Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA

Many of us have visitors to our blogs who will leave comments and website visitors who will send us an email or submit information via our contact forms to get in touch to share their ideas, ask questions or inquire about our services. However, some will visit these sites and leave with no trace. Did they leave because we didn't provide them with the information they were seeking? Did we not make a connection with them?

I recently spent some time on my blog and website to analyze who my visitors are and how I could provide them with the information they are searching for and need. I highly recommend doing this task to ensure you are providing the right content to your consumers.

Traffic Analysis provides you with the data of who your visitors are and if you're providing them with information that is important to them. It's essential to find what appeals to your target audience and provide content, key words and messages that will not only have them visiting your sites but staying for a bit to explore what you're offering and yes, hopefully returning. When was the last time you analyzed your site visitor data?

I explored a few key areas that can help you improve your site and also further explain why these areas are important and how you can use this information to further enhance the information you are providing on your sites. Here are some ways to analyze traffic to your sites:

Tools to Use:

There are many tools available these days to analyze your site traffic and many websites provide that to you automatically. While I don't promote anyone in particular here are some suggestions and sites for you to explore:

Google Analytics

Hubspot

ClusterMaps

Getclicky

Sitemeter

Activemeter

MyBlogLog

I also came across this for more exploration: http://www.webanalyticsworld.net/2008/06/5-great-free-web-analytics-tools-you.html and http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/03/26/10-web-analytics-packages-for-tracking-your-visitors/

The point is - what ever site/tool you choose - measure, analyze and study them regularly to know what's working and not working in regards to your content and engaging your potential clients.

Visitor Location:

One key area to focus your attention is visitor location. This is a great place to focus for real estate agents because if you have lots of people visiting your site from other areas perhaps you need to have a dedicated Relocation page. Maybe you have visitors doing searches on specific towns or communities - this is your opportunity to create a specific landing page for them that has information on that community and highlights your key listings in that area. When you create those pages be sure to have a call to action so they can sign up to be alerted of new listings in that area/community.

Keywords:

Explore what key words people are using when they visit your site both while on your site and via the search engines. Type in phrases and key terms and see what comes up the most. Look at the data on your site to see what is being typed in. Does your site have those words both in your paragraph text and as your keyword descriptions? These words reveal what consumers are searching for and again gives you the opportunity to create new and improved content on your site that will fill your prospects needs.

Cool tool to use: http://keyworddiscovery.com/

Traffic Sources:

This is one of my favorite areas to explore. I love seeing where people are finding me and what brought them to my sites. In my analysis I have discovered that ActiveRain is one of the key contributing referral sites for my increased website traffic (thank you!) How are people finding your site? ActiveRain, Search engines, social media sites, referral sites, and ads are other areas in which people can be driven to your site. Are you using them and are they bringing you site visitors? If they're not, perhaps something needs to be changed a bit to improve the likelihood that they will work to your benefit more. This data provides you the opportunity to improve and enhance the content and links on these other sites that will encourage visitors to explore even further. It is all about content - provide the solid, relevant content and they will come.

Time Spent on your Site:

Lastly, and just as important, you want to measure how much your content engaged your visitors. Did they come onto your page and only stay for a minute - is this happening a lot? Did they go from page to page? Knowing how much time visitors are spending on your site and pages, how often they visit lets you know that you are providing them relevant content and increases the likelihood that they will contact you. Be sure that your pages have call to actions to increase the likelihood that they will not only return to your site but fill out that contact form. Examples of call to actions are: Sign up for newsletter, free reports, home analysis, and new listing updates.

I hope, like me, you are not only reviewing this information but reviewing, analyzing and being proactive in updating your site information regularly to ensure you are creating an impression of who you are, the services you can provide and increasing the chances of connecting with new clients.

Applying these simple and effective analysistasks will greatly improve your on line presence and what you are offering your visitors - aka potential clients.

When was the last time you analyzed your sites?

Who's your biggest referral site?

Have other tools or ideas that you use that can be helpful to others trying to enhance their sites - do share.

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Ready to take your Marketing to new levels? Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2009

There are many things I love in this world, my husband, my children, family, friends, chocolate and a great glass of wine. In my work world, I love creativity, sharing of knowledge, great to work with clients and colleagues, LINK LOVE, subscribers, readership, being a Rainmaker and SEO just to name a few.

So why am I telling you these things? I want to take you through my latest challenge, in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. I think we all realize we can learn from one another and if I can share just a few things that you can do to improve your blogging, increase your readership and become more known in your communities, then I will consider it a good day.

