Go Beyond MLS » Advertising

If Chris Was A Realtor…

Vlad Zablotskyy — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:45:04 +0000

One of the blogs I enjoy reading, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in on line marketing and social media, is that written by Chris Brogan. Not sure if Chris is hunting for a house these days or maybe just helping some one in real estate to marketed their website, the title of his latest his latest post certainly jumped at me- If I Were A Realtor.

If any real estate agent would set up to do only first three things from Chris’ list they, without a doubt, can dominate in their market:

I’d write a blog about the location where I was selling.
I’d take tons of pictures and post them on the blog.
I’d shoot walking tour videos all the time with a Flip camera and post them.

You can read Chris’ entire list at his blog, make sure to subscribe to his latest posts while you there.

I think it is always refreshing to hear a different perspective from someone who is not necessarily in our “niche” or industry. Yeah, I hear you. Any one could write a list like that, right?.. Wrong! While Chris is a marketing genius he also represents the mindset of today’s home buyer or seller. Home buyers and sellers no longer have little choice where to go. Plus, you are no longer the guy or the gall with “the book” in town.

On this note I would like to wish all the readers of this blog Happy Holidays and may the next year be the best year you have ever had!Similar Posts:

Google Is Testing New Ad Formats

Vlad Zablotskyy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:40:42 +0000

Yesterday, Google announced that they are testing new ad formats that among other things will include video. This is how they explained:

Text is often useful, but sometimes videos and pictures are a more effective way to receive information. For example, if you want to learn a magic trick, a video showing you how to perform the trick is likely the best result. So over the past few years, we’ve blended videos, images, maps and more into the search results on Google.com.

While I have seen many Google video ads on different websites and blog I have yet to see one of these ads in the search results. But according to Official Google Blog US residents have seen these ads:

AdWords advertisers had an option to create video ad for quiet some times. It would be however difficult for real estate agents to benefit from these video ads in the search results because the longest ad that you can create for your AdWords campaign cannot exceed 120 seconds. Hardly enough time to make a quick video tour of your listing! I am sure however that many creative and innovative real estate agents can use these video ads to promote their real estate business.Similar Posts:

Testing BuySellAds.com Advertising Marketplace.

Vlad Zablotskyy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:31:22 +0000

Having tried a dozen of different ad managing systems, ranging from WordPress Plugins to Google Ad Manager I am giving BuySellAds.com a spin.

BuySellAds.com is an advertising marketplace for small to medium sized website owners and publishers. Once approved, which takes about 24 hours, you can create adzones for your website or blog and add them to your website by simply copying and pasting code. If you blog or website is powered by WordPress, you may also consider using BuySellAds WordPress Plugin by Thaya Kareeson of Omninoggin.com. I personally have not tried the plugin myself yet, however I am considering using it in the future. The plugin includes ati-adblock measures to prevent AdBlock as well as other similar software from blocking advertisements from Buy Sell Ads.

The user interface on BuySellAds.com is rather straight forward and it took me no more than 20 minutes to create and implements ad zones for this blog. Visit Go Beyond MLS ad listing page on BuySellAds.com to see more details about ads available on this blog. The listing page provides some useful information for potential advertisers, such as Alexa Traffic Rank, Compete Rank, Twitter Subscribers etc.

One of the reasons I have decided to try BuySellAds.com is that they have decent marketplace which is very easy to use by potential advertisers to find and purchase ads on desired websites and blogs.

Should you decide to give BuySellAds.com your payout will be 75%. For example if the cost of your ad is $10 ($10 is the minimum you can price your ads by the way) your pay out will be $7.50. You can choose the payment option to be PayPal, Check or Wire Transfer.

If you have used the BuySellAds.com for your website as well I would love to know your experience with them, so don’t be shy – leave a comment! Similar Posts:

I Need a Killer Press Release-Now What???: A Guide to Online PR- Now Available at Amazon

Vlad Zablotskyy — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:45:18 +0000

Not so long ago Janet Meiners Thaeler graciously agreed to write a guest post for my blog. She was extremely busy writing her book and I would understand if she declined my invitation to write a blog post for Go Beyond MLS.

Today I am happy to let you know that Janet’s Book is now available on Amazon.com and it is available in print and in digital format for Kindle users- I Need a Killer Press Release–Now What???: A Guide to Online PR

Who may be interested in Janet’s Book?

If you are the owner of small to mid-size business and would like to learn the power of online press releases you need this book. This book will teach you how to capture attention of news publications and deliver online visibility your business needs.

Janet has written hundreds of press releases for businesses across spectrum of niches, you can follow her work at http://www.newspapergrl.com/ and I hope you seriously consider using her services the next time you are ready to write a press release.Similar Posts:

Entrecard Traffic Exchange With Benefits? I Am Not Getting It.

