Friday, December 23, 2005

Things to do for 2006

Now that it's time for a new year to start, it's also a good time to evaluate Internet opportunities. As a customer of WebCubic, you already have a robust website product that can really be an asset in your business success using the Internet.

Let's discuss two parts to a successful website - first, the design of the website, and second, how to promote it. You may have done some of these already - good! However it may be time to revisit what you've done and improve it.

Design

Here is the opportunity to project an "image" with your website. It should match the rest of your marketing pieces - probably by the color scheme.

  • The home page should make it easy for your visitor to navigate to relevant content - information about you, property searches, etc. This is where you use your navigation buttons (remember to limit this to about 12 or so - if it's more than that, it becomes overwhelming).
  • Property information must be current. This is where your IDX information will be helpful. Whether the data is refreshed once every day or multiple times daily, it is "current".
  • The visitor should be able to access a mortgage calculator and "link" to a mortgage lender.
  • You should "brand" the website with more than your name. Use a "slogan" to accomplish this.
  • Try to provide a map of the general area. Take a look at www.mapblast.com or similar source.
  • Use your local chamber of commerce when providing community information. It is important, also, to provide school information. How about a community calendar of events that includes local activities that your marketplace cares about?
  • Sellers should be able to request a CMA on their property.
  • Describe your services and provide customer testimonials.
If you are doing this already - you have a great website. If not, then add these to make your website an advantageous marketing tool. WebCubic websites can do all of the above - it's simply a matter of using the tools and capabilities of the product.

Promotion

You must do both offline marketing promotion and online search engine promotion.

Offline marketing promotion. It seems that nothing works better than aggressively advertising yourself and your domain name. Your domain name should appear in every ad you use, every piece of direct mail, on every sign, flyer, and business card.

One REALTOR subbest carrying 20 business cards with you each morning and make it a goal to have them handed out by the time you go home at night. Introduce yourself to people who do real estate transactions multiple times a year (builders, investors, attorneys). Ask them for their business.

Search engine promotion means submitting your domain name to all three of the BIG THREE (Google, Yahoo, and MSN). Submitting to other search engines is worthwhile, too, but only as a supplement to submitting to the BIG THREE. Your objective in doing this is to be listed by the BIG THREE and to be more readily found.

Some real estate directories are helpful in promoting your website. Join these. We've often referred our clients to the REALTOR directory at www.realestateabc.com.

Once you have been identified by search engine results, you need to encourage people to visit your website.

Lead optimization (still more to do)

At this point you have visitors at your website. They will have gotten there in a few different ways. They saw your domain name on a piece of advertising and typed the name in their Internet browser window. Or they clicked on your entry in a search engine result page.

Your next objective is to have these visitors reveal themselves to you. When they do, that's called a "lead".

Most website owners say that IDX helps them most in getting leads. When visitors search for properties there may be a few that will be of interest to them. When they want to find out more, they should easily locate contact information about YOU! Your email address, telephone number, or even a "contact me" or "find out more" offer must be easily located.

You should highlight the property search capability from a navigation button PLUS from some text on your home page. Remember that some people prefer to read narrative than simply look for a button to click.

IDX providers also include a daily email alert capability. This is absolutely an excellent way to get leads. If the properties they've looked at via IDX are close but not exactly what they want, they may signup to receive new property listings emailed to them daily. Since you've at least promised to email them, their email address is going to be valid. Some prefer to identify this capability as a "property watch".

You should words like "if you did not find exactly what you're looking for, signup for my daily email alert. I will send you an email every morning of new properties that match your requirements. Sign up by ..."

We mentioned earlier about placing a request for CMA on your website. Sellers will find this very appealing as they decide on putting their homes on the market. All they do is fill out a form that provides the information you need to do a CMA and click a button. In a short while they will receive an email from you that gives them the analysis of their property value.

Other REALTORS make "offers of compelling value" on their website. These are invitations to accept various offers that have value to visitors - your propsective clients. These include "ask the expert", "free reports", "subscribe to my newsletter", or "three things you must avoid before making your offer". The list can go on-and-on. But the visitor must provide minimal contact information to you.

Conversion (you knew we weren't done)

This is mostly doing the job that you already do so well - convert the "lead" or "prospect" into a client. But we'd like to offer a couple of suggestions.

The most likely way that you will receive "leads" is via email. But you are not likely to be in front of your email computer all the time. In fact, let's assume that you typically are there to read and respond to emals three time a day. Yet you know that the scenario of greatest success is for you to respond to a lead in 15 minutes. How do you do that?

Use a wireless and portable device that is email enabled. Automatically forward all emails to your cell phone. Use a Blackberry or Treo device to receive your emails. Once your notified, then call as soon as you can. A high percentage of calls returned in 15 minutes result in a conversion.

WebCubic users have the additional capability of intiating text messages to cell phones directly from the FormCreator. This means that a visitor-initiated response (a lead) can result in a text message. The website owner can satisfy the 15 minute rule.

posted by Shig Nishio @ 12/23/2005 03:24:00 PM