On Point!

Have you caught the latest ad by Travelers Insurance? I saw it for the first (and I hope the last) time last night. The ad shows how doctors are busy reattaching "lucky" rabbit feet to the not so lucky bunnies. Of course, these feet are now multi-colored and they look pretty silly. I suppose it's a poor attempt at humor, and I'm pretty open minded, but all I could think of was all the rabbits in the world that really do get their feet chopped off to serve our superstitious ways.

Apparently my disdain for the ad was shared by others. I found an article today on the AdWeek.com website. Following is an exerpt from the article, written by Eleftheria Parpis (cool name, huh?):

[The commercial says in jest...] "We won't rest until every foot is returned to its rightful owner." Rabbits feet may have lost all of their "charm" (by the way, it's the hind foot that brings the luck, not the front one), but watching the fictional celebration of the make-good only brings to mind the cruelty involved in the making of those trinkets and the "thousands" of rabbits that didn't make it to the "Rabbit's Foot Reattachment Center.

My thoughts exactly.

Speaking of rabbits, our cat Cisco has suddenly got a knack for catching baby bunnies. He doesn't seem to want to kill them (thank goodness -- there's enough carnage going on here with all the mice, snakes and birds he manages to bring home). Maybe he thinks they are baby kittens? Though, he does seem to like to throw them in the air. Bad Cisco, bad! Anyway, we can't allow bunnies to be maimed on our turf, so we catch the little ones and bring them back to a hopefully safe haven in the open field by our home, where bunnies are abundant. So far the score is bunnies 4, Cisco 0. We're rooting for the bunnies!

Catch this great article over at Famous Realtors:

Business Blogging Part 1: A Beneficial Boost for Your Business

 There's also a Part 2 which is highly recommended reading:

Business Blogging Part 2: Building a Blog Reader Base

And finally, Part 3, about topics you'll want to avoid blogging about:

Business Blogging Part 3: Blogging Topics to Avoid

Gentlemen, start your blogging engines!

Another great article from the Famous Agents site that I hope every Realtor and non Realtor client of ours will read.  Although the words "link bait" might seem deceptive at first, the fact of the matter is we all need to do whatever we can to make our sites unique and interesting so that other people (sites) will link to us.  And not just any site, by the way.  You only want quality sites that are related to your business linking to you.  Other links won't hurt, but they certainly won't help.  Make sure, too, that you don't have a bunch of useless outbound links from your site. 

Here's a few highlights from the article:

1. NEWS
Learning and expanding what we know is what drives the perpetual exploration on the Internet. Make your site a reliable source for news-seekers.

You will grow a reader base that turns to you when they want to know the happenings in the neighborhood, community, city, state, country, or world. Imagine the influx of traffic that you will see once you offer the service of delivering news to their fingertips.

As a REALTOR, this is a golden opportunity for you to become an active member in the community. Gain name recognition, and provide an appreciated service to your neighbors at the same time.

Keeping yourself up to date with the events around town will reflect well on you and aid you in developing a trustworthy rapport among future potential clients.

2. CONTRARY
A contrary hook can be slightly trickier, but when you can pull it off, your site will benefit immensely. The hook revolves around the contradiction of something done or said by someone else in your field. Don’t be afraid to start a debate about a contested hot topic. Take what others in your field say and offer a different perspective.

Another twist to the hook is supplying your readers with bizarre information about a certain big shot that your audience is familiar with. Try it, and your site will most definitely gain some attention.

Remain civil with the contradiction or the hook might take a violent shove into the next hook category.

3. ATTACK
The attack hook is linked directly to the contrary hook addressed above. Attack, however, takes the contradiction one step further, and ultimately lives up to its name.

Attacking your competition will garner you an entirely different reaction from your audience. It will undoubtedly gain you traffic, but the type of interest your site will generate may shock you so be prepared.

There is a warning label that comes with this hook.

The game of attacking others is a risky one. You’re setting yourself up in a position that you must prepare for.

If the person you attack has a substantial following, be ready for the negative attention that you’ll receive from avid supporters of the so-called victim. A mob might come knocking – on your blog door of course – and you better be geared up for the battle.

It may sound like a scary tactic to use to gain links. If used properly, the effectiveness does have the potential to be worth your while.

It’s true that you may end up with incredibly negative attention from some. However, in the meantime, you will acquire additional authority and reliability among your peers and followers if the attack is justifiable and relevant.

4. RESOURCE
A resource hook lives up to its name and leaves little to the imagination.

The page is solely informational.

You take countless sources full of information and distill the data into a core, cumulative report. Presto, just like that you are offering valuable, reliable, yet condensed information to your readers – not to mention you have the advantage of offering it from your perspective.

5. HUMOR
Humor is universal.

You can depend on humor hooks to bring in readers from all over - without risking offending your audience or alienating yourself.

Use humor to entice a crowd which, like many of us, have grown tired of the daily routine and are actively looking for an outlet. Keep in mind, however, that just because you use humor you can still effectively convey a message.

As a REALTOR, use comedic stories from around the community or about real estate in general. Find irony in the local newspaper, take pictures of amusing images, or simply post jokes that you run across. You’ll then find surfers coming back to your site often to see what innovative, wacky things they will find.

It should go without saying, but keep your jokes clean.

Use humor as your vehicle of choice. Get the laughter flowing and watch the traffic topple in.

To read the entire article, head on over to the Famous Agents website.