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Mental Illness and Your Clients : YPN Lounge for Armonk NY real estate
Armonk NY Finds Content Marketing | Armonk NY Homes
We believe in content marketing and we’ve seen the results, both working on behalf of our clients and also for our own company (that oh so appetizing phrase of “eating your own dog food”). It’s one of the reasons we launched our Content Magnet service, to even more effectively present and help people understand the different aspects of content marketing. And yet, even though the word “marketing” is in the phrase “content marketing,” we’ve consistently found that forgetting about the marketing part is the biggest content marketing mistake companies make.
Typically we see things go wrong when organizations fall prey to one of these major content marketing myths:
Myth 1: Writing is easy.
Everyone thinks they can write. Yet anyone who has lived through enough website projects knows that content development frequently causes huge delays. Folks wouldn’t dream of thinking they could design their own website just because they downloaded Photoshop. Yet, for some reason, since everyone has Microsoft Word, writing is perceived as easy.
What’s missing in this approach is proper planning. Content marketing is no different from other marketing channels – to be successful you need to have a strategic and tactical plan centered around unified goals and objectives. Without that, even if you think the writing part is easy, it’s likely not going to be effective.
Myth 2: Once the writing part is done, I just post it and readers start rolling in.
Companies assume that (channeling my Field of Dreams voice) “If you write it they will come.” In reality, quality content does not magically find its way into the hands of its target audience like the ballplayers from the film magically coming out of the cornfield. That’s why organizations that invest in content creation (which, as we discussed above “should be pretty easy”) get blindsided when their content marketing effort doesn’t impact traffic, lead generation or customer acquisition. They built the field, but nobody came to play.
Any content marketing effort needs to incorporate both an optimization strategy and a distribution strategy. It’s not enough to write it, post it, and forget about it. The key is to have a cohesive optimization and distribution plan to target a qualified audience and increase each piece of content’s reach. This is a large factor in the “marketing” part most people ignore when it comes to content marketing.
Myth 3: Let’s just keep writing and something will happen,
This follows the first 2 points – without a plan, and without optimization and distribution, it’s hard to have a solid understanding of what’s working, what’s falling flat, and how to adjust. Most organizations, even if they do some data reporting, miss the critical marketing function of analysis – the difference being what the numbers are (data) and what the numbers mean (analysis).
Myth 4: This content marketing thing sounds hard – let’s just do something with social media
10 tweets and 3 Facebook posts a week do not a content marketing strategy make. Mike outlined this in his post Don’t Let the Social Media Tail Wag the Content Marketing Dog. As Mike writes:
“While content marketing efforts are absolutely enhanced via social media marketing, content marketing can happen without social media marketing. On the flip side, social media marketing loses a whole lot of punch without content marketing. Without content, social media marketing stops after 140 characters and only continues when you’re ready to answer the question “What’s happening?” again, or listen to someone else’s response to that question.”
Social media marketing is not only an enhancement of a content marketing strategy but, when done well, is a form of content marketing.
Keep these myths in mind and make sure you don’t make the biggest content marketing mistake – forgetting about the marketing.
Free Email Marketing Reviews (Screencasts) | Email Marketing by Armonk NY Realtor
You create email marketing campaigns with the hope that your subscribers take some type of action (open, click, convert, share, etc).
You hit send, then hold your breath.
You review the metrics. It seems to be working. But do you really know? Have you tested various creatives? Different segments? Subject lines? Have you tried moving the call-to-action around? Have you considered a preheader or what your email looks like with images off? How about Share With Your Network (SWYN) functionality?
Effective immediately, Blue Sky Factory will be providing free, 5-minute or less, reviews of your email marketing campaigns. Yes – free. I, DJ Waldow, will be taking submissions from email marketers everywhere, anytime. Beginning this Friday, I’ll be initiating a weekly series – posting the Email Review screencasts on this very blog, similar to the Trulia one.
Free Email Review: What Can I Expect?
Below is the 5-minute Email Review I did last week for Klout. This screencast provides a pretty good taste as to the format and content of the Email Review.
What’s really cool about this particular review is that the folks from Klout (Charles & Megan) saw it, loved it, and are redesigning their next email campaign to incorporate some of the suggestions.
