This is the year you watch your real estate business take off. This is the year you work toward establishing a strong Internet presence. This is the year you begin to understand the importance – and power – of the Internet and real estate SEO.

Don’t let your competitors pass you by. The Internet (and real estate SEO) is a tool that can be used and harnessed to capture more clients than you ever thought possible. Best of all, with a few, effective strategies you, too, can build your business to great heights using blogging, social media and real estate SEO.

If you want to build your real estate business this year, here is your guide for establishing effective Internet marketing strategies to achieve your goals:

• Make it personal. Those form letters you have been sending clients over the years? Dump them. They do nothing to build your business and instead make you look as if you don’t have the time to address your clients personally. Make it personal by talking directly to the client. Ask the client about his new cat, or let the client know about the new school they plan to build in the neighborhood. Taking the time to add personal touches to each and every email (yes, each and every one) you send out will capture the attention of your clients and let them know you are addressing them on a personal level.

• Use your blog to talk about things other than the real estate market. Write about your love of travel or interior decorating. Entertain them with topics other than the local housing numbers and you will retain a much larger audience.

• We love guest blogging because it gives you the opportunity to get your name out there and inform and entertain people at the same time. Simply by providing a guest post on another real estate website that you admire, you can get yourself a link. It’s as easy as that! You’ve already begun your real estate link building!

• Understand search engines and be on the top of search results the next time someone Google’s the words: San Antonio realtor. Use real estate SEO to your advantage and understand its importance in getting you further in the search engine results. If you don’t understand the process of using real estate SEO to your advantage, make it a priority to learn it so you can begin using it in your Internet marking efforts.

• Don’t neglect your online presence. Social media sites are the way to make it big in the real estate business, but only if you’re present. In other words, your Twitter page doesn’t mean a whole lot if you don’t take the time to post regularly. Your social media accounts are your Internet brand, so give them the attention they deserve!

• Keep up with other local real estate blogs because they may be able to offer you plenty of good information. Subscribe to a number of local blogs and keep up on events that are occurring in your neck of the woods.

• Become the neighborhood go-to agent. Provide your clients with referrals for everything from moving services to pet walking services. Your knowledge on the best local companies will impress your clients and draw in new ones.