Ahhh! 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

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)

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

I’m one of those obnoxious guys that is up every morning at 4:30 a.m. It’s a great time to get in a workout, jog for a few miles, and clear the mind for the day. This morning I was sitting on the porch watching as the night sky was chased away by rising sun – It’s amazing how much of a difference 15 minutes makes! Why was I sitting on the porch watching this? Well, I’ve generally found that when I get myself into a rut, when I begin to feel overwhelmed with the demands of running multiple blogs, websites, responding to emails, posting on Twitter, LinkedIn etc – It helps to give myself a change of pace – If only for a little while.

I do quite a bit of writing. Blogging, emails, presentations, seminars, how to guides, reports, web-copy,  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH… Ever felt like that before? I have. Yet something is deceptively simple as giving your brain a few moments to enjoy a new sensation, surrounding, and stimuli can have an amazing impact! That’s what I did this morning. As I jogged I was contemplating that my inbox registered 178 unread emails before I went to bed last night.I also had the welcome reminder that I need to prepare a 64 slide presentation for business owners to be delivered tomorrow at 2:30 – Ugh…

I actually enjoy all of these activities, but toss all of them into the same bucket with a heaping mixture of phones ringing off the hook and deadlines to be met and it’s easy to find yourself typing AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH all over again. Do you operate at your best when rushed, stressed, and feeling over-worked? Not many of us do. Sometimes I can feel the creativity just melt away when I feel there’s too much to be done, and I’ve already delegated plenty to my assistants. What to do?

Go watch the sunrise – Have dinner at a new location with foods you’ve always wanted to try, experience new music, ponder the unponderables, and laugh a whole heck of a lot at a funny show or movie. I’m telling you it works. I often feel like a broken record with what I type and teach, but then I realize that it’s just me. I’m subjecting myself to the same old messages and surroundings over and over again, and the brain reaches a limit. Simply taking a 30 minute jog around the neighborhood at 4:30 a.m. with everything so quiet and peaceful was a great relief for me. I tossed in a 15 minute session of watching the sun rise, and I suddenly felt rejuvenated! Was this a career-changing experience? Nope. That’s not what I was looking for, just a momentary pause while I found and pressed the “reset” button. I must say I’m feeling good today…

Chad Weber
Loan Officer Marketing Lab

Ok guys, today’s video speaks for itself! You want to know the #1 way to get usable information into the hands of borrowers and realtors, and to generate referrals ASAP!

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On another note, today is the absolute FINAL day to get involved in the 5 days of FREE training and website building during the Loan Officer Project… If you don’t get in today, then I’m sorry, the doors are closing and there’s no other way to get in. Our Pre-Training call begins in 1.5 hours:

1:00 CST
Phone – 712-432-3900
Access Code – 512904#

Last chance!

Oh by the way… On the video today I discussed some free PowerPoint alternatives that let you setup slide-show presentations:

http://www.spresent.com

http://www.sliderocket.com

http://www.best-freeware.com/freeware/openoffice/impress.aspx

http://www.empressr.com

http://preezo.com

http://prezentit.com

http://docs.google.com

How’s that for free resources! Some exciting links there, have a look – I think you’ll be blown away!

Before I dive into today’s blog, I wanted to point out that I have a brand spanking new website design here… You like it? I’m very pleased, but we’re not done yet with the switch-over, so please be aware that the commenting feature is not active yet, and the sidebars are not complete.

We’ll have them ready to rock though within the next 24 – 48 hours. Now, with that in mind, I’m doing all I can to prepare for another furious round of “Pre-Training” videos” and content on this blog! These videos will pick up where the first series left off. So expect plenty of online marketing content and education beginning on Monday of next week. Here’s what we’ll be covering:

- Free Mortgage Marketing – Tools to Help You Succeed -

We have a full week of content ready for you, and this is not even a part of the Loan Officer Project! Just one more way for me to say “Hey you! Why aren’t you checking out my blog on a daily basis when I’m giving away so much free information!?” So get ready, it’s going to be a blast!

Don’t forget, if you’re nt registered for The Loan Officer Project Phase 2 yet, then you’re dangerously close to being left out again. Spread the word (After you reserve your own spot of course) – I’ll see you next week!