Archive for September, 2009

Sep
28

WARNING! SEO Doesn’t Work Anymore!

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fearAhhh! SEO doesn’t work anymore!With all the changes Google is making, or planning on making to their algorithm, “all the SEO techniques you’ve learned to rank well on Google will no longer work.”

At least that’s what you might believe if you’re listening to all the “Sky is falling” bloggers making a big fuss! It’s amazing how well sensationalism still works…

You think people would learn. See, the same scary blog posts were cropping up back in October 2008 when “huge changes” were made to Google’s algorithm, and in early 2008 as well. I can recall at least 4 times now that bloggers were up in arms writing articles, posts, sending emails – All of which seemed to claim that “the good old days” were gone, and everything would be different from this point forward.

Logic would tell them that this is not the case.  The Google search engine  has a mission, and that mission is to serve up qualified search results to those who seek them. There are only so many factors that can be ranked or judged on a website. This isn’t some mythical beast we’re talking about here, but rather, data crunching.

I’ve been using the same methods and formula for SEO for nearly 3 years now. Haven’t really changed a thing. Yet it continues to work regardless of the big scary shakeups and doomsday predictions. My point?Ignore the hype, and focus on what matters most to Google: A website that delivers on its promise of good content, frequent updates, and growing popularity. Any other changes Google may make to its algorithm will be secondary to those big 3… See you on the front page!

PS – Don’t forget to join us in our 5 day FREE Mortgage Marketing Webinar Series. Click Here

Categories : Mortgage Training
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Sep
09

Email Mortgage Marketing

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Oh hey… Before I begin this blog post, I wanted to treat you to some crazy facts about email:

- There are more than 100 billion pieces of SPAM email sent around the world every single day!

- The number of spam email messages sent around the globe each month numbers in the trillions!

- More than 80% of all that SPAM is sent by fewer than 200 individuals

- Despite the crushing number of SPAM messages sent each month, email continues to deliver a higher Return On Investment than any other form of marketing

Ok, Now that I got those interesting numbers out of my system, let’s get back to the regularly scheduled blog post! Did you know that email is still considered the #1 highest return on investment form of marketing in the world? Here are some facts you need to consider that can help you with your own email mortgage marketing efforts:

  • The best days to send email are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
  • The best time of day to send email is after 9:30 but before 2:00
  • Never use red colored font in a professional email (Sets off SPAM flags)
  • Keep your subject lines shorter than 35 characters whenever possible
  • “Long term prospects” (Those who are not in the market for at least 6 months) should get 1 email per month, whereas shorter term prospects should get emailed 2 – 3 times per month
  • Send usable information free of blatant advertising
  • Add your Twitter and FaceBook profile links to your email signature (If you have professional profiles setup)
This image really demonstrates the power of email marketing:

mortgage_marketing_tools_graph_2

Those are some pretty impressive numbers: a $43.08 return on investment for every dollar spent! Where else can you get those types of conversions? Direct mail? Magazine ads? Radio? Hiring telemarketers? Nope…

Use the tips I provided above, and and you will see an improvement in your own email marketing efforts. But there’s one more tip I have for you that absolutely must be observed:

- Use a permission based email list only! Do not SPAM! -

It’s far easier than you imagine to build a permission based email list. It doesn’t need to be a long and drawn out process. If you make use of a marketing-grade auto-responder system, all of your follow-up efforts will be automated and save you a truck-load of time, while delivering fresh, warm leads to you on a regular basis as the prospects begin to convert and respond to your efforts. I generally grow my own email list by 250 – 300 fresh emails per month. Would you like to do the same?

If you’d like to learn more about how to incorporate proper email marketing strategy into your own efforts, don’t forget about our Loan Officer Project 5 Day Webinar series. Nothing to buy from us, just 5 days of intense “hands on” learning. It’s free to participate, and we almost always fill every last spot. (We now have a waiting list) – To register and see if you can participate in the next round of free training, CLICK HERE NOW

Categories : Mortgage Training
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