Introducing RAINMAKER SOCIAL, the one-of-a-kind collection of tools to enhance your RAINMAKER MEGA SITE and bring it into the Social Age. Social Media and “social search” have arrived. And, the future is now. Here’s why:

• “Inbound links are a good measure of authority, but they are slow. In a social media world, a relevant piece of content on a subject could become outdated in minutes.” – RAINMAKER SOCIAL users love the easy-to-use share tools in the new system compared to the out-dated (and slower) inbound links. With the share tools, you can constantly share content and stay relevant without the wait!
• “Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter are battling over the future of search. It is clear to all of these internet giants that social search is the future.” – These companies basically decide what user’s search. As they enhance Social Search, we all will be taken along for the ride too. That’s why it’s important for RAINMAKER SOCIAL users to hop on the bandwagon now so you get an early start on the future ahead of your competition.
• “Google+ is the fastest growing social network ever.” Google+ is not important – not yet — in the inherent contact database sense like Facebook. However, going forward Google will be using Google+ as its main source of social search data. Because Google is the #1 search engine in the world (no surprise there!) that makes Google+ an important tool in Google’s Social Search Rankings. Bottom line: Social search is coming on fast. Ride the wave…don’t get drowned by it.
• “Facebook’s current share of the search engine market is miniscule… why does Facebook not have at least a negligible portion of the search market? Simple: Private data. … The limitations of private data make Facebook a weak search engine and subsequently resulted in very little usage.” – This however has changed recently with the inclusion of the ability to select your own privacy settings with each individual post. RAINMAKER SOCIAL users are now sharing via the PUBLIC option that is now included. Use this public option as much as possible and you will build a pool of data and results that optimize your chances of being found through Facebook search.
• “Social search is really about more personalized search engine results.” – Search in the future will be personalized. That’s why RAINMAKER SOCIAL users are building their personal search network today.

Don’t miss out on the future. Check out www.RainmakerSocial.com for more information and order today to get a jump on your competition!

For more about integrating search and social marketing read this excellent, free whitepaper: www.hubspot.com/internet-marketing-whitepapers/

Jesse Hickman

Do you text? Do you have a “smart” Internet-enabled mobile phone? Start slowly, but get on board with texting. Start texting your family members and friends — after getting a texting package with your cell phone carrier to ensure you don’t get surprised by your next monthly cell phone bill with single text-only charges.  After you’re adept at texting those more forgiving than a client, you can start texting clients (who ask or encourage it) with quickie messages.  You’ll be amazed at the time you save not making phone calls, not waiting to leave voice mail, not having to retrieve voice mail messages, etc.  And, your clients who text will feel confident you’re up-to-date with current tech abilities too!

Do you use your smart phone to gather info online, view ads or play with apps?  If so, you’re ahead of the game.  If you don’t, start learning about your phone’s capabilities and put them to work.  Mobile marketing from the retail sphere is poised to hit it big in terms of consumers getting used to it, using it and relying on it.  You need to understand it all if you’re going to use that medium to market your business.

If you don’t know if your phone is “smart,” whether you can even text from your cell phone, if you can access the Internet from your mobile device or how to do much more than make and receive phone calls from your phone, you’ll need a little guidance.  If your cell phone store is too intimidating, find a teenager (your own or a friend’s) to help you figure out your phone.  They’ll love playing with your phone and showing you all it can do.  And, if you reward them with a meal or other incentive, they’ll be more than happy to help you!

Where do your comfort levels lie with texting and mobile marketing?

If you’re familiar with Twitter you know that tweets often contain a web link that has been shortened. A shorter web link is easy to use, easy to read, easy to remember. So when you have

http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2010/07/ehs_june_above

you can turn it into

http://tinyurl.com/2dr5r26

or even something more catchy like

http://tinyurl.com/June2010Stats

Shortening your web links will allow you to make whatever links you send more readable and usable for the recipient. This is especially useful if you’re sending out marketing information. You know that home buyers and sellers appreciate ease of use and clarity!

