Everyone is talking about the battle between Periscope and Meerkat.  I'd like us all to focus a little LESS on WHO will win...and a little more on how WE can win.Personally, my money isn't on Periscope...Meerkat...or even Twitter as a whole.  It's on Facebook.  We're seeing Facebook Mentions roll out for all public figures almost as a way of dipping the toe in the proverbial water.  So before Facebook DOES dive in head first, here are some tips you should start practicing with so that you are ready to crush it with live video for business. Introduce yourself to the world of live streaming when the stream begins.  Thank people for following them and encourage to share the stream.  Walk them through the process of what they can expect. Don't forget that some people may be watching a repla... 08/26/2015

I've been harping on why you all need to start producing video for quite some time.And I've been really bullish on why you need to upload that video directly to Facebook.So I'd be a little remiss if I didn't keep you up to date on some new features for posting videos on business pages.If you are familiar with the YouTube format for posting videos then you’ll have no trouble with this one.  The new features includes the ability to choose the following options: Exclude videos from the News Feed and Timeline, and publish the videos only to the Page’s Videos tab Prohibit the embedding of videos on third-party websites Set a video as “secret,” which will make them accessible only via a direct URL Categorize a video as entertainment, news and so forth Add a custom thumbnail for each video Set... 08/23/2015

It's time for another episode of The Not So Silent Partner Marketing!  In Episode 10, here's what we're discussing:1.  Whether real estate agents should be using Pay Per Click.2.  Talking about alcohol in the office.3.  Making yourself marketable when looking for a job.Watch the episode ... or listen to it while driving.  Share your thoughts in the comments below - and your questions for our next episode.  We love video questions - but we'll take them all.  You can also email your questions to Kyle@thesilentpartnermarketing.com or hit us up on Instagram with them.With the launch of this segment comes the launch of a new group - The Marketing Maniacs.  I invite anyone with any interest in marketing their businesses to join us.  Share with us your ideas...your questions...your stories...a... 08/20/2015

Some simple Pinterest hacks to grow your brand like you never thought possible.For the longest time, I would argue with business owners and CEO's who tried to tell us that social media had no role in the growth of a company.I'd be stricken with headache after headache - some caused by frustration, others caused no doubt by the vodka I'd have to drink after these meetings.Now that we're in a fully social and digital age...many of them have come back with the delicious words I knew I'd one day hear: "You were right."And yet there are platforms out there that businesses will still fight and insist that there's no way the social outlet can impact your business.I hear it day in and day out.  Instagram.  SnapChat.  Twitter.  Pinterest.  The list goes on and on.So I've stopped fighting it and ... 08/17/2015

Hillary Clinton is a liar. Steroids don't make baseball players hit more accurately. Many real estate agents have huge egos (but who doesn't?).Telling employees they shouldn't swear in the workplace is a crock of $h1t.The terms "racism" and "sexism" are thrown around way too frequently.And whoever the idiot was at Target who thinks removing the "boys" and girls" signs was a good idea should be fired.Man, that felt good.  Sometimes it's so liberating to write about what's on your mind.And it can also be spectacular for your business.I know, I know.  Many of you are about to pile on like fat kids attacking a cupcake to tell me what a terrible idea it is.  Controversy in business?  It's so...taboo.But here's the thing.  If you've got a thick skin - and I mean a THICK skin - you may just fi... 08/16/2015

It's time for another episode of The Not So Silent Partner Marketing!In Episode 7, you'll learn all about:1.  Thinking outside the box and the way to run a selfie campaign.  (Thanks for the question, Lise Howe!)2.  How to utilize press releases to grow your business.3.  What to do when your business isn't going to be on social media.Watch the episode ... or listen to it while driving.  Share your thoughts in the comments below - and your questions for our next episode.  We love video questions - but we'll take them all.  You can also email your questions to Kyle@thesilentpartnermarketing.com or hit us up on Instagram with them.With the launch of this segment comes the launch of a new group - The Marketing Maniacs.  I invite anyone with any interest in marketing their businesses to join ... 08/06/2015

