“I have writer’s block, again.”

“I write a paragraph and don’t know what else to say.”

“I don’t have anything new to say that has not been previously written.”

Do you find yourself thinking any of the above scenarios?

First you need to know that you do have something to say.  It may have already been discussed on someone else’s blog or article but not always from the same viewpoint or written in the same style as your own. If you believe you have a story to tell, you will find that story.

#1 – Check your Send box. By far the most material for blogs and articles comes directly from my Send email box.  I answer questions from clients and potential clients nearly daily.  Half the battle has been won because you already know what it is that others may want to know.  So check your Send box and see if you can find a topic that might spur a thought which can lead to an article or blog post. Elaborate on your answer and create 350 words from that entry.

#2 – Take a survey.  www.Surveymonkey.com is free to set-up a survey whereby you can ask your subscribers (if you have an email list) or your colleagues, family or friends to take the survey and find out what it is they want to know.  Once the survey questions are designed in Surveymonkey.com, you receive a link which can be posted to your website, blog or your can include in an email.  Just ask a few questions about topics people want to know more about and if you can offer a free consultation or a free e-book or tips page, all the better.

3 – Sign up for other people’s newsletters.  But do this sparingly because it can become overwhelming. I like to subscribe to blogging experts, real estate professionals and other virtual assistant newsletters. This offers a great source of information and let’s me know what it is people in my target field are interested in reading.  Tip: Create a separate email just for newsletters such as a gmail or yahoo account. This way your business email does not flood with newsletters and email marketing.

4 – Find a forum related to your industry and participate in the discussion.  There are many forums out there for nearly every business and there are forums on LinkedIn and Facebook which also offer a means to find material.

5 – Create Google Alerts for topics you want to know more about.  You will receive a myriad of blog posts, articles and comments in your Inbox which are specific to your needs.  Use that gmail or yahoo box for your Google Alerts as well. You can receive alerts daily or weekly depending upon your preference.  If you find that an alert you have set up is not suitable to good material, click the delete button and keyword other topics.  A good way to find good Google Alerts is to run a key word list from Google’s own keyword tool https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

6 – Go to the Library. As basic as this may sound, there is no other place I have found which one of the best sources for materia.  Find an hour a month to go to the library and peruse the periodicals.  Here I can find real estate news for my real estate articles, small business news for my blog and newspaper articles from papers I do not subscribe to at home.  I also find local news and small papers in my area which prove helpful to reach local customers.  Further, I just find the library to be a relaxing atmosphere so much more gets done without a phone ringing or hearing the ding that an email has come in.

7 – If you are a virtual assistant, ask your clients for publications.  I received a box of real estate magazines from a realtor once which kept me in writing material topics for months. Ask your clients to send you e-newsletters they receive from the varying organizations many real estate professionals are members. Many of my blog posts for real estate are generated from Realtor.org for example.

8 -   Write from personal experience. If you have a tale to tell about your interaction with a client use this as a means for discussion.

9 – Create a videoblog instead of a written blog post.  You can use Camtasia Studio for free for 30 days and with this program you can explain ‘how you did something’ in video format.  http://www.techsmith.com/download/camtasiatrial.asp Or try your hand with Windows Movie Maker or Powerpoint to make a slide presentation.

10 – Create an audio and post this to your blog. You can use Audacity for free http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Topics to consider would be “how-to’s” or ‘the benefits of doing something in particular vs something else.

11 – Take a picture and write about it.  If you see something funny or peculiar, this often can trigger good material. Posting a photo adds a nice visual and can drive your point home.

12 – If you are a real estate professional, and have not already, create a Rainmaker account on ActiveRain and then sign on for their daily webcast of popular posts.  On days when you just can not find something to write about, comment someone’s blog post. But there are many great topics discussed on ActiveRain and ideas which regularly prove useful.  If you are a real estate virtual assistant, you can open an account on ActiveRain as well and post your blog there and/comment others’ discussions.

13 – Recycle an older blog post or article and add something new to it.

14 – Take a webinar course through Hubspot and then write about what you learned.  Sign-up for their webinar notifications and be informed when a topic comes about that may be of interest to you.

15 – Ask a question and then answer it yourself.  An example might be, “What marketing tools have I used in the past 6 months which have helped to increase my client base?”

