Online Real Estate Technology

Marketing trends—especially in digital—are motivating brands to be more interactive and engaged with their customers. Rather than pushing out interruptive messages that targets will ignore or find annoying, many are working to create marketing experiences that appeal to customers as individuals. And they know if they neglect to do so their brand could be at risk.

In an Alterian survey of marketing professionals, nearly three-quarters said they or their clients tried to create personalized customer experiences through email, the top channel for doing so. Direct mail, website and social media fell far behind but nearly even with each other in the 53% to 59% range.

Notably, less than 9% of respondents said they did not use any of the cited channels for a personalized customer experience. While marketers may not use every channel at their disposal to do so, they recognize the importance of personalization.

Asked specifically about email, a plurality of respondents said they segment their audience and send different messages based on the segmentation. The second-most-popular response, however, was blast emails with basic personalization—which is often not enough to appeal to recipients. Only about half as many said they delivered truly personalized email marketing messages based on individual preferences.

Based on their usage of digital channels for personalized and interactive marketing, most respondents felt their brands could be at risk because of a lack of customer engagement. A majority of that group claimed to be taking action based on problems they had already recognized, but some still did not know where to start. Less than a quarter reported they were fully engaged.

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Whether you’re heading home for the holidays or simply escaping to a warmer clime for a little sunshine, you’ll probably want to stay connected while you’re traveling from point A to point B. Public wi-fi access is everywhere—in cafes and even in the friendly skies. Here are some tips to protect your online security when you use public wi-fi.
A public hotspot is a wireless network set up for shared Internet access. The hotspot host buys a wireless access point, connects that device to the Internet, and broadcasts its signal within a public place. Anyone with a wireless card within range of the host’s access point can access its network and use the Internet.
Most proprietors make it quick and easy for customers to use their hotspots. But by minimizing login requirements and avoiding encryption compatibility issues, they disable much of the security built into the wireless device. This is a notable tradeoff. Without encryption, your plain text data passes unprotected through the air as radio signals. Those signals can be intercepted by anyone with a receiver and some basic, widely available tools. When the hotspot you’re on doesn’t use encryption, someone who intercepts your data can read whatever you’ve sent–whether it’s a private email or a user name and password combination.

Although it’s unlikely that nosy hotspot neighbors will put your privacy at risk, you should be on the alert for the most serious hotspot danger: a cybercriminal. These technically savvy hackers have the tools, skills, and patience to work around the limited protection measures some hotspot hosts take.
For example, some cybercriminals have learned to use social engineering methods to con hotspot users into divulging sensitive information. By wi-phishing, a cybercriminal can pre-empt a hotspot’s wireless signal with one of his own, spoof the legitimate network name, and replace the sign-up page with a look-alike. You’ll end up supplying your information to this evil twin, not the hotspot provider. Once you’re on the spoofed hotspot, you may be redirected to other fraudulent or virus-laden Web sites, or even be tricked into setting up a “new account” and providing credit card numbers or other identifying information.

With these security dangers lurking, protecting yourself at public hotspots becomes your own responsibility. Here are some things you can do to keep yourself safe:

Be aware of your surroundings. Make sure no one is peering over your shoulder when you log into your operating system, email, IM, or other accounts. Never leave your laptop or handheld device unattended—not even for a moment. Don’t allow your wireless card to automatically join the nearest network. Instead, manually select the hotspot when you connect. Make sure you’re on a legitimate hotspot by checking with the host to confirm the network name and connection process. Turn off file sharing when you’re using a hotspot, and try to minimize the amount of sensitive, personal data you store on your laptops and mobile devices. You can usually turn off file sharing from your operating system’s network settings menu. Don’t do your online banking or trading at a public hotspot. Save it for a more safe and controlled environment. Limit email and IM to casual communications. If you use IM or email at hotspots, never send anything that should not be made public. Consider setting up an extra Web-based email account to use at hotspots. Don’t surf Web sites you wouldn’t want a stranger to know you’re viewing. Turn off your wireless card when you’re not using it. When you’re on a public hotspot, you have no idea what infections other connected computers might have, or whether there may be a hacker prowling the network. Norton Antivirus or Norton Internet Security–both from Symantec–protect you from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and dangerous intruders. Make wise computing decisions. Always avoid using hotspots for important communications or transactions.