In task 2 of the challenge, in which I was told to write and post a "list blog", mine was: Are your social networking efforts paying off - 5 ways to know: I shared some ways you can examine if your social networking is paying off - don't we all want to know if all the time and effort we're putting into something is bringing us the results we want and need?

Task 3 involves promoting your blogand the advice that Darren gives is that many bloggers direct their readers to the main home page but suggests that you will have greater success when you promote your individual blog posts. He goes further in depth by sharing 11 ways to promote a blog post and being mindful of choosing your best posts and using the methods of promotion in a way that's helpful to others. Some examples of these methods are:

• Social Messaging
• Internal Links
• Email Signatures
• Newsletter List

Read more on these 11 suggestions.

So what methods of promotion did I use for promoting my blog post entitled: Are your social networking efforts paying off - 5 ways to know: Here are 4 ways that could also work for you:

1. Social Networking Sites:

I have all my blog posts automatically fed to Twitter, Facebook, My Squidoo Page. Activerain has this function all setup for us. Simply go to your settings page and put your Twitter username and password and every time you post a blog to Activerain, a notification tweet will appear alerting all your followers that you just posted.

You can also setup something similar up on Facebook. For great instructions on how to set it up, see Jason Crouch's post.

As for my Squidoo page, my free lens about my Marketing Virtual Assistant services, I have my Activerain blog pulled directly into that page via an rss feed. Here's what it looks like.

2. Article Marketing:

Choose key articles and post them to other sites to further promote your ideas and increase your readership. My example is posting key blogs to sites like Top Article and Broker Agent Social.

3. Rainmaker ~ Localism:

On ActiveRain you have the option to sponsor a local community that puts you in direct contact with consumers. I've had many people subscribe to my blog because I regularly post to Localism.

I also think it's important to say that this is just one of the ways you can become a Rainmaker. Maybe you've been wondering how some people have pictures come up when they leave comments or why some people have the badge that says Rainmaker. These bloggers have done one of the following:

• have purchased an ActiveRain Outside Blog,
• they sponsor at least 1 Local Community
• have spent $10 on a listing router campaign.

Why would you want to do any one of these things?

Having a Rainmaker Account provides a super great benefit - your blog post has the opportunity to reach the over 2 Million visitors to ActiveRain that otherwise would not be able to see your blog post because if you're not a Rainmaker your posts are only being seen my AR members. Rainmakers drive people directly to their posts and at the same time that increases your SEO.

Want these benefits and so much more?

4. Related posts:

Putting links on your current post that link back to previous posts on related topics. This post is an example of this method. I posted a link to the original post in this post which takes people over to that post. This helps anyone reading your post to quickly be directed to that post to further explore the topic you are discussing and hopefully further promote your expertise as well as increasing your subscribers and readership.

Other great things to do to expand on your linking is right on the side of your own blog by adding:

• Create a toolbox - a link that takes your readers to one location where all your posts are organized by topic (mine take readers to my website)
• Create links to key sites you want your visitors to be directed to (your website, your squidoo page, social media sites, article sites)

Of course there are many other things I do to promote my blog and services but I can't give away all my secrets can I?

As Darren reminded us, many people feel funny about promoting themselves but leaving your blog post a secret and hoping people come across it by chance may not give you the results you are looking for - put yourself out there and see what comes is advice I'm taking to heart. Still not sure about how you can extend your reach to consumers?

I was recently contacted by someone outside of Activerain who came across my blog when she was doing an unrelated search to real estate. What's interesting about this is, she started to explore my blog and commented that she liked my writing style and that the advice that I was giving could be used in any business. Guess what? She's one of my new subscribers. I was touched to say the very least and I hope by sharing this example you too will realize that we never know who we're going to reach and the impact we can have on our readers. (Thanks Colleen)

At the very least I hope after reading this post you will do one if not more of these things:

Sponsor a local community on AR (become a Rainmaker - see above for more ways)

Put out great content to increase the chances of connecting with your readers

Link, Link, Link

Join the challenge ~ start building a better blog today ~ and grow this great community and your voice in it.

So let me ask you, in what ways do you promote your blog posts?

Have these methods increased your readership?

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Ready to take your Marketing to new levels? Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2009

Many of us have or are realizing the importance of social networking sites and how they fit into our overall marketing plans. Many of us read blogs, see mentions of tools (social networking sites, analytics, etc.) we feel we need, we want to use and that we go through the process of setting up. But do we truly know how to measure the success of the marketing dollars and time we are putting forth and the time and effort to create and maintain them? How do we know our social networking efforts are making a difference to our business?

