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The future of real estate marketing is online

November 7, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

Is your lead-generation system flashing?Leads have always come from your ‘social network.’

Today they are coming from your online social network. And that’s a good thing, because now you can easily extend your reach, using social media tools to touch base with your contacts (and their contacts).

You know that. And you know you need to position yourself now to take advantage. Because social media is not a trend that’s going away.  Maybe you feel a nagging anxiety for not having done enough about this.

That’s understandable. Because it will take some work to dislodge the real estate professionals who get a head start and establish themselves at the top of the search rankings in their local markets.

But the truth is, you’re busy. You just don’t have the time to figure out how to generate more leads through:

•    Search engines
•    Hyper-local marketing
•    Social media
•    Smart phones

So you put it off.  Yet there’s a real urgency to it.

It’s like when you’re driving down the road and the CHECK ENGINE light comes on.

You realize that you have to do something fast, or it’s going to be a disaster. And by ‘something’ I mean, get to a mechanic immediately. Because you wrenching on your engine yourself is not going to end well.  It’s complicated, and better left to someone who really knows what they’re doing.

That’s what online real estate marketing is like.

You sell homes. It’s what you’re good at. But doing it to the best of your ability requires that you generate a steady flow of leads through an effective marketing program. And to be effective, any lead-generation effort must leverage the ongoing revolution in marketing. Did you know that:

  • 90 percent of homebuyers start their search on the Internet
  • 73 percent of Realtors®said they were not satisfied with the number of leads they receive off the Web
  • 20 percent of Google searches are with local intent
  • 130 million Americans (40% of the population) are active on Facebook.
  • 28 percent of the U.S. mobile market uses smart phones.

What does it all mean? It takes time and expertise to figure it out and chart a path forward. So the questions facing you are:

•    What is your time worth?
•    Where do you get your greatest return on investment?
•    Why aren’t you outsourcing your online marketing to a team of experts?

Your marketing is the vehicle that delivers qualified local leads. And the CHECK ENGINE light is flashing brighter than it ever has before. Are you going to wrench on it yourself? Or get to an online real estate marketing specialist immediately?

We’re here for you. Call us and we’ll get started.

Photo: Robert Couse-Baker, via Creative Commons 2.0.

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Why real estate leads are not finding you

November 4, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

Wondering where the leads are?Two data points that will make any real estate professional sit up and take notice:

•   Ninety percent of homebuyers start their home search on the Internet, according to the 2008 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.
•    Seventy-three percent of Realtors® surveyed said they were not satisfied with the amount of leads they received off the Web.

Wait, what?

The vast majority of homebuyers are looking online, yet most agents are not being found as much as they would like? What’s going on here?

Here’s what’s happening: Online reviews, like those at Google, Yelp, Bing, Yahoo, Facebook and other sites are affecting online traffic, and determining who gets local leads.

Think about it. When someone goes to Google or Bing and searches for a Realtor in say, Del Mar, they see a list of seven to 10 Realtors. These Realtors achieved premium positioning by properly registering with the search engine, and accumulating the positive reviews that help them get to the top of the list.

And guess what? There are lots of Realtors in Del Mar, and everywhere else. But almost nobody doing a Google search, whether from their smart phone or on a computer,  is going to click to the second, third, fourth or 10th page of results.

And that’s a big reason why 73 percent of Realtors are not happy with the number of leads they’re getting from the Web.

Because their contact information is buried and no one is finding them!

If you’re a real estate pro and you want to generate more local, qualified leads, there are two things you need to do immediately:
•    Get registered in the right places.
•    Ask your happy clients to post positive reviews about you online.

That’s how you improve your search ranking and generate greater numbers of qualified local leads.

Search is evolving from paid and organic (both costly and very competitive) to the next stage — local. It’s still early in the local search game, which means the time to act is now. Put this off and you may find that you’re too late. Others are staking out their territory (and maybe yours) right now.

Contact us today to start generating more leads through local search.

Photo: Marco Belluci, via Creative Commons 2.0.