Public wi-fi hotspots can be both friend and foe during your travels, unless you take precautions. It’s up to you to protect your computer, your data, and your privacy with good tools and cautious computing habits. We hope the tips we offered in this article help you to do just that.

Story source: Norton article library

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Queensland’s floods are making news in some, but not all, parts of the world.

America’s CNN network is reporting online a ‘scene of utter devastation’ with aerial footage of the flooded Lockyer Valley and people being airlifted from their rooftop refuges.

Britain’s BBC is leading its online news service with a story about the Brisbane flooding, reporting that 20,000 homes may be hit.

It is running eyewitness accounts from Toowoomba alongside footage of cars being washed away and smashed against bridges by gushing waters.

The networks’ TV bulletins are also covering the story.

Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale told Sky News on Wednesday that many calls from international media were among hundreds of mobile phone inquiries he has been attempting to answer.

The New York Times is leading online with stories from the Arizona shooting and its own weather emergency, a giant snowstorm approaching, but has a story about the floodwaters threatening Brisbane in its Asia-Pacific section.

The Times newspaper in Britain is leading online with the Brisbane floods, showing images of people wading through waters with their possessions.

However, the floods are not news everywhere, with no reports on the home pages of Canada’s Ontario Times and Paris’ Le Monde online sites.

Closer to home, the Jakarta Post online has news of the floods in its world section, while The China Daily has a story about the NSW floods trapping 1,700 people but has not updated its online coverage to include the latest on the Queensland floods.

Further east, the Times of India online is leading its world coverage with the floods, depicting thousands fleeing Brisbane ‘to escape a tsunami-like tidal wave’ and reporting 30 people dead, despite an official toll of 10.

Story source: www.bigpond.com

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US online adults were most likely to say they have increased their viewing of friends’ photos and information on social networks out of a wide variety of online activities during the past year, according to results of a new Harris Poll.

About one-third (34%) of online US adults say they have increased their viewing of friends’ photos and information on social networks either significantly or somewhat in the past year. This was the highest percentage combined response for increasing any of the eight activities presented to respondents (multiple answers were accepted).

Reading newspapers/current events followed at a distant second with a combined 26% saying they have increased this online activity either significantly or somewhat in the past year. However, somewhat mitigating this low rate of increased online activity is an often lower rate of decreased online activity.

For example, only a combined 8% of online adults say they have decreased their viewing of friends’ photos and information on social networks either significantly or somewhat in the past year. A full 23% say this activity is not applicable and 34% say it has not changed.
Results are similar for most other activities, with the not changed rate of many hovering above 50%. Shopping had the highest combined rate of decrease (17%).

Interestingly, a leading 55% of respondents say posting information on their own blogs is not applicable, and 43% say posting or commenting on friends’ blogs is not applicable, reflecting the shrinking popularity of blogs among US online users.

Almost across the board, social media users, younger and better educated respondents are more likely to say they have increased an online activity in the past year. The difference between social media users and non-social media users is most pronounced in rates of viewing friends’ photos and information on social networks, posting and commenting information on friends’ or own blogs, and posting comments/reviews about brands, products or services.

Conversely, non-social media users were more likely than social media users to have increased reading newspapers/current events, the only online activity where they surpassed social media users.

Blogging, reading newspapers and review posting were the only areas where increase rates were not highest among 18-to-34-year-olds. Posting information on your own blog, reading newspapers and posting comments/reviews had the highest rates of increase among 35-to-44-year-olds, posting/commenting on friends’ blogs had the highest rate of increase among 45-to-54-year-olds.

While there was some variety among what age brackets were the second-most-likely to have increased an online activity, 55-plus respondents had the lowest response rate in any area except shopping, where their increase rate of 22% beat 45-to-54-year-olds (20%) and tied 35-to-44-year-olds.

