Category Archives: MFocus

Enter The Matrix of Facebook’s Algorithms

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Networking Engine Optimization or NEO for shortI was chatting with Dustin Luther the other day about his newly coined phrase “Networking Engine Optimization“, or NEO, which is basically the understanding of how to optimize your content to best take advantage of the algorithms built into the social networking platforms (Facebook’s post quality score, Twitter’s trending topics, etc.).

In case you’re not familiar with how it works, Facebook has a built in rating system for pretty much everything these days. Things like the ads it shows you, recommended friends, recommended fan pages or groups, and even your content quality and where it places that content. NEO is similar to search engine optimization, or SEO, in that you’re “optimizing” content to get better results.  In SEO you’re after better placement in the search engines. In the case of NEO, you’re after better visibility for your content.

So how do you go about optimizing your content for Facebook?  Well, that’s a good question…  Like the Google algorithm, the Facebook algorithm is somewhat of an unknown. Let’s take a look at what we do know.

There are a couple of variables to the equation that Facebook gives us:

Active fans – The number of fans that have written on your wall, or somehow interacted with your posts (likes, comments or shares) over a 7 day rolling window.

Interactions – A total of all the interactions (likes, comments, or shares) from your active fans in that same 7 day window.

Post quality – A 5 star scoring system based on the percentage of your fans that engage when you post content. The number of stars is meant to compare the quality of your page to pages that are similar (roughly the same number of fans).

Now, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to get a better post quality score. You just have to create better content, right? Well, that’s part of the battle. Which part, we’re not really sure just yet. See, Facebook also recently implemented a new way of feeding content to it’s users.  The default view on your main Facebook page is set to “top news”.  This is where the algorithm comes in, and the need to optimize content. Your content is no longer guaranteed to show up in everyone’s “news feed” like it used to. Now, your posts are digested by some algorithm, and spit out containing some sort of ranking (this being the unknown part) which tells Facebook wether or not to display your content in the “top news” feed.

Basic stuff so far. Now, here’s the problem…

If you don’t create killer content right from the beginning, you may fall into the abyss. Your content won’t be seen because Facebook just isn’t showing it to people, unless they click on the “most recent” option to view everything. So how are they supposed to interact with it to increase your post quality score? It’s like a catch 22!

Since we obviously don’t have the answer to how to go about gaming the system and guaranteeing your content will be seen by everyone every time they log in to Facebook, here’s my suggestions (which happen to be pretty much parallel with what Facebook recommends) for how you can get the best interaction with your posts:

1. Make sure that your posts are relevant to your friends and fans.

2. Post engaging content – ask questions, create controversy, show some emotion!

3. Post consistently and frequently, but not to the point of being annoying. Post when you have something relevant and engaging (see above).

That should hold you over until someone at Facebook can shed some light on how to write a perfect status update. Which, I seriously doubt will ever happen.

Now, I would love to hear some of your thoughts and ideas on how you go about creating content for your business on Facebook, assuming you actually have a strategy and you’re not just winging it…

Real Estate Marketing of Tomorrow, Today

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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.

StickyBits Bar Code

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?

Top 10 iPhone Apps for Real Estate

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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.

Favorite WordPress Plugins for Real Estate

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While I was up in Seattle for Real Estate BarCamp this last week, I was asked to facilitate a couple WordPress sessions.  I thoroughly enjoyed helping everyone in the beginner session figure out what the difference between .com and .org is, along with some of the other basics of WordPress. But what really got me going was the advanced session where we got into the real good stuff like URL structures, hosting issues, and my favorite topic du jour “WordPress plugins for Real Estate blogs”.

So, here are my personal favorite plugins, and the ones that were mentioned in my session:

TubePress Pro – Pulls video in from YouTube. Settings allow you to choose to pull videos by username, tags, playlists, etc.  Many options to configure the look and layout of the videos. An example can be seen right here on my blog’s video page and sidebar.

NextGen Gallery – Basic image gallery plugin using images you upload. Plenty of display options including slideshow, and sidebar widgets.  An example, with some really cool pictures, can be seen on the NW Portland Blog.

Tabs Slides – This plugin rocks, especially if you take the time to set it up properly.  It basically allows you to create tabbed content in the middle of your posts or pages.  Great for taking a ton of content and breaking it up into manageable chunks.  Here’s an example on one of our community neighborhood sites, the Portland Octopus (tabs are under the colorful image).

HomeQuest’s IDX Plugin –  What’s the point of having a blog, if you don’t have a home search with lead capture and client manager built into the back end?  HomeQuest’s IDX plugin gives it to you. Plus, the ability to geocode your blog posts directly onto a map alongside listings from your MLS.  Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Full disclosure – I work for HomeQuest and I very briefly mentioned this in the session.  I didn’t want to be accused of pitching my own product!

Using these four plugins, you can build a pretty killer WordPress Real Estate site.

Some other plugins that were mentioned that are worth looking into: ScribeSEO, WordPress Database Backup, and BuddyPress.

If you have any plugins that you’ve used that you think are worth mentioning, feel free to leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear what others have found.

Oh, and if you want to learn a bunch more WordPress stuff like this?  Attend Real Estate WordCamp, coming to Denver April 12th. If you see me roaming the halls looking for a Coke machine, say hello!