You can work in the cloud with your phone! Virtual phone systems give small businesses a chance to compete with the large companies when it comes to their business phone system.

Capabilities include local and 800 phone numbers, auto-receptionist, customized greetings, multi extension structure and voicemail boxes, call routing and forwarding, business answering rules, call transfers, virtual call and faxing and integration with most Smartphones.

You never have to miss a call, have clients get busy signals or take after hours calls again.

Pricing ranges from $9- $200 depending on options and usage.

Ringcentral: http://www.ringcentral.com/plansandpricing-aff.html

Phone.com:  http://www.phone.com/products/virtual-office/pricing-plans/

VirtualPBX: http://www.virtualpbx.com/plans-and-prices/ both flat rate and usage options available.

Virtual Call Systems: http://www.virtualcallsystem.com/pricing.asp?LPID=VCS-Blank

Grasshopper: https://secure.grasshopper.com/ $25 activation fee.

Phone People: http://www.phonepeople.com/toll-free-pricing

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

We are all enamored by the voice activated Siri by iPhone. If you don’t know about it, the system lets you control the iPhone with your voice. You can give it commands and it responds; it can even talk. (Did you catch the Big Bang Theory episode about Siri?)

One of Siri’s main features is it can understand natural language. You can ask, “Do I need an umbrella today?” and Siri will pull up a weather report for you.

Unfortunately Siri only works on the iPhone 4S.

We have found some apps that do similar actions but with your current phone.

Google Voice Actions (Free) - Google has had its own personal assistant option. It’s called Voice Actions, and it’s a part of the Google Voice Search app for Android phones. (You do need Android 2.2 or above to run this app.)

Unlike Siri is doesn’t have the ability to understand natural language, but the commands are easy to learn. You can use Voice Actions to start calls, create and send email, listen to music, get directions, search Google and more.

Pannous Voice Actions/Jeannie ($4 on iOS; Free on Android)

This app has most of Siri’s functions, but it works on Android and older iPhone models it even works with systems as far back as Android version 1.6.

Jeannie lets you use voice commands to search online, set appointments and reminders, initiate calls and texts and do much more with a more natural language.

Vlingo Virtual Assistant (Free) - This app is a bit more limited than the others, but it covers the basics. You can send messages, make calls, update Facebook, find restaurants and businesses and perform other online searches. You use simple voice commands for Web searches, voice dialing, map look-ups and more. Texts and email can also be composed and sent using your voice.

Works with the Iphone, Android and Blackberry.

Dragon Go! (Free) - This app lets you use voice search to get fast results and the speech recognition is very accurate.

The app also has links to major websites like CNN, Netflix, Fandango and more to get you the information you need. It even understands basic questions such as “What is the weather like today? Currently only available with the Iphone.

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

The Internet has increased the expectation among consumers that your business will have a credible online presence. Prospects you’ve never met are forming opinions about your business at the click of a mouse. Internet first impressions are not just influenced by how your website looks, but also by how often your business appears in searches on their key words and if you have a presence on the more popular real estate sites. Establishing a good reputation, offline and online, is the only way to be truly successful in business.

When consumers are looking online they are using Search Engines like Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc. You want to be FOUND by these users . . . your name should appear within the first couple of pages, not only by searching your name, but also by searching common words/phrases that a consumer might search for.

The goal is for your websites to appear on the first page of search results so that YOUR site is one of the sites that consumers will look to for the information they are searching. Your website is probably full of content now and will result in some search results; however, you need to provide custom content in order to appear set apart from other agents. You can increase your presence by concentrating on the words consumers might type in the search engines to find the information you are providing.

Consumers use search engines to find agents and homes. Figure out what they type into the search box and write about that! If you tend to list homes on golf courses… focus on that… write about “Living on a Golf Course” or “Homes for Sale on Golf Courses” or “Golf Courses in MYCITY.”

Creating a Keyword Strategy

How do you figure out which keywords resonate with your clients? How do you know which exact keywords will be most relevant in someones search to find you and your company?

To determine the popularity and competitiveness of certain keywords, use a keyword tool. One of the most popular is  Google’s Keyword Tool. You can use this to help determine the volume of searches on a specific keyword.

Visit  Google’s KeyWord Search here.