Meanwhile, respondents with a high school education or less were the least likely to have increased all eight online activities. Those with a college degree or more had higher increase rates than those with some college in every activity except posting comments on friends’ blogs and posting reviews.

Only a combined 28% of online adults say they have used social media to rant or rave about a company, brand or product. However, a combined 80% of respondents agree strongly or somewhat they give up part of their privacy by participating in social media, and a combined 73% agree strongly or somewhat social media only reveals a snapshot, rather than a full portrait, of who they are.

Six in 10 (59%) of social network users say they feel more connected to people now than previously, according to another recent Harris Poll. That figure is highest among 18-to-34-year-olds (63%) and females (61%). Similar percentages (58% overall, 63% of 18-to-34-year-olds, 60% of females) say they keep in touch with friends more now than in the past.

Social network users say this even as majorities admit they recently have had less face-to-face contact with friends (55%) and know what’s going on with many of their friends and acquaintances, but don’t interact with them personally or individually (60%). Negative emotional impact of this loss of personal contact appears small, as only 32% of social network users feel lonelier now than previously.

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Increasing visitor engagement is the most popular reason marketers use online video on their sites, according to a new study from TubeMogul, Brightcove, and DynamicLogic.

Close to 80% of marketers using online video on their sites do so to increase visitor engagement, or time spent. This is by far the most popular reason. Another 60% use online video to strengthen their brand, and almost 60% use online video to increase overall visitors (more than one answer was permissable).

No other reason garnered as much as a 40% response rate. Approximately 30% of respondents said they use online video on their sites to increase available ad inventory.

Marketer efforts to boost visitor engagement may be working. During Q1 2010, online video viewers watched an average of 5:55 minutes of video in each session, growing by an average of almost 9.5% per month during the past six months.

The number of videos watched per viewer in a given session averaged 2.82, growing at a pace of about 0.3% per month in the same time period.

Video advertising, both display and pre-roll, leads to purchase intent for 1.4% of all viewers that saw an ad, a number that’s grown for three consecutive quarters and is more effective than other mediums. Rich media and simple flash advertising both lead to purchase intent for less than 1% of all viewers, with rich media improving during 2009 and rich media decreasing in effectiveness last year.

In addition to leading to purchase intent at a higher percentage than rich media or simple flash advertising, video advertising is also substantially better at raising online ad awareness (3.2% compared to 2.4% and 1.8%, respectively).

Video advertising also leads the other two formats in helping brand favorability and brand awareness. Rich media performs slightly better at message association (1%, compared to 0.8% for both video and simple flash).

Although YouTube videos which become viral sensations receive lots of attention, in reality, a combined 56% of YouTube videos get less than 100 unique views (31.5%) or 100-500 unique views (24.5%). Another 10% get 500 to 1,000 unique views.

At the other end of the spectrum, only about 0.4% of unique YouTube videos are viewed more than 1 million times. About 2% are viewed 500,000 to 1 million times, and a little less than 2% get 100,000 to 500,000 unique views.

Other study data indicates that tracking YouTube’s top 100 daily most-viewed videos by content type for a 30-day time period, comparing results to six months ago, shows that although only about 42% of the most popular videos have ads, that number is growing by 0.83% per month and both pirated and user-generated content are down.

Breaking out ad content by type (not counting YouTube’s homepage), about 93.5% of ads are 300×250 display ads. Another 5.5% are pre-roll, and slightly less than 1% are overlay.

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Online video advertising is growing at a fast pace in the US. eMarketer forecasts a spending increase of 48.1% to over $1.5 billion this year, followed by a further boost of about 43% for the next two years. But publishers and video ad networks have concerns about their effectiveness.

A survey of web publishers by online video ad service provider BrightRoll found that they considered standardization of formats across ad networks to be the greatest barrier to online video growth, followed by the interruption to the user experience.

Publishers also had concerns about working with ad networks, mainly about fill percentages and sales-channel conflicts.

