Something Of Value by Rick Tankersley

Something of Value Guide to Building Your Progressive eMarketing System

Table of Contents Preface Pipeline Builder or Bucket Carrier? Introduction to Internet Marketing Google is a Neccessity Your Personal Website -Free IDX Solution - Essential Elements Create Your Site (diagram) Lead Capture Forms Create IDX Search for Site Domain Names Google Keyword Tool Online Storage Online Reputation Facebook Banners/Timeline Video Marketing Uploading Video QR Codes Real Estate based Searches Online Classifieds Single Property Websites Mobile Marketing Realtor.Com Showcase Listing Syndication Virtual Tours Short Sale Listings Just Listed/Sold Prospecting Public Library Criss Cross Directory FSBO Listings Find FSBOS on Craigslist Expired Listings Craigslist Lead Generation Avoid Craigslist Pitfallls Google Voice Zipform Online Docusign Online Marketing Presentation

3 4 5 6 8 8 9 11 15 18 21 25 28 33 34 39 42 46 50 52 53 54 54 55 56 57 62 62 65 66 67 68 77 78 84 84 86

PREFACE I believe that to be competitive and successful in business you must be able to provide “something of value.” For an item or service to be valuable, a consumer/client/customer must perceive it as such. In the real estate business the services provided, in many ways, have become diluted by complacency. Many agents continue to conduct “business as usual” and provide the exact same services, the same old way in the very fashion that the competition does. There is really nothing for the clients to be excited about or anything that they can perceived as particularly valuable, hence, the subject “something of value.” Using progressive strategies and technology is the answer. However, many agents do not begin to employ new techniques because of perceived difficulty or expense. However, neither is the case. You can become “tech savvy” and build a fantastic PROGRESSIVE MARKETING STRATEGY with minimal difficulty and on a very small budget. I have been to countless seminars, classes and strategy sessions where the ideas were great but the follow through was very vague. I believe that many agents are like and would like to see tech marketing strategies broken down into layman’s terms and given step-by-step implementation instructions. This is my purpose in compiling this training manual. Using this manual, you will be able to offer many different services to your clients:    

Appeal to more sellers Obtain more listings by differentiating yourself from the competition Attract more Buyers through aggressive lead capture strategies Build your online reputation

It is my hope that as you read and implement the strategies in this manual, you will soon build the perception that you are a highly Progressive and Successful Online Marketing Strategist able to offer great value.

Are you a Pipeline Builder or Bucket Carrier? Below is an excerpt from Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Once upon a time there was this quaint little village. It was a great place to live except for one problem. The village had no water unless it rained. To solve this problem once and for all, the village elders decided to put out to bid the contract to have water delivered to the village on a daily basis. Two people volunteered to take on the task and the elders awarded the contract to both of them. They felt that a little competition would keep prices low and ensure a backup supply of water. Self-Employed Thinking The first of the two people, Ed, immediately ran out, bought two galvanized steel buckets and began running back and forth along the trail to the lake which was a mile away. He immediately began making money as he labored morning to dusk hauling water from the lake with his two buckets. He would empty them into the large concrete holding tank the village had built. Each morning he had to get up before the rest of the village awoke to make sure there was enough water for the village when it wanted it. It was hard work, but he was very happy to be making money and for having one of the two exclusive contracts for this business. Business Owner Thinking The second winning contractor, Bill, disappeared for a while, which made Ed very happy since he had no competition. Ed was making all the money. Instead of buying two buckets to compete with Ed, Bill had written a business plan, created a corporation, found four investors, employed a president to do the work, and returned six months later with a construction crew.

In a while, his team had built a large volume stainless steel pipeline, which connected the village to the lake. The water was cleaner, in vast supply and available 24/7. Bill was now working less than Ed but making a LOT more money. The system he put in place in the beginning may have taken a little more time but was well worth it. Pipeline Builder or Bucket Carrier? Internet Marketing is overwhelming to many because it seems as though there is “just so much to do.” The bucket carrier will continue to do business as usual. He will work harder and harder while striving to keep up with the pipeline builders. Unfortunately, this is a formula for ‘burn-out.’ Bucket carriers will never achieve the level of success they desire. Failure will not be from lack of effort, but from lack of taking some time to plan and build a system that will make reduce work load and increase production. My goal in this manual, is to give you the knowledge to build a marketing system from scratch that will make life easier and produce great results. However, it will take some time to achieve. Follow the check list. Implement each strategy using the checklist provided. A plan of action and sample daily schedule are also included. Don’t be a bucket carrier. Use this guide to build your pipeline to internet marketing success! Introduction to Internet Marketing Internet marketing, also known as digital marketing, web marketing, online marketing, search marketing or e-marketing, is the marketing (generally promotion) of products or services over the Internet. Internet marketing is considered to be broad in scope because it not only refers to marketing on the Internet, but also includes marketing done via e-mail and wireless media. Digital customer data and electronic customer relationship management (ECRM) systems are also often grouped together under internet marketing. Real Estate professionals in particular, have experienced a marketing revolution which has 90% of potential home buyers searching online. With such a large segment of the market utilizing the internet to find real estate, it behoves real estate agents to know how to reach them. 5

Google is the First Necessity Before we can really get started, you must set up a GOOGLE account. This is necessary for some of the items we will be covering. It is also beneficial due to the power of Google business application and accessibilty. Although not every item will be discussed, below is a short list of GOOGLE benefits for real estate agents: REALTORS® can benefit and grow their business through Google services, features, and experiments. Learn and implement the simple yet powerful tools provided by Google and it is all FREE. FREE- Dynamic email with less SPAM FREE-Sync all Microsoft Documents to Google and access anywhere in the world. Create and share Word documents, Power Point Presentations, Excel Spreadsheets, PDF files and forms online. Google gives you the software to create and edit them online just for attending, with no monthly or recurring fees to use the software. FREE-One custom number to follow you anywhere while transcribing the message to text and emailing with an audible message. FREE- Schedule your life and business in Google Calendars. Receive emails and texts of upcoming events and action items. Share your calendar with others as you wish. FREE Keyword Tool to aid in driving online traffic FREE Google Maps FREE Google Alerts FREE Website Analytics FREE-Create and host web sites

