ActiveRain Outside Blogs offer members the opportunity to have a "stand alone" presence outside the network and they are included with the rainmaker memberships.  I still get many questions on how to set these up and the most common question is "How do you customize it so it's not like anyone elses blog?"

Here are my top 10 best practices and tips for those Rainer's wanting to maximize their outside blogs.

1. Select a theme that works best for you, your brand, your company and target audience. 

2. Utilize all the features and tools available form the dashboard toolbar.  (you must be logged in)

3. To customize the CSS formatting, colors, backgrounds etc. and if you're a techy, use the Chameleon theme.
I like it because I can make sure my blog won't ever look like anyone elses.

 

Maximize your SEO, analytics, and widgets by implementing the tools made available. 

4. I highly recommend the "Google Search" which magnetically draws the Google spiders to your site.  Since this is a Google product and tool, I can assure you that they follow its placement and use very diligently.  Make sure you have plenty of content on your site first, you don't want to draw Google attention to your site if you only have 3 or 4 posts there.

5. Adding the "Analytics" tool helps so you know what's working best, and tracking your visitors and target audience couldn't be made any easier. You can't add the Google analytics to your ActiveRain blogs, but you can add it to your outside blogs. 

6. Each of these tools available adds additional value to your outside blogs but it's your content that matters the most. Great content on ANY blog will garner traffic and create business opportunities.  Allow those that find you the chance to get notified  via email every time you post something by adding the "feedburner" widget. Let people subscribe to your blog.

Note: MyBlogLog and Retaggr are no longer services that are available on the web.

7. Give your outside blog a Kick-Arse custom domain name (it's included) making it easy to search for your site, find your site, and easy for you and clients/targets to remember.  What's in a name?  Everything, so try to incorporate the most important aspects of your blog in the title to get the most impact and results.  Including Hyper-local if you can is always a good thing.

Note: The "Internal" URL is your back-end dashboard, the "Custom Domain" is the public view.

8. Adding good "links" and using great anchor text for "calls to action" is a key traffic generator and lead capture opportunity that often times gets over-looked and most often under-utilized.  Think about what would make someone absolutely have to click on these links and trust me, they will.  I can prove this by just having you create a link similar to this one that says something like... "DON'T CLICK HERE!"  haha~

Adding links is easy: Just paste the URL in the Link box, and place the anchor text in the Title box.

BTW -  Did you click on the DON'T CLICK HERE link?  lol~ 

9. The last thing you should know is that the SEO (search engine optimization) on outside blogs carries a great deal of weight in the SERPS (search engine results page) which is great for your ROI (return on investment) since ultimately the people you are trying to reach and get in front of are the ones that will find you when searching the Internet.

Google search results DO matter, and where you land on the page makes all the difference in the world.

10. All of these tips and best practices are to help you do one thing: create content that cultivates traffic/visitors which allows you to capture contacts and convert them to clients right?  There are really ONLY two types of people out on the web and searching Google: Those that know you, and those that don't.  Which audience is your target?  Exactly! :-)

ActiveRain outside blogs are one of the best and most powerful tools that I think ActiveRain offers its members, but then on the other side of that coin, the greatest tools and power of ActiveRain IS IT's MEMBERS!!

 Stop by anytime and check out my ActiveRain Outside Blog at http://ActiveBradsBlog.com

 

 

          

 

Tutorials | Training | Mobile | Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

It was a dark and snowy night in Beaverton, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great picture. When I looked out back to the trees, this is the beautiful view I had that dark and snowy night. The sad part was by morning pretty much all the snow was gone and this picture was all we had to show for it. The kids were certainly a little disappointed.

Todd Clark and the Friendly Home Team
Knipe Realty
Todd@IFoundYourNewHome.com
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

 

 

 I am a licensed Realtor who specializes in Washington County, Oregon and also work in both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties including the cities of Aloha, Beaverton, Canby, Clackamas, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood and Tigard.
All information contained in these posts are copyrighted and cannot be used without prior written approval authorization from the author me Todd Clark. If you are looking for an outstanding agent please give me a call I would love to help you with all your real estate needs.

 

What if there was a way you could search the MLS for FREE just like Realtors

Now you can access the MLS using similar tools as Realtors. You are in control of what you want to search for, and you can search the MLS at your leisure. The information you submit in the form below can also be used to put you on an automated system where you'll be emailed all homes that meet your search criteria. You'll get internet access to a website that includes pictures, prices, and addresses to real estate that's listed in the MLS!

