Archives
May 2007
May. 21, 2007 - 4 Ways to Post Flyers on Blogs
Many vFlyer users embed their flyers directly on their blogs or websites. This lets prospective customers see what they have for sale or rent. There are 4 ways to do this:
1. Cut and Paste HTML
This involves clicking on the Post tab of your flyer, selecting the Other Sites HTML version of the HTML code, copying the code and pasting it into your blog post or web page. This method works on most online blogging services such as ActiveRain, Blogger, MySpace Blog, TagWorld Blog, TypePad, RealTown, and Wordpress.org. For more info on embedding flyers, visit our Support Wiki.
2. Javascript Include
Last week, Oliver talked about the Flyer ID and how to go about finding it. Using the Flyer ID and one line of javascript code you can dynamically have flyers inserted on your blog post (your blogging software or service must support Javascript!). The format for doing this is:
Just replace the {vFlyerId} with your flyer's ID. Your final line of javascript should look like this:
Copy and paste this code into your blog post or web page and you are done. Your flyer will now appear. When you republish your flyer you do not need to update the HTML since each time the page loads it retrieves the most recent version of your flyer!
3. Wordpress Plugin
If you are using Wordpress to run your blog, you can use the vFlyer Insert Wordpress Plugin which can be found on vFlyerLabs. Download the plugin and follow the instructions on the Support Wiki to install it. Once the plugin is installed, embedding flyers on your blog is super easy! Simply type the following in a post (use your own Flyer ID of course), save it and you are done. This approach also dynamically loads your flyer, so it fetches the latest version of your flyer each time the page loads.
[vflyer_insert 638001]
4. Integration
If you are looking for other options or approaches to seamlessly integrate your gallery or flyers with your blog or website, please contact our professional services organization. They regularly work with customers to help them implement custom solutions in HTML, Javascript, PHP, Java, ASP.NET and other programming languages.
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May. 21, 2007 - ActiveRain Now Supports Embedded vFlyers!
The latest release of ActiveRain now supports all the tags you’ll need to embed vFlyers in your blog post. Here is an example of what they look like!
Embedding flyers is simple! Follow the straight forward instructions on the Support Wiki. Simply go to the Post tab of your flyer, copy the HTML in the Other Sites HTML tab, make sure the HTML tab of your ActiveRain post is selected, paste the HTML and voila – this is what it looks like - a thing of beauty. In addition to the professional standard themes to choose from, you can create and customize your own new themes so the sky is the limit.
I know a number of vFlyer users on ActiveRain have been asking for months when this issue would be resolved, so today is bright day for all of us!
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May. 19, 2007 - vFlyer Labs: Test Cool New Tools
Each day, we get all sorts of great ideas (both internally and from customers) on new features and tools we should add to our service. vFlyer Labs showcases cool tools and technologies for online sellers that were developed internally by us or by outside partners based on many of these ideas!
The types of tools and technologies on vFlyer Labs generally fall into 3 categories:
- Future features that will eventually make it into our service
- Tools and technologies that are useful to vFlyer users and online sellers
- Interesting products and services we are testing to better understand how customers would potentially use them
Many of these tools are not yet ready for prime time but you can help by testing them, sharing your feedback and suggestions and even submitting your own tools. If we think it's cool or useful, we'll post it. We hope you find the vFlyer Labs a useful and interesting resource and we’ll update date you as new tools become available.
The labs concept is one a growing number of companies use to test new product ideas (Google Labs, Adobe Labs, Mozilla Labs, Reuters Labs and Digg Labs just to name a few), including several real estate technology players (Zillow Labs, Trulia, and Eppraisal).
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May. 8, 2007 - Real Estate 2.0
Real Estate 2.0: Web 2.0 Companies Realtors Should Care About!
At vFlyer we very much see ourselves moving steadily towards a new paradigm of classified ad distribution, and as a result, many times we find ourselves labeled as a "Web 2.0" or "Classifieds 2.0" company. Earlier this year, I started to identify and understand how other companies, particularly in the real estate space, were extending or introducing new paradigms of their own. Sometimes it's convenient to try and divide companies (Web 2.0 companies in this case) into meaningful categories. For example, Pat Kitano talks about self-expression, relationships and collaboration in the Web 2.0 social networking space as potential groupings. This is my attempt to identify and communicate the functional categories that I think matter most to real estate professionals.