16 – Use a new hardware or software product and write a product review. Even if you sign on for a free trial, use the product for a specified period of time and take notes on the things you liked or disliked.

17 – List 5 things you like about your job and create 5 paragraphs about each item.  It’s Ok to break down the likes into small increments. For example, if you are a coach, 5 things you may like about your job are:  marketing your business, writing an ebook, coaching new clients, running a teleseminar, speaking in small groups. Then take each item and elaborate about each.  What is it that you like about marketing? Is one type of marketing which you find to be the most challenging?  If so, why? If you like writing an ebook then discuss the process of writing and why you like it. Has the process been inspiring in some way? And so on.

18 – What is the funniest thing that has happened to you while on the job? Write about this and encourage your readers to tell their own tale.

19 – If you could write a book, what would that topic be about and why? If you could meet someone in the past, present or future, who would that be and why?  Try to make it business-related so you can reach your audience.

20 – If none of these tips work and you are completely tapped out for ideas, email me.  I will see if I can help you come up with a topic.

Because the Virtual Assistance industry is growing so rapidly there are now thousands of virtual assistants (VA) to choose from. And because clients work so closely with their VAs it is very important to find one that is a perfect fit for you. The task can be daunting. However, if you ask yourself the right questions and respect your answers you will be on the right path to choosing your perfect VA. Here are just a few questions to ask when choosing a virtual assistant:

1. What is your personality type? Are you a “Type A” that works well with other “Type A” personalities or do you need a more laid back person to work with? Or are you relaxed and need a “Type A” personality to keep you on track, on time and organized? Think about what type of person energizes you and consider a VA that compliments that.

2. What is your communication style? Are you a quiet person who doesn’t like to talk every day? Or are you better served by a daily or weekly phone call to connect? If you are chatty, don’t partner with a VA that prefers to be less-than-chatty. Neither one of you will be happy.

3. How often do you like to communicate? Do you like to email 5 times a day, once a day, once a week? How much communication do you want from your VA? Do you like to chat on the phone? Do you hate the phone and prefer email? It’s important to find a VA that matches that style. Trust me; you don’t want to receive 20 emails a day from an “in touch” VA if you prefer less but more focused communication.

4. What kind of commitment do you want? Do you have a ton of on-going projects and want a retainer agreement where you and your VA commit to a predetermined amount of hours per month? Or at this point in time do you have small projects that you need minimal help with? Save yourself time and determine this up front so you can skip the websites that claim they don’t offer project work or vice versa.

5. How involved do you want your VA to be in your business? Do you want her to brainstorm marketing ideas with you, rehash your business plan? Or do you have a preference for someone who will simply submit your work on time and keep your business admin tasks completed? Don’t partner with a VA that has involvement in mind or you’ll find yourself unhappy. Likewise, don’t ask a VA whose preference is to simply complete projects and email them to you to collaborate on an advertising campaign.

6. What kind of work style do you prefer? Do you prefer a more structured work style? Do you like pre-determined meeting times? Or can a spur-of-the moment phone call work for you? You’ll be much happier to partner with a VA that has the same work style as yourself.

7. How important it is for you “click” with your VA? Ideally, we all click to a degree with the professionals we hire, such as our accountant, lawyer, etc because we want to give our money to someone we trust and like. However, it’s crucial to really click and connect with your VA because she’ll become a partner in your business. Depending on your arrangement and needs, you could expect to talk with her daily. Some people prefer to have the expertise the VA offers and can manage without a personal connection and other business owners need the connection first and realize the VA can learn the skills necessary. Think about what would work best for you.

8. What kind of importance do you give certifications and associations? Do you want your VA to have a long list of official certifications or belong to a list of associations? If that’s important to you, there are many VAs who hold several certifications and belong to many associations. Not holding a certification doesn’t mean a VA isn’t qualified and professional but it might be something you want to consider.

9. Do you mind if your VA subcontracts to other virtual assistants? Many VAs make it a common practice to subcontract work out, but if she does, you should know that be ok with it. Do you prefer just one person to work on your projects? Do you care if other people manage your projects so long as your VA gives it the final approval before sending it on to you?

10. And last, but certainly not, least – do you trust your gut? Easier said than done when you start your VA search as there are now thousands of qualified, professional VAs running businesses. But once you talk to someone, communicate with them several times, get the responses you are looking for – then see what your gut tells you and go with it. You’ll be on your way to a successful relationship with your new virtual assistant.

