It’s Ash Wednesday and as I sit here hung-over on Paszki’s I decided to give a few of my recommendations on what to give up for Lent. Even if your not Catholic, I believe that you would agree that there are some deadly internet marketing sins that we could all do without. So, if you are a real estate professional, take out your highlighter and vow to be on good behavior:
Sin #1:
Not having a website. Give up working harder instead of smarter. 2 out of 3 homebuyers are using the internet to shop or sell a home. Without a website – you are officially off of these hot prospect’s radar screen. With websites being so cheap to start and so easy to build – not hanging your digital shingle is a definite no-no
Sin #2:
Relying too much on traditional advertising. According to a 2004 National Association of Realtors study, the Internet is now tied with classified advertising as the leading resource for new homebuyers. If all of your marketing dollars is spent on newspaper, magazines, and flyers you may be spending too much for too little. Make it a point to diversify your advertising portfolio.
Sin #3:
Not having an email newsletter. Real Estate is a business built on relationships. 98% of the visitors to your website will leave without calling or emailing you to let you know that they are in the market.
An email newsletter allows you to not only get their name and email address but also gives you an avenue to build a relationship of trust. Remember you don’t have to be a writer to offer a newsletter (check out www.RealtorInternetTips.com for some advice on getting started)
Sin #4:
Not asking for an email address. This deadly internet marketing sin runs rampant in the real estate community. Remember this, visitors to your website are not only looking for a home – they are also searching for a real estate agent. If you are not asking for an email address you are handing your hot prospects over to other web-savvy realtors who are.
Sin #5:
Ignoring the search engines. The dominance of popular search engines like Google and MSN are accelerating. Nearly 80% of web users start their online activities by visiting a search engine. Give some time to learning about search engine marketing and make the tweaks needed to get your site ranked respectably on these search tools. Remember, search engine visitors are free – and that’s a good thing.
Sin #6:
Not finding Joint Venture Partners. The secret that the elite producers will never tell is this – the majority of their hot website leads come as referrals from other websites. The elite producers spend the majority of their time sharing website links with local home inspectors, title companies, mortgage brokers, landscaping companies, etc. These joint venture arrangements pour hot leads into their site for free. Morale of the story – set up a partner’s page on your website and share links with relevant partners.
Sin #7:
Not Becoming a Internet Marketing Scientist. Internet marketing is a profitable learning experience. Once you have opened your site for business – you should be learning all you can about how to market it to your local territory. Invest in learning about what makes your target market tick and what will attract them to your website.
There you go. Pick a deadly internet sin and vow to give it up – I promise you will profit.
Stan Smith is the Author of Master Realtor Internet Secrets Revealed! a comprehensive guide that teaches real estate professionals how to build and market lead-generating Real Estate web sites. Click here for more information on this ground-breaking online success guide – written exclusively for real estate professionals. Check it out at http://www.RealtorInternetTips.com
