Back to Basics: Five Ways to Use the Internet to Make You Money
At CyberSunshine, Inc., we're dedicated to helping you understand everything you need to know about your online marketing objectives. Whether you're an individual agent, or a large brokerage, there are still far too many of you who have not committed seriously to your online program. You know who you are- it's been on your "to do" list for a long time, but you just don't know where to start. Or maybe you've had a site but it's just not doing the job. We're here to give you a back-to-basics refresher on how to use online marketing effectively.
1. Get a personal website and BRAND you or your company.
80% of all real estate transactions involve the use of the Internet. Buyers using the Internet end up using a professional real estate person to help them 90% of the time. In order to be successful in this industry, you need to think "Internet," yet also focus on branding. You should work hard as a real estate professional to differentiate yourself from competition in all aspects of your marketing. Building a brand is a critical piece to accomplishing this task, and is something that many real estate agents tend to overlook. You want your brand to mean something specific to the marketplace. Your brand is not just your company name, logo, website, or advertisements. A brand is what your clients think, say, and believe about your company. Your clients should be undoubtedly aware of the benefits you offer them. Your brand identity must work for you on your website and all other marketing materials you use throughout a specific time period. Use your brand identity to describe your services and how you can benefit your clients. It is important to realize that your brand is also deciphered into your logo so that it is easily remembered. When your clients see your logo, they should effortlessly associate it with your distinguished services and benefits.
2. Market your Site
It is extremely important to your continued success as a real estate professional to spend time on a marketing plan. You should work with an online consultant who will help you determine your goals and objectives for your online marketing. You MUST diversify your marketing strategies, much the same way you would with an investment portfolio. After all, the technology you purchase is an investment and it should be working for you at all times. Invest your money into a variety of different marketing platforms (e.g. natural search, pay per click, manual submissions, site adjustments, etc.) so that you get the maximum benefit for your expenditures, and avoid "putting all your eggs in one basket." We recommend participating in data push programs such as GoogleBase and Video portals for maximum exposure.
3. Enhance your listings- videos, photos and more!
In order to truly differentiate and stand out from other more standardized websites, there are many things you can do to enhance your listing and drive traffic to your site. You could add more remarks, photos, brochures and virtual tours. One way to truly stand out from the rest is by creating videos of your properties and the communities in which they are located. Video portals are an easy and convenient way agents can show video from their website and gain additional exposure of their properties. Web videos are a creative way to realistically show a home without physically having to be there. They offer a thorough, realistic view of a home, which allows the listing to become something of significance for buyers who are searching for a more tangible way to experience a particular property.
4. Work Hard and Commit Yourself to the Site
Too often, agents want their website to be simple and "do-it-all for them." The popular saying "If you build it, they will come" doesn't apply to real estate sites. You cannot build a site and then just let it sit there, expecting it to earn you business without doing anything. You should commit at least a couple of hours to your website per month. Two to three hours per week is preferable. Commitment to online advertising is critical. While real estate advertisers continue to cut back expenditures on print ads and direct mail, online advertising continues to grow in popularity and has become essential to the success of real estate agents. It is estimated that in 2007 50% or more of real estate companies spent more on their online advertising than on print. You need to be ready and willing to embrace this technology to stay in the game.
5. Reinvest in Your Technology
If you do have a website, you must continue to reinvest in it in order to keep it fresh, new, and innovative. A website is an investment just like a property. If you care for it and maintenance it, then it will flourish and make money for you. If you let it sit, it will do nothing and degenerate with time.Reinvest about one-third of your technology costs each year for maintenance, replacement, and training purposes. Invest at minimum, 5% to 10% of your revenue in technology. Set aside funds each time you make a sale into a marketing account for this purpose. Cutting corners when it comes to your technology will only hurt your long-term success. When implemented correctly, the savings of technology and return on your investment will far exceed the costs.