1. Go to google .com

2. Sign Up for a New Google Account

3. Complete information

Your Personal Website Is it necessary in today’s Social Media driven environment to have a business website. Of course it is! If for no other reason than to serve as proof that you are a legitimate business. Although anyone can build/buy a website, it is much better to have one than not. If you have a website (free or paid provider) you are going to want to make sure that it is more than a storefront. The idea is to get visitors and ultimately capture their contact information. A site that provides great information, free offers and allows a visitor to leave contact info in exchange for your free offer is a LEAD CAPTURE WEBSITE. When your site is fully functioning as a lead capture website, it may also be referred to as a LANDING PAGE ( a destination to which ads will direct traffic) or a SQUEEZE PAGE ( a landing page that forces visitors to provide contact information. Essentials of Lead Capture Site Property Search (IDX) The IDX (Information Data Exchange) allows an agent to place a property search on a website where ALL MLS PROPERTIES will be available. Your MLS provider will allow access to a link that you must provide to your Webmaster to have it framed on your site. You MUST have an IDX property search on your site to give visitors a reason to visit your site, stay on your site and return to your site. A Free IDX Solution is available with an online based program called REALBIRD. The Property Search is powered by OODLE and will have most if not all MLS listings both local and nationwide. Once your sign up for this free service, you can find instructions to obtain the Property Searches in several forms. Now that you have a Property search, the next step is to make sure that you have RELEVANT INFORMATION that will interest your TARGET MARKET.

Your website should have several pages. Each page should have its own clearly labeled tab, great information, a “give-away” item and a lead capture form. Here are some examples tab headings, information and offers that you may want to include on your website Information and offers Homebuyer page Home buyer Handbook Lead capture form. Must Provide Name and email Homes seller page Sellers Guide Lead capture form. Must Provide Name and email Stop foreclosure page Free Evaluation Lead capture form. Must Provide Name and email Foreclosure Listings Page Free List Lead capture form. Must Provide Name and email New Construction Page List of Builder Specials Lead capture form. Must Provide Name and email NOTE: IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW PRETTY OR FANCY YOUR SITE APPEARS. IF IT DOES NOT CAPTURE LEADS THEN IT IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY OR TIME YOU WILL SPEND. BLOGGER Blogging platforms such as Wordpress and Blogger make great alternatives to paid services. Both are good sites, however, I feel that Blogger offers a user-friendly platform and in my opinion is preferable for those just starting out in digital marketing. In this illustration segment, you will find STEP BY STEP instructions for building a LEAD CAPTURE SITE from scratch. Your website may look like some variation of this:

CALLS TO ACTION Be sure to include prominent “calls to action” on your site like “click here”, “go”, etc. Examples of CALLS TO ACTION:

EXAMPLE OF A LEAD CAPTURE FORM

CREATE YOUR SITE

1. Log in to to blogger.com with your Google Account

2, Choose template and click continue

3. Start Blogging 11

EDIT MAIN PAGE

1. Fill in Headline

2. Write Article

3. Click “compose” to use standard word processor to edit your text, insert pics, urls 4. Click “publish post” 12

ADD ITEMS TO THE SIDEBAR OF YOUR PAGE

1. Choose Design Tab

2. Choose “add a gadget”

3. Choose item you wish to upload and follow the 13 directions

CREATE PAGES FOR YOUR SITE 1.Choose Posting Tab

2. Choose “edit pages”

3. Choose “NEW PAGE”

4. Fill in Title of Page and add information/ items using the word processor

5. Choose “Publish Page”

Lead Capture Forms JotForm is the first and easiest Web-Based Drag & Drop Form Builder. You can create any kind of forms from contact, payment, lead generation, application, survey etc. You just create the form in 5 -10 minutes and get the embed code and paste it to your site and your form is ready to use. Once you have the form in place, any lead that is captured is immediately sent to your email. STEPS TO CREATE LEAD CAPTURE FORMS

1. Go to jotform.com and create a an account 2. Click on items in Form Tools to add to your

form

3. Edit the Text in your form heading

5. Make the desired fields required

4. Do the same with

the text boxes you add

STEPS TO POST FORMS ON YOUR SITE

1. Example of form

2. Choose Embed Form

3. Choose BLOGGER

4. Copy Html Code Created

5. Paste in Posts or Pages on your Site

USING REALBIRD TO CREATE FREE IDX HOME PAGE SEARC

1. Go to realbird .com and click “register for free”

2. Complete profile

3. Choose Property Search

4. Fill in Area, Distance, Property Type

Choose “embed in webpage or blog”

Copy the HTML created by realbird

Great Real Estate Domain Names

Go back your blogger site and Everyone wants a great domain. Create It’s probably a new one pageof the most important

steps in building your online presence the right way. But like many things in life, the most valuable things are the most difficult to acquire or find. Landing a great domain name through your own search using tools like GoDaddy and Network Solutions is like trying to find a needle in a hay stack, with both of your hands tied behind your back. There are many factors to consider: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Is it short? Is it easy to remember? Does it contain keywords? Does it relate to your branding and specialty? Title Page paste the Are the .com, .net, and .org variations of the name alland available? Are common misspellings and variations of the available? codename in theall body of page

editor.

Godaddy.com This site is so easy to navigate, there is no reason for a diagram. 1. Go to godaddy.com 2. Check availability of desired domain name. 3. Secure the name as .com, .org and .net 4. Go to “domain manager” A new tab is created and 5. Choose “forward”you will have IDX search 6. Paste your website url in the field provided ondefault your site 7. Choose “advanced forwarding options” 8. Choose “FORWARD WITH MASKING”

2. Click My Account

3. Click on the domain name you wish to use

4. Click Forward Domain

5. Choose FORWARD WITH MASKING and fill in the fields

DRIVING TRAFFIC Once you have a fully-functioning, lead-capturing website, the goal is to DRIVE TRAFFIC. Of course we will market the site through craigslist, social media and other avenues to attract visitors. You will also want to make your site as searchable as possible. This is called Search Engine Optimization. Basically, search engine optimization, or SEO , is making your site and the site's individual pages visible and relevant to both search engines and search engine users. Keywords and Phrases : Make Your Site Search-Engine Friendly Keywords are simply targeted words that determine which category your site will be listed under in search engines and directories,as well as words that searchers input to search engines in order to find relevant sites. If you don't do your homework and select targeted key phrases, you are missing a significant portion of potential traffic. GOOGLE KEYWORD TOOL This is a tool to determine the keywords and phrases that are actually working to attract visitors. This tool will help you determine text for meta tags, articles, website text, ad verbiage, video descriptions, photo captions and anywhere else there is an opportunity to place text. (The emphasis, of course, is on your website) Step 1 - www.googlekeywardtoolcom Step 2 - sign in Step 3 - Uncheck “broad” and click “exact” Step 4 – Type in a desired word or phrase (ie San Antonio Real Estate) Step 5- Click “SEARCH” Step 6 – View Keywords and Numbers of views Not only will the tool provide the number of views attracted by your desired keyword, it will also give you Keyword ideas. Knowing which words and phrases are searched more often will help you determine keywords for your SEO efforts. 24