Vlad Zablotskyy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:11:47 +0000

While some of my friends are using Entrecard for networking, I am still very sceptical about the service…

The mechanics of the Entrecard are quiet simple. After your blog is approved, other blog owners can “drop” their card on you or purchase an ad on your blog with Entrecard credits.

I presume if you have plenty of time on your hands, you can drop your card on other blog owners all the day long. It may increase a chance that that a blog owner, on whom you dropped your card, may pay you a visit back, and this where Entrecard reminds me of a traffic exchange scheme.

You can however “purchase” advertising on blogs that use and Entrecard widget with the credits you and your blog earns, or the credits you can purchase from Entrecard.

Unfortunately, in the Real Estate category there are very few blogs that I would like to exchange traffic and/or banners. And so far the banners “bought” on my blog are from the blogs that are not quiet relevant to my own blog.

It is interesting to see that in order to advertise on my blog it will cost other Entrecard members 4 credits per day. If one was to buy the credits, he or she can advertise on my blog for 250 days for only $6.00. Quiet a difference from the rate I offer currently to my potential sponsors.

Of course these figures may change in the future, and I would like to know how does Entrecard determine their rates. But to be completely honest, I don’t see myself staying with Entrecard. I am taking it for a spin (no more than 3 months), so I can say I tried it. Let see if Entrecard will change my mind.

If you are using Entracard please share what do you think is the best practice when using that system.Similar Posts:

AdWords Introduces Ad Auctions

Vlad Zablotskyy — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:34:32 +0000

When I read the headline this morning for the first time on AdWords Blog, I thought to myself – “This cannot be good!”. Auction means bidding against your competitors, and when the bidding wars will get out of hand, the end user will suffer.

Well, Google found the way around it by keeping the ad quality in the auctions. Watch the video for yourself and let me know what do you think. It makes a lot of sense to me.

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Outsource Your Press Release To A Pro

Vlad Zablotskyy — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:04:06 +0000

Many of my readers have probably ran into Janet Meiners Thaeler aka NewspaperGirl. If you did not meet Janet on Twitter, you probably have read her articles on Marketing Pilgrim. If you know Janet, you know she is an expert as far as press releases go. If you did not know that, you know it now.

So why I am bringing up press releases and (re)introducing Janet to you? Simple. I believe that press releases will be on the rise this year, considering economic factors. Long time ago (about 2 or 3 years), Janet, while still blogging on WordPress.com blog, wrote about her experiment with press releases. Comparing to PPC advertising, press releases delivered visitors to her websites at a consistent rate of 5 cents per click or less. Even back then you really needed to “babysit” and “sweat” over your PPC campaigns to keep the cost per click under 20 cents.

Janet got me hooked on PRWeb. My first $40 press release brought a 300% return on my investment during the first day of the press release going live. To make the long story short, I have never felt like I wasted money on a press release. PPC??? Well that’s another story….

There are however a few challenges with press releases. Not being a good writer with added difficulty of English as my second or third language, I never felt comfortable writing press releases. I certainly never scored highly as far as editorial review goes, probably just barely passed the scrutiny of PRWeb to get my releases published. Writing for my blogs is different. Most of you are very forgiving as far as my grammar goes. But press releases are different…

Slowly I came to realize that press release is something I will have to outsource. So to my surprise, when visiting Janet’s blog, I discovered that she is now offering Press Release Writing Services. Knowing Janet’s background in blogging, marketing and social media – there can be no better person to write my press releases. I am planing to use Janet’s services for my Interpreting and Translating Business. If you need a solid press release, you should consider her services as well. Don’t take my word for it. Read what Jeremy Shoemaker (aka Shoemoney) wrote about Janet’s press releases- a very powerful testimony testimony if you asked. Not trying to be mean to Jeremy, but it is good to know we can compete on the level of grammar. Similar Posts:

Paid Review. Is It Worthed?

Vlad Zablotskyy — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:14:00 +0000

Seams like the subject of paid reviews will be around for some time. While I have a unique prospective on paid blogging, I think the proper place to discus the subject will be on Sage Blogger, the blog where I write about affiliate marketing and related subjects of making money online.

I do however need to thank Greg Swann and Chris Johnson for stirring up emotions associated with the subject.

While some may think that such an article may fit better on this blog, the truth is that vast majority of real estate bloggers are not looking to to monetize their blogs. However most of the visitors to my Sage Blogger come to it looking for things that will make you money on the Internet- many are them are bloggers who will consider signing up with one of the paid/sponsored reviews websites.

I will leave the readers of Go Beyond MLS with a following thought. Paid review was the worst mistake I ever made as far as blogging is concerned. If blogging is your long term goal, paid and sponsored reviews maybe prove to be very shortsighted strategy and can sometimes cost you way more in legal fees should things go awry as a result of your review.Similar Posts:

Go Beyond MLS Goes With OpenX- And So Should You!