But even more publishers—88%—said they thought advertisers would spend more if research proved the efficacy of online video advertising. An earlier BrightRoll survey that queried agencies found 52% said their clients would spend more under the same conditions.

“Today’s video metrics only partially answer the essential question marketers want to know: Did the ad convince the consumer to buy?” wrote David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst, in the October 2010 report “Measuring Video Ads: Metrics for Brand Marketers.” “Whether the metric data comes from servers (completion rates) or from surveys (awareness), it acts as only a proxy for answering that bottom-line question.”

Research from Dynamic Logic and TubeMogul in Q4 2009 showed online video performed better than rich media or simple flash in online ad awareness, brand favorability, and a variety of other branding metrics.

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Trust and credibility are the gold standards by which relationships are measured. This is true of personal relationships as well as connections between people and brands.

The rise of social media has reinforced the importance of trust. Successful and enduring social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn are built on a foundation of trust and transparency. But social media has also distorted the notion of trust and put an emphasis on the size of a person’s network and connections.

“Most people’s decisions are shaped by word-of-mouth input, whether online or offline, from a tight circle of close friends and relatives,” said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Leveraging Trust Online and Offline.” “Marketers seeking to maximize their reach should focus on the quality of social network connections rather than their sheer size.”

According to Invoke Solutions, quantitative measures such as the volume of content and participation, the length of time people have been fans or followers, or the raw number of followers or fans mattered far less in inspiring trust than the openness of the dialogue, the quality of the comments, and the responsiveness of the sponsor or author.

And Vision Critical found that among US consumers overall as well as daily social network users, friends and family were trusted for product recommendations far more than brand-originated content or people consumers did not know.

And marketers around the world agree that popularity does not equal influence on social media sites.

“The level of influence over one’s friends, followers or fans is the real key, and influence does not necessarily correlate to the size of the network,” said Verna.

In addition, there is a feedback loop between online and offline word-of-mouth, and marketers must understand the connections and differences between the channels.

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Facebook and Twitter clearly surpassed all other major social networks in US year-over-year growth during March 2010, according to data from The Nielsen Company.

In March 2010, Facebook reported 117.1 million unique US users at home and work. This represented 69% year-over-year growth from 69.1 million unique US users in March 2009.

While Twitter only reported 20.1 million unique US users in March 2010, this still represented strong 45% year-over-year growth from 13.8 million unique users in March 2009. It is also worth noting that Twitter had a negligible 520,000 unique users in March 2008.

Myspace.com had the second-highest total unique US audience in March 2010 with 42.1 million users. However, this represented a roughly 25% drop from 55.9 million unique users in March 2009. As recently as March 2008, Myspace.com was the undisputed leader among major US social networks, with 61.3 million unique users.

LinkedIn and Classmates Online reported US unique audience declines of 12% and 30%, respectively, between March 2009 and March 2010. LinkedIn’s March 2010 unique audience total of 13.9 million is still almost double its March 2008 total of 7.9 million, while Classmates Online has lost about 15% of its unique audience in that time (13.6 million to 11.5 million, with a bump to 16.4 million in March 2009).

Global SocNet Traffic Dramatically Rises
Globally, more unique users spent far more time on social networks in March 2010 than in March 2009. Unique audience grew about 20% globally, from 261.7 million to 313.7 million. Total global minutes spent on social networks more than doubled, from 55.7 billion to 113.1 billion. Average time spent per user grew about 45%, from three hours, 32 minutes and 49 seconds to six hours and 25 seconds.

SocNet Usage Rises in Feb.
On average, global web users across 10 countries spent roughly five and a half hours on social networks in February 2010, up more than two hours from February 2009, according to previous data from Nielsen. Overall, the active unique audience to social networks grew nearly 30%, from 244.2 million in February 2009 to 314.5 million in February 2010.

Facebook was clearly the most popular social network globally in February 2010. Facebook’s reach extended to 52% of active social network users, and the site averaged 19.16 sessions per person and time spent of five hours and 52 minutes per person.

