Christian Real Estate Professionals : Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain)

The Ultimate "LIVE" Wedding Ceremony - You're Invited!

This Friday, our very own Bob Stewart and the lovely Christa Caulk will be joining hands for eternity in marriage!  Yup, a couple of my very best friends in the World are getting hitched and permanently tying the knot.  Since I am unable (along with so many other friends and family) to make it to their wedding out in Michigan this year, we are putting together this "LIVE" streaming video to share with everyone.

And Two Become One...

On Behalf of the entire ActiveRain Team, We request the honor of your presence at the marriage of Christa Noelle to Robert Eugene Stewart Jr. this Friday, the Ninth of July, Two Thousand and Ten at Half Past Six in the Evening.
(That's 12:30pm Hawaiian time, 3:30pm Pacific, 5:30pm Central, 6:30pm Eastern)

Gather all your friends and family, calling all ActiveRain Members, Get the Rice Ready....  This Is It!! 

Come join us for the "First Ever" Virtual wedding right here in the Rain. May these two be blessed with great fortune and all the amazing things this earth and universe have to offer them. We wish them peace, happiness, and an abundance of Joy and great health in their new adventure, Journey, and life together as Bob and Christa Stewart. 

         

Register Here Friday at 6:00pm EST, and Watch The Wedding "LIVE" With Us

STEAMING, I MEAN STREAMING VIDEO WILL APPEAR BELOW

Edited 7/20/2010 - Added Recorded Streaming Video From Wedding and Reception Below

We love you both and wish you all the very best.

CONGRATULATIONS and Thank You for sharing this very special day and time with all of us.

BTW - Bob will also be celebrating his Birthday during this momentous occasion.



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232 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • July 21 2010 02:17AM

Real Estate WEB Marketing - Can We Really Make A Difference?


Real Estate WEB Marketing - Make A Bid on Ebay, and "Make A Difference in The World!"

Today, some great industry service and marketing solution providers have joined forces and created a "Real Estate WEB Marketing Package" that you will now find available on EBAY.  We've bundled together a custom package designed for one lucky bidder/winner, and we're doing it all for one great cause.  If you happen to be the lucky winner/bidder of this unique, one time, first ever compilation of services, you may also be the largest single contributor to an organization that many of us support and truly believe in. 

Mothers Fighting For Others

Jeff Turner and his wife Rocky have made so many great contributions to our Industry, the ActiveRain Community, and humanity in general.  For those of you who know the Turner family, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  Here's a chance to give back to a cause and charity that I feel is worthy of every penny it earns.  I have personally seen and witnessed what Rocky and Jeff go through to support their passion, and more importantly, I've seen the lives that have been changed by their efforts. 

Check out Mothers Fighting For Others yourself, you'll see what I mean.

"Mothers Fighting For Others is dedicated to providing orphaned girls with opportunities their parents would have provided, if they only could; a loving and nurturing environment and a quality education, so they can learn, thrive and achieve their highest potential."  MFFO - 2010

 

So here's the Deal.  ActiveRain, Dakno Marketing, Altos Research, Real Estate Shows, Diverse Solutions, WellcomeMat, Mike Mueller, Nicole Nicolay, Drew Meyers, and Jay Thompson have all pitched in to create a fabulous Real Estate Web Marketing package valued at over $11,300 dollars.  The package is available for bidding on EBAY today, and last I checked, was going for about $1500.00 bucks.  There are only 4 days left for this auction, and every penny that comes from it goes straight to the Mothers Fighting For Others charity.

Here's what you can do to help and even win. Go Make A Bid on Ebay.  Let's raise the bar and price in large increment$.  You can also just make a donation if you choose.  One idea would be to contact the members of your team and agree to share the costs of the package to lower the individual cost to each person.  This would also be a great tax write-off as a business expense, or charitable contribution. 