1. Go to googlekeywordtool.com

2. Type in desired keyword or phrase is San Antonio Real Estate

3. Choose “exact” under Match Types

You will see how often your chosen phrase is being searched and get suggestion for other keywords

ONLINE STORAGE Simplify your life by storing important items “in the cloud.” Here's what Wikipedia has for a definition of "cloud computing:" computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. To simplify, we use online solutions instead of onboard software to run our business. We log in to servers on the Internet to do what we are used to doing on our own computer or our in-house network The more you learn to use online based programs and “cloud computing” the less you will be tied to an office. The advent of iPads and other tablets have made accessing files from the internet easy. A slew of online programs can be used tohelp in your business, Zipforms Online – prepare contracts from any location with internet access Docusign – eliminate paper and send out contracts to be signed from anywhere…anytime. Dropbox – a free online storage program that can be accessed from anywhere (great place for any and all saved files, photos, documents and other items that you may need. Box.net – File storage and sharing. Send links with downloadable files. (I use this to store free giveaways such as buyer and seller guides) Slideshare.net – Upload any powerpoint or pdf to create online accessibilty Sliderocket – Upload and edit slick presentation to share with anyone through unique links. Issuu.com – create professional ebooks and presentations for online sharing The list goes on and on. The next section will give a practical “real world” example of one of these programs.

BOX.NET As stated in the website section, you must provide something of value on your site in order to capture leads. Using the “cloud” program, you can provide instant access to reports, llsts, photos ot ebooks. 1. Create a box.net account 2. Upload a “homebuyer guide” 3. You will have the option to “share” with a link 4. Copy the link and send it to anyone you wish 5. post the link in ads and websites Here is how to make it work on your website 1. Offer a ‘Free Homebuyer Guide” on your site 2. Create a jotform lead capture form (see above) 3. Customize the thank you page to direct to URL 4. Place the box,net url in the jotform field

Upload files from your computer to be stored online

Click to “share” the uploaded file and you will get a link

Go back to your Jot forms and open up a form or create a new one

Click “thank you: in the tool bar

Choose Custom URL

Paste the BOX.com link into the field and click “finish”

SOCIAL MEDIA As real estate agents we cannot afford to ignore the power of social media for generating buyer leads and marketing homes. Buyers and Seller both view social media (especially facebook) as a means of communicating. They expect agents to use these social avenues to market listings and attract buyers. The power of Social Media allows us to do more, reach more and be more to more people in less time and for less money. ONLINE REPUTATION When consumers see your name everywhere, the perception is that you must be an expert in your field. Keys to Building Your Online Reputation  PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION.  BE PROFESSIONAL  BE CONSISTENT  BE INTERACTIVE  WHEN IT COMES TO YOU... LET OTHERS DO THE SELLING!  BE EVERYWHERE!! Facebook for your Business If you do not have a facebook profile by now then by all means you must do so immediately. Networking is vital to the real estate business. There is no better networking platform than facebook. You should and can connect with classmates, past clients and co-workers, family and friends. It is also very easy to connect with new people daily. Sell without being annoying is your job on facebook. DO NOT use it as a place to pitch listings a constantly ask for business. You will never build a good database this way.

You must ENGAGE with your network, “like” status updates, comment on other status updates and above all… be friendly. Make it a habit to engage with 9-10 connections every day.

Facebook Banners The best way to allow your connections to know who you are and what you do is to replace your picture with a PROMOTIONAL BANNER. Once the Banner is in place you can speak interact, have fun, discuss, and comment on anything other than business and your friends will always be reminded that you are in real estate. THIS IS HOW YOU GET REFERRALS WITHOUT BEING “UNFRIENDED.” FACEBOOK TIMELINE Facebook will soon be changing every personal profile to the new timeline format. This is actually GREAT NEWS for agents. We can now Upload a “cover” photo that stretches across the top of the page. This cover can be an existing photo or an image can be created in Publisher or Photoshop that reflects a marketing message. KEYS TO FACEBOOK SUCCESS  Create a nice, professional banner that shows who you are and what you do.  Add friends and interact daily  Do not try to SELL!  Create a business page and post good, valuable information

Create 4” x 11” Banner You can use MS PUBLISHER WORD POWERPOINT Adobe Photoshop Or any other publishing software Once banner is created, right click and SAVE AS PICTURE….

Scroll over existing facebook picture and click CHANGE PICTIURE.

Browse For the Image you just created and it will automatically upload

Hover over photo and click “change cover”

Choose a pic online or upload one. IT IS THAT EASY!

LINKED IN LINKED IN PROMOTES ITSELF AS A MEANS TO: Find past and present colleagues and classmates quickly. LinkedIn makes staying in touch simple. Discover inside connections when you’re looking for a job or new business opportunity.Your network is full of industry experts willing to share advice. Have a question? Just ask. IN REALITY …. LinkedIn, the business network for professionals, is more than a living resume. It’s a reputation engine, a visual representation of your business network’s reach, and a place to express your business capabilities. --Chris Brogan, leading online marketing expert GET RECOMMENDED Users with recommendations are three times as likely to get inquiries through LinkedIn searches. Ask your colleagues and past clients on LINKEDIN to speak up for you — get endorsed. TWITTER BANNER You can do the exact same thing with your TWITTER profile as with Facebook. Just use the same banner and add it into your Twitter Background settings. KEYS TO TWITTER SUCCESS:  Create a banner  Follow people daily and they will follow you back (if they do not follow you, unfollow them)  Consistent Interaction  Post links on twitter to: o Linked in profile o Listings o Facebook Page o Items and Article of o Website, blog, etc interest o Videos

Click on your name and choose “Settings”

Choose “design”

Choose “change background image”

