With a central focus on the agent, Cammarosano spoke of the HomeGain model that has content designed to connect buyers to agents, as well as forms which capture leads. “I don’t think you’re going to hear anyone saying that they closed major sales or sold homes from anwsering questions on a website”, he said, taking a stab at one of the main features on the Trulia site.

In quick defense of Trulia Voices, Inkinen argued, “The mindset of the consumer is moving towards [research] behavior, as they are really doing their homework before making a decision on who to use for services”. He recounted a story that was told to him from an agent who uses Trulia Voices who has received “tons of business” from using the forum.

Both, however, seemed to agree that syndicating real estate listings is a highly effective method. In an open question to the hundreds of real estate professionals in attendance, Inkinen asked how many agents do not syndicate their listings. With only about 1/4 of the room raising their hands, there was a strong indication of how popular and successful this method is for real estate advertising.

Near the end of this intelligent debate, moderator, Brian Boero, Partner at 1000Watt Consulting, asked a thought-provoking question to the combatants when he mused, “How do we get these two models (buyer-centric and agent-centric) to work together?” Suggesting the name “TrueGain” for this merging of models, Boero seemed convinced that this all-encompassing approach could deliver the most powerful real estate marketing of all.

Photo credit: Randy Son Of Robert

In a sea of competing businesses online marketing gives small businesses branding
opportunities. Solopreuners, small to mid-size business owners and even large
corporations are replacing traditional marketing venues like direct marketing
by use of newspaper advertising, bulletin boards, magazine ads, postcards, and
cold calling, for the newly improved internet methods found in web 2.0 offerings.
It’s no wonder with the number of warm handshakes these businesses receive from
their consumers online that small business owners wouldn’t migrate to online offerings.

Now with all generations active online it makes good use of business cents and
is business common sense to create online marketing strategies. The recent statistics
provided by The Pew Internet and American Life Project Study Survey- December
2008 prove that online advertising is integral to a business’s marketing plan
regardless of the age of your target market.

Here is the breakdown of the generations online noted in the study,

• 93%- 12-17 Year Olds
• 89%- 18-24 Year Olds
• 85%- 25-29 Year Olds
• 87%- 30-34 Year Olds
• 85%- 35-39 Year Olds
• 83%- 40-44 Year Olds
• 80% 45-49 Year Olds
• 78% 50-54 Year Olds
• 71%-55-59 Year Olds
• 62%-60-64 Year Olds

Clearly when it comes to online usage age IS nothing but a number.

Three Effective Methods of Social Media Marketing

Each business should develop an online marketing mix that suits its current goals
and objectives. Small businesses who take internet marketing seriously develop
strategic media marketing strategies that incorporate several facets of interactive
(web 2.0) online marketing or sometimes only a few based on the individual business’s
needs.

Here are three examples of effective Social Media Marketing mediums.

Blogging

You don’t have to be a penned wordsmith to be a good blogger . Blogging comes
in many formats and the key is that blogging is conversational. You can try traditionally
penned blogs. You can record audio tracks which is known as podcasting. A third
method is microblogging and a popular platform for this is twitter. In 140 characters
or less microblogging allows you to engage prospects and carry out easy conversations.

Blogging is a critical component of social media marketing because it allows businesses
to provide information through the use of fresh, relevant content. Incorporating
blogging as par of a company’s internet marketing strategy provides the company
with a good opportunity to be found in the search engines for the company’s desired
markets.

Social Networking

One of the most popular and highly addictive web 2.0 mediums for online consumers
are the social networks. Social networks allow consumers and business professionals
to network among friends, strangers, acquaintances, and professionals all in
one place. If small businesses keep an open mind and keep their networks open
they have the potential to grow their networks exponentially by allowing other
consumers into their fold.

Social networks also allow businesses to update the public on new improvement
in product lines, what an average day is like at xyz company. Social networks
are varied in purpose and the amount of social networks can be mind numbing,
but the most popular platforms determined by marketing research about consumer
online behavior are currently Linked In, Twitter, and Facebook.

Syndication

Social networks and blog platforms are relatively low on cost investment, but
they are far from maintenance free marketing endeavors. To blog and create viable
weekly online content the time commitment involved is a minimum of 5-10 hours
a week. How can you effectively communicate online through providing fresh and
relevant information AND then market that information to all of your contacts
across all of the social networks? The answer is syndication.

Syndicating content allows your message and your information to be reached across
the worldwide web. You can syndicate your content by using an online social service
that will broadcast your updates across the social networks. You can also use
listing syndication for your marketing collateral by using a service that will syndicate
your ads across social networks.

There’s No Time Like the Present Online

The thing most online traveler’s love about the internet is the ability
to peruse stores and services as well as to interact with people online anytime.
More importantly, anytime means on their time in online marketing. If your business
has not yet engaged heavily in online marketing there is no time like the present
to get started. The reach small businesses have online is global and timeless.