Note: I’ve also posted past Email Reviews on a separate page. View them now.
FAQs
I’ve already received a few very good, fair questions about these Email Reviews, so I figured I’d list them here – as well as the answers.
Q: Do I need to be a Blue Sky Factory client in order to have my email reviewed?
A: Nope. I’m happy to review both clients as well as non-client emails.Q: If I’m not a client, will you try and pitch Blue Sky Factory to me?
A: Quite possibly. I’ll likely send a follow up email once the Email Review has been posted. If you are not interested in learning more about Blue Sky Factory, that’s totally fair. Just reply to my email indicating so.Q: Our team has reasons for why our email looks like it does. Who are you to tell us what should be changed?
A: I’m someone who has been living, breathing, and sometimes sleeping email marketing for nearly 6 years. I don’t claim to have all of the answers. My Email Review is simply a 5-minute-or-less take on a recent email. Take it for what it’s worth. Think about the suggestions. Test a few things. Report back.Q: If our team ends up changing a few things based on your Email Review, do you want us to tell you?
A: Yes! Please. If you’ve implemented a suggestion, I’d love to know about it’s impact. Was it positive? Negative? Did you get more opens, more clicks, more conversions, etc as a result?If you have other questions, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments below, or dropping an email to emailreview@blueskyfactory.com.
Are you ready to have your email reviewed?
Go to the Email Review page now.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky FactoryAt Blue Sky Factory, we strongly believe that, if used properly, email marketing and social media go together like Batman & Robin. If effectively implemented, email marketing can power social media and social media can power email marketing.
Good news! We have an eBook that provides 16 tips to use email and social together.
What are you waiting for? Download the eBook now!
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 at 6:00 am and is filed under Email Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Real estate prospecting fundamentals | Inman News in Armonk NY
An issue with social media is that it doesn’t require social skills — maybe just some typing skills — to get started. You don’t have to smile, laugh or get teary-eyed, unless you want to leverage the appearance of a feeling.
With technology, we can appear to be very busy in prospecting, but real prospecting is becoming a lost skill.
Our prospecting mindset has moved from roaming the plains like a hungry lion to casting multiple lines with baitless hooks, waiting and hoping for a strike.
Here’s the problem: Technology — while it can be a powerful tool in prospecting, when in the right hands and with the right voice and approach behind it — has taught some of us to be lazy, to prospect by telling.
Reader warning: You may not want to read further because what is about to be shared is a prospecting strategy and tactic guaranteed to help you find prospects who want to purchase or sell real estate or know someone who does.
For the more competitive among you, you might want to have a contest to see who has the most listing and sales the next 30 days pitting technology against what I modestly and informally call the “David Fletcher Prospecting for a Listing or Buyer Today and Not Stopping Until I Find at Least One” system.
One of your team members will need to be good typist. The other must be willing to leave the computer and risk mild rejection in exchange for the possibility of thousands of dollars in commission.
Instructions are always the same.
- Wear your name badge.
- Expect to get referred prospects today.
- If you start shaking and need to text someone to calm down, do it. Then, stay focused on what we are doing for at least two hours.
- Ask the question.
How it works:
The question: “As you can see (on my badge or Realtor pin), I am in real estate and I was wondering if you may know someone who might be wanting to buy or sell a home?”
Expect the person to say no at first, because they did not expect the question. Give them time to think about it.
Wait for them to return with a referral.
Actual scenarios:
Scenario 1: Two people, one of them an agent, are having lunch. (Lunch is always a good time and place.) The server approaches and a friendly but brief conversation ensues. She brings food, and the agent requests the server’s permission to ask a question. When granted, the agent asks, “Do you know anyone who might be thinking of buying or selling real estate?” The server says no.
The agent responds, “That’s fine. If you think of anyone I would appreciate it.”
Moments later she returns, saying that actually she is seeking to buy a house, but she is divorced and has a child and very little money. As it turns out, the agent specializes in working with low-income buyers. In this instance, the agent may not only get the sale — he may be helping someone who has not a clue what to do about her housing concerns. All because he asked!
