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Directory Connect

Connecting Your Website and Profile Online

This list of directories is always changing, so please let us know if you run into a dead link or find a GREAT directory to share!

Getting your website linked to all the places online that your prospects might be searching is an easy way to "get found" and a marketing activity that never stops for your business.  Have your business information, social profile links,  best portfolio photos and a quick bio in one folder on your computer  so you can quickly input all sorts of great information on your business if the directory allows it.

You should also know that if you want your website to creep towards the top of Google, then you need to have links INTO your website from relevant sources ie directories online.  Google considers your website more relevant when other places link into it.

Audra's Favorite Directories:

  • American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners - This is simply another HSR directory that is very well trafficked, so make sure you like your listing!  One of our HSR members got a 4 month television, staging job because they found her on the ASHSR directory.
  • Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) - This is the only true Trade Association for our industry and the ONLY one NOT connected to a training company, so it's worthwhile joining especially since their directory is VERY well trafficked.  Use the HSR discount code in the Members Black Book to save $30 on membership dues.
  • Houzz.com - Houzz is critical for your business in that this directory comes to the top of Google more often than any other!  List under "home staging" and consider using a different email to list under another category like "interior design".  Make sure to put your best photos up!  Ask client's for reviews and watch your listing go towards the top.   HOT TIP  - Only considering paid sponsorship if you also do a lot of design and have GREAT photos since it's a bit pricey.
  • Yelp for Business - This one goes without saying and make sure you have some great reviews on there.  This is also a good one to try sponsoring to get to the top since it works like Google and most stagers don't think of it...plus it's not too pricey.  Good for holiday decorating ads during the holidays!
  • Bark.com - Only pay for the leads you like, so you have nothing to lose to sign up, and see what comes your way.  Members have had fairly good success with this.
  • Thumbtack - Service Directory.  Some of these are paid directories that can be worth it if you are good at selling yourself.
  • Porch.com - Similar to Houzz but not as popular.  Best part is that it's free like Houzz.
  • AngiesList - Another paid service directory that could be worth it.  Make sure to get clients to review you here too.
  • Zillow.com - This is an obvious one so sign up and get in the directory under staging.
  • Manta - Highly trafficked small, localized business listing directory
  • Trulia - Another real estate website where you can get listed as a pro
  • Patch.com - Not in all areas but a highly trafficked, localized community news and events website.  I like the idea of holding classes on holiday design, color, spring organizing, etc.. and announcing it here.

Other Good Directories:

Willing to Pay Someone to List Your Business for You?

I know it takes time to list your business, so if you want to hire a company that specializes in dialing in your local listing on general directories, then use Mozlocal.com.  I cost money but saves you time.  This is not a recommendation, we don't make money for the referral but simply a "for your information".

MozLocal

Google Page One

Getting to the Top of Google

Quick Navigation
Getting to the Top of Google
Google Map Your Business
Google Pay Per Click (ppc)
Bing Places for Business
Getting Your Website on Google Page One (SEO)

There's a reason why we list Google first among the "Credibility Connecting" Lessons and it's because there is no denying the power of a Google presence for your business!  In the over ten years of this training, Google is the ONE consistently awesome marketing avenue we train on!

Google Map Your Business

Did you know that 46% of all searches on Google are local searches?

That’s right. Nearly half of the people checking out your business online will be located within your immediate geographical area.

Go to https://www.google.com/business/ and get your business listed right away!

  • Make sure to include PLENTY of photos!
  • Connect your website and begin adding reviews
  • Use the dashboard once you're set up to stay updated on reviews, clicks and visits.

Google Pay Per Click (ppc)

Another great way to get to the TOP of Google is to pay for it.  You can "sponsor" specific searches and create an ad, so that home sellers and agents searching online can see you right away.  This is probably the best way to spend your marketing budget right away! 