Just knowing that you've helped change a life or lives, and that your Business will benefit from doing this, well, you just can't put a price on that.  Even if you can't place a bid at this time, or make a donation, please stop by the MFFO site and show your support in some small way, even if it's just to contribute some positive thoughts, and a few tears and tissues to the can under your desk.  I Know I did!  Then help show your Industry support by thanking these companies and individuals above who made this all happen. 

"Together, we really can achieve more and truly make a difference in the world!"




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37 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • April 09 2010 12:39PM

Inspiration and Drive Comes from the Heart - Giving Your Best

Do you have the drive to survive, to win, to press on toward the goal? Are you one that sometimes just wants to throw in the towel and quit? It doesn't matter who you are or what you do, there will always be weight that is carried on your shoulders. Do you have what it takes to meet the challenge, and meet or exceed your goals?

This video will definitely put things into perspective. Prepare to be touched and inspired!

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. We see things differently and believe in ourselves less than others believe in us. Maybe a blind fold once in a while with a few good friends supporting us is all we need to see know that ANYTHING in life is possible. Maybe we should take our eyes off the goal, and put our hearts into it instead.

Inspiration and Drive Do Come from the Heart - Are You Giving Your Best?  Don't quit!



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49 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • January 02 2010 12:24PM

Happy Holidays From "ALL OF US" at ActiveRain - To ALL of YOU!


Photo Created and Courtesy of: Craig Rutman in North Carolina  (Thanks Craig!)

(Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells)

ActiveRain, ActiveRain, Active all the way,

Oh what fun, it is to ride,

To the office Everyday <HEY>

ActiveRain, ActiveRain, we have but one request,

that you enjoy your Holiday,

and your New Year is the BEST!!

From our family to you and yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

 



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120 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • December 24 2009 12:46AM

Tis The Season for Giving - Feed It Forward

One of our ActiveRain members just sent me a $10.00 gift certificate to go to any restaurant of my choice in my area.  What a nice gesture and what an impression it just made on me. It's not the gift so much as it was the thought that really did count.  Now the fact that the gift was for food REALLY counted because I LOVE FOOD!!

Keeping with the tradition of giving during the Holidays, I want to Pay It Forward "Feed It Forward" to any of you who would like to do this for one of your favorite AR members.  Maybe even a past client or family member, it's your choice. It only takes a minute and will really make someones day, at least it did mine.

Here's the deal:

You can give away up to (30) gift certificates each day up until Christmas Day.  Each Gift certificate is worth up to $10.00 each.  You can give them to anyone you choose. All you need to do is send them an email.  The email comes from you with a personal message, and then all they have to do is register, search for a restaurant of their choice in their area, then print out their certificate and go eat!  Sound to good to be true?  This time it is!! 

Feed It Forward is something Restaurants.com is doing during the Holiday Season and I commend them for doing this, especially in a time when the Country's economy has gone through some major changes. It's also a really nice way to keep the "giving" spirit alive and well.  Check it out, send a $10.00 gift certificate to someone and then don't look back.  It will "Make A Difference" in someones life, maybe yours!

This all reminds me of the time when I paid a $3.00 Bridge Toll for the car driving behind me (a complete stranger) then she ended up paying for the car behind her since she already had her money out, then they paid for the car behind them and so on and so on.  This went on for about 10-15 cars before someone finally broke the chain and put their money back in their pocket, said thank you, and then drove on. 

The very next day, as I drove through the toll booth again, the toll booth attendant looked at me and shouted, "Have you any idea what you caused yesterday?"  For a second, I was shocked, I thought I was in trouble or something..  I had forgotten about paying for the car behind me the day before, and that's when he told me the story about all the people paying each others Bridge Tolls behind me.  He said, "You really made an impression on me yesterday, it's something that will live in my heart forever!"  Nothing feels better than that folks! Nothing!

It feels good to give!  Give to family. Give to friends. Give to neighbors. Give to anyone who has touched your life, but most of all, just give! Who knows, you might be the next one getting an email "meal" from me!?!

