CAUTION:

When I’m out riding down the road and I see a caution sign, they still grab my attention, after-all that’s what they’re suppose to do right?  Caution means to watch out or be careful.  Somebody puts it there to warn people that something ahead is going on or about to happen.  Then I noticed what the rest of the sign said and it caught me off guard.  I have seen a lot of signs in my travels but never one like this?

So my question was, who is the sign meant for… me or them?  If I am to use caution… what type of caution should I use and to what extent?  Or is this sign merely cautioning the psychologically challenged of the “Next 1/4 Mile” ahead?  Hmmm…  Sometimes signs can be confusing?  This sign really made me think… It’s just a path, a trail, and I’m on a bike for Pete’s sake.

Pedaling down the path for the next 1/4 mile I began to wonder (using caution of course) what am I expecting to see or to happen?  For a moment there, I thought I heard a banjo start playing the theme song from Deliverance and instinctively I started to pedal faster ensuring my wife that everything was just fine as I blew quickly past her on the bike trail. 

At this point I began wondering if the hair raising up on the back of my neck and arms was self inflicted by my own imagination, or if there was possibly some instance of instinct that was starting to take over my mind, body, and bicycle.  Then it hit me like a brick in the head…. I imagined the absolute worst thought of all… was it possible that I WAS THE MENTAL PATIENT the sign was referring to, OMG!!

Still today, I do not know what this sign meant… Did it mean to slow down or speed up?  :-O

cau·tion -  pronounced [kaw-shuh n]

to give warning to; advise or urge to take heed.
alertness and prudence in a hazardous situation; care;
wariness: Landslides ahead—proceed with caution.
a warning against danger or evil; anything serving as a warning:
source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/caution

Some other favorite “SIGN” quotes:

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.
Albert Einstein

When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old.
Mark Twain

Cow-Branding?  NO. Not Cow Branding! haha~  What is the benefit of Co-Branding?  Well, depending on the site, this could be one of the best opportunities for marketing and advertising your services and or business!?  You already know that millions of people visit YELP to read reviews about local restaurants in your area, so as a restaurant owner, wouldn’t you love to have a banner show up on every single page with a link back to you?  How about on a site like Craigslist, Amazon, or even ActiveRain?  Any additional exposure (marketing and advertising) on these sites would be awesome right?  Most sites won’t co-brand unless you pay for it.

Imagine the possibilities of Co-Branding with sites that yield major traffic and offer services to the same types of clients and prospects you’re wanting to get in front of and connect with?  If your picture, name, phone number and link back to your blog or website could appear at the top of every page of that site, how powerful would that marketing and advertising campaign be for you and your business?  I’m guessing that anyone in their right mind would most certainly take advantage of that opportunity.

What I’m about to show you will change the way you see and use co-branding.  If I sold fishing poles for a living, I would want to appear at the top of every page at SportingGoods.com.  Lets say I sold custom colored maps for a living, I’d want to be co-branded on every page of GoogleMaps.com. But what if I provide loans, or sell and help buyers find homes?  Maybe I focus on Foreclosures or have a passion for short sales, then I’d want to be co-branded on the sites that attract those types of visitors too right?

The cost of this type of marketing and advertising would probably seem too far out of reach or not affordable to most folks, but let me show you a little secret and tip.  Once you see this, you’d have to be crazy not to jump on an idea like this.  Seriously, this is as good as it gets when it comes to co-branding and marketing your business and services to a specific and target audience.

There’s no installs, no widgets, no apps needed, no cost, no hassle, it’s easy to setup, and this will co-brand you on one of the Largest Real Estate Networks and sites on the web. With over 19.4 million unique users last month, who wouldn’t want to be co-branded there? 

By simply creating a link using the HTML that I’m about to show you to any image or any anchor text, all this co-branding can be yours and for FREE!  HERE’S THE SECRET!… If you use this HTML coding in your links #{scrnnm=bradandersohn} but use YOUR Zillow User Name instead of mine, your co-brand will appear on every page of Zillow.com.  So the entire link would look like this: http://www.zillow.com/#{scrnnm=bradandersohn} 

Here’s a sample link of Co-Branding.  By adding #{scrnnm=YourUserName} to any Zillow URL, you can Co-brand links to keywords or to images and photos.  Creating strategic links in your email signature, your website or blog sidebar, in the signature settings or profile on ActiveRain, even anchor text within a blog post would work exceptionally well. 

If you know how to create links to text or images, then the rest will be simple.  Here’s another co-branding link to mobile apps for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.  (I used this URL http://www.zillow.com/mobile/#{scrnnm=bradandersohn} to co-brand the Zillow mobile page to me)  Here’s a co-brand on a Listing you might like to buy? A Gorgeous 32 Million $$$ SF Mansion and all I did was add #{scrnnm=bradanderson} to the end of the URL that leads to that property.  Guys, this is HUGE!!! 