All you need to do is go to www.google.com and click on "Advertising Programs". Google will walk you through the rest. You only pay if someone clicks on your listing, so make sure your ad is specific to your area and offering ie. "Certified professional expert home stager in Tulsa. Call for a consultation!"

I've seen many a member do well by figuring out the best way to advertise their business using Google. Create an account, brainstorm on key words and phrases people in your area might use, make it location specific and watch it carefully! Once you've finessed your Google account, you won't need to mess with it again. This is what I call a marketing activity that works while you sleep 24/7! Here are my top five tips for setting up your pay per click campaign:

  1. Use Google's People and Resources and Make it location specific - Google will help you with this!
  2. Create Different Campaigns to Match Your Different Services - Have a staging campaign where your ad is focused on your staging services. Have a interior decorating campaign where your ad is focused on decorating and redesign using what they have.
  3. Call to Action in Your Ads - Stand out by creating a call to action in your ad like: "Sell fast! Call for a Certified Home Stager consultation today!"
  4. Create a Daily Budget - Make sure you set a budget per day like $5.00! When we first launched the Home Staging Resource, we neglected to do this and Yahoo had a page one ad on staging with art. Guess what? Our PPC cost that day was over $1000!
  5. Watch it Like a Hawk - For the first few weeks, you'll want to narrow or open up your search criteria based on the amount of traffic.

Bing Places for Business

Bing isn't nearly as big as Google or Facebook BUT it does control a third of search!  Google controls 65% and Bing controls 33%, so getting your business listed (and possibly doing a ppc on both) will REALLY cover the search results!

Go to https://www.bingplaces.com/ and get your business listed right away!

Getting Your Website on Google Page One (SEO)

I talked about this in the Website WORCS section but it bears repeating...to give your website "value" in Google's eyes and get on page one in the "natural" results you have to :

  • Use location key words and the terms "home stager" and "home staging" in key title and meta tags on your website (so Google knows how to classify you)
  • Have good, original text and content on each page of your website with key word and location
  • Use a WordPress platform and Theme that is mobile friendly, fast and easy to load

About Local SEO

Local search engine optimization for location based businesses like yours is an art form!  Similar to the Social Networking, SEO changes all the time, so here are a could good resources to use to learn more about local SEO.

Josh Hamit, the Founder of "Improve My Search Ranking" wrote the best, step-by-step guide on local search entitled: "The Ultimate Guide to Local SEO - 2017 Edition".  He graciously offered to share the report with you all, so download the pdf by clicking on the button below...

Download the PDF Report!

Of course the resources I listed for social networking are also great sources for finding out more about "Local SEO" so if you have a particular question, refer to www.socialmediaexaminer.com, www.quicksprout.com or www.katylance.com for updated direction.

Marketing Step3-Credibility Connecting

Getting Found Online

The Step 3-Credibility Connecting step is about “Make sure you are found by BEING in all the places a client might search for you”. When your website and profile comes up in searches, directories, listings, etc., so that a client can find you when searching…your phone will ring. When your phone rings for business, you will very likely “make the sale.”

Every salesperson knows that when someone calls in, they have an 80% better chance of turning that call into a sale than calling out cold. HSR wants you to be found, so you’re not relying on cold calling out. When you take the time to “Credibility Connect” that activity works while you sleep, so that is why it is an essential element in your marketing plan.

As you can see from the module training image above, we have a lot to go over!  You will need to have all your Step 2 - Representation materials handy, so you can quickly link up your website, portfolio photos and social profiles.​

Please read the HSR Marketing Step Three section in the First 50 Marketing Guide of the Training Manual before continuing to the following sections of the day.​

Perfect Portfolios

Showcasing Your Work

In this section, we are going to wrap up your portfolio in a big bow and make it look fantastic! A portfolio is not as simple as taking photos and enlarging them for your hard copy portfolio. You need to consider how to clean them up, brand them and post them online for tons of instant marketing!