Feed It Forward
Happy Holidays Friends!   :-)



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68 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • December 06 2009 10:55AM

ActiveRain Success Stories - What Your Blog CAN Do For You

ActiveRain Success Stories - What Your Blog CAN Do For You

Today I was talking on the phone with a New ActiveRain member ready to become a RainMaker, but wanted to know some of the successes and benefits that other members here had experienced from being here.  I shared the "Success Stories" link located on the AR Homepage.  Then, as I started looking for some Blog posts to share with her, I discovered that there are literally hundreds, even thousands of these success stories scattered all through-out the community. 

After spending a couple hours scouring the network, I was able to come up with some really good examples of how other members are using AR to promote their business, connect with others, generate referrals, capitalize on our SEO, get picked up by the news media, grow their business, and in many cases, make hundreds of thousands of dollars just from their ActiveRain Blogs. 

I joined ActiveRain, and here's what happened...

"I have roughly $2 million in contracts and potential business at the moment which is exclusively from people who found my AR posts" - Jason Crouch

"I just received my 43 referral from the rain" - Larry Bettag

"ActiveRain has put over $122,000 into my pocket, spread over 17 different buyers and sellers" - Donna Harris

"ActiveRain Does Not Rain! It Pours! $1,300,000 Closing Because of the Power of Active Rain!" - Katerina Gasset

"Just in the last 2 months, I have closed on 6 transactions just from blogging" - Jeff Belonger

"I have already placed three homes on the market, in the last 30 days, that were direct results of ActiveRain..." - Bryant Tutas

"At this point I am reaping the rewards of ActiveRain. Thank you Active Rain, it does work!" - Tinker Hulse

"What's Better than a Referral Form from ActiveRain?" - Kathleen "Kate" Elim

"Active Rain has put me on the map. I receive at least THREE calls each week.."." - Donald Bradbury

"This is a testimony to how ActiveRain has impacted our Business" - Mariana Wagner

"NBC picked up my blog... How do I EVEN BEGIN to thank ActiveRain" - Craig Schiller

"How Blogging Put Me On the Evening News" - Janet Guilbault

"I have been contemplating my "Rainmaker" status for a month or two" - Will Goodson

"So does blogging on Activerain bring business?" YES, YES, YES!" - Missy Caulk

"Brad Andersohn and Bob Stewart may actually know what they're talking about" - Suesan Jenifer Therriault

There are so many great stories and testimonials from our members.  It seems as though a new success story or "Victory" post goes up nearly everyday.  These stories and testimonials should be persuasive enough to get you following successful members, subscribing to their Blogs, witnessing their successes, and following in their footsteps as rainmakers to create and build your own success stories here.

If you have a success story you've written about, we'd love for you to share it.  Just leave me a link to your post.  Hearing what other members have done here is great, but experiencing these successes for yourself is the REAL convincing factor, and WILL BE your motivation to Blog.  YOUR unique stories will be YOUR greatest reward.  Reading these, and seeing how and what these members did will hopefully help confirm your decision to be here as a successful RainMaker in YOUR area and community. 

Here's to your success and the rewards you obtain from your efforts here in the "rain!"  :-)




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92 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • September 11 2009 03:38PM

How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines

How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines. 

There are three important audiences to be writing for: 1. Other members and friends of your Social Networks. 2. Consumers, Subscribers, and a Target Audience of readers.  3. Search Engines.  I'm sure this is preaching to the choir, but this is important information to be shared if you want to get maximum exposure and results from your Blog posts with consumers, visitors, and with Google. Google Juice? I'll drink to that! :-)

Blogging for Customers and Search Engines correctly is a key component to a successful Blog.

