| To Blog or not to Blog? (that is the question...) |
 We get our news, information and talk with each using a variety of technologies these days. We don't necessarily like getting it from the mainstream media which dictate what we read, watch and listen to.
For businesses, the good news is that this 'new media' is also far cheaper and far more effective and targetted (if you know how to use it). One example is BLOGS (or 'web logs'). BLOGS are interactive web sites that allow people to read your points of view and make comments back themselves. If used correctly, they can - provide extra spice and interest to your web strategy
- allow you to connect with your customers in a fresh new way
- give you and your staff a fun and empowering platform
- get your word out there (what do you want to say? what are you passionate about?)
- be fantastic for branding and differentiation.
- teach you interesting facts about your marketplace,
- improve your search engine position and traffic.
It's not a stretch to argue that Blogs could be the future of real estate marketing. Interested in knowing more? DOWNLOAD a pdf (600kbs) of a recent talk Charlie Gunningham gave on Blogging to a recent REIWA breakfast.CLICK the Audio Stream '>' Play button BELOW to listen to Charlie's talk (20 minutes... so make a coffee first)
or download and listen at your leisure on your iPod or MP3 player by clicking the Download Podcast image below (MP3, 10.9MBs):
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| aussiehome.com only WA company to win Smart Company Award |
 At an Awards ceremony held in Melbourne 2 weeks ago, and attended by aussiehome.com CoFounder and Managing Director, Charlie Gunningham, aussiehome.com was the only WA company to win a Smart Company Award 2008.
270 companies from across the country nominated for the Award, with aussiehome.com making the Top 50 for the second year in a row (this year rising from 46th to 42nd place). 7 other WA companies were nominated, but none made the coveted Top 50. " This is a great moment for aussiehome.com, " said Charlie, " and recognition of all our efforts over the past few years. Perhaps even more so, in that this was not an Award just for dotcoms or even IT companies, but all businesses in all sectors. " Smart Companies are judged by a range of criteria, with the final ranking determined by growth in revenue based on the past 3 financial years. Minimum revenue is $1million. " Our average growth rate of 30% a year over the past 2 years placed us even higher than last year, " continued Charlie, " and I'd like to thank our staff, loyal clients, suppliers and all our supporters for helping us along. To be the sole WA representative there on the night, and in the List, makes us all especially proud. " >> Picture: Charlie Gunningham with Smart Company publisher Amanda Gome >> aussiehome.com Winners Page >> Smart Company Awards Winners (Top 50 List) |
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| iproperti - our Bali property web site launched |
 Long time readers of this enewsletter may recall we had a joint venture in Indonesia in 2004 called iproperti.com, which was our first foray overseas. The site has recently undergone a complete transformation, and will be relaunched next week as a Bali property web site, showing properties from our Australian real estate clients. If you have Bali properties for sale, contact us and we'll show you how to put them on the site. It's a free service for all aussiehome.com clients. Contact Us for more info on this. |
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| Los Angeles Times shuts down its real estate section |
 In an announcement that must have sent shudders through print businesses the world over (hurrah!), the LA Times ceased production of its real estate section last month. The paper had been publishing real estate classified ads for over 100 years.
In a dramatic step for what is one of the largest newspapers in the US, massive cutbacks in staff were also announced. The downturn in the housing market and the inexorable shift of advertising dollars to internet advertising were put forward as the main reasons. Newspaper classified advertising has dropped 23% this year alone. Often we look to the US to see what is going to happen here. In some senses, stepping back from this all, it seems odd to bother with a printed real estate section when everyone can pop online whenever they want to and see far more real estate information, searchable, with maps and photos. Is this the sign of things to come? YES it is. Will it happen here? YES it will. How long before it happens? NOT AS LONG AS YOU THINK! With internet advertising now creating 80% of property enquiries, real estate sections in newspapers should become a thing of the past? |
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| LATEST STATS: Get Smart with your Software |
 There are 3 ways to measure traffic to a web site -
1. Buy some software that interprets the log files that are stored everytime a user visits the website 2. Insert tags into the coding of the site, such as Google Analytics, that allows them to read your traffic 3. Join an online service such as Hitwise, which uses sample data from selected ISPs (internet service providers) So? Well, each option gives very different results, and there does not seem to be any consensus on which is most accurate, or why! So in the same way a sailor might 'triangulate' (use 3 points of reference to find out where they are) it would appear you need to use more than one method to get a more accurate idea. Even if they disagree! Option 3 (Hitwise) is not cheap, with membership prices only viable for major online businesses. Even then, it uses sample data from selected ISPs, so is not gospel. Most businesses use it to spy on their competitors, and then use selective pieces out of context to 'make themselves look good'. Dodgy. Option 2 (using Google Analytics) is far cheaper - free in fact - once you know how to connect in the tags onto your site (we can do it for you) and you have your own GMail account (also free). Slight concerns here are that the data is quite limited and often an underestimate of your actual traffic (we blieve 25% so?) - but it is free. Also some people do not like giving Google access to their site traffic (conspiracy theorists abound... even though Google's motto is "Do no Evil." - any company that needs to have this as their motto must be suspicious?) Which leaves us with Option 1. Until recently we used 'LiveStats' and some of you also had access to this for your own sites; but the software has not been supported for sometime (Microsoft bought it then shut it down) and the figures from it have become highly erratic. NOW, we have discovered a much better alternative - SMARTER STATS; we have road tested it and it's excellent - easy to use, accurate, fast, with lovely graphics and easy to customise. It can even send you reports without you having to do a thing. We've bought enough licenses for all our clients, and we'll be writing to you all explaining how it works. $150 once off for your use of it (for life) is all that is required. Our advice? Use this new software, and Google Analytics as well. And if someone quotes stats at you (especially if they talk 'hits') walk the other way... very fast, for you know better. |
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| LATEST ADVICE: Start your Web 2.0 strategy NOW! |
I n the lead article this month, we focus on BLOGGING, one aspect of the so-called 'Web 2.0' revolution. Simply put, Web 2.0 is about having a more interactive online strategy where users of your website also contribute to its content, and pass comments on topics that you raise (in your "Blog"). What the? Well, your customers are now used to getting their information on the web, and having it served up to them in RSS feeds and podcasts. They read blogs (45% of web users in Australia regularly read them) and if you want to connect, communicate and service your clients, then you really need to take a serious look at blogging and the whole Web 2.0 thing... HOW? here's how... 1. BLOGS (a 'web log') - read them, and start one today (go to http://www.blogger.com/) and contact us if you want to find out how to incorporate blogging into your online strategy. Contact us to add a blog to your site, and get free advice. 2. RSS Feeds - this is an easy way of having one web site update another (e.g. by email); we can build RSS feeds of the weather or latest news into your site; and you can have your own RSS feeds OUT of your news and properties to subscribers. Easy to do - contact us for more information 3. Podcasting - audio or video, which visitors to your site can listen you or watch, and download to their MP3 players or iPods. 4. Use the Web 2.0 sites - upload your properties to facebook, become members and form a facebook group; upload videos of yourself, your company and your properties to Youtube.com CONTACT US for free advice on how to do any of this. But please do not ignore this, or think it's not for you. The cork is out of the bottle, and this is how Australians are getting their information (not from real estate sections of the paper anymore... as the LA Times found out to their dismay)... STAY AHEAD! |
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