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I am sure some of you are asking "What is Web 2.0?" Unfortunately, there is no one good definition, but to paraphrase the wikipedia: Web 2.0 is a term often applied to a perceived ongoing transition on the Web from a collection of static websites to a full-fledged computing platform serving web applications to end users. The companies I mention below are provided as representative examples only and are not necessarily comprehensive:
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| Aggregation |
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Real estate search engines and aggregators help buyers find homes for sale or rent by collecting (or aggregating) listings from multiple sources into a single location. By crawling, indexing and then conveniently organizing and mapping listings, aggregators simplify and speed up the search process for online buyers. Trulia and PropSmart focus on homes, while HotPads focuses on apartments and rentals and MyNextDeal on commercial properties. |
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| Blogging |
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Blogs originally started as personal journal sites but have evolved into powerful business tools. Real estate blogs allow real estate professionals to communicate local real estate information as well as share knowledge and opinions. Companies in this category enable agents to manage and promote their blogs. ActiveRain, the 800-pound gorilla in this category, does this in the context of a great real estate community, while Blogging Systems, TomatoBlogs and RSS Pieces are blogging platforms and solution providers. |
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| Community |
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Real estate Communities allow real estate professionals to connect with each other on the Web. Second generation communities like ActiveRain allow users to collaborate and share information online through blogs, forums, and other forms of interactive communication. Others with an eye on building online real estate communities include Zillow, which has added Home Q&A as a community feature aimed at home buyers, owners, and sellers to its site, and is continuing to move in that direction. Inman's Real Estate Connect is perhaps where online real estate community started and still thrives. |
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| Communication |
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Communication offerings range from instant messaging (IM) service aggregators like Meebo to click-to-call service providers like Jaxtr and ZiffTalk. These services make it easier for prospective buyers to contact real estate professionals via IM, phone or email. Most have widgets that can be embedded on websites or blogs to facilitate the communication process. |
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| Distribution |
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Distributors and syndicators like vFlyer, enable real estate professionals and online sellers to distribute their listings and classified ads to leading online marketplaces like Google Base, Oodle, Vast, Trulia, Edgeio, Propsmart, Hotpads and others. Point2 also has distribution tools for property ads, but vFlyer supports significantly more "delivery endpoints" including email, widgets, mobile and PDFs for offline use. |
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| Mapping |
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The companies build value-added service on top of mapping technology to deliver innovative, interactive or unique information that is interesting or important to prospective home buyers. Zillow maps home valuations on satellite maps, Neighboroo visualizes area demographics using color-coded "Information Maps", Trulia uses "Heat Maps" to show pricing trends. Hotpads also uses heat maps to display census data for neighborhoods. |
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| Reviews |
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These sites either allow consumers (online buyers) to review or rate real estate agents or provide other metrics (such as homes sold, i.e.) to help home buyers find, evaluate and select a REALTOR®. Homethinking provides customer reviews, as well as current and past listings as indicators of performance. Realty Baron provides REALTORS with an AgentRankTM based on professional experience, recent home sales, and endorsements, while Incredible Agent provides a "unique rating system" designed to help "incredible agents" stand out. |
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| Social Bookmarking |
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Social bookmarking allows users to store, organize, share, search and most importantly rank bookmarks or links. Real Estate Voices is a real estate social bookmarking site that help users discover the most interesting articles of the day, as voted and suggested by fellow users, saving users time and exposing valuable knowledge quickly. |
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| Social Networking |
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Social networks build on community sites by highlighting individual user profiles, enabling and encouraging the adding of "friends," contacts or associates, and balancing user interaction with group interaction. InmanNews probably best describes their true potential when it says "Social Networking websites present new opportunities for real estate brokers to find and recruit new agents, or find fresh sales leads. New agents might find them useful for gleaning business advice from other agents. Home buyers and sellers could tap them as a resource to find a real estate agent." ActiveRain is the "MySpace of Real Estate," while MyBlogLog connects users through their blogs. |
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| Widgets |
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Widgets allow real estate professionals to embed elements of core functionality directly on their websites, social networking sites, or blogs by simply copying and pasting HTML code. vFlyer's listing widgets enable REALTORS® to list one or more properties for sale on their blogs, Trulia's TruliaMap shows all the listings in a given location and WidgetBox is a general marketplace for widgets with several interesting categories. |
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| Wikis |
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Wikis are a shared central source of knowledge and information that usually anyone can contribute to. By allowing contributors to collaborate and by combining knowledge from diverse resources, the goal of a real estate wiki is to become an authoritative source of real estate information. Zillow Wiki was one of the first, InmanWiki which aims to be the "world's largest real estate encyclopedia." |
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| Valuation |
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These companies allow consumers to get, provide or understand real estate property valuation information. Zillow, eppraisals.com and HomeGain provide property valuation information. My-currency.com provides community-driven price predictions for homes, while others like Altos Research provides real-time market trend analysis. For real estate professionals, these services can help provide a "pricing context" and comparables for prospective buyers and lead to more educated decision-making. |
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| Video |
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These companies provide services that allow real estate professionals and online sellers to upload, manage and host video tours or other business videos. YouTube simply provides hosting (and in some cases, marketing exposure), while others like TurnHere and WellcomeMat provide other value-added services, including the ability to locate videographers or help with product. |
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To give credit where credit is due, I did get some early input from Kevin Boer of 3 Oceans, Pat Kitano of Transparent Real Estate, and Erik Hersman of RealtyThoughts.