What is your target market? Use some of your pages to be a community expert. There are hundreds of agents that will appear on the search engine pages of “Real Estate Agent in Your City, State” but how many agents will appear on Google when consumers search for “Restaurants in MYCITY” or “Foreclosures for sale in MYFARMAREA”

Write content on different subjects and you will be the expert. Not only real estate information, but also about your community. But remember, don’t write about something you don’t want found for (for example, if you don’t care for investment buyers – don’t write “How to Buy an Investment.”)

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

As we create more and more profiles online, a social media card may be a good solution. Our personal information was once manageable. Today we are overwhelmed by our online information. Every day more profiles, more contacts, more content, creating new problems for consumers and businesses.

What’s a social media business card ? It is a mini website or a virtual card that will hold all your social network identities just like in a business card so you can hand it over, or share the link to anyone. Its a fairly simple concept, where you just need to give some details,  like your social media identities, a quick bio and picture and these sites  auto generate the card for you.

If you have asked yourself the following questions a social media card site is for you.

• How can we make money not spend money?
• How can we help clients with social media?
• How can we  drive people to our official Facebook Page?
• How can we increase our client base?

A Personal Profile Website or Social Media Business Card is all about you and your listings. It organizes your bio, your social network profiles, your content and your contact information via a single, easy to remember Website address.

One of my favorites is published by a company called Agency Logic. Their product is called Follr.com. They have a special product just for the real estate industry.  Follr is a personal profile website organizing the chaos. It offers a simple to fill out format and the website has several tabs. They include:

• A personal “home page” to anchor information
• Your resume and digital personal brand
• Content and contact information
• Biography, video and professional summary
• Connecting to official marketing channels
• All your listings

For real estate, Follr offers to use of  Rlty.Me for Real Estate Agents and Rlty.us for Brokerages or Teams.

Here is a great example.  rlty.me/HeidiGolff

The best news is that is is FREE.

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

2012 brings opportunity. You have a new business plan and goal,  and hopefully a new marketing plan that includes new technology to help your business.  There are eight main areas that have all stood the test of time and should be incorporated into your online strategy for 2012. We feel if you create a plan (no matter how simple) in each of these in the coming year you will have your best year ever online! It is not as overwhelming as you might think so just jump right in and get started.

1. General Marketing

2. SEO

3. Blogging

4. Facebook

5. LinkedIn

6. Twitter

7. Video

8. All other Social Media Sites.

For the full article with several links please visit: www.AmyChorew.com

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

The Internet has increased the expectation among consumers that your business will have a credible online presence. Prospects you’ve never met are forming opinions about your business at the click of a mouse.

Internet first impressions are not just influenced by how your website looks, but also by how often your business appears in searches on their key words and if you have a presence on the more popular real estate sites. Establishing a good reputation, offline and online, is the only way to be truly successful in business.

Online networking is just like networking in person; being social - meeting people. Create, build and develop relationships.  Starting and “getting out there” is no different than conversations about real estate (sometimes bringing it up intentionally) while at the PTA meeting.

Understanding the way business has shifted with the internet age can help you market your business in the virtual world. You do that by:

• establishing a powerful online reputation and presence
• being available where the consumer is, so they will contact you
• providing content that reflects the specific key words consumers look for
• and using social media and the deep content you create to build and develop relationships with potential clients.

The Hub & Spoke Principle

Real estate professionals often approach online marketing in a disjointed fashion.

They have a website and then decide to create a presence on social networks, not utilizing the power of integrating them. The agent spends a lot of time visiting these various sites to communicate information, reducing their effectiveness.

Like the hub on a bicycle wheel, a website facilitates resource sharing and communications (via the “spokes” in the wheel) to every Web 2.0 tool the sales agent decides to incorporate into their business.

While you want a presence in other places (on and off line) your website should be the place to return as the foundation. It is the hub, your central spot, your foundation that will have searches, information and most importantly, ways for the consumer to get in touch with you when is they are ready to buy or sell.

Whatever other social media or online activities you participate in are the spokes. This is where you establish your reputation and begin to build relationships as consumers get to see bits and pieces of who you are.

The more search traffic you can drive, coupled with the social media traffic you move from your spokes (like Facebook) the more you will be found.

