TheWebHoncho.com Real Estate BlogReal Estate Investment, Technology & Online Marketing

What are you doing?

2009-01-31T16:50:00.003-05:00

Sooo, what are you doing?

Who would be interested to know that you're reading this blog right now? Anyone? Probably! This is the phenomenon that Twitter and other social networking applications have proven. Whether you know it or not, people ARE interested in what you're doing, your interests, even your highs and lows in life. This has become a large part of what is making social networking a growing trend. Because of all of the social networking sites already out there (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.) I was somewhat hesitant at first to consider Twitter a viable application and tool. But, after all, a primary focus of our business is dedicated to giving real estate investors tools to generate leads on the Internet and drive traffic to their sites. Not to mention, we always have the need to increase traffic to our own websites. Because of these reasons, it was definitely worth checking out. The outcome? Awesome! We've found Twitter to be a very interesting and different style of social networking.

When I was preparing to write this article, I was doing some research on Twitter so that I could figure out the best way to explain why it is different and what is so valuable about it. Then, to relate it to real estate investors. In my search I came across a video that I'd like to share with you that articulates Twitter "in plain English" much better than I can. I decided to share the video and then later discuss Twitter in relation to real estate investing in another post.

My favorite quote from this video is "alot happens between blog posts and emails". Twitter is perfect for keeping you up to date with what others are doing in their lives (including the small stuff!). Surprisingly enough, people do care about the small stuff! Watch the video below and let me know what you think. Do you agree that this video really does explain Twitter "in plain english"?

Click the links below to find us on Twitter and Facebook:

http://www.twitter.com/thewebhoncho

http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheWebHoncho/57416237400

Twitter in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.

How are artists similar to real estate investors?

2009-01-16T20:55:00.003-05:00

For those of you who know me well, you know that my Mom is an accomplished artist. She quit her "day job" in 2000 and quickly realized her dream of pursuing art. She has not only become a respected oil and watercolor artist, but has established herself as an author and teacher. Many people dream of transforming their life to do something that they love... My Mom embraced that dream and accomplished it. I talk with my Mom often about her art career, what she's working on, what her next steps are and ultimately what she wants to get out of her art career and business. I am often fascinated that she faces many of the same challenges in her business as an artist entrepreneur as I do as a real estate investor and entrepreneur. At TheWebHoncho, we focus on helping our clients become more efficient by putting the right systems in place. I found her latest blog post, "Productivity for the Working Artist", to be a good example that we all face similar challenges regardless of the industry that we are in. The important thing is that you acknowledge these challenges and face them head on. Click here to check out my Mom's blog and enjoy!

Do you value your time?

2009-01-11T23:33:00.002-05:00

Do you truly value your time? The answer to this question could make or break your real estate investing business.

Often when I am giving a presentation to fellow real estate investors, I will ask the crowd -

"Who here is investing in real estate part time?"

Typically about 80% or more of the room will raise their hands. That 80% of the room usually has a 9 to 5 type of day job Monday through Friday. Sound familiar?

I then ask - "How many hours a day and how many days a week would you say you are able to spend on your investing business?"

I have found that the average answer is 2 hours a day and 5 days a week (and for many this is quite a stretch).

Let's do the math - 2 hours per day, 5 days per week is approximately 40 hours per month.

As I step through this with the crowd, you can usually see jaws drop as folks begin to realize that they are really making about 1 work week worth of progress, or less, on their investing business in a month! At that rate, it takes about 4 months to get a month of work done! That's a third of a year!

I don't point this out to say that deals cannot be found and made in this amount of time. They most certainly can, and there are examples of this time and time again. What I am saying is that with that 40 hours per month, it is imperative that you choose to spend your time wisely.

How do you spend your 10 hours per week?

What if I told you that there is a way to get as much or more done in 10 hours than your competitors get done in 40?

If you're not already, it's time that you harness the the power of technology and the Internet to automate your business. You may already be thinking to yourself, "I'm using the Internet and technology and things are going well." If that's the case, then great! However, no matter how much you are currently using technology, there are always new and more ways it can be used to make your business more efficient. Our business is specializing in technology and we'll be the first to tell you that we learn new ways to incorporate technology and the Internet into our business every single day.

How are you finding your leads? How much time do you spend finding them?

How are you tracking your leads? How much time do you spend looking up and evaluating them?

How do you know when to follow-up on your leads?

When sellers call you, who's answering the phone? I hope they're not going to your cell phone or home phone voice mail!

Efficiency in business is critical.

This leads me back to the original question of this article - Do you truly value your time? And if you do, what are you doing to ensure your time isn't being wasted?

TheWebHoncho has partnered with Profitable Partnerships and REI Office Solutions to offer a fantastic way to generate leads and convert them into profitable deals. We've combined the depth and experience within our 3 companies to offer you a package at a very low price that will undoubtedly help your investing business. Click below for more information -

http://www.thewebhoncho.com/mRealEstateMarketing.aspx

How are you spending your time? How much is your time worth? We'd love to hear from you.

Why you should increase your marketing during a recession

2008-12-13T21:34:00.009-05:00

Earlier this month, The National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the United States is indeed in a recession... Well, I think everyone at this point has probably witnessed signs of declining economic conditions in our country and globally.

Does the idea of a recession scare you? Or does it motivate you? Or both?

This is an important question to ask yourself.

I hope it motivates you!

Here's why...You may have less money to invest in your marketing now than you did just a few months ago. Or maybe you are in a position where you don't have any money to put towards marketing your business. With less money comes innovation. With innovation comes brilliant ideas that can turn into a financial return. A key element that any successful entrepreneur will tell you is that you MUST make things happen, regardless of market conditions.

How can you increase your marketing and decrease your marketing budget? Even better, how can you market with no cash outlay at all? Let's start examining some strategies...

For now, we'll start with SOCIAL NETWORKING -

I know, I know. Seems like an easy one. But, have you harnessed the power of social networking? You can use services such as Facebook to build credibility with clients and potential clients that was not possible before social networking existed. This type of new marketing is a unique way to eliminate a stuffy business style relationship and replace it with a more friendly one. Through social networking you might be notified when a client is getting married, having a baby or going on a family vacation. You have background into their lives which gives you insight when working with them. And vice versa - they will learn these types of things about you! For you, they may know when you've helped out a homeowner in distress or when past clients have given you praise because of your ethics and professionalism. As you might expect, this could help tilt the scale when they are looking for help...

We recently created a Facebook page to increase our own marketing. If you'd like to know about upcoming events, new product features and read interesting articles then check us out and become a "fan" - http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheWebHoncho/57416237400?ref=ts

What do YOU think?

How has social networking benefited your investing business?

If you're not using it now, do you see where it might help?

Please share your thoughts by adding a comment below.