A Real Estate Discussion Blog

I am so excited to announce that today the Video Training Centerlaunched on Zillow!  There are a core group of questions we frequently get, and now we have a resource that answers them in the form of short videos. 

Along with FAQs, there are videos that walk through some of the most used marketing tools and resources on the site. 

The training center can be found at www.Zillow.com/Advertising/Videos . 

And here is a laundry list of the type of content you'll find online.  Let us know if we've missed anything you think Professionals want to know!

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Welcome to Zillow Interact with Zillow through your computer, iPhone or e-mail. Watch these videos to learn the best ways to use the site.

• Activate Your Account and Get Started
• Why Brokers Use Zillow To Promote Listings
• Zillow iPhone App
• Short Introduction to Zillow
• How to Get E-mail Alerts From Zillow
• How to Find a Service Professional in the Directory

Understanding Zillow Data Data is the backbone of the Zillow Web site, with property records for 90 million homes. Discover how to interpret the numbers, edit online information, or use the data to view local real estate statistics and trends.

• The Zestimate: A Guide For Real Estate Professionals
• The Zestimate: A Guide For Homeowners, Buyers and Sellers
• Local Pages: Discover Local Real Estate Trends and Statistics
• Zilow Content For Your Web site
• Give Your Home A 'Make Me Move' Price
• My Estimator: Create Your Own Home Value Estimate
• Correct Your Home's Location On The Map
• Can Your Home Be Removed From Zillow?
• How To Get Comps
• Claim and Edit Your Home On Zillow
• How Zillow Handles Duplicate Listing Data

Real Estate Advertising Make sure your listings and brand are receiving maximum exposure on Zillow by using innovative and ZIP-code targeted real estate advertising that can help your listings receive up to five times more traffic.

• Real Estate Advertising
• Best Practices for Advertisers

Zillow Marketing Opportunities Promote your listings, yourself, and your expertise on Zillow to the millions of people that visit the site each month. Watch these videos to learn how to effectively do this.

• Introduction To Marketing On Zillow
• How To Use Zillow Advice
• Post Your Listings On Zillow
• Create A Free Professional Profile
• Promote An Upcoming Open House
• How To Become a Local Expert
• How To Become a Zillow All Star

Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Zillow Mortgage Marketplace allows borrowers to shop anonymously for customized mortgage quotes. Confirmed lenders interact with mortgage-shoppers in one of the most innovative and vibrant mortgage centers on the Internet. Learn how you can benefit:

• Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Overview
• Lender Rating System in the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace
• Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Moderation Policies
• Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Moderation Policies

Here are Zillow's local traffic numbers for the month of October. The numbers are down a little this month from our highs in July and August, but this is to be expected as we near the end of the year. 

You can also find more traffic information directly on Zillow.  If you go to any property on the site, click on Home Info in the left hand column, and scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see that we publish a running traffic count for the home, zip, county, and state for the month. 

Also, if you've created a free account on Zillow, we now send periodic traffic updates via email for your specific listings. 

A few weeks ago Twitter announced that they now offered the ability to create Lists.  Personally, I still like TweepML better for this functionality for many of the reasons outlined in this TechCrunch article: Twitter Lists Competitors Respond: We Can All Get Along.

I went thru the list of people I follow on Twitter and compared that to people I enjoy reading on Active Rain.  I then came up with this list of people who are active in the Active Rain community, who I recommend following on Twitter.  Click on the link below and you can follow them all (or select a chosen few) in one click.  

Favorite Active Rain Twitter Tweeps

There are so many great Twitterers and Active Rain blog authors, I am sure I left off some people that should be included on this.  If you have a favorite person you follow on Twitter (and who is active on Active Rain), please put their Twitter handle in the comments of this post and maybe I'll add them to the list!

If you are just getting started with Twitter, these people are great to follow and see the many ways Twitter can be used effectively.

This is VERY COOL!  Another reason why photos are so important!

I often get emails asking this question, and usually the answer is one of these three reasons:

1)      When creating an account on Zillow, it is essential that the agent register as a professional, not a standard user.  When we get a listing feed, we match the email address on the listing with the email address on the profile.  The reason we wouldn't post this listing online is that a standard user can't represent home that has a listing agent.  So if listings aren't online, first make sure it is a professional account that has been created, and not a standard one.  This is easily changed on the profile, or click the gray "flag" button and our customer service can assist with the switch.