Scenario 2: Same process, different restaurant, with two agents. The server does not refer any prospects. As the agents are leaving the restaurant, another restaurant worker opens the door. As the agents exit, one of the agents asks her the question.
“Yes, as matter of fact my mother wants to move nearer to me, but she has to sell her house first.”
In friendly fashion would there be any question you can think of that should be asked at this point?
How about this one:
AGENT: Does she have it listed?
WORKER: Not yet. Why don’t you call her?
AGENT: That’s a great idea.
The restaurant worker gives her mother’s telephone number to the agent.
The agent thanks her, then asks if she can let her mother know that an agent will be calling.
Result: The agent lists the mother’s house and sells her a house near her daughter. Why did he earn two commission checks?
Because he asked the question.
Scenario 3: Meeting with 12 agents at a large mall. The agents are instructed to break into six groups and start shopping.
Some keys for the agents’ success:
They must not rush the question.
They should wait for a salesperson to ask a question.
MALL SALESPERSON: May I help you?
AGENT: I hope so. As you can see (by my pin or badge), I am in real estate and I was wondering if you knew anyone who might be selling or buying a home.
MALL SALESPERSON: No.
The agent may continue to shop at the store, and can perhaps double-back through the store before returning to the original meeting spot.
Give the agents 90 minutes to obtain as many referred prospects as they can find. When I conducted this exercise with a group of agents, they had obtained over 20 names of prospects. Not all of them were urgently seeking to buy or sell, but the agents were pumped.
I never knew what happened on this one, but I can trust that they learned to continue prospecting for referred prospects in a personal way.
Why did they get the names of these prospects? Because they asked!
Scenario 4: An agent wants to prospect specifically for listings, and decides to target some hotspots for soon-to-be sellers — namely, some home improvement retailers.
The agent asks shoppers for their opinion about some hardware, and then pops the question.
The agent ends up getting a call to schedule a listing presentation.
Why? Because the agent asked.
The challenge
Divide participants into two teams: the “technology typists” and the “passionate prospectors.” The team that lists and writes the most contracts with new prospects wins.
If the typists lose, they take the prospectors to lunch and ask the winning team to share their techniques. If the prospectors lose, they have to prove to the typists that they are willing to adopt new technologies to improve their business and — better yet — are willing to learn to correctly use the technology provided by their broker
via inman.com
Email A/B Split Test Experiment | Email Marketing Strategy | Armonk NY Homes
No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.
– Albert Einstein (1879-1955)If you’ve been following my Marketing Over Coffee (MoC) blog series, you know that we’ve been running a little experiment here at the Factory. My first blog post introduced the experiment, which involved testing two MoC email templates against each other. The first template was very text-heavy and light on design. The second, which Blue Sky Factory designed, involved more HTML design, followed industry best practices, and was more polished and professional looking.
My second blog post revealed these two creatives and compared them against each other. I explained how, by all email best practices, the second template was “better” than the first. I then went on to outline how the A/B split test would work.
Previously Used Template
New Template
Let The Testing Begin!
The A/B split test was launched on September 22nd to 40% of the MoC email list. 20% of their list received the old template, while the other 20% received the new template. Subject line, From Name, email content and date/time of send were all completely identical so that the only factor we were testing was the actual template design. We allowed the A/B test to run for a sufficient amount of time, then gathered the email metrics to determine the winning email that would be sent to the remaining 60% of the list.
After letting the A/B test run for two hours, the new template had a slight edge on the old template. The old template had received an open rate of 9.8% and a click-through rate of 0.9%. The new template, however, had received an open rate of 11.6% and a click-through rate of 2.3%. Satisfied with these results, we sent the “winning” new template to the remainder of the list.
We continued to follow the results of the A/B test into the next day, and then something interesting happened…
It Turned Into A TIE!
Seriously, the results were almost identical. The old template finished strong with a 25.7% open rate and a 4.2% click-through rate, whereas the new template received a 27.0% open rate and a 4.7% click-through rate. The new template’s results were still slightly higher, but it certainly did not blow the old template out of the water. In addition, the MoC team tracked downloads of an OPML file on their site. MoC found that unique clicks from each email to the OPML file were almost identical from the two templates, while there were more repeat clicks to the file from the old template than the new template.
