Tip of the Week – Social Media Prospecting – LISTEN to my Social Media Manifesto!!! http://FameisUpforGrabs.com/ – More free coaching!

Real estate agents should not salivate with the chance to post photos of their listings on Pinterest so much as learn to enjoy the site, and enjoy sharing photos of things that they love, or find interesting. Having fun and enjoying yourself is the best way to market yourself on Pinterest. Think of it like executives who play golf. It’s a time to bond with others, not shove ads in their face.

This is not to say that you cannot post ads on Pinterest and be successful. You can, but you have to do it with class. You have to understand the formula for social media marketing, and that is to share, share, share, give, give, give, give, give and promote. No one will follow you if all you to is promote and advertise. You have to bring value, and you need to relate with people. No licking your chops!

Chill out… be Cool… remember what Zig Ziglar said, “People go out of their way to do business with people they know and they like.” Just be yourself. Have a good time… find cool things to post… follow cool people… pretty soon, you will attract people who are intrigued by your interesting pins…

Where else in the timeline of history could you actually enjoy yourself this much while marketing? I know of no other time. The future belongs to the pinners.

Back a few years ago, before Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… a little before MySpace, your website layout needed to focus mostly on information surrounding your product. The focus was mainly about making your site “sticky,” and using keywords to attract the search engine crawlers. The goal was to provide information to your visitors (who found you by way of Google rankings) quickly, and to keep them on your site by providing valuable content. Even back then, it was good to have a photo of a real person on every page to make the website more personable. All my websites generated more leads that way.

Today, Content is Still King. We still need tools and informative info to keep people on our site, and to keep them coming back for more… but we also need something else. Can you guess what that is?

If you said, “SOCIAL,” then you’re on the right track. Today’s websites need a social element that we didn’t think about in the simple days of SEO. You need to make your website socially acceptable, or it will be an outcast.

Today the web is a big noisy party. It’s social, baby. And social is all about what? Being cool. Yes, that’s right… Your website needs to get in the groove if you want people to think you’re cool.

A COOL Website is a Website that knows what’s up. It is not old fashioned. It is not out-of-style, no. A COOL Website is a site that is loved by everybody, and that is connected with the rest of the web. A COOL Website is a place where the social interaction and conversation continues…

So, suffice it to say, you need a COOL Website, that is not only links to social media sites, but that matches the mindset of your visitor. Remember, it’s a whole new world online today. People are likely finding your links while hanging out at the big noisy party going down on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+.

6 Tips for Making Your Website More Social

So what can you do to make your website more social? Here’s 6 Tips for Making Your Website More Social… If you like what I’m saying, and even if you don’t, take a moment to give me a thumbs up, or leave a comment… Me and my homies want to hear from you!

1. Link to All Social Media Websites

Make sure there are references to ALL Social Media websites ABOVE-THE-FOLD on your website. This means, that people can connect with you in 2 seconds the moment they land on your site. Don’t hide your social media links. Make these EXTREMELY VISIBLE on every page. I’m not saying your buttons need to be large, necessarily. I’m saying that you need to have visible links to all social media sites above-the-fold on just about every page on the web. This will open your site up, and allow people to connect with you in the way that they prefer.

2. Make your website personable.

Many folks make the mistake of making their website content overly business-like. This is not effective, even if you’re a B2B (business to business) organization. Think of it this way, your website is not being read by a large company or a big crowd. No. It is being read by one person. You want to connect with that one person who is visiting your website on a one-to-one basis. Make sure your photo is on every page. Use pics of you liberally. Show your fabulous face. (People bond with people, not companies… they bond with humans, not logos…) Make your website content more fun and playful. People on the web today are in social mode. Get in the groove.

3. Write content that encourages conversation and engagement.

You know how, when you’re on Facebook, you try to post things that will get other people to LIKE it? Well, the same goes for your website and blog. You should make posts that encourage interaction, conversation & engagement. Ask questions… Be helpful… Be personable… Be real. Just like you post on Facebook to get people to LIKE & COMMENT, you should do the same thing with your website content and blog posts.

4. Use social media badges, widgets & plugins.

You want to use social media tools, but at the same time, you don’t want to use too many. Too many social media widgets, plugins and gadgets make your website confusing. If your website is confusing, you won’t be able to get your message across, and your visitors will click off your site confusing. Use wisdom when using social media badges. Don’t Over or you’ll look like this.

5. Use video.

Video is the ultimate social tool. Why? Because social is all about interpersonal relationships, trust and bonding. Video is a way for people to see you–really see you–to look into your eyes. To see your mannerisms. Video is the way to “come to life” on the web. What’s more, video is cheap, easy and FREE. You can create videos anywhere with your smart phone. Don’t worry, people do not expect perfection. They just want to connect. Having video of you on your website helps them to connect with you and trust you more. It’s a social website’s dream tool.

6. Display social proof as much as possible.

Social proof is a huge advantage of social media marketing. People have always made decisions based on the confirmation of other people. The more people who like a product, the more new people will like it. It’s how humans are hard-wired. You need to incorporate social proof on your website by doing things like: highlighting the fact that you have several followers on your fan page… Share how many hits your website gets a day… Another good idea is to encourage blog comments. Blog comments are obvious social proof that give the impression that your blog is alive, active and socially acceptable.