Upload your banner and choose save changes

VIDEO MARKETING It is no secret that Google loves video. Do a search for almost anything that can be shown through a video and you will notice that YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo video and other high volume video websites are absolutely dominating the front page of google. What you might not know are these amazing behind the scene video marketing facts. VIDEO MARKETING FAST FACTS * 52% of all web traffic is video (according to industry watchdog, eMarketer) * 38% of Google Universal Search results included video (Comscore) * More than 70% of all web visitors watch online video (according to NY Times) * The average YouTube visitor spends 27 minutes a day watching video * Because video is so popular, video links often show up way before other content Here is a HUGE STATISTIC that should make you decide to incorporate video into your marketing plan immediately: According to POSTLING.com, 73% of home sellers say they would prefer to use a real estate agent that uses video yet only 12% of all agents have a you tube account! You Tube Channel Video will be extremely important to your marketing plan. In today’s world, consumers are much more likely to watch a 2 minute video than to read a page of text. We will discuss the importance of video marketing in a later chapter, however it is important to your online reputation that you create a YOU TUBE CHANNEL for yourself. When you create videos, they will appear in your channel. Consumers, such as potential sellers and buyers will be able to find your videos easily and see that you are High –tech, innovative and are a “cut above” the average agent.

Create Lots of 2-3 minute videos pertaining to your business  Listings  SELF PROMOTIONAL  Foreclosures  Mortgage and Market  Property Tours information  Neighborhood tours  Promote Your Videos Using  Points of interest Social Media Promotional Video SELF-PROMOTIONAL / INTRODUCTORY VIDEO SCRIPT You need to introduce yourself to the 21st Century buyer. The best way to do this is to record a 60 second video of yourself as you express pitch your services to the world. Make a promotional video and place it on Youtube: Hi, my name is ________________ with ______________________. I’ve had the great pleasure of assisting hundreds of Buyers and Sellers in the ________________area, and I would be honored to help you, or any of your friends and family. I use my extensive knowledge of the local market, along with all the latest technology to help my clients achieve their goals. Call or e-mail, and let me show you how I can help with your real estate goal Informational videos Once you have your promo video up on youtube, you will want to begin a series of informational videos such as “MARKET UPDATES.” You can do these yourself or have a loan officer do them. You may also ask inspectors, title reps, appraisers or any other related field to make a quick, informational video that you can share on YOU TUBE. The purpose of all of promo and informational video is to create the perception that you are a ONE-STOP-SHOP and are a valuable resource

and leader in your real estate market. It is all about BUILDING YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION.

Promoting Your Video Once your video has been uploaded to Youtube, you can post the URL to individual videos on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Your Website, Blog, and anywhere else where you can embed video. You can also email the links to friends, SOI, past clients, current clients, potential clients. You can even put links in your email signature as well as your business card. Show the world how awesome you are by putting video everywhere! KEYS TO YOUTUBE SUCCESS: 1. Buy a nice yet inexpensive, hand held camcorder. (FLIP and Kodak are great) 2. Do a self-promotional introductory video 3. Video all listings ( a 2-4 minute tour of the home.) 4. Video foreclosures 5. Video Neighborhoods in your farm area 6. Video builder models 7. Video mortgage tips 8. Video Home buying/selling tips 9. Video other agents listings (with permission) 10. Video points of interest in the city 11. POST EVERYTHING ON YOUTUBE 12. Make sure that you complete the description when posting 13. Share your youtube links with everyone from facebook to family and friends.

Choose Upload

Upload a video or create one with your webcam

Video is uploading

Complete description REMEMBER to use keywords

A link will be created for your video

EMBED A YOUTUBE VIDEO INTO YOUR BLOGGER SITE

View the video

Click the “:share” button below the video player

Click the “Embed” button

Copy the HTML code provided

Go to Blogger site and open a post, page or create a new one

Post the code in the body of the post or page

QR Codes What is a QR Code? QR codes are basically barcodes that when scanned with a smartphone will direct the user to an online link that you embedded into the code. QR codes can be created by various free online programs. There are MANY USES for QR (quick response codes). The first one you will want to take advantage of is pointing the QR to you promotional Video. The QR code can be saves as an image file (jpeg, gif) and placed on business cards, sign riders, fliers and any other print advertising. If you want to really stand out from the competition, have a QR printed on the back of your card that when scanned will open your promotional video. More QR Information QR Codes are now being created by virtual tour programs, property websites and flier programs. When scanned, these codes will open up virtual tours, fliers info and websites. However, probably the least expensive and effective method is to make your own videos and create QR codes. There are several qr code generators online. Just do a search for “qr code generator” to find one that will work. Here are the steps: 1. Go to goqr.me 2. Select the type of code you wish to make (URL is the one you want) 3. Copy the youtube link to your promo video 4. Paste the link into the code creator field 5. Download the code that was instantly created 6. Use the code as an image on cards, fliers and other print materials

CREATE A QR CODE USING YOUR YOUTUBE VIDEO

Play Desired Video

Copy the link for the video

Go to GOQR.ME and Choose the URL tab

Paste the video link into the field

A QR code is created that you can download or copy

Best Uses For QR Codes 1. Lawn Signs – This would be the most obvious usage. Link the QR code to a video of the home or virtual. You may want to consider having it sent to a lead capturing web page. Consumers like to get as much information as humanly possible before calling a real estate agent. By placing the QR Code on your sign riders you will be providing your prospects, those driving around looking for homes to buy, with all of the information needed about that property instantly. Price, interior photos and community info are typically things that a lawn sign does not provide and by leveraging a QR Code you are really giving the consumer what they want when they want it. 2. Business Cards – Record a video that you upload to YouTube that is 100% specific to the fact that they got your business card and scanned it. Then use a qr generator to generate the QR Code. So for example the beginning of the video should say “Thanks so much for taking the time to scan the QR Code on the back of my business card it was great meeting you in person…” 3. Direct Mail –If you are looking to generate leads and new business you may also consider doing a video unique to the mail campaign similar to the above business card strategy. So for example you are mailing to Stone Oak…start the video with “One of the things I love about working in the Stone OAk area are the people…” Then obviously let them know that when the time comes to list they deserve to work with a Realtor who leverages the latest online and offline marketing. 4. Property Flyers – Considering all of the information about the listing is already on the flier, this is another opportunity to leverage video. Link the Code to a video tour of the home, virtual tour slideshow video, or single property website.

