In the world as a real estate marketer, it is an ever evolving and changing place. One thing that will remain constant with you however, is your fate as a real estate marketer. And if you continue to go down the same path as you have been adopting in 2014 and before, then you are doomed to failure.As Jim Rohn said”In order for things to change; you’ve got to change.”Here’s how I know you will fail in 2015.1. You Depend On Google For TrafficGoogle has been updating his algorithms since it’s Panda update in 2010. It therefore makes search engines one of the least reliable ways to get traffic.Blogs that have been written with heavy keyword articles were hit bad in the latest update in 2014. Once considered to be great SEO, this turned to ^#@* for many bloggers last year.But in spite of this you will continue to hunt down traffic on search engines as your one and only source. The SEO experts will continue to flog their wares to the naïve and you’ll tumble back in, parting with your hard earned cash. Real estate agents work too hard for their commission; but alas most won’t heed this advice.2. You Have No Connection With Your ReadersIn this new era of marketing, building a community of loyal readers and subscribers is paramount. It is this audience that you build trust and they in return consider you to be an expert.Online real estate marketing has evolved. You can no longer put up little, weak baseless articles full of affiliate links and think you are going to make money. You need to build relationships and establish yourself as an authority in real estate.This requires work (ooops sorry I swore). You need to be consistent and publish good quality, value articles regularly. It takes times but it’s the only way to make online sales in 2015.Sound too hard. Well continue posting affiliate links on Facebook etc and see how that plan works out in 2015, Sunshine.3. Your Continue To Ignore Your Mailing ListYou do have a mailing list; right? Good.So in 2014 you posted a few articles to your real estate site or blog. You seemed to get OK traffic but very few signups to your newsletter or free giveaway. Assuming these offerings didn’t 100% stink, what is your problem.You have not made an effort in helping your readers become subscribers by putting your opt-in box in easy to find prominent positions on your blog.The money is in the list. Do everything you can to attract more subscribers.4. You’re In It For A Quick BuckThere are 2 types of real estate agents. Those who treat the industry as a business and those who think they can jump in, make a quick buck and leave. It’s the same for online real estate marketers.Unfortunately you are in the second group.You don’t have a long term plan. Your blog is just a few pages and a splattering of articles.There is no plan and your readers can smell it. And they won’t trust you.5. You Don’t Think Like A Real Estate MarketerMarketers connect with their audience by listening to their problems and offering valuable solutions.Your marketing strategy needs to be based on solving problems and building trust.But for you it’s all about making money and not resolving your customer’s issues. Fail! 6. You Think This Online Income Thing Doesn’t Require Hard WorkThe old myth of posting a few links and waiting for the cash to flow in has never really occurred and if it did to some degree; it’s now way gone.To many big marketers put an end to that myth by working excessively hard on their craft.But you don’t believe it. You still think the old myth applies. It won’t work and your bank balance will prove it come December 2015.7. You Don’t Believe In BrandingYou think your franchise name is your brand. Alas not true. You are not RE/Max, Ray White, Prudential or any name you work under.Branding is about you. It takes effort. It takes time. You have to be seen as the expert in your field and for people to trust you.But since you don’t believe it you operate an inferior blog. Your posts are sparse. They offer little value. Your Twitter and Facebook accounts are al over the shop showing a mixture of happy snaps of you drunk at the races or you bore people to death with your constant bombardment of listings. You fail to have a LinkedIn profile and YouTube is only good for watching goofy pranksters.In short your brand image is not credible.If you have ignored all the points above, then it’s time to make some changes in 2015. It’s time for you to set up, create better content and treat blogging like a business.Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past otherwise 2015 will be like the other years
Learn How To Increase The Value Of Your Home By Making Home Improvements
Even though not every homeowner immediately perceives the importance of having home improvements, this is a highly significant process. Knowing what to do to boost the value of your property, especially if you plan on reselling it later on can turn out to be one of the your best decisions.It is common knowledge that home improvements play a great role in the property value boosting process. Not only will homeowners get a better price for their home, but they will also be able to enjoy a more pleasant standard of living.Plus, making some important improvements to their home will also increase the safety degree of the house, and this is always regarded as a big plus. Now let’s see exactly what to do in order to increase the value of your home.First of all, the best idea is to hire a contractor; you can either contact a local authority that can help you find assistance in your area. You should be aware of the fact that often local authorities have certain rules concerning home improvement facilities; still, these rules shouldn’t be too rigid or unreasonable.You have of course the possibility of applying for home enhancements and you can even contact a specialist to help you make the right decisions. You just need to make sure you contact your landlord first, if you are in fact a tenant.You can choose to work with the local authorities or you can think of hiring a private contractor to do some smaller tasks around the house. It’s up to you to establish a budget and decide what needs to be improved.One of the best areas in the house that can be improved in order to boost the value of a house is of course the kitchen. People spend a lot of time here, so it is important to remove those old ugly counters with new one, of a better material.Change the curtains, blinds, pay close attention to your flooring and make all the necessary changes. Think about adding a backsplash, buy a new refrigerator and washing machine, do anything you can and you will measure the results in the money you will receive on your house.