What We Learned
What a colossal waste of time, you may be thinking. Not so! What we learned from this experiment was that industry best practices do not necessarily work for all audiences. To learn what works for your email recipients, you must Test, Test, Test! Not all audiences will respond to the same type of subject line, call-to-action, email design, landing page, etc. Test different types with your own email recipients, and use what works best for your email campaigns.
So What Now?!?
With these inconclusive results in mind, what does Marketing Over Coffee plan to do moving forward? After speaking with Chris Penn, one of the co-hosts of MoC, about the A/B test results, they plan on using a “hybrid” email template for future campaigns. They will use the design and look of the new template, and apply that to the “barebones simplicity” of the old template. This will help MoC to maintain the polished, professional look of the new template, while keeping the email template easy to use for the MoC team.
Intrigued by this experiment and want to conduct your own? Click here to read how to get started with your own A/B test. Ready to run a creative A/B test of your own? Check out our creative portfolio to see what our team can do, and contact us if you’re ready to start experimenting!
Joanna Lawson-Matthew
Account Manager, Blue Sky Factory
Armonk NY Real Estate Report | RobReportBlog | January 2011
Armonk NY real estate was UP 34% in 2010 compared to 2009. Very good news. The Armonk NY median price dropped 6.37% to $955,000. Sellers understand there is a lot of competition to sell and need to price accordingly.
2010 Armonk Sales Numbers
82 sold
3664 average square feet
$4,000,000 high price
$460,000 low price
$955,000 Median price
$337 average price per foot
215 average days on market
92.95% average sold to ask price
2009 Armonk Sales Numbers
61 sold
3906 average square feet
$5,100,000 high price
$425,000 low price
$1,020,000 Median price
$338 average price per foot
190 average days on market
91.56% average sold to ask price
5 Steps To An Armonk NY New Year’s Resolution | Armonk NY Real Estate
How to Make a New Years Resolution That Works
Do you remember the New Year resolutions you made last year?
If you’re like most people, you made New Year resolutions – but you probably didn’t stick with them all year long.
But New Year resolutions are a good thing – so what’s the secret to making and keeping your New Years resolutions?
1. Make Resolutions You Can Achieve
Most New Years resolutions can be achieved, but not all of them are realistic.
If you want to feel good about your resolutions, don’t set unrealistic goals. Saying “I resolve to lose 100 pounds this year” if you don’t know how you’re going to achieve your goal is a sure way to fail. Help yourself by only making New Years resolutions you can keep.
2. Make 2 or 3 Resolutions You Can Keep and 1 You’ll have To Stretch To Keep
By making realistic resolutions that you can keep, you’ll set yourself up to feel good about yourself when you achieve your resolutions.
And by making 1 New Years resolution that you’ll have to really work at to achieve, you’ll challenge yourself to be successful.
3. Write Down Your New Years Resolutions
Do you really want to make some changes in the New Year? Then you need to put at least a little thought into the changes you’d like to make.
Blurting out a few resolutions at a New Years party may be fun, but you probably won’t take them seriously. But if you take a few moments to think about some realistic changes you’d like to make – you’ll surprise yourself by being successful.
4. Put Your Written New Years Resolutions Someplace Where You Can Find Them
About a week after New Years, take out your list of resolutions and start planning how you’re going to achieve your goals.
Weight loss, making more money or travel, if your goals are achievable and you actually come up with a plan, your New Years resolutions will become a reality.
5. Celebrate Your Success
When you achieve one of your New Years resolutions, reward yourself and celebrate. Your friends will be amazed when you say “I just achieved one of my New Years resolutions.
New Years resolutions are a good thing. Improve yourself, make a positive change, do something you’ve always wanted to do. Make the New Year count – you’ll be glad you did.
Scarlett Johansson Loses $3 Million On LA Home Sale | Armonk NY Real Estate
Many American homeowners lost their shirts, their shorts and even their homes when the U.S. economy fell off the wall like Humpty Dumpty. Two years later the government still struggles to put it all back together again while regular hardworking Americans and stars of all stripes continue to be pummeled by the steep devaluation of their real estate investments, many of which were purchased at the peak of the recent real estate bubble.