Real Estate Based Searches In building your Online reputation, you will want to make sure you have a strong presence in the online real estate community. Start the process by completing profiles in the following online programs: TRULIA Trulia is a free service for Consumers looking for a place to buy or rent, want to know what it's really like to live in a neighborhood or just want to peruse available properties.. Trulia connects people who live nearby to the newest listings and best deals on the market. There is a free profile for real estate professionals and a forum called TRULIA ANSWERS where any real estate agent can answer consumer questions in their area. ZILLOW Zillow is a home and real estate marketplace dedicated to helping homeowners, buyers, sellers, renters, real estate agents, mortgage professionals, landlords and property managers find and share vital information about homes, real estate and mortgages. Assisting consumers make home-related decisions and connect with real estate professionals Sign Up for the free profile to get connected to your own listings and be sound in real estate searches

ACTIVE RAIN ActiveRain is best described as the real estate industry’s answer to MySpace or FaceBook. Launched in June 2006, ActiveRain is a free networking site for real estate professionals across the United States. Members are categorized by geographic location and create profiles containing a photo, general information regarding specializations, and more. It takes about five minutes to set up a profile and there are over 7,500 profiles in the network with more added daily.

Sign up for an account and start sharing your ideas and thought on your own Active Rain blog or join peer groups fro ideas and motivation. OTHER IMPORTANT VENUES FOR YOUR PROFILE ADD YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROFILE AND EXPERTISE TO ALL OF THESE ONLINE VENUES.  REACH FACTOR  ABOUT.ME  HOMES.COM  GOOGLE PLUS  PERSONAL WEBSITE  COMPANY WEBSITE

BUYER LEAD GENERATION ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS Earlier we discussed online listing syndication. Many online real estate classifieds such as oodle, backpage, trulia, zillow, hotpads and others alllow for automatic syndication. It is imperative to utilize any and all syndication programs at your disposal to post to these valuable sites. However, the most important online classified does not allow for auto-syndication. CRAIGSLIST is the most viewed online classified in the country. Ads are placed manually in the appropriate categories. An agent can create ads from scratch to post on craigslist or use programs that will create ads for them. We have already mentioned single property sites realbird and eproperties. Both programs have craigslist ad generators as does visual tour. You can also get a free account with POSTLETS.COM that will create a professional ad to be posted on craigslist. POST WITHOUT LISTINGS? There are many ads that can be created without using listings. Try thinking out of the box. Here are a few examples: 1. Free Foreclosure List 2. List of Townhomes 3. List of Condos 4. Homes near a golf course 5. Homes in a specific area 6. New Construction Homes 7. Fixer upper homes 8. Investment Properties 9. Short Sales 10. Distressed Properties

You should create a library of ads and add to the collection often. With many ads to choose from, you can post twice per day on craigslist (noon and 7pm). Just copy your ad and paste. (See section on Craigslist for step by step and ad formatting) OTHER AGENTS LISTINGS Most agents would have no objection to allowing someone to market their listings. Here are the steps to advertising for buyers utilizing other agents listings: 1. Target a few listings that are priced right, in good areas, with a good turnaround 2. Get permission from the listing agent 3. Create a craigslist ad for each listing 4. Save the ads in a word doc format 5. Post 2 ads daily, twice per day

SINGLE PROPERTY WEBSITES Single Property Websites Are made to showcase one and only one address. Every property has a personality that a property site can spotlight. With all of the search sites available, homes and properties get grouped with other listings enabling them to get lost in the mix. In today's media rich world every property for sale deserves its very own website. Single Property Websites are the best way to showcase a home. Imagine you are trying to buy a property and you discover a gorgeous high definition website with full screen pictures, virtual tours, area information, documents and more. You would probably be quite impressed with the information provided and are much more likely to request more information. These sites are highly effective for winning listings and attracting buyers. They are also amazingly easy and inexpensive. There are two great sites that will do most of the work for you. www.Realbird.com www.ePropertysites.com TEXT MESSAGE MARKETING

The sites mentioned also offer “Text message riders” for your for sale signs. These riders will offer consumers a way to text a property specific number for more information. The consumer will get automatic information and the agent will CAPTURE THE LEAD. Text riders are extremely effective in capturing leads. MOBILE MARKETING If you do not have a smart phone and the ability to check your email from your phone...make these changes immediately. Hot leads will many times be sent via email. You MUST be able to get the lead and call back immediately or it will grow cold and never amount to anything. FACT: WEB LEADS MUST BE CONTACTED IMMEDIATELY UPON CAPTURE!! If you wait over 10 minutes to contact your leads, they will be cold and most likely not return your correspondence whether phone or email. Every platform you use online should have the capability to capture lead information and deliver it to your email immediately.

REALTOR.COM Realtor.com is the most visited real estate website in the world. It’s popularity is garnered from the fact that has every listing available in one place, it is easy to use and most of all FREE to consumers. If you have a listing, it is on Realtor.com. The basic information about the property is imported from the MLS feed as well as four photos. However, there is one major component missing on the basic realtor.com listing. THERE IS NO LEAD CAPTURE.

REALTOR.COM SHOWCASE In order to make realtor.com work for you, it is necessary to subscribe to the “Showcase Program.” This showcase provides the agent’s contact information and a “get more info” feature that CAPTURES LEAD INFO and 54

delivers it to the agent’s email. Once subscribed to this feature, you will need to complete your profile as soon as possible. Make sure your email and phone number are correct. To enhance lead capture, the Realtor.com Showcase program offers the following features (will impress your sellers as well): 1. 25 photos 2. Virtual Tour 3. Video 4. Headlines 5. Text Descriptions 6. Open House Advertising 7. No advertisements 8. Home, Neighborhood and School info 9. Agent’s Other Listings

LISTING SYNDICATION Real estate listing syndication is the process of getting a listing's information displayed on other sites around the Internet. This can be a manual task, but is more effective if somehow done with an automated process. When you syndicate your listings, the sites usually have a “contact agent” or other lead capture features designed to deliver leads to the agent immediately Most local real estate sites, whether brokerage or agent owned, have their listings on their site and Realtor.com. However, many do not have them on major highly-traffic sites like:  Trulia.com  Yahoo Real Estate  Oodle  Vast  Zillow.com

SYNDICATING SITES There are others, but these are some of the more popular sites on which we can have our real estate listings displayed through syndication. You can go to each of these sites and manually enter your listing's information. Some website providers do it for you, such as Point2Agent. What do you do if your site provider doesn't do this, and you'd like to do it in a more effective way than manual entry? There are some sites out there that provide syndication of your listings once you've entered the information just once. Some are free, and some offer this service as part of a larger package of marketing services. You enter your listing, usually with photos and all details, and these sites get it syndicated to a list of sites. Check them out carefully, as well as the sites to which they syndicate.  VFlyer.com  Postlets.com  RealBird  ClassifiedFlyerAds  PostYourListings.com  Realyo.com Don't waste time in getting your listings syndicated to as many acceptable major sites as possible. Then prepare a list of those sites, "syndication list", and take it into your listing presentations. Never lose a listing again just because an agent or broker is touting the traffic to their local site.

