Hiring a freelance Internet marketing specialist is a great decision that will reap dividends. According to a benchmark annual survey by the California Association of REALTORS™, more than 70 percent of home buyers search on the Internet for their next house, while only 12 percent look at newspaper or magazine ads.

But it's also extremely cost effective to outsource some of your non-sales activities. When you bring me on as a freelance Internet marketing specialist, I have a lot of initial setup work to do.

• I create custom, professional profiles for you in MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Active Rain.
• I add potential referral partners, buyers and sellers as "friends" and contacts in these networks.
• I upload your current listings to Craigslist, Google Base, Oodle, Zillow and HomeGain.
• I launch your Active Rain blog with custom, local content that immediately gives you exposure with potential referral partners.
• I contact mortgage originators, appraisers, title companies, notaries and even other agents to begin giving your website and search results the benefit of link exchanges.

This initial setup is accomplished over two weeks and I charge a flat $500.

After the initial setup I continue to maintain your social networking sites, continually adding new contacts, sending out marketing "bulletins" weekly on MySpace and interacting in groups and communities; I blog two to three times a week on your behalf on Active Rain with original, relevant content; I upload each new listing you get to listings promotion sites; and once a month I write and distribute a 300-word original e-zine article in your name to e-zine distribution sites. This ongoing marketing is billed on an hourly basis at a rate of $17.50 per hour.

My hourly commitment depends on the number of listings you normally have, the density of your market area, and other factors. A typical biweekly bill might include four hours uploading listings, six hours maintaining social networking relationships, three hours blogging and an hour writing and distributing an e-zine article. In this case the bill would be $245. When we're introduced and I learn about your business, we will be able to better estimate together what your regular cost will be.

I bill every two weeks with net 14 terms. I'm limited by time constraints to only a few clients at a time, and I need to be sure my time is compensated. The initial setup fee and more frequent billing helps guarantee that I have honest, reliable clients. I accept payment in the form most convenient to you, including Paypal. At your request I will fill out and sign a 1099 form — you are not responsible for benefits or taxes.

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