Click here to start your FREE home search now

 

For those of you considering buying an ASUS Zenbook, I want to share my experience to save you the pain I've been through.  I paid $1,550 for the ASUS Zenbook UX31E (their top of the line model) on 11/21/11 from New Egg.com.  On 11/28/11 I received the computer and began using it.  It worked fine for the first four weeks and then began having problems starting up.  On 1/14/12 it didn't start at all and on 1/17/12 I sent it in to be serviced as instructed by ASUS (it was now just beyond NewEgg's 30 day guarantee).  They received the computer on 1/20/12. 

I have had no phone calls or e-mails from ASUS at all.  I have to call their Customer Service hotline, which consists of people in Malaysia or some other foreign land peering at a computer screen reading back to me the exact same information I obtain from the ASUS Service website.  It is now almost two weeks and there is no indication on when my computer will be returned.  The ASUS Service site states, "Waiting [WB-1] Wait for Material/Spare Parts". 

Well, I've had it!  I'm starting a social media campaign to put pressure on ASUS to either fix my machine or send me a new one!  My client files are on that computer and it is very difficult to work without my files.  Please reblog this post and Tweet it with the hashtags #ASUS #GailRobinson.  Let's see if social media can work to get this arrogant giant's attention.

Thanks,

Gail

                  

     

Top 10 Things to do to Enjoy Your Time Off.

10. Recognize that just because you are enjoying time off, does not mean that you are abandoning your responsibilities.  If an emergency comes up, you can still take care of it -- or better yet -- delegate it to someone who can. Even doctors take time off. They have a trusted colleague who is on call for them.

9. Prepare for your time off by tying up all loose ends and leaving detailed information for your trusted colleague who will be taking care of things for you while you are away.

 

8. If you are taking multiple days off, prepare your clients by letting them in on the vacation plans. They will be excited for you once you show them how you have tied up all of the lose ends, and provided them with the same detailed list of information that you have given the trusted colleague.  This shows them how important they are to you and assures them that your colleague is prepared to help them at any given time.

 

7. Inform friends, family, and clients to contact your trusted colleague in case of emergency. Assure them that your trusted colleague is the FASTEST way to contact you in case of an emergency.  

 

6. Know the difference between an emergency and a concern.  The scheduled closing for today is not going to close because you, the listing agent who is in North Carolina on vacation, did not sign the last page of the sales contract.  THAT is an emergency! Docusign it to me and I can sign it on my cell phone!  




5. Schedule “needs and wants” for when you return. Just because your seller has changed the color of the hand towel in the half bath, DOES NOT MEAN that you have to leave the spa in the middle of your massage to go and take a new picture of the “remodeled” half bath. WHY were you answering your phone during the massage in the first place?! Hello!!

 

 

4. Get over your fear that someone might think less of you for taking time off. The opposite could be true. People may wonder why you can not manage your time well enough to take even a day off. If you can’t manage your own time, how will you manage the time it will take to find someone a home or to get one sold? OR BOTH! (Oh my!)   

 

3. If you will be away for multiple days and will only be checking emails from your trusted colleague, set up an auto response for your email account(s) explaining that you will be away from email until a specific date and that, if it is an emergency, the fastest way to contact you would be to call (you guessed it) your trusted  colleague.

 

2.  Get off of the pedestal. Recognize that you are not more important than, attorneys, bakers,  CPA’s, dishwashers, ditch diggers, doctors, firefighters, golf pros, nurses, pilots, police officers, professors, WalMart greeters, xylophone players, zoo keepers, or any other person. Every profession allows for time off.

 

1. Be like Nike and JUST DO IT!

WHY?

 

 

Because YOU CAN!

You are blessed!

 

 

Top 10 Things to do to Enjoy Your Time Off.

 

Copyright (C) Joni Staples 2010 and 2011              (936) 650-9017      Joni@JoniStaples.com

BHGRE  -  Anderson Properties  is an  Independently Owned and Operated Franchise

Licensed in the state of Texas (0518539)                         

 

 

 

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I've seen high levels of tension in real estate problem negotiation and it is one of many examples in life of negativity. We need to

   Release Negativity As Fast As Possible.

Think of all of it in life. Hurts, anger, pain, disagreement, cruelty, insensitivity, regret, worry, thoughtlessness, taking one for granted, selfishness, insult... the list goes on and on what any of us can be afflicted with by another at a given time. But we need to dump it as soon as possible, almost as if we wear a teflon suit. It won't go away quite that fast but to get rid of it:

Distance yourself from the person inflicting the pain, resolve the issue with problem solving or better communication, perceive where they are coming from and it is THEIR problem not yours, focus on YOU and healing and helping YOU or your clients first. WHY? WHY I ask? Why do we have to dump negativity? It robs us of energy and happiness, like a plant blowing in the wind that needs a peaceful state for that contentment butterfly to properly land.

Dump ALL negativity you have. FAST AS YOU CAN!!