This list contains 5 things to focus on and examine to ensure your social networking efforts will bring you the results you desire:

1. What sites work for you?

Unless you're some kind of superhero, you don't really have any business or you have more than 24 hours in your day, it's impossible to be on every single social networking site and do it in a way that's effective. Explore some of the sites available to you, focus on the ones that make the most sense for your business - where you will connect with consumers and agents that you can learn from in sharing experience and information that makes sense for your business. Once you've discovered the best sites "for you" - jump into the action but more importantly Listen to what's being said.

2. Listen

Now that you're there, listening is key to your success on these sites. Find a way to help consumers or other agents with their problems by offering ideas and solutions. If you engage with a consumer find ways to gage what they think about the real estate market and even more helpful your company. Use this feedback and information, even if it's hard to hear, as a way to engage and show consumers who you truly are and what you can offer.

3. Engage

Time to engage and immerse yourself into the social networking experience. Being on twitter, your blog, Facebook, Trulia and the many sites available gives you an opportunity to drive people to your sites. If your sites are ready for visitors with ways of engaging them and encouraging them to interact with you further (Calls to Action, sign up for your newsletter, subscribe to your blog just to name a few) then you're opportunity for sales increases.

4. How to use them

Know how to use these sites and use them wisely. Most importantly you need to know how each site works. For example, many sites have tools associated with their site that makes the experience of using them that much better. Twitter for example has a new tool every day or so it seems. You can investigate with the helpful post from Regina Brown who shares with us some of the great tools she's discovered right here.

There are even resources to be found outside of these tools to help you improve your usage and experience. One example is listening in to the JCKC Blog Talk Radio Show where Jason Crouch and The Ken Cook talk about all things Twitter and even add some valuable social networking tips and guest speakers sharing their experience, knowledge and helpful tools. You owe it to yourself to become a fan and follower of this show.

5. Measure

Measure how social media networking is impacting your business. Social media networking has some great effects on your business as it drives people from those sites to the sites you own and author like your blog and website. Examples of this are:

1. Your search engine ranking, the growth of consumers subscribing to your blog feeds (track via feedburner), comments increasing on your blog and consumers engaging with you on your website through your calls to action.
2. Another way to see the effects is to create a Google alert with key phrases, such as your name, your business, your community to see how many mentions you are receiving.
3. Finally you can also utilize the many great analytics tools available to track your visitors and where they are coming from. (stay tuned for an upcoming post on this)

We can all find countless examples right here on AR of how social media networking has impacted many of our businesses. The key is finding and using the right tools for your business - where you will have the greatest impact, reach and experience - one that both you and your consumers will benefit from.

How or in what ways has your involvement in social networking paid off for you? Share your experience and give hope to those that might still be discouraged...

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Ready to take your Marketing to new levels?Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2009

I was very excited when I saw the initial email from my Philly friends, the Somers Group, asking people to join them in the Probloggers 31 Day to Build a Better Blog Challenge. They were so excited they even started a group for us to all share our experiences - check it out.

I thought - who wouldn't want to improve their blogging abilities while at the same time, growing their business, their knowledge and having a way to stay accountable to those tasks? Then, the excitement turned to panic as I took on some new clients in the past 2 weeks with lots of projects that had deadlines. Believe me, I'm not complaining, but what was I to do? How could I do these tasks and my work? As the days came and went without my doing a task I started to get discouraged wondering how would I ever catch up.

I had some free moments of time this afternoon and went over to the Problogger site. Great news!

One of the great things about this challenge is that Darren has designed it in a way that does not stop participants from saving his valuable emails and doing a few tasks a week instead of 1 each day. In addition to that great nugget of information, I also discovered that it's not too late for you to join in on the fun and the amazing learning experience to building a better blog - I highly recommend it as I am learning "new" and "better" ways of improving my blog and extending my reach and you can too.

Ok, so here I am at Task 1 - Elevator Pitch

Problogger explains an Elevator Pitch in this way: An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words."

As I read through the exercise I realized I had created one already without even knowing what I was doing, that I have been using since the very beginning of establishing my business. For those of you who read my blog regularly you may have noticed that at the end of each blog I have the question:

Ready to take your marketing to new levels? I also have this linked to my realestate show that highlights some of the reasons we should partner to improve your marketing efforts. I've often thought that if someone is answering that question while visiting my blog then they would be intrigued enough to contact me/engage with me to find out how they can experience a new level in their marketing by partnering with me.

