Learn How Blogging Can Benefit Your Real Estate Business

What you will learn:

• Why blogging is touted as the next great Internet wave

• What is blogging and how is it used in real estate

• How to create a blog (hands on experience building your 1st blog)

• What it takes to run a successful blog

• How does blogging help with search engine (Google) rankings

Where:

Keller Williams Realty,750 Lindaro Street, Suite 200, San Rafael, CA

When:

January 22, 2007 – 2pm to 4pm

Who’s Invited:

Open to All Professionals Associated with the Real Estate Industr

Your Instructors:

Pat Kitano is the author of Transparent Real Estate, a blog that has become a go-to source for the latest news and analysis of the technology enabled real estate industry. He achieved this successful standing after only five months and has become a leading blog evangelist helping real estate professionals develop a powerful online presence… free of charge.  Mr. Kitano brings more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience building businesses within four dynamic industries: real estate, technology, investment banking and films.

John Harper is an active real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty in Danville, CA. He is a key member of The Harper Team and oversees online marketing, web development, Internet promotions and electronic publishing activities.  Mr. Harper has been conducting Internet based market research, web design and online marketing since 1985. He owned and operated an Internet Marketing and Promotion company from 1995 through 2001.

Blogging was a nonexistent concept in our industry two years ago, and now there are thousands upon thousands of real estate agents that use blogging to improve their rankings on Google, Yahoo! and MSN and to better communicate and interface with their customers.- Stefan Swanepoel – Swanepoel Trends Report 2007

Blogs give you an increased presence on major search engines. The technology is a magnet for search engines like Yahoo! And Google. A well-written, routinely updated, keyword-oriented blog can enhance your chances of garnering high rankings on search engine return pages. - Richard Nacht – Realty Blogging…

Seating is Limited – RSVP Required - john@TheHarperTeam.com

Yesterday, my brother and I butted chests again for a few seconds. He was leaving for a visit with folks and had a few orders for me. Well, they sounded like orders to me. As the older brother, I don't like orders - received too many of them growing up from "the colonel (dad)." It took about 15 seconds for me to say "whoa." It's amazing how fast the past can hijack your experience. It took another twenty seconds for me to get my head out of my past so I could hear what he was really saying. 

He has a sense of urgency for staying on top of a few things as we are making some major transitions in our marketing efforts and there are always client and transaction details. Throw all this into the last minute rush to get out the door and into rush hour traffic - well there you go - flash from the past.

54 minutes - San Ramon, California to San Francisco airport - Monday morning before Thanksgiving - not bad. Just enough time to square things between us, get the details, and leave us laughing. I really like that brother of mine. 

My brother, Craig (on the left), is quite a success story. In the late 70's he created a direct marketing department for a non-profit company in Menlo Park, CA. That resulted in him being hired by some early computer era guys to take over marketing efforts for three trade magazines. That led to him starting his own software company which he sold and then on to a series of VP Marketing and Director of Product Development for hi-tech startups. All of this had him making numerous trips to Asia and Europe.

Then he decided he should have a college education, so he got his business degree through the University of Phoenix. At that point he left the corporate world and started two direct marketing companies. Well, the story goes on… but the point is - the boy is driven, he is talented and he has so much business savvy I'm wondering if I look like the milkman.

So, here's what Craig brings to the team:

• Over 20 years of marketing experience
• Hi-tech oriented brain matter
• Professional business skills
• Strong negotiating skills
• Project management skills
• Black-belt in Karate (as needed)
• Love of golf (did I mention that he plays guitar, flute, clarinet, saxophone and piano?)
• A dedication to fairness and win-win for everyone  

And me - I'm just a poor retired guy trying to make ends meet.

But I did have an Internet marketing and promotion company from about 1996 to 2001. I was surfing the net back when a gopher was more than a yard pest. So, I am involved in creating the eight websites that will support our team's efforts. It's not much, but hey, I am retired.  

NEED to buy or sell San Ramon Valley real estate - call The Harper Team at Keller Williams in Danville, California. We guarantee our services in writing.

Anatomy of a Team - Part 1 

I had a meeting today with my unofficial mentor, Jim Walberg. Jim is well known in the Danville and San Ramon areas. I think he found gold around here back in 1849. Jim is one of those great agents who has seen it all in California real estate and loves to share his knowledge with others.

In most of our team meetings for the Danville office, Jim always has something to offer. Much of his advice is to help others avoid the pitfalls and setbacks he suffered through in the "good old days."  

My hour with Jim turned into 3 and a half hours and went something like this:

Jim to me: What do you think of all this blogging and Internet technology?

Well, we started in and before you know it we were in with the white board and laying out plans for global domination. Jim, and his wife, Ann Marie, sell about $30 million in East Bay real estate - maybe more. I don't know how much they sell in the Virgin Islands - they have an office down there as well.  90% of their business comes from referrals, but Jim wants to stay in the game and keep up with what's happening.

We talked about it all: SEO, blogs, podcasts, vlogs, multiple sites, social networking…

Jim also shared about the 3 mega deals he fell into through three referrals from friends that may make him more money than the 20 to 30 deals he will complete this year in the San Ramon Valley. Every time he mentioned something, I had a few exciting thoughts on how we could use technology. Every time I mentioned something to him, he had a few things in the works that could be really exciting.

Before we knew it, it was dark; the staff was gone; and we still had most of Asia, Africa, and Russia to go.

Did I mention that Jim is a great guy - he'll share everything with you because he's seen it all and he's not afraid of  loss. He's lost it all before - a couple of times - and he's still going strong. I wish I could be half the agent he is when I'm his age, but we're about the same age. 

They say that relationships are the key to success in real estate. I think I heard something about blogs helping to build relationships. Old dogs talking is one relationship to court.