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What About YOU?

When 2006 rolled around, we sent out our annual "New Year's Resolutions" Marketing Tip.  We once again shared with you some important things that can really help boost your website success.  And, of course, being the nagging sort that we are about keeping your website fresh and competitive, we will be sure to bring this up throughout the entire year.  We'll occasionally go into greater detail about one of the items included on that list.  Think of it as our way of helping you be able to finally say you were able to keep a New Year's Resolution after all these years.  Now for those of you who are great at keeping your resolutions, don't go making the rest of us feel bad about it, just bear with us and make sure you haven't forgotten any of this key information as well.

We thought we'd start with something easy...talking about yourself.  Now, don't be modest...well, be a little modest, nobody likes a bragger...but let's talk about YOU!

When we first created your website, we didn't know too much about you.  If you didn't provide your resume or biography for us to add to your "About" page, then it still has the 'stock' content on it.  And even if you did personalize your "About" page, perhaps it needs a little revamping.  We know some of you can by shy, but you need to be sure that your website does include something about you, after all, you are the product advertised on your website; you and your listings are a package deal.

Still need more convincing that this is important?  You may think a lot of people may not read your "About" page; you may wonder "Why would they want to know about me, they just want to look at listings".  You may also want to be careful about droning on and on about you when people want straight talk about real estate, not a sales pitch.  There are many reasons people avoid editing their "About" page, but don't forget ... if a website visitor clicks on your "About" button, they clicked there, so they want to know about you, so give them some info before you ask for theirs.

Elements of a Well Written Biography

There are many formats that are commonly used for a personal and professional profile.  You can choose to post your resume online, or list your accomplishments and education in a bulleted list in a "just the facts" sort of way.  You can choose to write an extremely detailed personal biography which includes a great deal of information about you including the names and ages of your 2 cats, 3 dogs, 4 fish, and 1 bird and other such details.  Experience, however, has taught us that the best biography to reach the most people is a moderate combination of these elements.

If you post your professional resume on your "About" page, you may impress a lot of people.  However, without any other information, you may leave them wondering about whether you'll be helpful or interested in truly meeting their needs.  On the other hand, a long winded page about every event in your life and ten photos of your family and pets may also turn others off.  So, you'll need to consider your audience...who do you want to reach?

If you're stuck on what to write about, follow this formula to get yourself started.

1. Start with your professional resume.  Use a highlighter to mark the items that you think make you especially qualified to do what you do.
2. Make a list of educational and professional milestones and accomplishments. (This would include real estate designations, sales awards, etc).
3. Make a list of personal and/or professional experiences that you feel contribute to your ability to assist home buyers and sellers.
4. Write down your top 1 to 3 pieces of personal information such as family info (married, for how long, kids, etc).
5. Read all the info you highlighted and listed.  This should start to tell your story in a well balanced way.

This process should help you to judge what will be fitting for your "About" page.

Once you have a good idea about what to include, you can begin to format your page.  Some items may be more appropriate in a quick bulleted list, while others would be best in paragraph form.  This is where you can be unique and fill in the blanks with your personality.

Spelling and grammar

Once you have your biography written, be sure to spell check it and proof it for other errors.  You won't look well on "paper" if your "About" page is full of spelling and grammatical errors.  Make sure you also read through your text to make sure it reads well.  You don't want any of it to sound unnatural.

So take some "ME" time for yourself and make your "About" page a selling point on your website.

*Note: To edit your "About" page, login to your Virtual Office and click on "Page Manager", and next, click on the "About Page" option.*

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