Using these effective strategies and time tested methods when creating your post can make a huge difference.  The first thing when writing a post is to determine the audience you are writing for, the product or concept you're promoting, and the geographic market you are targeting.  In this scenario, we are creating a Blog post to drive readers, consumers, and search engines to your Blog which is All About Your Area.  Things like "Vacant Land", "Open Houses", "Loan Modifications", "Tax Credit", "Pest Control", "Relocation", "Market Statistics", "Short Sales", "Condos" etc.


1.  How to title a blog post: Use a title that a customer would type into Google. example: "Open Houses in Mesquite Nevada"  Targeting Neighborhoods and focusing on Communities are best, but you can also use City/State. Most searches by consumers always include a geographic area. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" Don't just title your post "Vacant Land For Sale" as it probably won't get indexed to a specific location and will likely get lost in the Search Engine Abyss. (SEO abyss = page 24 of Google)


2.  Repeat the title in BOLD in the first sentence of your blog post. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" and now priced better than ever! Build your dream home in Bend, Oregon!"  By creating the first sentence of your post to include the title and BOLD key search words, terms, or phrases, you'll increase the potential of being found and then read.  That first sentence is typically the first sentence that shows up under your TITLE within the Google search results.  It's an important part of getting the search engines to recognize your topic and see it's relative content.  It's also what will help a consumer decide if they want to click on your link or NOT!


3.  Write your blog posts to the title...then add in good content that a customer would want to know about.  It takes a bit more time to think this strategy through, but the results and rewards will be tremendous.  This in NOT the only way to gain SEO and more exposure, but it's a great place to start if you're new to Blogging and are wanting quicker results from your time and efforts here.


Creating posts and Understanding Long tail and Short tail search terms:  Short tail searches are just that, very short keyword searches. example: "Homes for sale" or "Homes For Sale Austin, Texas".  This is where most searches begin during the early stages of research by consumers.  The Long tail search comes into play the closer consumers get to making a final purchase decision. example: "Gated Community Homes For Sale With a Pool in Austin Texas"  Justin Smith explains more about Long tail/ Short tail searches in his post.  You can also find more details by searching Google for "Long tail and Short tail searches."  Here's a video that might help make heads or "tails" about this.


4.  Go through your blog post and make sure that the words of your title are repeated a minimum of at least three or four times.  At least one time every other paragraph or so.  You should also bold those keywords so they stand out to the reader and to the search engines.  You need to be somewhat creative in doing this and remember, don't over do it.


5.  Tag your blog posts with other keywords and phrases the customer may type into Google.  These should be topic related and relevant to your post. Do not try to game the search engines by packing in keywords that have nothing to do with the post, this will do more harm than good in most if not all cases.  Also make sure to include images and links to relative sites, this will create more stickiness and add value to your posts. 

Creating a Blog Post for Customers and Search engines is not that difficult once you understand some of these basic concepts and then practice and apply them on a regular basis.  This is not to say you shouldn't write about other topics both personal and business, even those can be tailored to get you better results with customers and search engines.  We tested this theory on the Fourth of July Weekend and you should see some of the results ActiveRain members experienced. It really does work.  

I hope you can use these tips on "How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines."
VERY IMPORTANT:  If your post on ActiveRain is (MEMBERS ONLY) then none of the above applies.



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342 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • July 25 2009 09:46AM

ActiveRain Community Search - HGTV’s "House Hunters" Is Now Casting

ActiveRain Members - HGTV’s "House Hunters" Is Now Casting and Looking for YOU!

                     

HGTV’s hit TV series, House Hunters, is looking for Homebuyers and Real Estate Agents who want to appear on the show!  ActiveRain and HGTV are working together in an effort to find qualified candidates who may be interested in sharing their "House Hunting" journey on National Television. 

This could be a huge opportunity, and a lot of fun for some of our members and their clients.

House Hunters follows buyers and their agents on the hunt as they find just the right house for them—and every story is different.  If you’re an energetic and outgoing Real Estate Agent currently working with a Homebuyer, we'd love to hear from you. 

Are you in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Minnesota, Georgia or Colorado?