It's time for another episode of The Not So Silent Partner!In Episode 5:1) When real estate agents should use direct mail.2) How to market the VA?3) The difference between advertising and marketing. Special thanks to Bob Stewart for continuing to push the AR community to embrace video! Watch the episode ... or listen to it while driving.  Share your thoughts in the comments below - and your questions for our next episode.  We love video questions - but we'll take them all.  You can also email your questions to Kyle@thesilentpartnermarketing.com or hit us up on Instagram with them.With the launch of this segment comes the launch of a new group - The Marketing Maniacs.  I invite anyone with any interest in marketing their businesses to join us.  Share with us your ideas...your questions..... 07/30/2015

It's time for another episode of The Not So Silent Partner!In Episode 4:1) How to make money at home.2)  How to grow your followers on Facebook.3) How to get started with video production Special thanks to Bob Stewart for a great chat on Friday and forcontinuing to push the AR community to embrace video!Watch the episode ... or listen to it while driving.  Share your thoughts in the comments below - and your questions for our next episode.  We love video questions - but we'll take them all.  You can also email your questions to Kyle@thesilentpartnermarketing.com or hit us up on Instagram with them.With the launch of this segment comes the launch of a new group - The Marketing Maniacs.  I invite anyone with any interest in marketing their businesses to join us.  Share with us your ideas.... 07/27/2015

It's time for episode three of The Q's And the A's With The Not-So-Silent Partner.  We take on three questions today.1) How To Use Facebook Dark Posts To Grow Your Business (special video cameo from Debbie Gartner!).2) The In's And Out's of Instagram and Snapchat (special thanks to a friend of Joe Petrowsky)3) What's the best time of day to post to social media? Watch the episode ... or listen to it while driving.  Share your thoughts in the comments below - and your questions for our next episode.  We love video questions - but we'll take them all.With the launch of this segment comes the launch of a new group - The Marketing Maniacs.  I invite anyone with any interest in marketing their businesses to join us.  Share with us your ideas...your questions...your stories...and your headach... 07/20/2015

When it comes to digital marketing, real estate agents tend to go in two places: Third party sites like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor, etc. Google PPC Today…let’s examine Google PPC a little.  If you’re convinced that this is the way to go, it’s important that you keep in mind a few things when running an SEM campaign to prevent your budget from going entirely out the window. 1. It's easy for your competition to blow through your budgetThey are called pay per click ads. What’s stopping your competition from clicking your ad multiple times to rack up the cost of that advertisement? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!  We’ve actually seen companies hire interns to do nothing more than sit and click on the competitor ads.  Ethical?  Of course not?  Legal?  You bet.2. It's often redundant to buy adwords... 07/19/2015

It's time for episode two of The Q's And the A's With The Not-So-Silent Partner.  We take on three questions today.1) Does Pinterest play a role in real estate marketing?2) Should I automate postings to my social media accounts such as Facebook?3) How important is marketing on SnapChat in the real estate industry?   *Note: If the video is pausing when playing, click the "HD" button on the bottom right to stream in standard definition for those with slower internet speeds. Watch the video...share your thoughts...and ask your questions!  Let us know what you think!  And don't forget to "like" The Silent Partner Marketing on Facebook!  07/17/2015

Growing up, I LOVED the Goosebumps series.  Gotta love scary stories.I especially loved when they released “Choose Your Own Adventure” books.  At the end of a chapter, you had to make a decision.  That decision impacted what you read next.Looks like Facebook is taking a page out of that book.They’re now giving users more control over which friends and pages show up in their feeds.Earlier this month, the social giant announced new controls to create a more custom flow of content.  You’ll see it rolling out in the next couple of weeks.  It marks a big change in a famously complex algorithm – essentially giving an optional user override.Technically, the update rolled out last November.  But it was clunky and largely ignored by users, which is why Facebook revamped it after extensive testin... 07/16/2015

And it begins.Welcome to Episode 1 of AR's Brand New Marketing Video Podcast: The Q's and The A's With The Not So Silent Partner.In this weekly series, we take on your questions.  All of them.Marketing.  Social media.  Advertising.  The digital Age.  You hit us with questions...and we'll hit you with answers.  And a little sarcasm, of course - because that's how we roll. Below In Episode 1:Praful Thakkar asks about how to get started with video communication with clients.Alison talks asks about using social media to get the right message to the right person at the right time.And Joe Petrowsky throws me a curveball by talking politics...and branding.Watch the episode* - or listen to it while driving.  Share your thoughts in the comments below - and your questions for our next episode.  W... 07/11/2015