I don’t know about you, but that old saying about if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it must be a duck, certainly rings true to me and everyone else it seems with the exception of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy on the proposed Internet filter for all Australians being planned by the Rudd government.

Conroy, speaking at The Sydney Institute on Monday has described the planned mandatory internet filter as a modest regulatory measure,whilst critics believe it is mandatory censorship, being imposed on all Australians by the federal government.

The Obama administration in the US has already raised concerns about the proposed filter, saying it flies in the face of their policy of a free and open internet, here’s the link to that story if you’d like to read what the US government thinks of Rudd’s plans.

Here’s more of the story on Conroy’s speech:

“The internet is an incredible piece of technology and in our lifetime it’s unlikely we’ll see anything like it again,” he said.

“But for all its technical brilliance, the internet is a distribution and communications platform.

“Having no regulation to combat illegal activity actually weakens all that is good about the internet.”

The federal government’s $128.8 million Cyber Safety policy includes legislation to block access to certain websites and blacklist offensive material.

The policy has been widely criticised by internet and software companies and free speech supporters.

But Senator Conroy said it can’t remain largely unregulated.

“With great opportunity, comes even greater responsibility, and having sensible, appropriate protections in place is also the role of government,” he said.

“There are some who want to argue that on the internet, people should be able to publish anything they like – regardless of whether it contravenes laws in the off-line world.”

Senator Conroy said ISP level filtering alone was not enough to help fight child pornography or keep children safe online, which was why the government supported the block of content such as child sexual abuse imagery and material advocating terrorism.

“This is a modest measure, which reflects long held community standards about the type of content that is unacceptable in a civilised society,” he said.

“Those who claim the government’s approach is akin to the sort of political censorship practiced by authoritarian regimes are simply misleading the Australian public.”

Original Story appeared on Ninemsn

The date for this event designed to assist small business in marketing on the web is 29th April 2010 from 8:00am to 10:30am. The location is Currumbin RSL Function room, 165 Duringan Street Currumbin.

What you will learn…

Advertising and Customer Service:

•Determining your business’s image & targeting for results.
•Effective media mix
•How to expand your Advertising Budget
•How to plan advertising & generate free media publicity
•How to determine who your customers are
•Setting up Customer Databases

Social Media Marketing:

•What is Social Media?
•Learn how to promote your business using social media.
•The Impact of SEO on Google search engine results
•Managing On Line reputation
•Google Real Time Search explained

“With so many speakers today on the Chamber circuit, we often find it difficult to sort and decipher what our members may be interested in, and what real
benefit they may receive from guest speakers. We were recently excited to have two quality speakers in Ian Grace and Mike Andrew. Their topics were
both relevant and professionally presented. I would recommend any business owner to attend a session to see them.”

Darren Mackintosh, President, Creek to Creek
Chamber of Commerce

 

Your Speakers:

 

Mike Andrew has been advising businesses on Internet marketing and technology for over a decade, including establishing realestate.com.au in the Queensland market. Mike then became a senior executive with Fairfax Digital until May 2009 when he formed his own technology consulting company. Mike is a recognised expert on social networking and the use of new technology in today’s changing online business market.

Mike regularly presents seminars on social media marketing in Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai and is a recognised expert in blogging for business.

Ian Grace is an international Advertising and Customer Service expert who worked and researched throughout the UK, South Africa and the USA for 16 years. Since 1994 Ian has conducted Advertising and Customer Service training worldwide, and is known as “Mr Real Estate Advertising” in the real estate industry. Ian has also been involved with the Federal Government funded New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS),and currently aids around 50 local small businesses,assisting them with business and financial plans then mentoring them through their first year of trading.

 

Seats are limited so bookings are essential.

 

Tickets for the event, normally $125 are Free to the first 50 attendees. If you like to attend please email your name and number to ryangrace@mcgrath.com.au

 

The event is proudly sponsored by McGrath Real Estate, Southern Gold Coast Tourism,Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce and RedHeeler Business Essentials.