blog with any regularity, you know that I am an avid promoter of all things social media and networking. I’m a fan because it works.
Since I embarked on a full fledged social media barrage via this blog, my Florida Home Loans Specialist website, my work on the FHA Mortgage Blog, and a burgeoning effort over at my Wanna Networks managed Central Florida Homes and Loan Report blog, a new and amazing world has opened up to me.
Potential clients and Realtor partners are calling me!
I don’t close every client deal or create winning relationships with each Realtor I talk to, but what I am not doing is ticking off clients and potential Realtor partners by interrupting them and jamming my message in their face when they’d much rather be tending to family matters or some other business related issue that absolutely merits their undivided attention.
This brave new world of mine can be yours as well… a world free of cold calling or shelling out hundreds of dollars on print ads and mail-outs that never seem to deliver the results you’re looking for. Like me, you can leave the old school and enter into the new realm of inbound marketing.
Here are 3 Things You Must Know About Inbound Marketing
Read them, and then get on with it! I promise you’ll be happier and wealthier for it! The most successful inbound marketing campaigns focus on 3 key areas, and so should yours:
- Content - Whatever your blog or social media platform, you need to provide content that folks want to read. It’s a little tired, but the adage “Content is King” still rings true.By researching key words, current “hot topics” in your industry or niche, etc. – you can generate content that will draw readers and potential clients to you.
- Search Engine Optimization – The best content in the world won’t mean a lick if you don’t let folks know it’s out there. The beauty of inbound marketing is that by using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – you can construct keyword rich copy and develop inbound links to your site that will allow your stuff to show up naturally when you customers enter in their search terms.Remember, improving your search engine ranking is key, as most of your customers begin their buying process via their browser’s search function.
- Social Media - Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook - as well as bookmarking sites like Digg, Stumble Upon, and Propeller - function like Internet-based Bull Horns for your content. Remember… Social Proof of your knowledge and expertise is absolutely imperative.Filtering your message through the networks that friends and colleagues use to trade industry tips and catch up with each other will help you here.Think about it, if your buddy refers you to a certain Florida mortgage broker who he’s particularly happy with, won’t that carry more weight with you than if you saw a seemingly random Google Ad Sense ad on your right hand web sidebar or on the pages of your local fish-wrap?
I’ll have more to say about inbound marketing later. But take time to look into these 3 areas now. I promise, you’ll see results in the form of increased web traffic to your blogs and (GASP!) inbound client calls sooner than you think!
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I hope you found this post useful! As always, if you or anyone you know is in need of a local Florida mortgage loan originator, I’m your guy. Call me at 888-859-7418 or apply online for your Florida mortgage. We’ll keep you posted and let you know when it’s time to pull the trigger!
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Good stuff Kevin. I have been messing with the social media sites for quite a while and have now dropped out of Digg and StumbleUpon. When looking at my metrics, these seemed to be visitors “playing a game” and not prospective customers for my type of business. I have found good traffic from real estate related sites (Active Rain, Trulia, etc.) and true networking sites (like Facebook and LinkedIn).
Keep up the great work!
Joe Manausa – Tallahassee Real Estate’s last blog post..Check Your Mailbox, Your Newsletter Is On The Way!
Hey Joe – thanks so much for stopping by! Active Rain still continues to be a great source for contacts, and I’ve only just now started to visit Trulia blog pages for folks I follow. Do you blog there as well? Will look for you.
I have had the most luck with Stumble so far in terms of site visitors, and I think this works OK for me as a Florida Mortgage Broker – just in terms of getting the word out.
Though, I do have to say that the few comments I’ve left of late on Trulia have given me quite a bump in traffic as well. Perhaps that is the best way to go moving on in to the future as the folks there already have real estate on the brain!
Keep visiting, Joe. Your comments and feedback are always very welcome.
Kevin
Great little write-up here! Social media has been an invaluable tool for my company, we have used it to drive a lot of quality traffic to all of our web projects and continue to use it to our advantage.
SEO is an integral part of building a successful online business, but it does take time, often months if you are trying to rank for more competitive search terms, of course some of the smaller terms can be pulled off in a month or two, if the person knows what they are doing.
One thing we have always done is to use a combination of the two, in other words a mixture of social marketing and seo, to bring in traffic now while continuing to build our seo efforts over time. Like Joe said above, Trulia, ActiveRain and many others are incredibly powerful tools if used correctly that can really boost your website.
I am not sure where we would be at right now without these strategies, but with the constant barrage of new web 2.0 communities and services popping out, marketing your website will get easier and easier as we go along.
Hey Patric,
Thanks for taking time to stop by and provide such a substantive comment. Means a lot! Are you on Twitter? If so, you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/flmortgagepro. Look me up and I’ll follow you back.
I’m hooked on Social Media as a means of getting the word out and really do believe it the power inbound marketing. Seems the key is always to remain as genuine as we can and not try to take shortcuts. Would you agree?
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Sherin
The Money Maniac blogger
http://investinternals.blogspot.com