Besides tinyURL.com, there are a number of web link shortening services (all free!) out there including:

• bit.ly
• tez.co
• gi.vc
• traceurl.com

Share how you use URL shorteners and what services you like best.

Regardless, you can search Twitter to find more information, more conversations applicable to your expertise/area, and more individuals to connect with.

Twitter applications like Tweetdeck and seesmic allow you to search terms within your news stream.  Search on “real estate fargo” (substituting your town/area) and see what you find!

Using advanced search in Twitter, you can find even more information quickly and easily.  Here are key operators to get you started to use the Twitter simple search page.  Happy searching!

• mortgage source:twitterfeed This is for finding tweets that contain the word “mortgage” and found through Twitterfeed.
• near:Boston within:25mi This will bring up tweets that have been sent from within 25 miles of Boston.
• “home for sale” near:“Atlanta” This will bring you tweets about homes for sale. The tweets will have been sent from near Atlanta.
• @RERainmaker These are tweets that reference the invidual at RERainmaker on Twitter.
• house since:2010-05-01 These are tweets that contain “house” and were sent since 2010-05-01 (year-month-day).
• settlement until:2009-12-31 These are tweets that contain “settlement” and were sent up to 2009-12-31.
• to:MichiganMoves These are tweets that have been sent to MichiganMoves.
• from:TinaMcManus These are tweets sent from TinaMcManus.
• #realtors These are tweets with the hashtag “realtors.”
• mortgage -loanThese are tweet that contain the word “mortgage” but not the word “loan.”
• lender OR mortgage These are tweets that contain the word “lender” or the word “mortgage” or both.
• “arlington townhouse” These are tweets that contain the exact phrase “arlington townhouse.”
• real estate ann arbor These are tweets that contain all words in the search box: “real” and “estate” and “ann” and “arbor.” This is the default.

Share what you’ve found on Twitter that has helped your business.

One simple way to provide answers to visitors’ questions reliably is to create links on your site to quick and easy-to-use online calculators and other financial tools. 

In exchange for access to linked pages, the consumer completes a brief contact and real estate needs form.  The most popular calculators for buyers and sellers help figure home equity, costs of selling, moving, and renting versus buying, as well as trade-up and down-payment analyses.

Tip: Examples of popular relocation calculators analyze affordability, prepayment, payment, net proceeds, capital gains, home estate tax.  Other useful tools are ones that give extensive data on a community, salary calculators for relocating families, moving cost calculators, cost versus value information (for those thinking of remodeling before listing or those looking to remodel after buying), etc. 

Share with us what tools you include on your site and how much usefulness they provide and how much value they give to your business.

After the form is complete, display a “Thank You” message page that shows their request has been sent to you and you will be responding
shortly. Make it clear how to close the Thank You page. Be sure to keep the prospect on the same page they were on when they opened the form—do not redirect them to another page, even the home page. Let them go to the next place they want to go to on their own.

Some forms not only say thank you, but also send an e-mail copy of submitted answers back to prospects as a confirmation (people often forget how they completed a form). Include a link to your privacy policy on the e-mail copy sent to your prospects for their reference.

Let us know how good manners have built your business.  Share your best practices and leave a comment.  Thank you!

On every form, often at the bottom, include your own complete contact information (name, company, address, phone numbers, e-mail, Twitter ID, web address, blog address, etc.). You’ll be surprised how many prospects (especially the most motivated) will simply call or email you directly because they want to get the information they are seeking immediately and want to move forward with personal service.

Your contact information is also a great way to brand your forms. Consider a simple “mail to” link that opens an e-mail form pre-addressed to you. Often prospects who want to go beyond the form find it easier to simply reach out and e-mail or call you. Make it quick and simple!