Don't email me asking how you can build a portfolio when you're just starting out like it's an impossible task...it's absolutely not AND every stager has to start somewhere!  Take photos of your own home if you must or redesign a friends home.  This is how every stager usually starts their portfolio since you have to give client's "an idea" of your style and the way you work.  This is also a great way to practice your photography skills so do vignettes in your home and photograph those as well.

Once you get that first staging/redesign job, you will have oodles of photos to work with and you can swap out your portfolio photos when better ones come along...you only need your BEST 10-20 on your website.

**If you ordered the Premium Website Package, we have a special slideshow for you built into your site.

**If you built a WordPress website on your own, then a great plugin to add to the site is:  metaslider and it's a mobile friendly slider plugin for your website that is free.

Website Advice for Showcasing Your Work

While you can get fancy and "watermark" your photos with your logo or business name, many times that can distract from the photo in my opinion.  If you do plan to watermark, use an easy app like Watermark Studio X or Watermark Photo's free versions to see if it's even worth it.  

Always have a "Gallery" or Portfolio page on your site to showcase your best work.  Use a slideshow or simply put the photos in the page (making sure they are resized, so they don't slow the loading of the page).

  • In a slideshow put your BEST photo first (visitors have a 2 second attention span)
  • Always include a call to action
  • Sprinkle your photos throughout your website
  • Edit the after photo but don't get too crazy on the editing...

Quick Editing  in 3-Minutes from Your Phone Video

If you're having trouble seeing this video, here's the direct YouTube link - https://youtu.be/5p0lPRTGiNw

Quick Editing  in 3-Minutes Using Lightroom (free app)

If you're having trouble seeing this video, here's the direct YouTube link - https://youtu.be/XBQ00lKwOEQ

Get instantly good photos using "light room presets" in Adobe Lightroom.  This quick video shows you how to download the free app (which can also be used on desktop) and use Jenna Kutcher's free light room presets to edit your pictures to create perfect lighting!

Jenna Kutcher is a photographer turned Internet influencer and I love her look, strategies and photos.  Here's a link to her free presets - 

https://jennakutcher.leadpages.co/preset-giveaway/

Full disclosure, I'm not affiliated with her and you will get her marketing emails after signing up for the presets so just unsubscribe;).

Here's another quick video showing my before and afters:

If you're having trouble seeing this video, here's the direct YouTube link - https://youtu.be/eIQIxVoNCFA

Using the Ripl App to Showcase Before and After Videos

One of my favorite video apps is Ripl and it does cost a bit but it's VERY easy to upload your photos and make a quick video of your staging job.  In fact, some of the videos we created in the Social Curation area were made with that app.

https://www.ripl.com/features-and-price

Test it out for yourself with their free trial and the yearly cost might make sense to your IF you use it...it also allows you to easily brand your videos and multi-post it to all your social platforms with one click...how cool is that?

More Portfolio Information

Here is a link with some great advice on taking interior photos:


https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/2632982/list/take-better-photographs-of-your-house-in-a-snap

Here's another great resources site and article to check out...

A Website that WORCS

Creating a Website that Rocks!

If You Purchased our TrulyBranded Website Package:

Don't worry, you are in good hands and will have a website that is mobile friendly, easy to edit, customizable, search engine friendly and tailored to our industry. 

If You Did Not Purchase our Premium Website Package:

We all know the importance of "first impression" and your website is your prospects "first impression" of you!  Spend some time on this CRITICAL marketing item!  

Click on the image below to download a Website Checklist I created for you to shop around with as you choose a website for your business:

You should know that picking a wix, weebly, vistaprint or godaddy website product may not help you much in "getting found" by search engines.   Having said that, wix.com and squarespace.com are my favorite of those options and can be fairly user friendly to use.

Watch our latest sales video for our Website Product and I show it to you because what we provide is a benchmark for what you should be looking for when you invest in a website for your business. 

If you are on a VERY tight budget, consider just using your business Facebook page  but keep in mind that a professional website that represents your business well will really help to get your phone to ring.

10 Critical Keys to Every Successful Website

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