Issues and Challenges in Open and Distance Learning
Open and Distance Learning is a way of learning that focus on releasing learners from constraints of time and place whilst offering flexible learning opportunities. For a lot of married and working adults, Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is a way of combining work and family responsibilities with educational opportunities.The first challenge faced by online distance learners is in balancing the combination of work and education. Most of the Open and Distance education students are older, have jobs and families. Job responsibility is already intimidating, let alone the family and the learning. The task of balancing all of the above responsibility is truly challenging for most of them.The second issue is in acquiring go online distance study habits. The students’ everyday environment is very distracting for most of the students. Unlike traditional university students who are always in their learning community which supports them most of the time, online distance students are not. Distractions such as friends asking for night supper and wife demanding to go shopping at the mall every weekend are among other distractions faced by students. Acquiring some time in a day to study is quite a hard task to complete.Online distance learners also have a hard time in being independent and responsible to their own self. Most of the time, there is no one around to monitor the students learning process. The openness of the online distance program gives students the freedom to do their learning process whenever they like but most of the time, procrastination is the culprit. Unfocused view of their learning goals also will make the students act irresponsibly towards their learning.Online distance learners also face problems in recognizing and mastering strengths and skills. In online distance learning, technology is the main conduit which information and communication flow. A computer with internet access is usually needed for this process and its application will need the user to master certain level of acquirement. The students will also need to have some basic writing skills and a go online distance command of English language. Unfortunately, not all of the students possess the above-said skills.The fifth challenge is in motivating themselves as well as maintaining and increasing self-esteem. In online distance education, learners are usually isolated from peers and tutors. The motivational factors are absent due to lack of contact and competition with other students. The lacks of immediate support of a teacher who is able to motivate will also affects the learners. In the long run, students might feel uneasy with their teacher and uncomfortable with their learning situation and environment.Online distance learners also face some problems in relating and interacting with peers. Most of the time, learners will learn most effectively when they have the opportunity to interact with other students. Sadly, forming of the study group is not easy. This is caused by the difference in the usage of time between students. One particular student may have some free time for meeting with peers at 10am every Saturday, but another student who works in the government sector may still be at work at the exact time.The next one is in coping with distance learning strategies apart from printed material package the students are familiar with. There might be audio/video tape material, television-aided learning, overhead projectors, computer referencing and computer-assisted instruction using the internet. Some students might feel uncomfortable with these learning strategies due to lack of skills and knowledge in using those strategies.The second last challenge is in preparing for and taking examinations. In order to excel in examination, learners have to start early in understanding the course content and preparing and revising the content. However, not all students do start early in their learning process. Do not have enough time, lazy, too many works to be done are among other reasons given by this type of students in order to avoid studying for exams.The final challenge faced by online distance learners is in using library facilities to access information and references. Most of the library only opens during office hour and the learners would not be able to go to the library during office hour due to demanding works at the office. This will definitely cause problems to students who want to gain access to the reference material. Library database program such as the OPAC will also require the students to have proper training and skills in order to maximize the usage.The Open and Distance Learning courses are very different from a traditional classroom setting. Due to a number of challenges and obstacles, it often requires a high degree of commitment on the part of the learner.In order to overcome these online distance challenges, learners must first plan and manage themselves effectively in order to balancing work, family and study. They have to apply smart time management. Avoiding procrastinating is a must. They must be more responsible and have a focused view towards learning. They must also learn to improve themselves in areas they are lacking (such as writing skills, note taking skills, computer skills and English language skills) because not all skills will be taught by the tutor. They need to motivate their own self by setting achievable goals and have a positive attitude. Due to lack of meeting time with peers, they have to make an effort to interact with peers and tutors frequently.