There you have it. 6 Ways to Make Your Website More Socially Acceptable. We are in a new day. If you want your website to get results, you need to make it fit-in with the rest of the web, or else. You don’t want your website to be a nerd or an outcast, do you? (I sure hope not!) You need visible social media links above-the-fold, a personable appeal with photos of real people and conversational text, encouraging and interactive content, use video and display social proof. These 6 tips can help your website be more like a party. Get into the groove.

Yes, I know you have a lot of cool gadgets that you COULD add to your website, but when is enough enough? Too many features and options confuses your visitors and make them loopy… and you know what people do with SENSORY OVERLOAD? They bolt. Sayonara.

I pity the fool that over accessorizes their website.

dotJenna

Here are a few reasons why you should hire dotJenna to handle your social media marketing, blogging, coaching, training, SEO, web development & lead generation for real estate and small business…

• Social Media Guru - Ranked 87th Most Influential Person Online by Fast Company Mag.
• Social Media Coach – Syndicated “Tip of the Week” Show for real estate offices nationwide.
• SEO Expert - Specializing in Real Estate and Small Business.
• SEO Power – Just being connected with me & my thousands of pages
  of content content will boost your blog’s rankings for anything related
  to real estate. Page 1 of Google for “Real Estate Websites“
• Blog Distribution – I’m an expert at blogging, web publishing, I know where to syndicate posts for maximum exposure. Here are my old blog posts for clients in the past…
• Lead Funnels – I am an expert at creating lead funnels & marketing automation. Speaking at CMS Expo in May 2012.
• WordPress Web Developer – I have building real estate SEO websites since 2004.
• National Speaker – Speaking at National Association of Real Estate Publishers in Vegas in May.
• Web Content Expert – My content incorporates cutting-edge copyrighting strategies & NLP.
• Fully Trained Staff – My staff and myself are ready to serve you!

Main Websites

http://dotJenna.com/

http://TheMarketingShop.com/

Lead Funnels

http://5DaysFreeCoaching.com/

http://SuperstarCoaching.Kajabi.com/

Facebook

http://Facebook.com/dotJennaFans

http://Facebook.com/dotJenna

http://Facebook.com/TheMarketingShop

Twitter

http://Twitter.com/dotJenna

http://Twitter.com/thmarketingshop

1. A Cool Website Pays for Itself because it can get you more business immediately.

It’s shocking to know how much business you are losing without a Cool Website. I’m not just talking about any-old-website. I’m talking about a Cool Website with all the bells and whistles that make it effective for capturing leads quickly on the social web today. If you have a boring, dull and generic website that you despise, you can bet that no one else likes to go there either. If no one visits your website now, it’s useless. If you have a Cool Website that you are proud of, you will send people there. You will put more effort into marketing it. You will post it on your Facebook Profile. Plus, a Cool Website has the ability to be found in the Google search rankings. Not only will YOU send more people there, but people can find it automatically. Your Cool Website brings you new clients, and that makes you more money…

2. Makes you look good to your social media network, prospects & potential clients.

A Cool Website helps get the attention of people in your network. It is a place you can be proud to send people. It gives the impression that you are ready to do business. Your Cool Website displays your expertise and makes you look more credible than if you use a cheap template, or worse–have no website at all. A Cool Website is more than your business card; it is like your storefront and your sales person telling the world that you’re ready to do business.

3. Your Cool Website works for you while you’re doing other things.

Think of it this way. Your website (if it’s cool) will work for you when you’re doing other things… errr, like sleeping! This website that you are on right now (http://TheMarketingShop.com/) gets visitors from all over the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. People come to our website, see what I do, learn what I have to offer, learn about web marketing, watch my videos, sign-up for my programs and make purchases–all without me talking to them directly. Now, I love talking to people, but I only have one mouth… My staff are busy doing marketing for my clients. My Cool Websites and my Lead Funnels serve as my sales team, and I wouldn’t think of doing business without them…

4. Your Cool Website can get web traffic.

A Cool Website has many features designed to bring web traffic in your direction. There are numerous things you can do to get your website in front of your target market. You can make blog posts and post to your Facebook page or your Twitter account. You can post videos on your site and tell people to go watch what you post. You can write content for your site with keywords so it will show up when people search for what you do on Google… Your website can be mentioned among people in your target market and shared. You can run ads on the web through PPC on Google, or paid ads on Facebook to target only those people who are in your target market. All of these tactics will bring eyeballs to your Cool Website. The more people who know about you, the more people can choose to sign-up with you, or buy your products and services. It’s THAT simple!

5. Your Cool Website can capture leads.

Another way your Cool Website pays for itself is that it is set up to capture leads. New technology today allows you lots of freedom for capturing leads. Once you get the name, email address and phone number of people who are interested in what you offer, 1/2 the battle is won! All you have to do is send them an email or two to find out more about what their needs are, and then give them a call to make a sale. Your website can bring leads to your doorstep, all while you are out doing what you do best.

Conclusion

There is no other more cost effective, efficient means of marketing your business than a Cool Website. You simply cannot spend your hard-earned money on anything for marketing that gives you a higher return for your investment. Your website is a tool that can bring business your way quickly and make you look good to your network and your potential clients and clients. Finally, your Cool Website can generate web traffic and capture leads for your business–all while you are sleeping, relaxing, vacationing or working on other things. Best of all, your Cool Website works for you like a Lead Machine 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week, 365 Days per year. If your website is built correctly, it is an investment in your company that absolutely pays for itself.