Vlad Zablotskyy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:06:55 +0000

There is a very good chance than many readers of this blog, have followed a wave of raving reviews of OpneX on many major technical blogs and websites- TechChurch, TechCrunhc UK, ReadWriteWeb, Cnet, Ostattic. If you ever wonder what is the secret to a company that survives times like these as if there was no recession in the economy- the answer is their product.

As you may remember, just few days ago the advertising on this blog was served by ShowYourAdHere- another simple and attractive solution as far as serving advertising is concerned.

But as traffic on this and my other websites is growing, I needed a solution that could provide me and my advertisers with a solution aimed at surviving tough economic times- there is hardly any solution that come close to OpenX’s ad management software.

Here is just short summary why you would want to consider giving OpenX a closer look as a publisher and/or as an advertiser.

Why join OpneX as a publisher?

Before I start, I need to go back in history. While OpenX may not ring the bell at the first time, you might have heard of OpenAds in the past. Well OpenX is the new name! They are currently offering two great solutions- a free open source ad management solution (available for download at OpenX) and a hosted version where you do not need to download nor install anything (besides copying and pasting into your website the invocation codes for your ad zones). Of course I highly recommend trying the hosted version before you commit to mange ad sever on your own web server.

While there is a considerable learning curve for any one who have never used OpenX before, the end result is well worth the effort. If you are managing a network of websites, OpenX allows you to start running campaigns with a click of a button across different websites- while offering you 25 million impression a month for free. If your website requires more impression, you of course have a choice of either upgrading to premium hosted packages or downloading the free version of the software.

There is however a real treat of becoming OpenX publisher – their OpenX Market, a chance to earn money while using an outstanding piece of software. You have an absolute control on which of your campaigns you can allow advertisers to place their ads while setting a “floor price” which advertiser need to beat in order to be allowed to show their ads on your website or network of websites.

Why should you join OpenX as an advertiser?

Just consider following factors:

Fast growing community of quality publishers and very targeted niches
Raving reviews by tech bloggers (see the first paragraph)
Ability to laser target your audience. OpenX is probably the only software out there that can compete with Google as far as targeting options go. Which of course allows you to save bundle of money on visitors a clicks you don’t ask for.
Ability to track your ROI so you can know exactly where your profits are.

Whether you are a small time blogger, giant publisher or an advertiser OpenX offers a product that is a “win win” for every one.Similar Posts:

LeapFish Caught Red Handed Spamming TechCrunch

Vlad Zablotskyy — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:30:23 +0000

UPDATE May13, 2010: Things pertaining to LeapFish.com, their founders and management, along with related startups are no longer of interest to me, therefore no further comments are allowed on this post. There are also more reliable sources out there (such as Better Business Bureau) to help you make an informed decision about LeapFish.

***You may also want to know that the Law Firm of Daniel Bakondi, in San Francisco, CA, is investigating a possible Class Action Law Suit Against LeapFish.

Many internet startups find it privileged to be reviewed by TechCrunch. But even if TechCrunch’s verdict for you is a deadpool, although the author did not tagged that post with “deadpool“, it is still an opportunity for dialog. LeapFish’s employees screwed up so badly that opportunity that TechChrunch team had to ban their IPs from posting comments. Here are the snapshots of some parts of that exchange:

Please note that Robin Wauters is the author of the original article on TechCrunch.

Here is another warning by Robin which LeapFish employees completely ignore:

Finally TechCrunch blocks the IPs from where the shill comments appear to originate:

Later the CEO of LeapFish showed up and “apologized” for his employees- you can read the entire exchange on TechCrunch.

Back in May, United Kingdom legislators have made it illegal for businesses to engage in the above described deceptive marketing.

It may not be such a bad idea to prohibit and criminalize such behavior here in the US as well. Don’t you think?

Update: Bellow are the links to more LeapFish reviews.

LeapFish Review by Better Business Bureau. Note that BBB.org rates LeapFish at C- on a A+ to F scale.

A Brief Tale Of Sleaze- LeapFish should take Rob Shore’s advise and never lie to their potential clients.

Three Scams and Rip-Offs to Report – Kit Eliot describes his “encounter” with LeapFish.

Leapfish: Google Competitor or Flash In The Pan?- i think it is rather funny, or insane, to think that LeapFish can actually be viewed as Google’s competitor. But it sure makes a good headline. Well put article, a must read.

LeapFish Affiliate Program. Can Giveaways Keep It Afloat?- a post by yours truly. I thought it was a mistake to link their affiliate program to the basic function of their website- the search function. Their widgets also contain SEO friendly links back to their website- my conclusion their affiliate program is really a linking scheme to gain rankings in search engines.