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Want to generate real estate leads online? Break out your referrals!

October 25, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

How important are referrals when it comes to generating new real estate leads online?

More than 80 percent of Realtors® said “very important” according to the 2009 Realtor Technology Survey.

It’s no wonder. The endorsement of a trusted friend is a powerful lever, whether someone is considering a restaurant or a Realtor®. We know this intuitively, and research proves it. 

So two important questions for every real estate professional are:

  • How can you increase your referrals?
  • How can you make those referrals more visible to qualified prospects?

First, of course, you must deliver service so remarkable that your clients naturally want to tell others about it. If you’re not committed to wowing your clients, then you’re probably better off without reviews.

If you are in fact earning raves, the next step is to make it as easy as possible to engage your raving fans. Here are some things you can do:

  • Set up a Review tab on Facebook: Your Facebook friends are connected to others like themselves, and in that respect Facebook widens your circle of influence among just the demographic you want to reach. So yes, it’s great if someone spontaneously leaves a nice review on your wall. But it’s going to quickly get buried, and then go unnoticed. Having your reviews in one place makes them more visible, and it encourages more people to leave them.
  • Give more to get more. Get in the habit of leaving reviews for businesses you frequent, and ask for them to return the favor.
  • Make your referrals visible. Link to your reviews from your web site. Include them in your collateral. Put your Facebook address on your business card.
  • Proactively manage your reviews. Google lets you respond to reviews, which is a great idea. Engaging with people who leave feedback is a good way to learn more about your clients – and you can properly address any negative reviews and turn them into positives for your reputation.

Why is it so critical to cultivate reviews and referrals? A gigantic filtering exercise is now under way. Millions of people are carrying smart phones. They are using them to go to Google, Yelp and Facebook, where they are sharing with the world their experiences, good and bad, with local businesses (they’re doing this from the desktop as well.)

Your customer service is more visible (and under more scrutiny) than ever. The cream is going to rise to the top — but not without some help.

This is about reputation management, and that is something you can’t afford to ignore. Take the right steps now to proactively manage your reviews, and you’ll be ahead of the pack when it comes to generating qualified local leads.

If you’re busy talking to clients and selling homes (as you’d better be) contact us. We can help you put together a review-management program that positions you for future success.

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How to generate local real estate leads with Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Yelp

October 18, 2010 By Tom Leave a Comment

Google map pinThe real estate industry is in flux.

For years now it’s been easy for homebuyers to get information that was once available exclusively through Realtors. Meanwhile, the Internet continues to transform the dynamics of the home-buying process.

One thing hasn’t changed though: Real estate transactions are still based on trust.

In fact, now more than ever, Realtors who can demonstrate their trustworthiness are attracting qualified local leads – especially when the Realtor shows up online, where home buyers are looking.

Fact: A 2008 study from the National Association of Realtors reported that 87 percent of U.S. home buyers used the Internet as an information resource during their home-buying process.

It’s also a true that more of today’s home buyers are accessing the Internet from their smart phones. They are using location-based services like Google Places and Yelp (from the desktop as well as mobile devices) to find trusted real estate professionals who can guide them through the home-buying process.

What does that mean for you, the real estate professional?

In a word: location, location, location.

It matters online as much as in the real world. When people in your neighborhood go online to look for a Realtor, you want them to find you. Therefore, it is critical to establish your online visibility and maintain it over time.

How? Step one is to create search engine and directory submissions (at Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Yelp, etc.). Done properly, these will result in higher search engine rankings in your locale. Monitor your entries on these search engines, and improve your rankings over time to build greater:

•    Trust, through positive reviews and testimonials
•    Relevance, through targeted local exposure
•    Sales, through increased visibility to qualified prospects

Smart Realtors are moving now to solidly establish their online local presence.

Peer-reviewed local listings enhance credibility, even as people grow more jaded by traditional marketing methods. Your reputation is going online, and that’s a good thing.

Now you must proactively manage it going forward.

Need help being more visible to local prospects? Find out how to get on the map!

Chart from Marketing Charts

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