Doug Francis | Realtor

  • About Doug
  • Services
  • Sell Your Home
  • Case Studies
  • Get Started

My RE BarCamp DC quick take-aways…

October 29, 2009 By Doug Francis

#rebcdc
Image by brokersaunders via Flickr

Real Estate BarCamp D.C. (#rebcdc) took place on Tuesday and it really was an all-star cast. At one point I sat in a session with Daniel Rothamel and three other AgentGenius.com writers (darn, I should have called TMZ)… so the celebrity sizzle was there. Did you miss it?

Seriously, BarCamp was filled with a solid group of people teaching and discussing their passion for the Internet and social media tools. The group shared relevant ideas and concepts, plus engaged in fun social interaction and sometimes outright laughter. Some of my best discussions came between the intense sessions and made me look, yet again, at the work I have done so far on my blog. I personally enjoy having face to face meet-ups because they give me a chance to learn from others, share my experiences, and discuss what people are doing to make their blogs relevant to their intended community.

Real estate agents need to sharpen their focus…

Having a sharp focus is essential in attracting readership and getting recognized by search engines. It seems almost like a game to rank on the first page on Google for a particular term, but since I get calls every week from venders who ask if I want to be on page one for a specific keyword term, I understand that it is no game. The top tier is essential, but if you disappoint a reader then you might as well be on page six.

Getting there, wherever your there may be, requires you to write posts (articles) that relate to the theme or general gist of your blog. Have a purpose when you write! Keep in mind that the people at Google and Bing are fairly smart, so writing a post that says “Annapolis, Maryland luxury homes” in every sentence will send up a flag that you are on the level of a spammer. If you write, then robots will find you.

The first quick adjustment that I made after RE BarCamp DC was hiding my unruly Tag Cloud. Tag clouds were “the rage” way back in January. Between session I spoke with Bobby from Dakno Marketing and MrWilliamsburg (not wearing colonial garb) , and concluded that the tag cloud was taking up valuable real estate on my page and made little sense to “first-time”, unique visitors. Plus, I actually never look at tag clouds on other sites. Do you?

Gone.

The second action was to gain control of my Blogroll. Over the past year I have added a number of sites to the list, actually too many. Again in a between-session conversation with Ken Montville, it became obvious to me that the Blogroll did not make any sense to my target audience especially those looking at the site for the first time. For example, readers may have assumed that Bill Lublin (who I am talking with in the photo above) worked in my office, and then clicked on his name to see his blog in Philly. Bill’s okay but I want them to stick with me!

A key take-away was to look at the site through a reader’s eyes, be clear and avoid creating confusion.

contactmebuttonIn another discussion, we talked about a “call-to-action button” so readers can contact you immediately. On my site, they needed to look for that in my pages. My blog uses WordPress and I found a plug-in or widget so I could add an easy to spot button on the right side column, and I plan on refining this feature (ideas anyone?). Again, adding an easy to spot Contact Me button and giving it the headline Have a question? makes for much easier navigation. Again, less confusion.

I almost felt like this gathering was a bit under the radar since we have 25,000+ agents within a two hour drive who could have attended and there were maybe 125 (and not all real estate agents… see photos). Some of those agents are pretty Internet savvy too and would have added to the discussions on hype-local blogging, SEO, using video, short sales, understanding social capital, technology, Inman and things that have been profitable additions to your blog.

To check out the next RE Barcamp, take a look at the schedule.

Related articles
  • Four Takeaways from BarCamp Miami 2012(jeffzelaya.com)

  • 5 Things Realtors need to know about Phil Dunphy(dougfrancis.com)

Share this with a friend...Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on LinkedInPin on PinterestEmail this to someone

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: RE BarCamp DC, real estate, rebarcamp, technology

About Doug Francis

A Realtor specializing in unique and new homes around Vienna, Virginia, Doug started writing a first-hand blog about his everyday real estate experiences a decade ago. In-depth, helpful and fun has always been the objective. Outside real estate, he was profiled in a commercial for Verisign's "Where the World Clicks" global ad campaign, and was quoted in Money Magazine's Best Places to Live article on Vienna (#3!). He's a Boston University graduate who feels morning coffee is non-negotiable.

Vienna real estate agent Doug Francis

Helping my clients add value to their homes has always been important to me. My step-by-step recommendations are intended to increase market appeal, return more than invested, and help net more when selling.

Beyond just sellers, I have helped many new homeowners make smart design decisions when remodeling. We gutted our house and totally remodeled it, and I pass that experience along because living in a nice house is simply better.

My background… I’ve been an active licensed agent in Virginia for 25 years, work at TTR Sotheby’s International Realty in McLean, and sell homes in all price ranges. I donate to the Town of Vienna tree replacement fund, participate in a neighborhood citizens association, and try my best to stay in shape.

Questions? Email doug@dougfrancis.com or call me at (703) 304-6827 to discuss your plans. Cheers!

Filmed in Vienna and McLean

https://youtu.be/ClqEIV1zoQg

Planning to sell your home?

Case Studies

Listing Case Studies Continue Reading

Thinking of Moving?

If you want to talk about your house and getting it ready for the market then let's set up a time to talk. Even if it's a second opinion, it's okay. Start here.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Have a question?

Homeowners: Add a level of privacy

name withheld by request

Privacy: Remove your name

Looking for testimonials?

Read through a collection of client comments originally posted on Zillow, Google and Trulia. See what my clients say...

Looking for a Custom Home?

Insights into New Homes in Vienna VA

Real Estate Offers | What’s In and What’s Out

Changes in Latitudes Attitudes This story may sound slightly made up, but the 2022 real estate market across Northern Virginia was full of fast-paced drama which is still kind of hard to picture. The brakes weren’t just tapped… they were slammed! Or to create a picture for you, we went from a wild Category 5 […]

“Doug nailed it! Within days, we had three offers, one of which not only met, but far exceeded all of our goals.”
– R. Pollard

“He truly was a partner integrating us unto the community and made it easy for us to take advantage of all Vienna has to offer.”
– A. D’Eredita

“We are so thankful we found Doug to guide us through the complex home selling and buying processes!”
– Scott and Jennie

About Doug Francis

I am a Realtor with TTR Sotheby's International Realty® just outside Washington D.C. in Northern Virginia. I have been a full-time Realtor licensed in Virginia since 1991, and cover a big territory specializing in the Vienna real estate market and custom homes for sale.

I have unique knowledge of digital real estate marketing, and my marketing starts here. My clients have been attracted to my results-oriented strategy for years, and I am accepting new clients for 2023 right now.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me at 703-304-6827 or email me at doug@dougfrancis.com anytime!

Search for a subject

Contact

Doug: (703) 304-6827

TTR Sotheby's International Realty
6723 Whittier Avenue McLean, VA 22101

Office: 703-319-3344
Why do people hire me?

Search for homes in Vienna

Vienna Real Estate Guide

Doug Francis Vienna Real Estate 2021
This material can only be used with written permission.

Equal Housing Opportunity

 

Copyright © 2023 Doug Francis · Minimum Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in