If you think I've missed a category, let me know. I will do a follow on posting with your ideas and suggestions. Hope you find this list useful (or at least interesting).
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May. 4, 2007 - Distributing Flyers via Texting (SMS)
Just last week, the Jacobsmedia Tech Poll found that the cellphones have become an integral part of American culture, and text messaging leads the way! Not surpisingly seventy six percent (76%) of those who own a cellphone say they have utilized texting – especially 18-34 year-olds - by far the most used feature on the phone! Internet browsing on the cell phone came in at 26%. The report adds:
Texting is exhibiting strong growth. Overall, more than four in ten (44%) of cellphone owners text message at least weekly. From the 2006 study, this is an increase of 25%. During this same period, IMing on a computer has dropped 13%, suggesting that cellphone texting has become the dominant "thumb communication" medium.
There are two ways to send flyers using text messaging. When you view or edit a flyer you'll notice that the Email tab is now the Email and SMS tab. As long as you are a subscriber, you will be able to text potential buyers a link to your mobile flyer by simply entering their cellphone number and a short message. You can also send a text message from vFlyer Mobile. After you select a flyer, you'll have the option of viewing it, viewing its traffic activity, emailing or texting it! So next time you want to impress a tech saavy prospective buyer simply tell them "I'll text you a link to my vFlyer!".
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May. 3, 2007 - Flyer ID - What is It?
Every flyer on the system has a unique ID number located at the bottom right hand corner of the flyer. This ID is used internally to keep track of your flyer and most people will probably never use it but it has some interesting uses!
Potential buyers who see a printed copy of your flyer or a posted version of your flyer on Craigslist (which doesn't allow links to 3rd party sites) can get more information and 'reconnect' with your original by using the Find Flyer search at the bottom of every page on vFlyer! Simply enter the Flyer ID and click Go and we'll find the original flyer!
You probably already noticed the Flyer ID in another location as well, the top left hand corner of the Edit Flyer screen.
In the next couple of weeks you'll discover other interesting little tricks you can do with your Flyer ID and now you know where to find it!
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May. 1, 2007 - Two Great Marketing Ideas!
!["Mailit"]("http://www.vflyerblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/vflyer_images/mailit.jpg")
Just the other week, we announced improved PDF support, and shortly after that I spoke with a customer who told me how she started printing and sending vFlyers to your prospective customers and had great results. I suggested she try using a personal stamp to add a personal touch! A while back I discovered that Stamps.com (and other online postage providers) allow you to create personal stamps (PhotoStamps, for example, allow you to upload almost any photo or image). I recently used PhotoStamps as part of a direct mail campaign here at vFlyer and loved them!
!["Mailstamp2"]("http://www.vflyerblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/vflyer_images/mailstamp2.jpg")
Traditional marketers have always touted personalization as a mechanism to make direct mail stand out, and what better way to stand out and grab the reader’s attention than your own photo on a stamp? Prospective customers (who know you) will immediate recognize the direct mail piece as yours and perhaps read it!
Hope you find this marketing tip useful and please don’t forget to take our quick online poll on print services! Thanks!
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vFlyer is a classified ad creation, management and submission platform that enables online sellers to quickly and easily create attractive classified ads or "virtual flyers" that can posted on dozens of leading online marketplaces in a few simple clicks. Our goal is make classified ads as easy and effective as possible for individuals and businesses selling online.
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