Amy Chorew is a national technology speaker and coach. She is founder of TheTechByte which offers a variety of technology coaching and training programs.

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

Offline marketing and online marketing media together can result in even higher returns on your marketing investments (ROI).

The goal is to have all your marketing efforts support each other, working together to promote your business.

Take a look at your offline marketing; see
how you can leverage new technologies and consumer preferences to drive down your costs while giving consumers what they want.

Traditionally we marketed to the consumer what we felt they wanted but
Today’s consumers are creating their own online experience. Combining the best of offline and online marketing results in many benefits.

• Referral business - people trust friends, family and business associates and become an advocate for what they endorse.
• Better tracking ensures better investment of marketing dollars.
• Momentum of combined strategy increases your ROI.
• Conversational social media marketing increases word of mouth marketing.

You don’t have to stop what your currently doing simply add to it. Integrate the hub and spokes theory to have a very comprehensive marketing campaign. In the next post I will explain the Hub and Spoke theory of marketing. Till then…

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

79% of the Internet Retail Top 500 retailers have Facebook pages, yet only 12% offer apps or widgets that enable ecommerce transactions on the social network. More than half (53%) of Facebook users have reached a retailer’s website from its Facebook page, and 35% of online shoppers said they would be likely to make a purchase through Facebook. Additionally, a third of respondents “like” six or more retailers or consumer products companies on Facebook.
The prospect of finding out about sales and promotions is a big lure. Over 56% of those surveyed visited retailers’ Facebook pages for this purpose, while 58% in the Shop.org study, which included Twitter and a company’s blog in the figure, cited deals as a primary motivation. Learning more about a retailer and keeping up to date on products were also important.
Retailers and consumer products companies could give the group currently connecting with them on Facebook access to sales. Even if these online shoppers are not yet able to make purchases directly through Facebook, exclusive offers can engender goodwill, loyalty, sharing which will ultimately result in sales.

Statistics provided by Ability Commerce Shop.org, comScore and Social Shopping Labs

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

We don’t just rely on phone calls or email communications to access information anymore. We use text, emails, websites, instant message, skype and more to interact, retrieve data and communicate. Our day to day business has changed as well. We need access to our files wherever we are, in the office at home or on the road. The ability to access files becomes easy using an online website to store your files and may become the most important pieces of software that you will need. Local applications on your computer will become passé, computers will become just gateways to the cloud where the work is done.

Benefits of Cloud Computing
Once you are storing your files on a cloud server your information is always with you. Download the software onto all of your devices including your smart phone, tablet, laptop and wherever you are you can find information and share with your clients or staff.

• The software is inexpensive. The ability to convert an entire office to cloud storage becomes easily affordable.
• No downtime for updates – the software operates via a web browser so any updated are done on the web and automatically updated on all devices.
• Allows for greater efficiency - Cloud software works cross platform, files are transferred seamlessly from PCs, to MACs, to iPads and other tablets to smartphones.
• Terrific for collaboration – Since you are managing documents from a single place, it is easy to share or edit single files or complete folders with other people. When anyone who works on a file, it is updated immediately over the internet to those who have access to it. No more confusion about who has the most updated version in their email.
• Many of the Cloud software products allow you to keep a copy of your files locally on your hard drive as well as on their server. If you need to be off line for a while you can still work on a document and when you access the internet again, the file will be updated wherever and with whomever it is shared.
• Manage projects around your content – once you share files with people, you can assign tasks and track file versions.
• Send and track large files easily - Never email a file again, you have the ability to send just a link to a file via email. If the other party can open a web browser they can receive your file.

Some ideas of where Cloud Computing is being used in the real estate industry.

• A brokerage Web presence that fosters agent individuality with a social network intranet component where agents actively engage and share knowledge.
• Lead management solution that allows remote access, agent management of their leads, and reports for their brokerage.
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) making it easier for sales, marketing, technical support to work together to ensure the best experience for your customers and client.
• Email along with calendar and contact management is at the Clouds core. Access from any device multiple calendars, contact information and email.
• Document storage, including, forms and paperwork, transaction management paperwork.
• The ability to fax from the computer – which includes creating PDF files for delivery via email.