House Hunters is currently looking for Homebuyers who are:

Buying within a 90 min. drive of downtown Philadelphia, Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis

Closing in the next 1-2 months, this includes buyers who are actively bidding on a home or newly under contract

Fun, enthusiastic, and have a great story to tell

If you're interested, let me know and I'll forward your information to their Associate Producer.  If you'd rather, you can also apply directly at HouseHunters@HighNoonEntertainment.com.  Thanks for helping us find some members and clients for their show, we're excited about assisting them with this endeavor.

House Hunters airs weeknights at 9/8c on HGTV and is produced by High Noon Entertainment.  To learn more about the show visit HGTV.com/HouseHunters.  We appreciate your support with this Casting Quest.



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185 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • June 08 2009 03:30PM

Can a Network Poll Make A Difference?

Maybe if you vote and reblog this post, we'll find out...

- What's the Easiest and Fastest Way for YOU To Learn? -

Is it reading?  Is it just listening?  By Watching Video?  On-Line Webinars?   Hands on training Classes?

Your ActiveRain Staff and Community Builders want to know?


Please take just one second and vote, thanks. :-)

BannerFans.com



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64 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • May 29 2009 11:59PM

REALTORS® - Important 100K Announcement!

If you're a REALTOR®, Broker, or an Agent and member of ActiveRain, this is a MUST READ!  Last month, over 100,000 consumers searched ActiveRain for Real Estate in specific cities using the "Search For Homes" feature.  I was just in a meeting with Bob Stewart and Doug Ching going over the stats and analytics reports.  Folks, this is no joke, consumers flock to AR and used this tool in their quest for finding homes.  

So why is this so important and why should you care?  We've discovered that most of our Agent and REALTOR® members DO NOT have "Hit Router" Campaigns setup.  That means these searches are NOT going to your IDX lead generating sites.  WOW, look at these numbers and stats.  I'm sharing this with you because while you are out there searching for tools to better your SEO and Blog, consumers are searching our network interested in homes in your area, and in most cases, we have very few members with campaigns setup in these areas.


And the list goes on and on and on... in fact, there are 600+ cities that had more than 100 searches.

If you're a REALTOR® member here, please don't miss out on this crucial opportunity to take advantage of the Hit Router Campaigns that each of you have access to.  If 487 people searched San Diego last month for "Homes For Sale" and not a single member has a campaign setup there, this means those possible leads are lost to another company that may in fact be selling them off.

The key to making this work for you is:
#1 - Setting Up Your City Search Campaigns, and
#2 - Making sure you have a good lead capture IDX site where this traffic will land.

After researching some pay per clicks sites out there, Brokers and Agents are paying upwards of $3.00 per click to capture these leads from other sources like Google.  AR campaigns start at .49 cents per click.  I can't emphasize enough the value and gold mine you're sitting on here.  Please take a few moments to look into this, the urgency here is that if our members aren't interested and don't take advantage of these "campaigns" fairly soon, they will end up being sold to the larger companies who are already willing, able and want to capitalize on these Clicks.

ActiveRain members need to be aware of this while you have the opportunity to jump on it. This is HUGE!!  We want our members to get first shot at directing these home searches to your IDX sites, and will do everything we can to get this information out there to every REALTOR®.  Bob Stewart is doing a price comparison of some other pay per click sites to show you the difference in value here, I'll add that link shortly.  I would also assume that the home searches conducted here are of higher "quality" than they may be on some of the other generic pay-per-click sites. 

This is one of the most important posts and announcements I've written on ActiveRain.  Home searches are taking place on Activerain right now, these stats are proof.  We want YOU to be able to help complete the process in finding these people homes.  Please, contact Bob or myself if you have any questions or need more information regarding these stats, or if you just need help setting up your hit router campaigns. 

This should be given priority consideration today.  Thanks.



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138 comments • Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager • May 07 2009 07:24PM