Web strategist says SEO not a mystery
Real Estate Connect Speaker Profile: Gahlord Dewald
By Inman News, Wednesday, July 9, 2008.Bookmarking Sites
Gahlord DewaldGahlord Dewald is director of Web strategy with Union Street Media, a real estate Web design and Internet marketing company.
He will speak about Web analytics and return on investment during Real Estate Connect in San Francisco, July 23-25, 2008.
Dewald answered a set of questions posed by Inman News:
What do you see happening in the real estate market in 2008?
Search-engine optimization is getting exceptionally competitive, plus a tighter market will encourage business owners to examine and measure their performance based on real-world data. Winners will use data analysis to improve what they do best. Losers will look at the pretty graphs.
What advice do you have to help real estate agents and brokers get through this market?
Determine what you do best and do more of it. Increase your branding efforts if you can (in the days of cost-per-click and other action-oriented advertising models, CPM is dirt cheap). Take the time to listen to and understand your online customers, then make their lives easier.
What was your first job?
I sold rocks I found in the alley out behind the house from my little red wagon. I think I still have a few left if you're interested.
What made you join your current company?
I started doing data-driven marketing and Web strategy because I knew there was more to stats than page views and "hits" and wanted to take that information and turn it into actions. I also wanted to make a boatload of money.
What's been your biggest challenge in running the business?
People have the mistaken impression that this is some sort of arcane art when it really isn't. Luckily, I love education/consultation so it works out. Helping clients see Internet marketing as more than SEO as well as encouraging clients to be consistently engaged in marketing efforts can sometimes be a challenge.
If you had one thing to do over again in your life, what would it be?
Take a year off between high school and college.
What style of home do you live in and when did you buy it?
Buy it? Sorry, folks, housing market in Burlington, Vt., is still solid. I rent a nice little second floor on a street in the middle of town. My neighbor keeps chickens.
What worries keep you awake at night?
How many more years will cross-country skiing in Vermont be possible?
What lesson did you learn in the last year?
I started working with Union Street Media after working solo for eight years. I did this specifically to learn how team dynamics work. I've done a fair bit of learning. My team probably thinks I could use some more learning.
What would your second career choice be?
Tough to choose. I'd probably tour the world playing solo repertoire on the double bass to tens of people in every city, town and village.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Lately, I've been very fond of listening to the two local free-format radio stations in Burlington. The Radiator (theradiator.org) whose DJs tend to focus on Burlington music, and also WRUV (wruv.com) which is the college station and is exceptionally varied in its programming.
Who is your hero?
Edward Tufte.
Hear Dewald speak at Real Estate Connect in San Francisco, July 23-25, 2008. The conference program and registration are available online via the Connect Web site .
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Submitted by Jonathan Bentz on July 9, 2008 - 10:13am.
I've noticed many real estate agents utilizing blogs in a great way. Agents should use their web content as an awareness tool and as a way to make themselves personable before the first phone call.
Submitted by G Dewald | Union Street Media on July 9, 2008 - 11:57am.
I think you're dead on Jonathan. A blog is a great tool to "qualify leads" or allow your visitors to know your personality.
G. Dewald | Union Street Media | Internet Marketing Blog
Submitted by Ralph M on July 9, 2008 - 1:29pm.
Who cares how nice a real estate professional is..
Your either a "Hero" for selling a property
or a "ZERO" for not selling the property,
Regardless how nice you are or what you Blog/Whine about.
www.aarsteam.com
Submitted by Catherine Read on July 9, 2008 - 5:58pm.
Don't underestimate the power of likeability Ralph. If I needed a brain surgeon, I'd certainly want one with a track record of producing the best results. But in a field of good surgeons, I'd choose one I liked over one I didn't.
Real estate agents are professionals and producing results for their clients is what matters. But in an industry that has hundreds of agents to choose from in any given area, letting people see your finer qualities is a good idea. You ought to consider showing yours.
Submitted by G Dewald | Union Street Media on July 10, 2008 - 7:24am.
I couldn't agree more, Ralph, on the need to sell being the ultimate objective of any marketing strategy. That is something we can all agree about.
Beyond that it's an issue of tactics. For some folks, blogs are going to be an effective tactic to apply to their strategy. For others, not so much.
Being nice is another tactic, which may or may not be appropriate. So is participating in social media, paid advertising and so on.
Choosing the right tactics to achieve your strategic objective requires understanding the context, environment and realities of your marketing landscape.
I'm interested in which sort of tactics you prefer for selling property?
G. Dewald | Union Street Media | Internet Marketing Blog
Submitted by Daniel Rothamel, Inman Community Manager on July 10, 2008 - 9:36am.
We are human beings. Personality is a huge part of the selection of service providers. We tend to gravitate towards those whom we like and who like us. Google, on the other hand, could care less.
There is a blending that needs to be done. You need to generate content that will not only draw attention from search engines, but attention from people as well.
On another note, having met Gahlord in person, the guy is awesome. He not only knows his stuff, but knows how to share what is often a complex subject in a way anyone can understand.
http://www.RealEstateZebra.com
Submitted by Stacey Pfeifer on July 11, 2008 - 10:50am.
so are VT winters less snowy these past few years? are the trees still as beautiful in the fall? [lived in Mass and NY often went leaf peeping and always fell in love with VT with each visit]
...and I agree with Daniel
"the guy is awesome. He not only knows his stuff, but knows how to share what is often a complex subject in a way anyone can understand."
i've been appreciating your posts for a long while now and all of the content on your blog too. thanks!!