I am Jeff

WordPress permalinks can be a tricky subject.  So I’m going to stick to the basics in answering this question I received from a Real Estate agent up in Seattle: “do u have any permalink structure recommendations?”

Why yes, yes I do…  Here’s how I’ve set permalinks on pretty much all the WordPress blogs I’ve ever setup:

Straight outta the box, WordPress permalinks are stupid. You can see the default setting in the image above and the corresponding URL structure. It’s horrible for search engine optimization. The next two settings aren’t bad, but they’re not great. The last setting, is pretty much just as worthless as the default.

We want to go with a custom structure, that helps maximize how the search engines see the keywords in your URL. As you can see in the image, my preference is to use the category and post name options in the custom URL structure. By doing so, whatever words you choose to use for categories are included in your URL along with the title of each blog post.  It should be noted that this specific string of structure tags is not recommended for WordPress sites that contain a lot of pages. If you’ve got more than a few pages, you should add the /%year%/ tag into your permalink structure to avoid the related performance issues. This will grow increasingly important as Google adds site speed into their web search rankings.

Ok, so all that seems pretty easy right?  Yeah, it is…  The hard part of changing your permalink structure is when you’re told you need to change your permissions in order for WordPress to write the new permalink structure. This doesn’t always happen, but if it does, be careful. If done incorrectly, you run the risk of frying your WordPress install or leaving it vulnerable to attacks.  Best to call in a professional if you’re not sure exactly what to do or completely comfortable with the associated risks.

So, hopefully that answers the question for you and gives you a better idea of why you would want to set things up this way.  When setup correctly, the custom permalink structure can help immensely when it comes to SEO.

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This is part of the “pick my brain” series of wordpress support posts. An experiment in social support. If you find this post useful, feel free to donate.

I was introduced to a product called StickyBits today (thanks to Brian at 1000Watt) that I think could become a major part of Real Estate marketing plans across the globe very quickly. Of course, I thought the same thing about QR codes back when they were first introduced and they never really took off.  But, I think there’s still potential.

The thing about StickyBits that I think is game changing, is the ability to add “bits” of information to the item you’re tagging.

How do you tag an item?

It’s easy.  You just find any product with a barcode or QR code (or download and create your own barcodes on StickyBits.com) and using the free iPhone or Android app, scan it.  StickyBits then prompts you to add your bits to the scanned item.  Bits can be pictures, video, audio, and text.

So how’s this work for Real Estate?

Here’s what I’m thinking…  You create a barcode and build it into your listing flyer and stick it on your sign rider with a simple sentence instructing people to download the StickyBits app and scan the barcode for additional information. Then you scan it (to claim it as yours) and add the following bits:

• Pictures – above and beyond what you’ve got in the MLS listing. Find the little interesting things about the property, and document them.
• Video – A quick introduction video. A walkthrough of the home. Run around the backyard. Walk around out in the street. Maybe even a quick neighborhood tour?
• Floor plans – If you have access to them.  Why not? You can upload PDF’s from the website.
• Notes of interest – leave notes about the property you think people would find interesting. These can be recorded audio notes, or text based comments.

Check out the quick example I whipped up today showcasing the M Realty office in Portland.

From there, when someone else scans the barcode to get the additional information, you get a notification.  You can even see the persons profile info, unless they choose to make the scan “private”.  What a cool lead capture device!  Strike up a conversation with the person on Twitter or Facebook (StickyBits uses Facebook Connect as their primary login) and see what happens. Plus, anyone who scans your item can also leave bits of their own. Maybe pictures they took, questions about the property, or feedback on your list price. That part could get a little tricky, but if you monitor what is being added and respond appropriately, you’ll be fine.

That’s probably just the tip of the iceberg for all the cool stuff you can use this tool for. In fact, I just ordered some new business cards with a barcode that takes the scanner to “more info about me”. The applications are almost limitless!

So, what do you think? Does this one have “sticking” power?

While I’m not a huge fan of marketing your listings on Facebook to begin with, I definitely wouldn’t do it this way:

I received this message tonight from a local agent (whom I’ve technically never met), and decided it would make a perfect example of how to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation.  You see, by sending this listing out as a message to all your friends you run the risk of someone leaving a comment that you may not want others to see. What most people don’t realize is that when sending a message out to a group of people, the “reply” button is automatically replaced with a “reply all” button.  Therefore anything someone thinks they’re sending back to you as a private reply instantly gets emailed to everyone else on that list.

Imagine if your client was one of the people in that list (because naturally you want to show them you’re actually marketing their property) and someone sent a message back saying something along the lines of “I toured that dump yesterday, and it smelled like there were dead raccoons under the floorboards”.  Think that may be an embarrassing situation that could have been avoided?