Just a few simple questions can prevent a lot of misunderstanding and wasted time. Take your time with your VA search. If it works out perfectly, you’ll have a partnership that will benefit your business for years to come.

From TopPageInformationListing.info

Do you regularly thank your clients for their business? If so, do you customize your customer ‘thank yous’?

Do you thank potential clients and customers EVEN IF they do not purchase your services or products?

What medium do you use to show your appreciation…letter, handwritten card, email, postcard, tweets, etc.?

2010 will go over as the last year this virtual assistant will be over-marketed.

Email is my primary method of communication. I monitor several email Inboxes boxes, which quickly fill-up with marketing messages faster than I can hit the delete button.

Email Marketers use numerous tactics to increase their chances that I will open their email promotions. But the practice has backfired as many of these email marketing ploys have ended up in my delete box.

You see, marketing messages do not excite me anymore. It’s just too much hype.

I have been over-marketed and I am tired.

There was a time when I was motivated to read an article entitled, “9 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid…” or “Killer Marketing Methods You Can’t Afford to Pass Up” or “Smokin’ Hot Tips”.

But then EVERYONE started with ‘killer-this’ and ‘deadly-that’. By mid-year, every CD, eBook or Teleseminar was “Smokin’ Hot” and ‘Chock-full” of something or other. (I exaggerate to make a point.)

And so the thrill was gone.

Just tell it like it is.

Squeeze Pages Gone Wild

Squeeze pages or marketing pages no longer intrigue me. I once thought these sites were rather clever with their colorful fonts, lots of white space, enthusiastic text, ‘…if you click this button now you will receive direct to your Inbox, “10 Killer Tips (yep, ‘killer tips’, gag!) Which Will Make You Six Figures Richer in Six Months”.

And that was fine for a while, until I began to loathe the term ‘Six Figures’. Nearly every email marketer was using this self-despised term which I coined as ‘snake oil’ sales promotions.

The ‘six figure’ phrase preys upon the vulnerable so it is a shady term in my marketing book

I am not saying that creating ‘six-figure’ financial goals is wrong or that making ‘six figures’ does not happen for entrepreneurs. Many, many folks have made six-figure-plus fortunes.

But the term is overused. And when the promotional verbiage is no longer a unique selling tool, the credibility factor decreases.

It would be my wish that Marketers could be truthful and use a definite, realistic dollar amount claim instead of using an imaginary, general term which conjures up nothing more in my mind than ambiguity.

But the reality is this…consumers do not want the truth. They want to believe they can make ‘six figures’. And who is to say that someone will more likely open an email that states, “Make $50 More Per Week” versus “Make Six Figures in 12 months”?

And those contentious squeeze pages!

These are Marketing Emails which contain miles and miles of text with no clickable way ‘out of the website mire’ EXCEPT to buy the product or sign-up for a newsletter loaded with more self-promoting ads.

I feel trapped when I click on a squeeze page. But I know that they are a valuable tool for Marketers and if one is to make ‘six figures’ then marketers will employ every online tactic available.

Oh, no…not another Hover Ad!

Hovering ads over text on site pages are Everywhere! My knee jerk reaction is to click the X to remove these messages.

At one time, hovering ads were ‘polite’ and clever marketing ploys. Hover ads would appear in the corner of the viewing screen and quickly fade away. Now, a hover ad comes at me as if to pop out of the screen and wrap its beady little corners around my face.

It takes several minutes to find the X to close these gigantic ads, which are ever more hidden in the background colors. Hover ads refuse to ‘go away’ quietly.

I am reminded of one instance where I clicked on an article link and was taken to a website. Without warning, an ENORMOUS pop-up ad came out at me which can only be described as ‘shocking’. It took me several minutes to find the X to close the ad that I totally forgot why I even came to that page! I did, however, find the X to close out the entire site all together so nothing was accomplished for that marketer.

As a marketing virtual assistant, I know that if a hovering message appears 100 times a day prompting one individual to sign on, this may mean another online sale for the advertiser. But how many others are turned away with such ‘in yer face’ ads?

What’s In Your Email Subject Title?

Getting the recipient to open an email message is the most important objective in email marketing. If the receiver does not open the message, then nothing within that message will be read. So Marketers create email message titles which must insight a user to open.

But some of these marketing message titles simply border on vagueness and possible deception.

Earlier this year I read an article entitled, “Why No Business Should Be Involved In Online Social Networking”. The title was a great hook but the article was really about businesses being involved in social marketing and not necessarily social networking. After reading the article, the difference between the two terms was not significant. Many readers voiced a negative opinion to the author about the vague title more so than the contents of the article.

This backfired for the author.

So as I begin a new work year, I surmise that reading junk email marketing will find a smaller place in my work day.

I’m watching more videos now and listening to podcasts while I work. I am also signing on for more teleseminars and viewing more PowerPoint presentations. This is how I am receiving my marketing information and I feel more in control of how I spend my time.

I am rather disturbed by the news of the shooting of killing six people and injuring 12 others, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona this weekend. I’ve had a tough time concentrating on my work today.

I dislike discussing politics outside of my own circle because it just brings out such viciousness in people. Although I’m a long way from Arizona this horrific political event felt so close to my heart. Ever since 9/11, terroristic activities within our own country just seem so personal now.

I am ashamed at how volatile the political language in this country has developed.

During this past Florida state election, I was nauseated with the way politicians beat on each other; spewing venomous names and telling lies or half-truths about their opponent’s personal lives.

For the first time since coming of age to vote, I thought about not casting my ballot in the state election.

When someone commits a terrible act, such as the case in Arizona our media gives these evil individuals major press time personifying the glory that the perpetrators typically desire. TV and radio commentators fight with each other on-air while all of this is captured on YouTube and played continuously in a loop on the internet.

And this same venue plays out in the virtual business world as well.

When business owners have been ‘burned’ by a virtual assistant, many of the comments I read are cruel. These shafted business owners, although entitled to their opinion, certainly cannot justify similar political name calling in their business posts.

I have had my share of clients who have ‘burned’ me but I have not gone on record publicly chastising their businesses or marring their name.

The premise seems to be that if you don’t like someone, it’s OK to publicly reprimand an individual in any way possible.

As a virtual assistant, I write something every day. I think about what I write and I give great thought about who will be the recipient of what I say. I do not want to offend anyone. My presentation is all that I can regulate.

I cannot control what people say about me but I can control what I say about others.

The old adage, ‘sticks and stones….’ is wrong! Names do hurt and they fire-up those who do not think rationally. The Arizona terrorist is an angry, mentally deficient young man. His own posts give us reason to believe he was heavily influenced by the vicious diatribe between our elected officials.

Our current, dark political atmosphere is not to blame for this man’s behavior just as playing violent video games cannot be blamed for the Columbine massacre. But these influences help mold behavior; particularly for those with a sick mind.

In business and in politics, NOW is the time to reflect on how we communicate with each other. Gone are the days when it took a full day for news to reach us in today’s newspaper when we had time to reflect and discuss events with each other. Editorial comments were, well, edited…and for good reason.

The unedited internet has brought us all closer together but in many ways it has also created a divide.

There is no time to wipe-up a messy blog written in a tirade about someone who might have offended us. With a push of the ‘send’ button, these often insensitive comments have already gone out to be posted on someone’s site, somewhere in the world to be read on someone else’s computer screen.

They cannot be taken back.

Words create moods. They also affect behavior. Think about what we say and write about each other. Someone just may misinterpret and act in ways which may shock us.

Janine Gregor

By far the most difficult aspect of being a virtual assistant is working with a client who does not communicate.

I shake my head in dismay.

Clients want the help…they seek the assistance of a virtual assistant but some fail to recognize that good relationships take work.

I emphasize the need for communication in the consultation call. I include an entire page in my Welcome Packet explaining the importance of communication but after a week of working with new clients, old habits die hard.

The Scenario

It is Monday morning and I am ready to work. But I can’t. The client has not responded to last week’s email asking for an updated service list. The client has not responded to questions regarding last week’s work so even that effort remains unfinished.

So I put in a phone call but the client is not available.

Tuesday morning…still no response. This time I am asking if something is wrong. That happens. One of my clients fell off a ladder and I didn’t hear from her for several weeks.

Finally on Wednesday afternoon I receive a reply to last week’s emails but some of the questions were left unanswered. By now, I’ve ventured onto other client work and am engrossed because these clients are responding and thus they receive priority attention.

So I reschedule my work for Thursday to play ‘catch-up’ for the client who has now decided to respond with several apologies and excuses as to why my communication has gone unanswered.

I write a quick aggravated-infused email and then decide not to send it in the annoyed tone in which it was written. (A tip I learned years ago…write out how you feel and then hit delete.)

(Sometimes a client may sign on late in the week and we finally begin to get caught up on last week’s work but alas we are in the middle of an important discussion and I receive, “I am signing off for the rest of today and I won’t be back in my office until Monday.” )

Yes, that did happened…but I digress…

Friday I send out another email and put in another call to discuss the problem(s). I receive no response thus the following incommunicado-cycle begins again for the following week.

This has to stop. Something must be done. Shall I cut the client loose? It crosses my mind several times.

Here’s what I do:

• I ask to speak to the client and make myself available after hours if needed to rectify the situation.
• I explain in that call how difficult it is for me to efficiently book client time while ‘left in the lurch’ without the proper responses. I need to make the client see that I am business owner myself and that my time is valuable too. I say this in the call (nicely).
• I ask the client what we can do better to ensure that I receive the information in a timely manner. Although I prefer to receive service-related work requests the week before so I can plan accordingly for the following week, if Sunday afternoon is the only time she can answer my emails, then I can work with that.
• I set up a shared calendar so I can see when the client is available. (I do that for everyone now.) But again, this is part of the communication process and has to be maintained by the client.
• I summarize and confirm the discussion in a written email.

In some cases, this method solves the problem. But in other cases, we have a few ‘good’ weeks and the non-responsive cycle begins all over again.

Nothing is fail-proof; either you want to work with a virtual assistant or you do not.

I understand that some clients have full time jobs. But if a client is on a tight schedule for communicating with their virtual assistant, then some effort needs to be made BECAUSE I cannot do the work alone.

I’m here to partner with a business owner and like all collaborations good communication is key to success. Without an exchange of ideas, I am unproductive.

When I am ineffective, the client is wasting my time and their money.

I am here to help the business owner succeed. If they do not realize my purpose, I turn them loose.

It happens.

Have you heard the latest on the demise of email?  Sheryl Sandburg, COO of Facebook says, ‘Email is probably going away.”  Here’s the YouTube video clip.

Ms. Sandberg states, “If you want to know what people like us will do tomorrow, look at what teenagers are doing today.”  She continues, “… that only 11 percent of teenagers send daily emails while text messages and posts on social networking sites have become the norm.”

This is quite a monumental prediction…

Email is THE communication mode that I use for my virtual assistant business.  I also conduct personal correspondence through email.  This medium, of course is not the same as a phone call or a face-to-face meeting rather, it is the next form of communication in which I can create a meaningful message from afar to be re-read, sorted and acted upon. I could not conduct business through text messages nor could I tell my friend Julia about my weekend in 140 words or less.

So I am not sure I buy Ms. Sandberg’s forecast of the demise of email.

But then I noticed a news item on BizReport, Ben & Jerry’s drop email in favor of social media marketing announcing the decision to drop its email campaign and newsletters in favor of text messages, social networking posts and use of an iPhone app called ‘Scoop of Happiness’.

Hubspot also posted on the Ben & Jerry’s decision remarking, “This is the first major corporation to completely discontinue email marketing, a mainstay of internet marketing since the 90′s, for other internet channels. Ben & Jerry’s customers had indicated that they disliked the email despite loving the brand, which means that it wasn’t building the positive relationship that the famously brand-conscious ice cream company wanted.”

Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/6217/Ben-Jerry-s-Drops-Email-Marketing-In-Favor-of-Social-Media.aspx#ixzz0uAMPBiFX

Let it be known, I received both reports via email! I must have missed it on the social networking sites.

I still do not buy it…

Email and social network marketing have always worked together.

Diverse audiences receiving the same message…this is a marketer’s dream!  Although many marketers use Twitter and Facebook for posting messages, it is easy for a recipient to miss a Tweet or a Facebook  post. Volumes of information are passed through social media at any given moment that it is impossible to read everything on the social sites. And for this reason, email picks up where Twitter and Facebook may wane.

An email can sit in an Inbox until the user is ready to open it.

Email can be flagged for future use or downloaded at anytime in the case of a coupon or sale announcement. This is not the case with Twitter or Facebook.  Links to sites where pages can be downloaded and printed are offered on the social sites but this can be a hassle to ‘get to’ particularly if the marketer requires the use of a coupon; ultimately depending upon the use of a computer and a printer. While mobile coupon applications such as Groupon may be the wave of the future, the cost is still prohibitive for small business retailers.

Social sites create the buzz while emails promote the details.

There is no getting around the fact that if a marketer sends an email which the recipient wants to read, email is the bonafide tool to securing uninterrupted message-reading time. While the social sites are certainly significant in the promotion of marketing information, user attention spans are much shorter. This leaves retention of details at risk.   Pertinent marketing information is more likely to be overlooked or scanned without fully grasping the entire message.  Emails can be re-read while social marketing messages move to the bottom of the page as other messages take their place.

Ben and Jerry’s brand does not need email…but not every brand is as ubiquitous

It is true that a quality product like Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream does not need an email to remind me to purchase their brand.  Just walking past the ice cream case and seeing the adorable cartons sells itself.  Think Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey and the shopping cart traverses on its own…

But for small business owners who do not have the same brand recognition, email in conjunction with social sites and texting is still the best way to reach a captive audience.

Certainly food for thought…anyone have a spoon?  I’ll send an email.



This article is from a real estate column I am running in my newsletter, “Wizard’z Wordz”.

An Interview with Elayne Wooding of Showhomes, St. Petersburg

Considering that many of the readers of “Wizard’z Wordz” are real estate professionals, I thought to dedicate this month’s feature interview column to a real estate professional.

If you are not in the real estate industry, perhaps you are selling or buying a home or know someone who is…you may find this interview still rather interesting. Most small business owners are typically interested in learning about how others ‘think outside the box’.

This would be one such story.

Earlier this year, I came across an interesting article in Realtor.org entitled, “Consider Live-In Stagers for Vacant Homes” and was intrigued by the live-in concept. The article featured a company called Showhomes; a Nashville, Tenn.-based company, which has eight offices located in the state of Florida, (where I am located). Showhomes provides live-in stagers for vacant homes that are for sale.

I probed further and discovered a Showhomes office located in St. Petersburg which is managed by franchise owner Elayne Wooding.

Thank you, Elayne for so generously donating your time to answer a few interview questions for our readers.

Q – Please explain how you got into the staging industry and why you opened Showhomes St. Petersburg.

EW – I decided to become a home staging entrepreneur after working my way up the ladder in the real estate and finance fields. We’ve had so much negativity when it comes to real estate. I’m thrilled to be a part of a solution that helps everyone – the homeowners, Realtors, builders and top notch home managers that we find to live in the homes while they are on the market. It’s extremely rewarding to help people in distressed situations and homeowners who feel overwhelmed by all they are up against because of the market for high-end homes.

Q – Who is your ideal customer?
EW – The sagging real estate market has created ideal market conditions for Showhomes’ services, which help local realtors sell properties by transforming high-end vacant entities into valuable, staged homes.

Q – Why would a seller wish to use your services?
EW – If you present a vacant house, buyers are often unable to visualize the empty space as a home. Even if the empty house sells, it is often for a price far below the list price. Because the home is vacant, buyers expect a bargain – hoping to take advantage of an owner they think is desperate to sell. If you present a Showhome, buyers are able to visualize the fully furnished and decorated space as their home. This personal connection leads to a premium sale price. Buyers make higher offers because they have already bought a home in their mind – they can see it as theirs, and will offer a premium price to make sure it becomes theirs.

Q – If I were a seller, explain the steps involved in contracting with Showhomes.
EW – Contact us directly www.showhomesstpetersburg.com for a no obligation proposal.

Q – What is the cost of your services?
EW – Nominal Set-Up fee when Home Manager occupies the property, No monthly fees. Staging fees are paid at closing when the home sells.

Q – What types of homes do you accept into the Showhomes St. Petersburg program?
EW – Vacant homes generally starting from 300K to 8,000,000k.

Q – What are the benefits of staging a home using the services of Showhomes St. Petersburg?
EW – Transforming vacant houses into valuable, cared-for homes that buyers respond to.

Q – Do you have any statistics to back-up the benefits of your services? [Does a home sell faster? Receive more offers? Gain more traffic?]
EW - According to a survey from National Association of Realtors Showhomes sell 10%-20% faster and an average of 93% of list price.

Q – Besides staging a home, what role does the Home Manager play in the sale of a home?
EW – Keeping each home in show-to-sell condition seven days a week.

Q – With the Home Manager living at my home, do I have any guarantee that nothing will happen to the property?
EW – Showhomes contractually indemnifies the homeowner and backs this with property damage insurance on every home, plus $2,000,000 general commercial liability insurance. We also require each Home Manager to carry a minimum of $500,000 personal liability insurance.

Q – Are Home Managers’ backgrounds screened?
EW – All Home Managers undergo detailed credit and strict background checks.

Q – Can a Showhomes staged home be viewed 7 days a week?
EW – Homes will be accessible for showings seven days a week. Our Home Managers will open blinds and curtains and turn on lights to ensure that your home is in perfect condition when a buyer arrives. Buyers will see a perfectly maintained, tidy and clutter-free home.

Q – Where does the staging furniture and accessories come from? How is the staging-style determined, i.e., modern, eclectic, country, Florida-style, etc.?
EW – Home Managers who have contracted to keep your property looking like a model home. Furnishings and accessories that are appropriate for the property are owned and provided by the Home Manager and Showhomes supplements these as needed to make the property look its best.

Q – What happens if I do not like the way my home is staged?
EW – We inspect and arrange every detail to ensure that your home is shown at its best.

Q – Is there a ‘best’ time of the year to stage a home?
EW – Every time a home is on the market is the best time to state a home.

Q – Do you stage a home for holidays if requested by the seller? Do your stagers take requests for specific styles/designs if the homeowner requests this?
EW – We will use furniture and accessories that appeal to the demographic group most likely to be searching for a home in this area. We will create a warm and inviting environment.

Q – Are you specifically a staging company or do you have realtors on-site/staff selling my home in addition to staging it? Or do I use my own realtor?
EW – We are specifically a staging company. Many of our staff are licensed agents, but we work with agents as an extension of their marketing efforts and not competition.

Q – Showhomes is a franchise. Please tell us about the St. Petersburg franchise. Is your seller unique to other areas where Showhomes franchises are located? If so, explain why.
EW – Showhomes – known as America’s largest home staging company – began its operations in 1986 and started franchising in 1994. It currently has 67 franchises in 24 states. Showhomes has helped realtors and homeowners sell more than 25,000 homes worth more than $8 billion across the United States by transforming high-end vacant houses into valuable, staged homes.

Q – Is there anything else you would like people to know about your company?
EW - When your home sells, we prefer a 30-day notice to give us time to relocate our Home Manager; a minimum of 21 days notice is required. We will have your home cleaned and returned to you in the same or better condition than when we received it. We will work with you to make sure your closing goes off quickly and smoothly.

Thank you, Elayne.

Contact Elayne Wooding:
Elayne S. Wooding CMP, MIRM
Franchise Owner
Showhomes St. Petersburg
111 2nd Ave. N.E. Suite 919
St. Petersburg, Fl. 33701
ewooding@showhomes.com
866-797-7426 ext. 706
www.showhomes.com
www.showhomesstpetersburg.com
Learn about Showhomes on our You Tube channel
Visit and subscribe to our Showhomes St. Pete Blog

Have you thought of using videos to promote your business?  Just the mere thought of creating a video stops even the most creative best business owners in their tracks.

If you want to move your company name to the top of the Google searches using video can be an alternative and doable option.  But if you think that creating a video will take too much time or will not give you the SEO you are looking for, well I have an easy, fun and quick solution.

Every Monday afternoon, I log onto a sales call with a terrific sales consultant, group trainer and entrepreneurial junkie, Howard Howell, also known as ‘That Sales Guy’ of Sensible Selling.  Howard demonstrated a fairly new and fun technique to promote a business using Google Search Stories video creator.

(You may remember Google Search Stories being advertised during half-time on this year’s Superbowl.)

The requirements: You must have a story you want to tell about your business.  Your story needs to be told in less than one minute using the search feature in Google.  You will also need to open a YouTube account.

The Google Search Stories program is designed to create the video for you and upload it automatically to YouTube. The program also provides a code which can also be embedded in your site or blog to get more bang for your efforts.