Any page or URL can now have a link and co-brand back to you.  I’m certain there are hundreds of ways you could use this in your business, especially when you and your clients already interact with our site.  Show me any other company that allows you to do this for FREE and I’ll buy you lunch at the restaurant of your choice the next time I’m in your area.  Seriously this is almost too good to be true.

Here’s some images with co-branded links attached to them.  Try each one and see how they work:

So the secret again is…  Use #{scrnnm=YourZillowUserNameHere} at the end of any URL or page on Zillow and be co-branded just like that and for FREE.  Of course you’ll need to have a profile setup on our site for all of this to work, but most of you already do so this will be a piece of cake. This will add more value to your targeted prospects and also make sure that YOU are getting the exposure and the business! Try it, this is by far one of the greatest co-branding and best marketing and advertising opportunities for you and your business.

Don’t just take his word for it, I’m telling ya… this is no bull~  I’d moooove on it.

Youtube’s NEW Online Video Editing Tools and Features

I’ve been waiting since the launch of Youtube for them to do this.  Now that it’s finally in place, I can only imagine that it’s just going to get better and become an even more powerful module for Youtube video users.  The new Video editing features are awesome.  Let me show you some things you can do with that raw video from your mobile device, your flip or Kodak video camera, or even that HD $2000 video camera you just got for your birthday.

In order to use this new Youtube feature, you will have to have a Youtube account which you can get here. 

Next you’ll need to be logged in to Youtube and then follow these 3 simple instructions:

1. Click on your account name in the upper right corner which opens a pull-down box and select “Account“

2. Across the “Menu Options” bar, there’s a NEW link called “Video Editor” click on it

3. Select any (previously uploaded) video you want to edit, and let the fun and simple editing begin:
(simply drag and drop the video of choice into the empty box below to begin your video editing)

Some of the features in the new editor include:

• Color, brightness and contrast correction and adjustments

• Video stabilization which works great and is helpful for those “bumpy” recordings

• A variety of music and audio files available including instrumentals and background tracks
  (note: an ad may show up in video if you use one of the free tracks provided in the editor)

• There are some cool transitions and effects that can be added to smooth out your video

• An easy to use cropping/trimming tool lets you get rid of the unwanted portions of video

It may be a little easier to demonstrate all this using a video.  I’ll show you some of the features and how it works.  I think you’re going to like the Youtube video editor, it’s easy to use all the features, it could help increase the quality and enhance your videos, and since it’s all online and a simple editor, there’s no learning curve or any real challenges incorporating some of the tricks I’m about to show you.  Enjoy!

I want to take a moment here to wish Jon Washburn ALL the very best in his new and future endeavors. Jon Washburn and Bob Stewart brought me into the rain, gave me shelter during the storm, then encouraged and supported me while I helped them build and grow this great network.

I owe a great deal of my experience and success to these guys for giving me the chance, for supporting me through thick and thin, and for bringing me on board to the AR team and family.  I am forever grateful to them for letting me take deep root in the soil of this great community. 

Thank you Jon for a wonderful journey! May all things good and prosperous be yours and in abundance.  The direction and path you are taking today is exactly where you are suppose to be at this time in your life and during your adventure…

Stay true to your passion my friend… always! Do something “AMAZING!” Crush It!

Integrating Facebook Into Your Site – It’s Time To “Plug-in”

Today I’m sharing one of the more powerful ways I know of to drive traffic, increase growth, and encourage engagement on your site. Using Facebook’s new social and personalized feature plug-ins can without a doubt be an asset to your social outreach and marketing efforts. 

When you see company’s like The Wall Street Journal, Yelp, ABC, TIME, CNN, The Huffington Post, and the New York Times using this method, your motivation to adopt something like this will most likely increase. 

Why? Because it works!

Facebook offers some great plug-ins that can make your site more socially engaging and help you grow your existing traffic, returning visitors, and in no time at all, build more relationships and business. Look how some of these sites are using Facebook Plug-ins to not only grow and socially connect their sites and businesses, some of the creative ways in which they’re being used are setting some new social trends.

I believe many companies are doing this in order to stay in business and to continue building, managing, and improving their client and potential client relationships. They can’t rely on their previous marketing tactics any longer.

The Huffington Post uses – A “Facebook Plug-in” Instant Pop-up

Wall Street Journal  CNN

The New York Times    

Even Yelp is now personalizing their site using Facebook Plug-in options.

Let me show you a few of these plug-ins and how to add them to your site, but first you should take a moment to understand how they work so you’ll be motivated enough to take the next steps to “plug-in.”

1. When you land on any website and see that many of your social friends and connections have already been there before you and liked or participated on that site, there’s a tendency for you to want to be a part of it too. 

2. Many will like and return to your site simply because others they are influenced by have been there. 

It’s hard to resist investigating a site that has 46,021 likes and most the faces you see are friends you know.

3. Making your site more socially engaging to others without having to leave to interact is powerful. 

4. Knowing content and activity gets shared on others’ Facebook walls will definitely create a viral advertising affect and opportunity that is almost guaranteed to drive more traffic and interest to your site. 

