VisOnTheNet Marketing Your Blog

Marketing Your Community Blog With Yard Signs

2008-07-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Yard signs are an excellent and inexpensive way to draw people to your neighborhood blog. They attract instant attention and can maintain their ‘newness’ and ‘visibility’ by being moved frequently.

Making Your Sign Work For You
Implement these tips to get the best possible results from your signs.
• Bold, short copy will ensure that both pedestrians and drivers have an opportunity to read your sign.
• Do not place your real estate logo on the sign or the stand. Farming with blogs is about building relationships. Logos and company names will lead people to believe that your blog is only an ad.
• Include a flyer or business card box and print simple pieces showing the name and web address of your blog.
• Ask neighbors if they'll let you place a sign in their yard. Let them know how long you would like to leave it (usually a week) and be sure to pick it up at the agreed-upon time.
• Weekends are generally very busy times for real estate open houses. Place your signs near those directing people to open houses. Individuals looking at homes are already interested in the neighborhood and will definitely be interested in a web site giving them a more intimate view of the area.
• Appeal to a specific neighborhood interest. A Crime Watch and sections featuring yard sale notices are always popular.

Make Sure Your Blog Has The Right Components
Well positioned signs will send people to your blog. At that point, it’s up to you to make sure that they have plenty of enticing reasons to have information sent to them. A properly constructed neighborhood blog will do just that.

For step-by-step instructions on farming a community using blogs, check out the most complete software available.

Marketing Your Community Blog Using A Neighborhood Overview Postcard

2007-07-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

This type of ‘newsy’ postcard should appeal to community curiosity. Who’s moving into the neighborhood, which garden will be receiving all the attention and what Aaron Cheven’s home looks like, are all articles designed to tempt the curious into visiting your blog.

Elements That Make This Postcard An Effective Sign-Up Tool
• Adding an email link to the bottom of all garden articles for people who would like to have their yard considered for the ‘Summer Garden Showcase’ series.
• Offering free registration for a dinner drawing when community members sign-up for your blog. The sign-up box for the drawing should be placed on the navigation side of your blog so that it is always on the screen.

Marketing Your Community Blog Using Special Events Postcards

2007-07-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Using postcards to market your community blog takes an unrequested real estate ad and turns it into a public service announcement. Neighbors will be excited to know that there’s a resource site just for their community. The key to a successful postcard marketing campaign for your blog is to determine which topics will be of the greatest interest to the people in your community.

Special Community And Area Events Postcards
This topic will generate the most interest when there is an upcoming event that is well-known and well-advertised. By simple association, your blog will gain instant credibility.

Points To Consider:
• Ensure that your postcard doesn’t become an ad for your real estate company. Omit all company logos or photos of yourself.
• Check that your most recent blog post (which will be at the top of your blog) is about the event and that there is a sign-up link in the article. Remember, it’s all about getting neighbors to subscribe.
• Make it easy for them to find the event by creating a unique label on your navigation. You can always re-label or delete these articles after the event closes.

Introducing Yourself And Your Community Blog With Door Hangers

2007-07-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Click on image for larger view.

Door hangers let you to introduce your blog, and yourself, to neighbors. They can either be printed professionally or you can purchase blanks for use with your ink jet or laser printer. They’re cost efficient and highly visible.

Tips For Door Hangers
Implement these tips to get the best results from your door hangers.
• Be brief and let people know what you would like for them to do.
• Check local door-to-door sales ordinances and ask for permission to place door hangers on private property. Building Managers and Activity Directors can provide both permission and, in many cases, would love to contribute information to your blog.
• Having information about property construction schedules, new facility hours (computer rooms, workout rooms and pools) and details about upcoming events posted on a communitiy blog will cut down on calls to the management office and give Managers and Directors a reason to promote your web site.
• Check weather conditions before distributing door hangers. Heavy winds and rain can turn your advertising into litter.

• Perferated bottoms are available and make it possible to put a detachable copy of your blog’s Internet address along with coupons or other inticements to visit your site.

• Do-It-Yourself and customize smaller runs. Blanks are available to run on your ink jet and laser printer for as little as $.03* each.

* While searching online we found the following sites offering blank door hangers. If you use these or other sites we would love to hear how you would rate your vendor of choice. We’ll pass your suggestions along to others.

http://idprinting.com/

http://www.doorhangersplus.com/

Ready To Start Farming With Blogs?
We can help. Our Farming With Blogs CD set provides step-by-step instruction on ways to use Google's Free Blogger software. We’ll walk you through everything you’ll need to produce a stunning neighborhood Web site – including how to add slide shows, calendars and videos to your blog.