What are you thoughts? Do you think that my elevator pitch addresses what I do and how I can help you? (I love honest and constructive feedback - so fire away.) Note: If TLW is visiting, please be gentle (lol)

To my faithful readers: What is your elevator pitch? If you don't have one what do you think a good one would be that describes you and your services and encourages people to engage with you?

Again, I invite you to join in on what I consider to be a great challenge - one that will have you feeling you have a achieved a great level of understanding of blogging, your business and the effect you can have with your consumers and colleagues.

Of course, if you simply don't have the time or desire to join the challenge, feel free to stop by my blog for some helpful tips and advice and to follow along. I absolutely love sharing information with my readers and others may say it but I believe I have the best readers who appreciate the knowledge, advice and experiences I am able to share with them and that they so warmly embrace.

Coming Up: Day 2 - A List Post (Measuring Your Social Networking Efforts)

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Ready to take your Marketing to new levels?Anne Marie Malfi ~ Malfi Marketing Solutions.com ~ Copyright 2009

When I think about Spring the main thought and image that comes to me is Cleaning.  I'm not just talking about spring cleaning my house - removing the clutter, giving away the things I no longer need, and removing all the reminders of winter but removing the clutter from my mind - old ideas, negative or defeating thoughts, old hurts that have simply been held onto with no real purpose except to take up space - cluttering my life. 

Spring is the ideal time to do some routine cleaning for both our homes and our minds.  Not only is it an opportunity to get rid of things that we don't need or don't work for us anymore but it also means having a different attitude towards people and situations and making ourselves more open to opportunities that can and do come our way. 

Here are some of my spring cleaning tips:

1. Remove Self Doubt and all things negative

Just as you would shake out a rug to remove the dust, so should you do the same to any self doubt that finds its way into your life.  While you're at it, get out your strongest cleaner and remove those negative feelings, unforgiveness, anger and jealousy because those are not things that contribute to the quality of your life but instead keep you hidden from positive and happy experiences.

2. Don't put things off

I don't often look that forward to getting out my cleaning stuff out but I do it.  I often find this to be the case when I think about some of the projects I put off - procrastination can get the best of me.  Yes, at times I find that I work well under pressure but I try not to do it to myself too much.  I do like having a plan and don't like having the feeling of always having to catch up.  I do everything I can to live in the present - enjoy the now - not miss out on living my life - that's right no Groundhound day for me.

3. Attitude and Gratitude

Get out the paint and freshen up your outlook and at the same time try on some positive attitude.  Being grateful for each day and practicing and showing those that we love will give you and all you do a fresh new perspective. 

4. Be Patient

Right around March I start feeling inpatient about when that first warm day is going to come and often we'll get one of those beautiful warm days only to be followed up with a steady flow of cold ones - yes, spring is not quite ready to come.  That's when I realize I must practice on my patience.  Be patient with my loved ones, with my business getting to the levels I want it to be, and do all I can to welcome new relationships and opportunities that present them self.

5. Lighten Up 

One of the greatest memories I have as a kid when it comes to spring is my mom hanging the sheets on the clothesline.  I would go to sleep that night and smell that fresh air smell and almost feel like I was falling asleep on a light fluffy cloud.  It's a reminder to lighten up, have fun, laugh a lot more, be conscious and aware of my world, the people in it and make the choice on where I focus my thoughts and energies.  

6. Be Open to Change

Spring is about change - the flowers growing, grass and trees getting green again and saying good bye to those cold days and nights for awhile.   This is the perfect opportunity to be open to new ideas and changes in our lives.  As we all know there are no easy ways to lose weight, perfect our SEO ranking or take something new on and have instant success.  We need to work at our business, be open to doing new things and changing the things that are holding us back. Spring is the time to focus on what you really want and do everything you can to get it.

At the very least I hope this post has been a great reminder of the important things in life and will help you keep focused on making the most of this great Spring season.

Celebrate this great weather - get outside, open those doors and windows (literally and figuratively) and enjoy your life and all that you are.   If you're feeling good about yourself and things going on in your life - many will be attracted to that energy.  I often find when I have a great attitude I attract great things in my life.  Work on becoming the best you and enjoy the effects it has on your life and the lives of others you encounter. 

Feel like sharing a quick childhood memory of spring?

Any one thing you love about Spring? (flowers, longer days)

I wanted to end my post with a song that simply reminds me about having a fun outlook, positive attitude and a light and open heart to all the possibilities in life - not just Spring.