VIRTUAL TOURS Why would you want to include a virtual tour in your home marketing efforts? Better asked, why wouldn't you? Nowadays, buyers don't even look at online listings if they don't include a virtual tour. Did you know that? How Do Virtual Tours Work? Virtual tours take you inside the home and give you a 360-degree view. Some are interactive, meaning you click the mouse and it takes you to the ceiling, the floor, the walls, leaving no inch of the room unviewed. Others are flat-screen views put together to give you a moving image that 56

you watch but do not control. An agent can accomplish creating a professional grade virtual tour, video for YouTube, listing syndication to realtor.com and over 40 sites just utilizing the Visual Tour virtual tour software. There are many other virtual tour software programs, but visual tour provides a full spectrum of features. The agent merely needs to take nice photos and upload them into the software. With Visual tour an agent may: 1. Create Panoramic Images from single shot photos 2. Convert tour to a video 3. Change music and voiceovers 4. Upload tours to craigslist, facebook, twitter, you tube and multiple other sites Seller Lead Generation To increase business and make more money you will want to have as obtain and carry as many listings as possible. The listings will generate more buyers, sellers and opportunity. One way to “kick-start” your listing inventory is to target sellers in need of a short sale. Short Sale Listings A short sale is a sale of real estate in which the proceeds from selling the property will fall short of the balance of debts secured by liens against the property and the property owner cannot afford to repay the liens' full amounts, whereby the lien holders agree to release their lien on the real estate and accept less than the amount owed on the debt. Any unpaid balance owed to the creditors is known as a deficiency. Short sale agreements do not necessarily release borrowers from their obligations to repay any deficiencies of the loans, unless specifically agreed to between the parties. A short sale is often used as an alternative to foreclosure because it mitigates additional fees and costs to both the creditor and borrower.

The trick is to find DISTRESSED PROPERTIES and offer the short sale solution to the owner. There are several classes and designations an agent can acquire to help learn the short sale process. The purpose here is to help in finding the leads. Go to your county clerk website and look for property search or foreclosure notices. In Bexar County the link is https://gov.propertyinfo.com/tx-bexar/ The Steps are simple: (see also page __ in the appendix) 1. Go to the county clerk site 2. Search for foreclosure notices 3. Scan the foreclosure notices available 4. Choose some with a “sale date” a few weeks away 5. Go visit the owner and offer a short sale solution 6. List the property as usual 7. (Follow any separate guidelines as learned in your short sale training)

Go to County Clerk website And Register as a user. (It’s free!)

Under the “Searches Available” heading, choose the Button labeled “DATE/DOC”

Enter the date range you wish to search. Then choose foreclosures in the “Search From” dropdown field. Click GO SEARCH

Click on the VIEW IMAGE button A copy of the foreclosure notice will appear in a new window. 60

Navigate through all notices by clicking “NEXT IMAGE” PRINT OR SAVE IMAGES USING THE BUTTONS ON THIS SCREEN.

Just Listed/Sold Listings One of the best ways to find more listings is through a technique called “just listed” and “just sold” marketing. The premise is simple. You or your office has just listed or sold a home. You call everyone in the surrounding area to let them know about the listing or sale. Let your prospects know that you need more homes to sell and ask if they would consider selling theirs. The script is very simple: “Hi. My name is Rick with ABC Realty. I am calling because I (we) have just listed a home in your neighborhood on 123 Apple St. As a result of our marketing we have generated a lot of interest in the area and need more homes to sell. Have you thought about selling yours?” The same is true for “just sold” “Hi. My name is Rick with ABC Realty. I am calling because I (we) have just sold a home in your neighborhood on 123 Apple St. As a result of our marketing we have generated a lot of interest in the area and need more homes to sell. Have you thought about selling yours?” All you need to have TONS of number and prospects to call each day is an active listing and a CRISS-CROSS DIRECTORY. (This is a resources that will give you names, addresses and phone numbers of residents within a given parameter. You can definitely BUY resources such as Cole’s Directory or you can use the FREE RESOURCE in this example to obtain Just Listed/ Sold phone numbers. In San Antonio, you can use the Public Library resources at http://mysapl.org/ STEPS TO FINDING RESOURCES ( Also See Appendix page __) 1. http://mysapl.org/ 2. Click on DATABASES 62

3. Scroll through the directory for REFERNCE USA 4. Enter your name and library card # 5. Under ‘Active Databases” choose U.S. Standard White Pages 6. Choose “Custom Search 7. Choose Geography and then Radius 8. Enter Street Address and .5 in the “number of miles” field You will the see a list of everyone within a half mile of your listing. (be sure to comply with all “do not call” regulations)

Go to mysapl.org and click on DATABASES

Choose “Reference USA” from the list

Choose “US Standard White Pages”

Choose : Custom Search Geography Radius

Fill in Address and Zipcode Desired number of Miles around the address Click VIEW RESULTS

You now have a list of names and phone numbers!!

FSBO Listings (See expired Script in the Appendix) For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) sales declined to 10 percent of sales transactions in 2011, down from 14% of sales in 2003. 40% of FSBO sales occur when the seller knows the buyer, since a real estate agent is not usually needed in those types of transactions. Small towns and resort areas tend to have the highest rates of FSBO sales, with only 7% of suburban area transactions being FSBOs. Typically FSBO sellers have lower median incomes and are more often singles, especially single males. Every home seller must eventually decide whether to hire a REALTOR® or to sell the home on their own. But even after they decide to go solo, FSBOs can still be convinced to your expertise. For Sale By Owner Leads can be found in several places on the internet 1. CRAIGSLIST - See Appendix) 2. Forsalebyowner.com 3. FSBO.com You may also subscribe to a paid service such as LANDVOICE.COM to get compiled FSBO leads sent to you regularly with addresses and phone numbers that have been scrubbed against the DO NOT CALL REGISTRY. This is a small expense for the time it will save.

