Category: Real Estate Web Marketing

This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.

———————————————–

Yesterday, we discussed the branding dance and I advocated that the primary brand for all agents should be that of a resource for information hungry consumers.  Not just any information, but the information that online real estate consumers really want — listings information.  Today, it’s getting those consumers to your website in the first place.

Where Do Your Prospects Come From?

It goes without saying that all the best lead capturing, incubation and conversion tools available are worthless if you don’t have any traffic (i.e., prospective clients) on your website, but where do these visitors come from?

Naturally your simple, clever, easy-to-remember domain name is prominently featured on all of your print materials, including your signage.  And of course this same domain name is referenced in your voicemail greeting as a place where callers can get immediate information about you and available listings.  You better be featured Continue reading “Make More And Work Less With Smart Lead Generation And Development — Part III” →

This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.

———————————————–

Yesterday, we talked about the importance of keeping your business pipeline full, even when you’re busy handling “life.”  Today, it’s the branding dance.

May I Have This Dance?

Your best strategy for doing business with today’s online real estate consumers is to engage in a subtle branding dance, with you taking the lead.  What is the “brand?”  First and foremost, it’s you as respectful, helpful, resourceful, knowledgeable and responsive.  Secondarily, it’s you as an expert in whatever neighborhood, property type or other niche you enjoy or advocate.  This is the type of service professional that consumers universally want to work with. If you perfect the primary brand, you might even be able to get away without having a secondary brand, although I don’t recommend it.

How do you perfect this primary brand?  As a real estate professional, you Continue reading “Make More And Work Less With Smart Lead Generation And Development — Part II” →

This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.

———————————————–

Ask any agent what her or his biggest business challenge is and you’ll hear a near universal chorus of “keeping my business pipeline consistently full with new business.”  As agents are all too painfully aware, it is easy to get caught up in today’s closing or deal gone sideways and wake up tomorrow without the next deal ready to go.  Wake up, that is, if he or she was able to sleep in the first place.

Life Happens

What’s a smart agent to do?  First, start by understanding and embracing that life happens.  And when it does, you have to react.  It may be a seller who needs to close his double escrow with a buyer whose financing just hit a bump, or your buyer that you worked months with to help find the perfect million dollar luxury condo who learns that she just got a major promotion — on the other side of the Continue reading “Make More And Work Less With Smart Lead Generation And Development — Part I” →

This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.

———————————————–

Guestbooks have been around since the beginning of website time.  Originally they were used for visitors to volunteer that they visited a site.  I had one on my wedding website seven years ago.  Later, guestbooks morphed into a “lead capturing” tool by being placed over information with perceived value.  In real estate you often see these over listings information and occasionally still (perish the thought) over “free reports.”

Why do you still see so many guestbooks in real estate?  For low tech website vendors, it’s the best they can offer for lead generation and these vendors push them like crazy.  Don’t be fooled by these illusory promises of new business.  As explained below, today’s online real estate consumers won’t fill out these forms.  But that’s okay.  For realtors, another better solution is available. Continue reading “Guestbooks Are Lead Killers, Not Lead Generators” →

This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.

———————————————–

There seems to be two distinct, diametrically opposed schools of thought out there among web developers about what agents should do with their listings information on their website.  In one corner is the group that advocates mandatory pre-registration before a visitor can see even a hint of listings information and, in the other corner, is the group that says, “hey, give it away because consumers will never register anyway.”

I’m here on my soapbox to advocate for the Green Party.  OK, who could help dropping in a little political joke with all the politicos in the news right now, Continue reading “Should You Give Away Your Listings Content On Your Website?” →