My preferred method of marketing listings on Facebook: show or tell something interesting about the home.  Here’s a good example from another local agent:

There’s a couple things going on here.  First, it’s not your typical automated syndication directly from Postlets.com. The agent actually wrote up a blog post of her own about the property and linked back to her blog. She benefits by getting the link and traffic back to her site, which has potential lead capture built into it using a good IDX platform. Visitors may find one of her other listings, or begin using her property search and convert into a lead. You never know…

She also put some thought into the little commentary above the post, letting her friends know what is so interesting about this specific property, and why it’s worth taking a look at. So many times I see things like “check out my new listing” or “open house-sunday-1-3pm”. Those messages aren’t really that compelling.

I think in the end, it comes down to knowing your audience, and figuring out the best possible way to connect with them. Social media is a great way to connect, you’ve just got to put a little more thought into it instead of just blasting your message out to anyone who will listen.

I’ve always been a Will Smith fan.  I grew up watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air.  I also have most of his CD’s.  They’re good, clean, fun songs.

Only recently did I realize this guy is actually kind of a genius businessman. Here he shares some words of wisdom that I think we can probably all learn something from. Take the time to watch it, you may be surprised.

Being one of the most successful people in the world, and having fun doing it, has got to be a rough life though. Yet, somehow, I think he’ll be OK.

I recently shared my thoughts on uses for the iPad in Real Estate.  So, some would say this post could be titled Favorite iPhone and iPad applications for Real Estate. But, even though the iPad in all it’s sexiness can use the same applications, it still lacks a major component for some of these apps to work.  A camera.  So, until the iPad starts shipping with a web cam built in, like suggested here, I’m focusing on the iPhone, specifically the 3GS.

So, without further adieu here they are (random order/links are iTunes links):

ColorChange – $2.99 – Clients say “this room could look great, if the walls were red”.  Whip out your phone, take a picture of the room and show them what it would look like.  While not always perfect, if you take a decent photo, with good color separation to begin with, the results usually turn out just fine.

Dragon Dictation – Free – I am continually impressed by this one.  You speak, it converts your words into text that can then be emailed, sent as a text message, or copied to the clipboard and pasted into other text input fields.

Evernote – Free – Jot down notes, take pictures, or record audio.  Linked up with the desktop application on your Mac or PC, it’s a great tool for when you’re out previewing homes (you do that right?) When you get back to the office, the information is ready and waiting on your office computer.

TrueHDR – $1.99 – Take better pictures with your 3GS.  Allows for combining two pictures, so you can take an image that has light and dark areas, and convert that into something that closely resembles how we see it vs. how the camera sees it.

AutoStitch – ?? – One of my favorite photo applications. Create panoramic images with ease!  AutoStitch lets you take multiple images, which it then stitches together into a single pano image and saves into your photo gallery.  Note* as of today, this app is no longer in the app store on iTunes.  There are other similar apps, but I have not tested them.

Sketches2 – $4.99 – Take a photo, draw or write on it. Circle an item that needs attention.  Draw an arrow showing which direction you’re facing. Send a snapshot of a map, with a note on it.  It’s a great tool for doing these kind of things.

ScanR Business Center – $24.99+ – This is a pretty powerful little app. Scan a document in (as a searchable PDF), then email, print (to a fax) or fax it. The document is then also stored online for retrieval later if needed.  Requires subscription for faxing ($5 month or $30 year).

Navigon MyRegion – $24.99 – Don’t get lost when you’re out touring with clients, get turn by turn GPS navigation with voice announcements.  Note* There are several regions available. Make sure you choose the one you need, or the full version for $80 if you need the whole US.

Yelp – Free – If you’re showing off a home and the client asks “are there any good restaurants in the neighborhood?” you can help, using Yelp. Just click the “nearby” icon, choose the category you’re after, and the map will display the results “nearby”. Funny how that works huh?

Camera – Free – Yep, the standard Camera app that comes pre-loaded on your phone.  Obviously, many of the above application would not work if there were no camera.  But, even without the other apps, the Camera can be an invaluable tool for Real Estate agents.  While not meant for taking listing photos to use in the MLS listings (although many of you do), they are great for other online purposes (think showing something interesting about the home on Facebook or Twitter as a subtle way of showing off your listing).  Plus, the Camera app allows you to take video.  Again an invaluable tool.

So, that pretty much wraps up my top 10 iPhone apps for use in Real Estate. I’m sure there are others that I’m either blatantly missing, or just haven’t gotten around to trying yet.  So, if you have a favorite that isn’t listed here, feel free to leave a comment.