Expired Listings WORKING EXPIREDS Working expireds is one of the easiest sources of inventory for a savvy real estate agent. Most homeowners who have experienced the marketing process without a sale are disillusioned by the lack of satisfaction from the initial listing agent, making it an easy addition to your inventory when you have the right system in place...and you know what you are doing! LIST TO LAST… AND GROW FAST!! No Matter if it is a Sellers’ Market or a Buyers’ Market If you have Listings – You Control the Market! The Easiest Listings to get RIGHT NOW are… Expired Listings As a real estate professional, you need to be working on expired listings. Such listings are becoming more common and available due to the changing real estate economy and an inability on the part of agents to stay ahead of trends. The Best way to get the expired leads daily is through a paid service such as land voice or redX.com You may also obtain them yourself by doing the following: 1. Search expireds on the MLS 2. Obtain seller name from MLS or Tax Appraisal Website 3. Look up name and addresses using an online phone directory a. YP.com b. Whitepages.com

Craigslist One of the most vital pieces to an agent’s marketing efforts is the proper use of Craigslist. When used correctly, it can be a resource for: Seller leads Buyer leads Search Engine Optimization To find Sellers on Craigslist Go to Craigslist Click “ real estate for sale” Choose “real estate-by owner” from the drop-down box Click Search To find Buyers on Craigslist Create 12 Unique “Niche Ads” with eye catching headlines Day 1 – Post 2 ads at Noon and 2 ads at 7pm Day 2 – Post the next 2 ads at Noon and the next 2 at 7pm Day 3 – Post the next 2 ads at Noon and the next 2 at 7pm Day 4 (and every day after) Renew 2 ads at Noon and 2 more at 7pm SEO Every ad you post should direct the viewer to your LEAD CAPTURING WEBSITE. This will do wonders for your website visits and Search Engine Optimization. Best Practice for Craigslist Ads According to site analytics, 63,216,431 people used Craigslist in the month of September. With stats like these, agents cannot afford to neglect implementing Craigslist real estate marketing strategies into their business There is a right and wrong way to use craigslist. Since Craigslist closely resembles a form of traditional classifieds based 68

advertising, a majority of users choose to utilize this real estate marketing tactic by simply running basic ads with no or a very poor call to action. We cannot expect visitors to contact us directly. Instead, online marketing strategies require us to be proactive instead. For instance, if you were to spend 15 minutes scanning over local postings on Craigslist, you would typically find a lot of listings that rattle off a bunch of features and benefits of a particular home, with perhaps a link to a website or property search tool. However, the problem with this approach is that 95% of the population is doing the same exact thing! Unless that prospect is ready to buy or sell on the spot, your ad could quickly be glimpsed over with no action being taken. The difference with using Craigslist real estate marketing strategies is that you must focus on lead capture instead of simply advertising your goods and services to a huge marketplace. Your Craigslist Ad Gripping Headline: What makes your listing or offer unique? Focus on features, benefits, and pain points that will grasp your audience’s attention. Headline must be compelling to get people to even open your ad. Image/Banner Ad: Once a person opens your ad, the very first thing that should draw their attention is an image or banner ad with a very strong call to action. The offer should be something that will speak to your audience and cause them to click over to your landing page. You may get more creative as you develop your Craigslist program. Do not lose site of the importance of Headlines and Lead Capture. An example and instructions for making the ad can be found in diagram 22.

Click “my account”

SETTING UP A CRAIGSLIST ACCOUNT

POST A CRAIGSLIST AD

Headl ine

Locat ion

Paste Ad or type text here 71

PIECING TOGETHER THE CRAIGSLIST HTML AD CODE

Copy Code <center><a href="http://www.YOUR_LINK.COM" rel="nofollow"><img src="httpYOUR_IMAGE_LINK.jpg"></a></center><br>

Copy and paste YOUR website/landing page url here

Copy and paste the PHOTOBUCKET Image url here

IMPORTANT!

The Photo Bucket will have [IMG] at both ends of the URL. [IMG] http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k634/Rick_Tanke rsley/DownPaymentAsstVideo.jpg[IMG] DELETE IT! http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k634/ Rick_Tankersley/DownPaymentAsstVideo.jpg 73

How to get image links for your ads: PHOTOBUCKET Open PHOTOBUCKET account Fill in all Fields then “sign me up!”

CLICK SIGN UP or AUTO SIGN IN WITH FACEBOOK

You’re In!

Select Photos to upload

Choose the file and click OPEN

Upload is Complete!

Click the image to Expand NOTICE YOUR IMAGE IS HERE!

We will be needing the IMAGE URL located here labeled IMG CODE Just click and it will show copied.

PIECING TOGETHER THE CRAIGSLIST HTML AD CODE. Copy Code <center><a href="http://www.YOUR_LINK.COM" rel="nofollow"><img src="httpYOUR_IMAGE_LINK.jpg"></a></center><br>

Copy and paste YOUR website/landing page url here

Copy and paste the PHOTOBUCKET Image url here

IMPORTANT!

Avoid Craigslist Pitfalls There are various nuances that you must also be aware of when posting to Craigslist, in order to ensure that you keep your account in good standing and gain the most exposure possible. Here are 3 of the top pitfalls and how you can best avoid them. Getting Flagged – Regardless of how relevant and well written your Craigslist real estate marketing ads are, there will always be instances where an anal competitor or even Craigslist reviewer will flag an ad for whatever reason. Unfortunately, this can happen anytime an ad is flagged more than once. Thankfully, you can always post more than one ad throughout the day. Plus by maintaining an active account, you will be able to repost each submission whenever this issue arises. Being Ghosted – Another huge hurdle to overcome with Craigslist is the infamous “ghosting” technique. Instead of notifying you whenever they feel something doesn’t jive, they will simply not show your ad copy within any of the searches. So your Craigslist real estate marketing ad may appear to have been posted, but if you run a search within 30 minutes and it’s still not there, then it most likely has been ghosted. This can happen to any ad at any time, and there is not really any rhyme or reason to Craigslist’s algorithms. We will cover solutions for this along with #3 below. Blocking Your IP – Although this is very rare, from time to time Craigslist will completely block your IP address if they feel you are not following their policies. Again, you may unjustly have this happen to you (typically not the issue), only because they are trying to protect their system from spammers. If for whatever reason their system feels that you fall within that category (usually due to over posting), then anything you try to post from that specific IP will never show up in the searches. It doesn’t matter if you open a new account with a different email address, because they will be tracking your IP. So here are a few things to keep in mind. First, be sure to space out your submissions throughout the day. Post no more than 2-3 ads per local area for your Craigslist real estate marketing. 77