Leapfish is a scam…maybe?- Patrick Sullivan Jr is offering his opinion about leapfish. The blog have attracted number of comments- well worth reading.

LeapFish Sucks- a take on LeapFish by Cole Pannell- a web designer and a SEO professional.

LeapFish.com advertisers beware – yet another account of dealing with LeapFish sale people.

Leapfish Review – Is LeapFish.com an opportunity, scam, or just another meta search site?- short but to the point rundown about advertising on LeapFish- needless to say the author passes on the opportunity to advertise or invest in LeapFIsh.Similar Posts:

Thank You MortgageCalculator.org

Vlad Zablotskyy — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:25:04 +0000

Mortgage Calculator WidgetI would like to take this opportunity and thank the owners of MortgageCalculator.Ogr for advertising on this blog. MortgageCalculator.org offers free motrgage calculators for your website or blog and you can install the calculator in seconds by simply grabbing a piece of code and pasting it into your website’s template. On the right is an example of the mortgage calculator in action, and if you prefer you can have this calculator in a form of WordPress Plugin.

NOTE TO MORTGAGECALCULATOR.ORG CREW: I would strongly recommend changing/adjusting CSS file for your javascript widget. Apparently the “div” containing the logo image in the calculator is named “header”. Many WordPress themes as well as other websites already have CSS values named “header” this can be very frustrating to users whose websites background images are code through CSS. I have not tried your WordPress plugin, but I am guessing it may have similar problem.

Again thank you for advertising on my blog!

You can advertise on Go Beyond MLS through Show Your Ad Here.Similar Posts:

PRWeb: Easy And Powerful Media Tool

Vlad Zablotskyy — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:09:34 +0000

PRWeb is widely recognized as the leader in press release distribution. Many companies use this service to generate online buzz and even get attention of major publications. PRWeb is extremely well positioned for promoting your real estate website. Your press release can be targeted to a specified metropolitan so your the traffic to your website can be as local as possible. Following video explains how PRWeb works:

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Introducing Free Classifieds For Realtors

Vlad Zablotskyy — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:32:23 +0000

As a token of my appreciation to my readers I have created a system called Free Classifieds at Go Beyond MLS- where any real estate agent can showcase their properties. I can’t promise you exposure via national TV stations, but you will have the share of 2,000+ monthly visitors to this website. Unfortunately there is a limit of how much I can give a way. If you decide to use this service, your classified ad will remain only 30 days. All I ask is to please let me know if your listing sells before the 30 day period is up. To use this service all you have to do is to fill out following form.

My next post, while being a bit humorous, will show you how your listing will look like on my website.Similar Posts:

Go Beyond MLS Joins New Advertising Marketplace

Vlad Zablotskyy — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:06:24 +0000

I am very excited to announce that this blog is listed at Show Your Ad Here- an advertising marketplace launched just two days ago. If you have a blog and are searching for easy solution to manage ads on your blog (or your website), you should seriously consider to become a Publisher at Show Your Ad Here. I will not however go into details of becoming a publisher besides saying it is free. Yes, you don’t have to pay a penny to use it.

I will however dedicate more time how Show Your Ad Here can benefit you as an advertiser. I can guarantee you will hear a lot more on different blogs about this new system. Here are just some highlights of what you can expect at Show Your Ad Here as an advertiser:

Your add can go live within minutes of purchasing as long as you adhere to advertiser guidelines. You do not need to wait hours or even days for your ad to be approved.
Your banners will be hosted by Show Your Ad Here.
Finally and most importantly you will have an opportunity to provide feedback about your publisher.

I have been searching for similar solution for quiet some time and intent to replace AdBrite ads on this blog with Show Your Ad Here in the near future. If you have purchased any ads via AdBrite I will still fulfill my part of the deal, however I will not approve any further AdBrite purchases.

Why Should You Consider Advertising On This Blog?

Not too long ago, this blog was in a “dormant” state. Lately, however, I have been concentrating more on this blog, sparking some lively discussions and increasing my efforts in promoting this blog. This of course began to translate nicely in the amount of visitors. Here are some figures:

To see other statistics about visitors to this website visit Quantcast.com

What kind of audience will you advertise to?Most of my subscribers and visitors are real estate agents who visit this blog for tips on internet marketing.

With that being said I invited you to advertise on my blog. Currently there are to ad zones that you can place your advertising in. One is on the very top just below the main navigation menu- you can place a 728×90 banner in that zone. The second zone is located on the side bar, just below the subscription options- this ad zone is for a 336×280 banner. The introductory price for each zone is $5 per week. You can reserve your spot for one, two, three or four weeks at a time.Similar Posts: