You've heard this phrase in relation to real estate for years and now it seems to apply to Google juice, too: location, location, location. What do I mean by that? With the use of smart phones to search the internet on the rise, Google has found that approximately 1/3 of Google searches on mobile devices contain a location in some form or another. This indicates that mobile web users are very interested in looking up location-specific information.
Two of the most popular mobile location-sharing services are Foursquare and Gowalla. Via a simple, free app on your smartphone, these services allow people to "check-in" to local businesses to let their friends know where they are at any given time. It has also become a valuable tool for businesses to keep up with their clientele and possibly bring more people into their establishment through a quick blast.
You better believe that Twitter and Facebook are taking notice of geography and the social media. Twitter has already implemented a trending feature that shows what is popular on Twitter for certain locations. They are continually working on expanding the cities they include in their Trending section. Facebook is expected to be including location features soon as well to join in on the location trend. Since Twitter and Facebook are already being considered in Google's real-time searches, using your location in your tweets and status updates can be very beneficial in terms of Google juice.
How can you use location in your business?
1. Concentrate on keywords specific to the areas you serve.
2. Tailor your blog posts to be "hyperlocal". You are more likely to get a lead from a few people searching a specific neighborhood or your favorite local restaurant than from thousands of people searching a generic term.
3. Use the location of your business in your social media posts whenever appropriate.
4. Make sure to register and verify your business on Google's Local Business Center.
The same real estate mantra that has been passed around for decades remains pertinent with Google juice: location, location, location. Don't forget to keep location in mind when promoting yourself and your business on your website, blogs and social media.
Wow Pam this is really good stuff! Thanks for sharing! Now I see I've got more to learn! Yeah!
Featured in BananaTude!
Pam,
Look at this.. you are going to be "Banana Pied!"
So glad we connected on foursquare... I am having tons of fun! It is the perfect way for agents to really get LOCAL and meet people in the community!
Featured in Cosmic Cow Pie
Great information, thanks,
Bill
Great information, thanks, (I wasn't logged in when I made the comment above)
Bill
My head is just swimming in information. I am sure that this is very useful and I'll have to revisit, but I'm afraid that right now, my tiny little brain can't process anything at the moment.
Thanks for sharing such great info. I haven't yet added the location to my tweets. Sounds like I need to!
Great post full of info. Just yesterday there was a AR webinar about hyper local blogging and the importance of it.
Just to pick up on one point in particular - Foursquare has been great to me. I've connect on FS with a bunch of the local people that I tweet with. I actually used it to drop by and meet a contact that I had only known on Twitter. He posted on FW that he was at a local coffee house. As fate would have it, I was sitting at a traffc light in my car about 100 yards from the coffee house. I turned in, recognized his pic from Twitter through the window of the coffee shop. I went inside, intro'd myself - he recognized me too, and we sat and hung out for about 10 minutes. Just one more way to increase SOI.
Good post. I do dominate on certain local terms. I am signed up with google already.
Hey, Anna - The fun never stops! It's my job to stay on top of these things - really couldn't do it without my trusty team members.
Hi Carra - I'm still getting the hang of Foursquare - determined to be the mayor of something! Thanks for your response.
Hi Bill - Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your post. Enjoy your weekend!
Hi Charita - I'm willing to bet that if you had someone (a real estate virtual assistant, perhaps) on your team who stays current with all this stuff, your head would stay clear and focused on selling real estate - not having to deal with the rest. Thanks for your post.
Hi Kryste - Adding your location to Tweets appears to be valuable in getting your Google Juice. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Irene - I'll have to check the AR calendar for webinars. I know they have some really great information to share.
WOW! What a story, Rick! Looks like everything was all aligned for you two to meet in person. Love it!
Hi Gene - Good for you. I just checked Google and Bing yesterday and am #2 on Google and #1 on Bing for my search term, real estate virtual assistance. Total domination - that's my goal! ;)
This is really good stuff - sometimes seems a little overwhelming to stay on the cutting edge of all of this new technology.
Hi Steve - I always tell me clients that I dont' sell real estate so they shouldn't be expected to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. That's what their Virtual Assistant is for. Enjoy your weekend!
Hi Pamela, lots of information for me to digest! I am working on my neighborhood post and will look into implementing all of this next week! Thank you! pippa
Hi Pippa - Thanks for stopping by and responding to my post. Let me know how your neighborhood post goes.
Good morning Pamela,
I saw this post included on the AR daily newsletter, but didn't have time to read & comment. This is my first visit today and I am glad I came back. I plan to follow the links to learn more.
AND for those of us who do not have the time or the tech-savy-ness to do all that Pamela suggested in her post, you can hire her company Second Self Virtual Assistance to do it for you.
Grab your pompoms, Mary. I'm officially inducting you into the official Second Self Cheerleader Circle. You always have
such nice things to say about us and we soooo appreciate your support.
Two, four, six, eight. Who do we appreciate?
Mary, Mary, Mary!
This is great information! I think I'm starting to get the hang of the hyper-local thing and need to start posting. Thank you!
Hi Patsy - Thank you for your response. Hyper-local marketing is a great way to get noticed.
Pam! What happened? We had an appointment this afternoon at 3:00 (EST).
Great post...thanks for sharing.
Hi Pamela, great post and I have to call and talk with you soon.
Hi Jane - I guess I should have been more clear about time zones. I called at our appointed time of 3:00pm in Arizona. Unfortunately, you are in the EST and had your calendar marked for 3:00 pm there. Sorry for the inconvenience. A good lesson to me to be more clear about which time zone we're talking about.
Hi Rebecca - I'm available Monday through Friday between 8am and 4pm in Arizona. Please use my toll-free phone number - 866-921-5364. I look forward to talking with you.
What are the differences between FourSquare and Gowalla. I have never heard of the second one. Thanks for good information again!
Thanks Pamela! Great input.
Hi Cheryl - I think by going to the 2 sites, you will be able to see the difference better than I can describe it. www.foursquare.com and www.gowalla.com
Welcome, DeeDee. Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy your day!
Thanks for the information!
Heard of Foursquare yesterday. But haven't heard of Gowalla. I will stop by both sites this week to learn more about both of them. Great post.
Hi Cliff and Lanre - Thank you for responding to my post.
Lanre - There have been several people who have never heard of Gowalla - me included until I did some investigating. Let me know what you learn.