Also, be sure to change up the titles, copy and the html you are using as well. If you plan on submitting a lot more to cover various markets, then it may be best to run campaigns from a couple different accounts. Keep in mind that you’ll need to telephone verify and you can only use a number once. So consider partnering with other agents in your office. Finally, if for whatever reason you end up having your IP flagged, then don’t panic! If you feel that the punishment was unwarranted, you can always try contacting Craigslist directly to get this issue resolved. It may be necessary to have your IP reset as well, but by following their guidelines when posting, Craigslist real estate marketing ads, you should be able to avoid this. Google Voice Google Voice enhances your existing phone service. It was introduced in March 2009 and allows free calling and text messaging in the U.S. and Canada. It also offers low rates for international calls. Google Voice has some great features for real estate professionals. 1. Voice mail notifications. Voice mail notifications alert you via email when you have missed a call or have a new voice mail. To enable this feature in Google Voice, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the Google Voice screen and select “Voice settings,” then select “Voicemail & Text,” then click on the “Email the message to:” option, and enter your email address. You can also enable alerts to send a text message to your mobile phone. 2. Create a Google Voice label and filter. After enabling voice mail notifications, you can create a label in Gmail (give it a name like “Google Voice” or “voice mail”) to manage all of your Google Voice email correspondence. Next, create a filter in Gmail so all of your Google Voice messages are delivered directly to that label. This will not only organize your messages, but also gives you the ability to quickly search your messages. 3. Google Voice player. The Google Voice player allows you to listen to voice mail right from your inbox. To enable this gadget, click on the gear icon and select “Mail settings” (or click on the “Settings” field), then click “Labs,” then find the “Google

Voice player in mail” tool in the list and click “Enable.” Voice mail recordings can play on mobile devices including the iPhone and iPad. 4. Share voice mail. With Google Voice you can forward and share messages. Just log into your account, select the message you would like to share, click “more” and select “Email.” If you have enabled notifications, you can also email messages from Gmail. This is a great feature, especially if you want to share an important voice mail with a client or colleague. 5. Voice transcription. Google Voice will transcribe your voice mail to text, allowing you to read voice mail as well as listen to them. Google states that “transcriptions aren’t perfect,” and they’re not. However, it’s a handy feature if you’re in a meeting and cannot take a call. You can also search transcriptions just as you would email. To enable this option, select “Voicemail & Text,” and click on “Transcribe Voicemails.” 6. Call or text from your browser. Google Voice allows you to call or text directly from your browser. Log in to your account and click on the “Call” and “Text” buttons below the Google Voice logo. 7. Call Widget. The Google Voice Call Widget allows visitors to your website or blog to call you. The widget is easy to enable and embed. Select “Call Widgets” on the Google Voice “Settings” menu, click “Add a new Call Widget,” select the applicable settings, and click “Save changes” when done. You can then copy the snippet of code provided and embed it in your website. A visitor can click the widget and enter a name and number, and Google Voice will connect the call. You can see the Call Widget in action here. 8. Groups. As stated in a Google Voice description, you can customize “a special greeting for your family, or have your co-workers ring separate phones.” Upload or manually add contacts to Google Voice and organize them into custom groups. You can then record unique voice mail greetings for each group, which is extremely advantageous. Real estate professionals can create groups for buyers, sellers, co-workers, etc., to help optimize communications. 9. Call Screening. Call screening is a valuable feature in Google Voice.

To enable this, select “Calls” on the “Settings” menu and select “On” for “Call Screening.” Pressing “2″ during an incoming call will send the call to voice mail. At any point during the call, you can press “*” to join the call. You can also choose to block any caller as you see fit. In Google Voice, just select the message, and then click “more” and select “Block caller.” 10: Record Call. Pressing “4″ during a conversation will record the call. The participants on the call are notified that the conversation is being recorded. Recorded conversations are available in your Google Voice inbox on the Web and in your mobile app.

ZipForm Online ZipFormOnline provides the tools necessary to create and access your forms over the Internet. It Is the Official Forms Software of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and a REALTOR Benefits(SM) Partner. ZipForm offers MLS Integration, Association Partnerships, Special Agent and Broker Tools and Packages, Desktop and Online Programs, Online Concierge Services and Electronic Signatures. It is an easy-to-use real estate contract software program that will help increase productivity while decreasing the amount of time spent doing paperwork.. With ZipFormOnline, you can go beyond the confines of the office and close the deal anywhere the opportunity arises. There’s no need to carry disks or thumb drives, lose an important form because your disk is damaged or mistakenly work with the wrong version of an in-process contract. Use your laptop, or any computer with an Internet connection, to securely access your up-to-date forms, print them, e-mail them and close the deal. How to Use: Connect to the Internet, log-in to ZipFormOnline, choose the appropriate forms and input the necessary information. ZipFormOnline allows you to easily create new contracts or store and edit in-process transactions. Docusign (NAR members have access to 5 free envelopes per month. See Diagram 19 for step by step set up as well as how to integrate with Zipforms) DocuSign is the fastest way to get a signature. With DocuSign, anyone can send documents for electronic signature in a flash. You indicate where you want your clients to sign and address it like you would an email that's it! When your client receives the email notification, they will be walked through a few simple screens to select their electronic signature style and sign the document. You will receive an email notification when the form is signed. Your contracts will almost seem to close themselves!

How it Works It is very simple. Print your Documents to a DocuSign Digital Envelope, and let the wizard guide you! Your customers need only an email address and a browser to sign. Signature stamps are created automatically and

Online Marketing Presentation A huge part of your credibility and reputation online will depend on your ability to stand out or differentiate yourself from the competition. A great way to do this is to create a KILLER marketing plan, put into a professional Powerpoint Presentation and upload it to an online slide show program. The most basic slideshow program is SLIDESHARE.NET. SlideRocket.com is another presentation format that is more dynamic and provides more presentation options. If you would like the look and feel of an E-BOOK, use a free program ISSUU.COM to create, store and share your presentation.

It is important to present your tech skills in an impressive package that can be shared in print, email and online.

Steps to a KILLER Online Presentation 1. Highlight the Things That Make You Stand Out 2. Keep it Short (No More than 15 pages) 3. Make Colorful yet Classy 4. Save in Power Point 5. Upload to Slide Rocket, Slideshare and issuu.com 6. Put Finishing touches to make it “pop” 7. Use Laptop or Ipad to present