5. This theory and idea alone should make Facebook plug-ins pretty hard to resist. 

There are some great examples of this out there, here’s a couple samples of what this looks like.

Inter-active Facebook Comment Box

Live Streaming Inter-active Facebook Plug-in

Activities will appear on Facebook walls

Facebook plug-ins are not widgets, they are “Social plug-ins letting you see what your friends have liked, commented on or shared on sites across the web.“  One of the greatest recommendations I can give you is to follow what’s happening on the Facebook developers Blog, these are the folks behind the scenes of the largest social network sharing information, tips, and tools for those interested. They’ve actually been blogging there since August of 2006.

How to Integrate Facebook Plug-ins?
I’ll walk you through the steps:

1. Register your domain name and site with the Facebook:
   http://developers.facebook.com/setup/
2. Select the Social Plug-in you’d like to add to your site:
   http://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/
3. Customize your plug-in width, height, fonts, and colors.
4. Copy and paste the custom code to your website.
5. If you get stuck or need a step-by-step tutorial, use the Facebook Guide:
   http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/web/

More Facebook Plug-ins:

Activity – “Displays most recent Interesting Activity on your site”

Comments – “Enables users to leave comments on your site”

Facepile – “Only Displays Friends Faces”

Like Box – “Attracts and gains “Likes” to your Facebook Pages”

Like Button
 

Live Stream – “Share activity and comments in real-time”

Login Button – “Users Login to your site with FB credentials”

Recommendations – “Personalized recommendations to users”

Since Facebook is the largest and most powerful Social Network on the planet right now (and doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon), how can YOU harness some of that power?  Making your site’s experience a little more socially engaging could increase growth and connectivity. Going to Facebook.com to engage with others is great and I recommend it.  However, if Facebook developers are now providing Plug-in tools like this, why not take advantage of this opportunity to put your site on the forefront using their social media power?

Facebook has ALL the faces for sure, and now they’re offering YOU a way to get “plugged-in!”

Creating great content for your subscribers and readers, (and the search engines) is one of the most important things you can do to be successful with your blogs and websites.  It may not be the most important though…  One of the other major components is the “Call To Action” or the “Opportunity To Connect” buttons.  At the end of the day, aren’t you trying to “connect” with your target audience?

I’ve discovered that if your great content cultivates eyeballs and traffic, but you have no way to capture and convert those inquiring visitors, then not all but much is lost.  That’s why I’m sharing these Top 5 contact Widgets and tools.  I’ve researched and used these and know they can increase your chances or at least the potential of capturing connecting with those whom you’re trying to reach. 

#1 – Google Voice

Google voice allows visitors to contact you over the phone and for FREE.  If you miss their call, the message is conveniently converted to text and sent to your mobile device via email if you choose to set it up that way.  The voice-mail recordings can be forwarded quickly to expedite specific requests, and multiple phone lines can all lead into one easy to use FREE phone number.  I Love Google voice and I really love that potential clients can call you from their computer screen.

#2 – SMS Text Widget

RETechBlog has one of the greatest text widgets I’ve ever seen.  This allows your readers and visitors to text you right from the sidebar of your Blog or website.  Heck, you can place this little widget just about anywhere and start receiving text messages before you even have the chance to save it to your site.  When I had this installed on my AR Blog, the first day I received hundreds of text messages from members and had to take it down. (I know others who experienced this as well…)

#3 – Zopim Chat

Now chat might seem like a thing of the past to some of you, but having access to a real person when you need one can be priceless.  The larger companies online these days offer this service to their customers because they know the importance of getting their clients the answers they need in a more than just timely manner.  Customers want it NOW, and they want it from experienced and real people.  I installed this “Chat” for my webinars and it has worked wonders and provided great value to those visiting or just stopping by to check in.

#4 – Contact Me Form

Zillow’s “contact me” form/widget can be totally customized and personalized to tap into your target or niche audiences’ needs.  Try adding a bit of emotion or something that truly creates a significant call to action, something that your reader can really relate to and you’ll be surprised how often this old fashioned but classic form of contact will work for them and for you.  Out of the 30 or so widgets available on the site, this is one of my favorite and most powerful in my opinion.  (my opinion is subject to change everytime a new one comes out…lol )

#5 – Google Me

Now this one is a little tricky but VERY cool. 

Google me is simply a link to any graphic or image that intrigues your reader enough to click on the image. Everything else happens automatically.  There is a site known as “Let Me Google That For You” which you’ll find at LMGTFY.com.  Just type in your name, specific keywords, or a phrase where you show up at the top of Google, and watch the magic work.  This is also very useful when you don’t want your competition to show up anywhere on the Google search results page. 

• Go ahead, click on the card above and see what happens???

VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION: 

Would you keep on fishing in a lake if you only had bait but no hooks to catch the fish?  You may be #1 on Google, you may get 1000 views on your site per day, but if you’re not making a few trips to the bank once in a while, you may want to consider adding some tools like these to your tackle box.  Contact Widgets really are the unsung heroes and they can pack a pretty powerful punch. I hope these will bring you closer to that trip to the bank.