Even though they priced them far below what they paid, there were oodles of celebs who failed to sell their homes in 2010 and many who lost substantial amounts of money, even when they did manage to offload their properties. And still other famous folks, like Latoya Jackson, Timothy Busfield and hip-hop entrepreneur Damon Dash, found themselves forced into foreclosure on luxurious and expensive residences they could no longer afford.
One of the biggest losers in the 2010 celebrity real estate game was idiosyncratic and stunningly beautiful actress Scarlett Johansson who plunked down a very A-list $7 million to buy a huge house in May of 2007 in the star studded Outpost Estates section of Los Angeles. (This was before she wed Ryan Reynolds; she and Reynolds made headlines this week when they announced their marriage was over after just two years.) Her neighbors included Oscar nominated desperate housewife Felicity Huffman and Oscar winner Charlize Theron. Property records show Johansson caught a very serious and costly case of the real estate fickle and sold the 1930s Spanish hillside villa at a pocketbook punishing $3 million loss in June of 2010.
10 Ways to Pick Your Paint Color In North Salem NY | North Salem NY Real Estate
Picking house paint colors isn’t just difficult. It’s terrifying! Pick colors that are blah, and your house will seem flat and featureless. But if the colors you pick are too bold, they might overwhelm the architecture… and upset the neighbors.
The best colors will highlight the most beautiful features of your home. Skillful use of color can even disguise design flaws, boosting the curb appeal and market value of your home. How do you find that magic color combination? Follow these tips.
1. Honor History
If you’re planning to paint an older home, you’ll probably want to use a historically accurate color scheme. You can hire a pro to analyze old paint chips and recreate the original color. Or, you can refer to historic color charts and select shades that might have been used at the time your home was built.
2. Jazz Up the Past
In some neighborhoods, homeowners fly in the face of history. Instead of choosing historically accurate colors, they paint their houses modern colors to dramatize architectural details. Using bright colors on old architectural details can produce startling and exciting results. But before you buy 10 gallons of bubblegum pink, it’s a good idea to look at what your neighbors are doing. A fluorescent colored Victorian that looks splendid in San Francisco will seem wildly out of place in more conservative neighborhoods.
3. Consider Your Neighbors
The house next door can give you paint color ideas, but don’t copy your neighbor exactly. Choose colors that set your house apart, without clashing with nearby buildings.
4. Borrow From Nature
The landscape around your house is blooming with color ideas. Trees may suggest an earthy palette of greens and browns. A beach setting might suggest vivid blues, turquoises, and coral colors. Even the garden in your front yard can inspire exciting color combinations.
5. Check the Roof
Your house is your canvas, but it is not blank. Some colors are already established. What color is your roof? Your paint color doesn’t need to match the roof, but it should harmonize.
6. Look For Things That Won’t Be Painted
Every home has some features that will not be painted. Does your house have brick walls? Vinyl windows? A natural wooden door? Will steps and interior railings remain their existing colors? Choose a color scheme that harmonizes with colors already present on your house.
7. Find Inspiration in Your Living Room
It may seem comical to paint entire house based on the pattern of a pillow case, but this approach does make sense. The color of your furnishings will guide you in the selection of your interior paint colors, and your interior paint colors will influence the colors you use outside. Once again, your goal is to harmonize.
8. Focus on Details
Depending on the size and complexity of your home, you may want to choose two, three, or as many as six colors. In addition to color for your siding, select accent colors for shutters, moldings, doors, window sashes, brackets, columns, and porch decks. But beware: too many colors will overwhelm your house. Too few can make your house seem flat and uninteresting.
9. Use Light to Add Size
It’s no wonder large, grand estates are often painted white. Light colors make a building look larger, and white is the favored color for traditional classical architecture. You can add to your home’s sense of size and dignity by using white or a pale cream color.
10. Go Dark For Drama
Dark siding or dark bands of trim will make your house seem smaller, but will draw more attention to details. Darker shades are best for accenting recesses, while lighter tones will highlight details that project from the wall surface. On traditional Victorian homes, the darkest paint is often used for the window sashes.