It’s just one of the many Facebook advertising tools that you SHOULD be using. But ARE you retargeting your customers yet?We’ve all browsed a website but didn’t actually buy anything from it. It’s no secret that consumers are doing that on your site as well.After people look at products and services, they compare prices with other sites and ponder whether they really want to buy it. The trick is to constantly remind them why they want the product with constantly showing it to them. This is what we like to call retargeting.The way Facebook retargeting works is very easy. First, you create a custom audience. Facebook then tracks theses audiences and puts ads up on their main newsfeed as well as the advertisements on the right column.Now you may be asking “how do I know who I should make m... 07/08/2015

Forget about the whole cryogenic freezing thing. You can now live forever, thanks to social media. Today we’re looking at life after death. Turns out you can be even more social than Casper. Let’s dive in.FacebookFacebook has created a new feature called Legacy Contact. What this feature does is allow you to select someone to: Write a final post to display at the top of the memorialized Timeline. Usually about when and where the memorial service will take place. Respond to new friend requests from family members and friends who were not yet connected on Facebook. Update the profile picture and cover photo.  Your legacy contact can't: Log into your account. Remove or change past posts, photos and other things shared on your Timeline. Read messages you've sent to other friends. Remove any... 07/07/2015

Besides family, faith and money…there are few things that people value more than time. That’s why our team always appreciates finding some apps that will help us find more of it in a day.There are the obvious apps that help with it, such as Uber. Then, of course, there are the obvious apps that help waste it – such as Facebook and Candy Crush.But isn’t it time we found a few extra apps that help us streamline our workload and find more time? Here are a few we found that may help you save a little time and sanity.EverNoteFew people take notes with a pen and paper anymore. I find it hard to even get my hands on a pen in the office. That’s where this app comes in.Evernote allows you keep track of all the things you need to write down from saving webpages, reminding yourself of all your upc... 07/07/2015

Technology is a witch and she’s killing your relationships.You know exactly what I’m talking about it. It’s time you acknowledge that you’re cheating…with your phone.Listen - with today’s technology people constantly have access to their email. Not only do we all have access but also our phones give us alerts and reminders every time we get a new email in our inbox. This gives us the feeling that we have to check it right at that moment no matter if it’s important or just spam.It’s leading to the slow death of your relationships.Admit it – you’ve heard it.“Are you even listening to me?”And if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves, most of the time, we aren’t. That’s because we are answering the millionth work email at home.Not only does it hurt relationships but also personal health... 07/06/2015

You tried to raise the bar when it came to marketing and advertising on Facebook. You thought you’d found a tool that would be a game changer and make your agency stand out.You figured it would help you take Facebook Dark Posts and managing accounts to the next level.Turns out the Facebook Business Manager was the worst thing that ever happened to you.Let’s explore the good, the bad and the ugly. Then we’ll help you fool Facebook and get out of the business manager.The GoodFacebook Business Manager adds a spectacular layer of security and control of access to ad accounts, pages and other assets. Your entire team can see all of the pages and ad accounts in one location, but they don’t have to share login information with each other. Because God knows the temptation of NOT looking back at... 07/02/2015

Hey Rainers...it's time.You all know the value of video and you all talk about social media and marketing on a daily basis.  Time to step it up a notch.We've been inundated with questions since we joined ActiveRain about a year ago.  We've doled out tons of free advice.  But why can't the ENTIRE community benefit from it?Time for you to join us.  Watch the video.  Film your own questions and send them to us.  Or upload them to Facebook and shoot it over.  Send them to us on YouTube.  Or Vimeo.  Or Snapchat.  Or Instagram.  Ask ANYTHING.  Social media.  Marketing.  Millennials.  Living in the digital age.  Videography.  Let's get this video party started. 06/29/2015

There are a few new tools in the Facebook business world that you need to use.  Here they are.When your agency oversees the social media for hundreds of accounts, you learn a thing or two about what works and what doesn't work.And when you spend tens of thousands of dollars a month on Facebook Dark Posts, you're forced to stay on your game to bring tips and tricks to your clients that others may not have discovered yet.Today, I wanted to give you three little nuggets for utilizing Facebook for businesses that you may not have known about.Try them.  Rock them.  And feel free to hit me up with questions in the comments below or share your thoughts.Call-To-Action ButtonsThey have made it easier than ever for people to engage with your business of Facebook. They have added new Call-to-Actio... 06/18/2015