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No
Secret
Where THEY Are
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Everybody
knows, by now, that buyers use the Internet for their real
estate research but they also read the newspapers,
watch TV, listen to the radio and collect their snail
mail. There
are, in fact, so many ways to target prospective buyers
with your marketing efforts that it may not be possible or
even sensible to try to do it all.
So, just as an agent who wants more listings needs
to analyze several marketing opportunities, an agent who
wants to target buyers needs to analyze the available
resources to find what makes the most sense.
THE
ROLE OF YOUR WEBSITE
Everything
you do to reach out to motivated buyers needs to revolve
around your Website.
The reasons for this are simple.
BUYER
EXPECTATIONS: Today’s shoppers expect you to
have a Website where they can obtain the kind of
information they want. An agent who does not have a
Website is practically shouting, “I don’t know how to
use the new technology,” and that begs the question that
prospective buyers will ask, which is: “What else does
this agent NOT know how to do?”
DO
THE NUMBERS: Every agent not only can but
should coordinate all marketing around a well-designed
Website if for no other reason than to save money.
A small amount of well-planned newspaper space can
drive prospects to your Website where your position is
explained in more detail. Newspaper space is much more expensive than maintaining a
Website. Or, if you don’t like the idea of newspaper
advertising, think about the costs of printing and mailing
a newsletter to folks as opposed to having the information
on your Website and sending them a postcard letting them
know where they can get what they want.
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But
Are YOU
A Secret Agent? |
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Yes,
we all know that prospective buyers use the Internet
but the amazing part of the story is that most
agents, even those with Websites, cannot easily be
found online. I
can almost hear the objections from agents who have
Websites. Yes,
I know that you list your URL on your business cards
and on your letterhead.
WOW!
But do you list your Web address on the
Signature of your Email?
Probably not!
MORE
SIGNS OF SECRECY
Is
your Website included on the front page of the major
search engines for your keyword phrases?
Again, probably not.
Is your Web address printed prominently on
your For Sale Signs along with a good reason why
those driving by should visit?
Is your Web address printed on your car or at
least on your license plate cover?
Do you offer to network with other agents and
real estate related businesses by sharing links?
SECRECY
TAKEN TO EXTREMES
Almost
10% of the real estate Websites that I visit each
week DO NOT include the geographic area that the
agent serves and often, fail to even list the
agent’s contact information.
THE
GOOD NEWS IN ALL OF THIS
There
is good news. A
much larger percentage of real estate Websites do
have the correct contact information these days than
in the past. This is mostly the result of improved Web template designs
that are more attractive than ever before and
designed to prevent the most egregious errors of
omission.
However, good marketing requires more than a
pretty face and accurate contact information.
Good marketing coordinates the online and
offline worlds in order to produce great results. Are you coordinated? Find
out online at http://www.sellrealestate.net/
coordinatemarketing.asp.
This is one of those no risk interactive
pages where it is fun to check your marketing smarts
and totally risk free.
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See
How the
Big Players Do It |
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Big
companies advertise in clever ways so that
they can capture leads and then sell those leads
to real estate agents.
Real estate agents and brokers could use
clever marketing themselves so that they capture
the leads directly but in order to do this, they
need clever Websites and a clever marketing
strategy. The
fastest way to set up your own clever strategy is
to start with a Custom Web Plan and that part is
FREE when you visit
http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp.
FREE
WEB DESIGN TIPS
You
will find lots of helpful ideas on our Website at www.sellrealestate.net.
While set up primarily for brokers, both
brokers and agents can check on how well a
marketing strategy is positioned for success by
visiting http://www.sellrealestate.net/OnLineSuccess.htm.
Don’t forget to check the Newsletter
Archives when you visit the site. You will find
article after article that spells out exactly how
to coordinate your online marketing with your
local marketing.
IRRESISTIBLE
OFFERS
What
you will find in your research is that the big
companies set up Websites with irresistible offers
and then use other media to drive prospects to
their Websites.
If you pay attention, you’ll see and hear
these ads on TV, Radio and the print media.
Prospects are told they can go online to
find their home’s value, to search the entire
MLS for listings and to get newly listed
properties sent to them by Email. Hey! You can do
that! So,
why don’t you?
If you do not have a dependable IDX
solution that lets you offer new listings by
Email, call me or visit me online at http://www.sellrealestate.net/idx.htm.
If you don’t have the technology on your
Web to offer a Free Home Evaluation, call me toll
free at 888-814-5347.
You
can compete if you have the right tools.
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