Follow these five basic rules and you'll be further on your way to a more successful online marketing approach. Keep in mind, however, that it is never a bad idea to enlist the help of a professional when determining your online marketing goals and objectives. If you sell real estate well, chances are you don't have a lot of time to devote to all of these things so you'll need to delegate. An experience professional can not only help you formulate a plan, but execute it as well.
1. Get a personal website and BRAND you or your company.
80% of all real estate transactions involve the use of the Internet. Buyers using the Internet end up using a professional real estate person to help them 90% of the time. In order to be successful in this industry, you need to think "Internet," yet also focus on branding. You should work hard as a real estate professional to differentiate yourself from competition in all aspects of your marketing. Building a brand is a critical piece to accomplishing this task, and is something that many real estate agents tend to overlook. You want your brand to mean something specific to the marketplace. Your brand is not just your company name, logo, website, or advertisements. A brand is what your clients think, say, and believe about your company. Your clients should be undoubtedly aware of the benefits you offer them. Your brand identity must work for you on your website and all other marketing materials you use throughout a specific time period. Use your brand identity to describe your services and how you can benefit your clients. It is important to realize that your brand is also deciphered into your logo so that it is easily remembered. When your clients see your logo, they should effortlessly associate it with your distinguished services and benefits.
2. Market your Site
It is extremely important to your continued success as a real estate professional to spend time on a marketing plan. You should work with an online consultant who will help you determine your goals and objectives for your online marketing. You MUST diversify your marketing strategies, much the same way you would with an investment portfolio. After all, the technology you purchase is an investment and it should be working for you at all times. Invest your money into a variety of different marketing platforms (e.g. natural search, pay per click, manual submissions, site adjustments, etc.) so that you get the maximum benefit for your expenditures, and avoid "putting all your eggs in one basket." We recommend participating in data push programs such as GoogleBase and Video portals for maximum exposure.
3. Enhance your listings- videos, photos and more!
In order to truly differentiate and stand out from other more standardized websites, there are many things you can do to enhance your listing and drive traffic to your site. You could add more remarks, photos, brochures and virtual tours. One way to truly stand out from the rest is by creating videos of your properties and the communities in which they are located. Video portals are an easy and convenient way agents can show video from their website and gain additional exposure of their properties. Web videos are a creative way to realistically show a home without physically having to be there. They offer a thorough, realistic view of a home, which allows the listing to become something of significance for buyers who are searching for a more tangible way to experience a particular property.
4. Work Hard and Commit Yourself to the Site
Too often, agents want their website to be simple and "do-it-all for them." The popular saying "If you build it, they will come" doesn't apply to real estate sites. You cannot build a site and then just let it sit there, expecting it to earn you business without doing anything. You should commit at least a couple of hours to your website per month. Two to three hours per week is preferable. Commitment to online advertising is critical. While real estate advertisers continue to cut back expenditures on print ads and direct mail, online advertising continues to grow in popularity and has become essential to the success of real estate agents. It is estimated that in 2007 50% or more of real estate companies spent more on their online advertising than on print. You need to be ready and willing to embrace this technology to stay in the game.
5. Reinvest in Your Technology
If you do have a website, you must continue to reinvest in it in order to keep it fresh, new, and innovative. A website is an investment just like a property. If you care for it and maintenance it, then it will flourish and make money for you. If you let it sit, it will do nothing and degenerate with time.Reinvest about one-third of your technology costs each year for maintenance, replacement, and training purposes. Invest at minimum, 5% to 10% of your revenue in technology. Set aside funds each time you make a sale into a marketing account for this purpose. Cutting corners when it comes to your technology will only hurt your long-term success. When implemented correctly, the savings of technology and return on your investment will far exceed the costs.
Follow these five basic rules and you'll be further on your way to a more successful online marketing approach. Keep in mind, however, that it is never a bad idea to enlist the help of a professional when determining your online marketing goals and objectives. If you sell real estate well, chances are you don't have a lot of time to devote to all of these things so you'll need to delegate. An experience professional can not only help you formulate a plan, but execute it as well.
Labels: CyberSunshine, Internet Marketing
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