Here’s an example of the one I put together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OR1WmUAuUQ

Here is the link to make your own Google Search Story with instructions on how to do so right on this site.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SearchStories

But there is More! Here’s How to Get SEO for Your Company Name!

I can take this useful tool one step further and offer other video tips on getting more SEO for your company name using the YouTube platform.

Once you have completed your Google Search Video and have uploaded it to YouTube, do a search there using your keywords.  For example, my keywords are ‘virtual assistant’.  I then find other people’s videos whose keywords appear in the search. I then select the top 2 or 3 viewed videos from this search.

Every few days I leave a comment each one of these videos with a good, well-crafted, meaningful observation.  What will transpire over time is that when someone types in your keywords into Google, your keywords will appear higher and higher in the searches with your website name and your YouTube profile.

To explain this in greater detail, I found a great blog by Paul Rudo B2B Marketing Specialist of Small Business SEO who has written How to Get SEO Value from NoFollow Tags .

Rudo writes, “Increasingly, it’s getting harder and harder to find sites willing to give you high-quality SEO links. Instead, most web sites today will only give you links that are blocked using a NoFollow tag.”

The author continues, “However, despite the fact that their [YouTube] outbound links are worthless, there are 2 interesting things about YouTube (and other sites) that SEOs should consider:

• Google considers YouTube to be a very high-quality and authoritative site
• Internal links within the site are DOFOLLOW (Google considers these to be of value in the SEO ranking process)”

“In crafting your SEO strategy, your main goal should be to get your company to the front page of Google. And your web site is NOT your company. (Stay with me. This will make sense in a bit.)

So Here’s The Plan

For this concept to work, you’ll need to think a bit outside of the box.

The first thing you’ll want to do is create a YouTube profile name containing your important keywords. If, for example, you sell goods made from extremely rare “unicorn leather”… a good YouTube username would be UnicornLeather.

This will help you rank for that specific keyword.

Now, you should create a few high-quality videos that showcase your company and make a strong call to action. Your new YouTube channel will be the landing page that you hope to get listed highly in the search rankings.

Finally, try to find every single video that is remotely relevant to your subject matter, and make a well-thought-out, insightful comment that contributes to the content of those videos. It’s EXTREMELY important that these comments be of high-quality. Do not spam YouTube or you’ll run into problems.

With every comment you make, YouTube will add an internal DoFollow link… using your keyword (UnicornLeather)… and pointing to your YouTube video channel. Now, when people look for “Unicorn Leather” on Google, they’ll be directed at the most authoritative page on this topic… at the most authoritative site… which is your YouTube channel.

This Won’t Happen Overnight

Another tip would be not to overdo it. Search engines take timing into account when evaluating your links. If you come out of the gate with guns blazing… blasting out 1000 comments in the first week… you’ll be labeled as a spammer and sent to the penalty box.

Instead go slow and steady. No more than maybe 3 or 4 comments a day… and keep doing this steadily for months. Eventually, you should notice your rankings start to improve.

And another interesting side benefit that you’ll notice will be a gradual snowball effect… where all of these comments will start producing more and more referral traffic to your channel and your main web site.

If you do this properly, you can make it so that the top 2 results for your keyword are your web site and your YouTube profile. This strategy can also be applied to other social networking sites until you own every result on the front page for your keyword.”

Read Paul Rudo’s full article here http://www.smbceo.com/2010/05/10/nofollow/

Be sure to read a poster’s comment on the referenced article link above that offers yet another SEO tip.

I offer the tip to use Google Search Stories to get you started but you can also create great videos using PowerPoint and then convert them easily to vide to be uploaded to YouTube. Rudo recommends creating a few high-quality videos.

Creating easy PowerPoint video:

• Open PowerPoint; create your slides with text and images.

• Save the project.

• Download TechSmith’s Camtasia http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp for 30 days.  Use this program to create the video using your PowerPoint slides.

• Upload to YouTube and add these videos to your YouTube account.

• Follow the instructions above to creating effective SEO in YouTube.

Janine Gregor

About The Author (quoted in this article): Paul Rudo has been a freelance business consultant for over 5 years. He specializes in B2B marketing for technology companies and organizations targeting geographically local clients. For more information, you can visit his web site at Paul Rudo.