Think of accessibility issues in providing your contact information as well.  Consider an alternative for non-text elements (such as an image or .jpg that you use on your site that contains your contact info) to convert them to text or speech for those with sight or hearing difficulties using the web to reach you.  (Your web designer can assist you with the best options available for this task.)

Take a fresh set of eyes and look over your site.  Is it difficult to find your phone number and direct email address?  Do visitors to your site have to drill down in menus and hunt on the pages?  Make your contact info prominent and the return will be eager, ready-to-sell and ready-to-buy prospects calling and emailing you!

Do Improve Forms.

If you discover that prospects or clients (past or current) often use a form only to find your phone number and address or write you a note, then the form is not being used for its intended purpose. If that is the case, make your contact information more prominent on your
website. Remember, you should regularly fire your worst form—and test a new form in its place.

Let us know if you’ve made changes to how you make your contact information accessible to visitors to your websites.  We’d love to hear some best practices to help our readers.  Leave a comment and share your story.

Motivating them to respond to you requires a comprehensive, carefully designed plan. It must offer prospects something they want, make them feel comfortable about trading information to get it, and make the whole exchange as easy as possible. Remember, if prospects don’t complete your web forms, you will capture no prospects!

Maximize Results By Minimizing “Required” Fields

Try fewer radio buttons or pull downs and more open text fields where prospects can answer in their own words. You’ll be surprised how the answers you get are not the questions you thought you asked. Remember you can validate data later—and qualify the prospect—with follow-up or a sales call.

Multiple-choice answers, however, actually help some prospects answer correctly. For example, “When do you plan to move?” without specific qualifying time periods could get an answer such as “when my spouse makes up his mind” or “after our youngest graduates.” Sometimes ready answers are best.

Let us know how you customize your forms to increase lead capture on your website.

The advantage to this is that the kids don’t have to worry about juggling many tasks while searching for interesting things underwater – “annoying” things that are numerous like holding their breath, keeping their mouths closed, dealing with the sometimes uncomfortable feeling of water in their ears, and just plain swimming.

These mask toys get strapped on to the kids’ head, covering their eyes and nose.  Then while standing in water, the child just leans over and starts peering straight down into the water – looking for lost treasure, wildlife or just a cool rock.  All the while they have a great view without all the distractions of being underwater.

They love the masks and it allows them to search the water easily for all the things that are important to them!

The masks are like the marketing and tech tools that you use in your business.  Many of these items you use allow you to focus on what is most important to your business, and not be distracted by the little stuff.

Sometimes you need a tool to help you create that narrow focus. If you’re being distracted from the big picture in your marketing, you need new or better tools.  Then it’s time to check out Gooder Group.  Start with Rainmaker E-Central, a system with lead-capture web forms, informative website content, e-mail drip marketing plans and campaigns, and unlimited microsites.  Rainmaker E-Central offers a lot more than a simple snorkel mask, but it will help immensely in your search for new home buyers and sellers!

Let us know what tools you use to help you focus your marketing.

It’s a fun comparison.

Once you’ve gotten over laughing (or closing your dropped jaw…Google: $8.37 billion)…study the metrics the site uses to build the website valuations beyond daily page views and visitors.

For example, enter www.Realtor.com.  Note the metrics that measure number of pages, external links.  Then muse over the social media connections, such as Reddit submissions, Stumbleupon reviews, Digg submissions and Delicious bookmarks.  Try some other major real estate portals: Trulia.com, Zillow.com, ActiveRain.com, HouseValues.com, HomeGain.com.  Plug in your local competition or major franchises or largest local independents.

You get the idea.

The message is NOT the actual valuation number…although that is a hoot…but the criteria the BizInformation site uses to set its instant valuations.  Another site, using another set of criteria, would post different valuations, of course.

As you build your e-marketing and build the value of your website(s) keep these valuation criteria in mind.  In many ways, the metrics measure the traffic and relevance that your site has built.  It’s a new world out there…but somebody has to rule.

Why not you?!