2)       Often when I get this question, the listings actually are online, but they aren't in the My Listings section of the agent's profile.  As mentioned in #1, we match the email address of the listing to the email address on the profile.  It is important to create the agent profile using the same email address as what the feed provider has on record.  For example, say a profile is created using the address sarab@yahoo.com, but then the franchise is giving us listings using sarab@era.com.  The listings would be on the site, but the listings and profile would not be tied together.  Again, this is easily corrected be updating the email address on the profile. 

3)      Agents often assume that we are getting direct feeds from their MLSs, therefore the listings should be online.  The truth is, only a handful of MLSs give us direct feeds.  However, a large majority use syndication services on their members' behalf, like ListHub or Point2.  Often with these services there is some type of opt-in required by either the agent or broker before the syndication can begin, so make sure the appropriate controls have been set up if you MLS is contracting with such syndication services.  

We’ve all heard there’s “no such thing as a national weather forecast” when trying to explain that real estate is local. Most real estate websites only post their national traffic numbers. While there is some value to seeing this number, it is also important to know how much of that traffic is happening in your area so you can spend your time and resources accordingly.

From a top line perspective, Zillow had its second highest traffic month ever in August, attracting over 8.8 million unique users to the site (64% YOY increase).  These people looked at 129,616,597 pages of information!

But what does this huge traffic number mean to you?  Here are statistics for the top metro areas in the country:

Now that we've established there are a lot of people coming to the site, the next question is how to leverage this audience and make sure they are seeing your name and your listings. Here are the most basic things you need to make sure you are doing on Zillow.

1) Market yourself - Make sure you profile is completely filled out (now can include a link to your active rain blog!)

2) Market your listings - You can do this through a Broker feed, a syndication service, or post them manually.

3) Market your expertise - Sign up to recieve alerts whenever someone posts a question in your area.  Great way to position yourself as a local expert.

For a complete list of everything you can do on Zillow, and more ways you can interact with this audience, check out the post Zillow From A to Z.

If you aren't into social media, you'll find this particularly funny.

Ironically, social media is one of the reasons that this skit has become so popular.  Yes, Conan has a significant reach.  But it has become compounded as people share this viral video through YouTube, blogging, twittering, etc. Viral video can be powerful, can you think of one for your business?

Oh, if you watch this and have the grand idea to go buy the URL youtwitface.com, it is already taken.  And t-shirt sales for the site are taken too. 

This blog post was featured today on Active Rain.  I wanted to reBlog it because I think this is very important information for Realtors understand.  You should be spending your time and efforts on sites that do all follows. 

Zillow is one of the only top trafficked real estate sites that has a dofollow policy in place (besides Active Rain of course!).  What this means to you: you should make sure your Profile is blinged out with lots of links in the About Me section.  This can help you with Google. 

Please install the Firefox application that Lisa describes and visit other real estate sites.  I think you'll be shocked to what is, and more important isn't, followed. 

There are 13,000 of you who have an Active Rain blog AND active profiles on Zillow.  As of today, and thru collaboration with the good folks at AR, you now have a link from your Zillow profile to your Active Rain blog!  Just one more way people can find the great content so many of you produce.

If you have an active, PROFESSIONAL (not a regular user) account on Zillow, a link to your blog will automatically appear.  But we didn't stop there, you can now also add your Twitter handle, a link to your Facebook profile and a link to your LinkedIn information. 

I am really excited about this change because it is so important to tie everything you are doing socially, together on the web, to help build your online reputation. 

Steps to edit/add your Profile:

1) If you don't already have an active account, here is a link to start building your free Zillow profile.

2) Log on to the site and go to your Profile.  Click the Edit button. 

3) Next, simply add your information in the respective fields.

4) And you are all done! 

Big thanks to Active Rain for making this happen!  Also, don't forget that you can include even more (followed) links within the marketing text of your profile.  For example, link to some of your favorite or more helpful posts to drive even more traffic to them.