Lots of people think that a Website should be all about facts and information.  For real estate agents and brokers the facts are:  1- your listings; 2- your IDX or MLS data; 3- varieties of factual information concerning the real estate transaction process.  In fact, most real estate Websites, even template sites, are pretty good when it comes to delivering “The Facts.”  But, I’m not so sure that providing facts and facts alone will get you the results you want from your Website.  Why?  Because your prospects are human beings and the first reactions of all human beings are always emotional in nature.  Always?  Yes, Always!

TAPPING INTO THE POWER OF HUMAN EMOTION

All marketing and advertising and this includes Web Design must access the power of human emotion or it will fail.  It is as simple as that!  Your Website has the potential to connect you in a very powerful way with your prospects on a personal level but the fact is that most Websites fail to make this kind of connection.  Why?  Because most Websites focus on facts and forget the emotions.  If you have a template Website you are more than likely not reaching out to your prospects on an emotional level.   I suspect you are losing opportunities every day.

WHAT IS THIS EMOTIONAL MUMBO-JUMBO?

No Mumbo-Jumbo here, just the recognition that for all of us, in everything we do, our first reaction to anything and everything is an emotional one.  After we have our emotional reaction we can step back and apply reason and logic.  That is why our Web design team is so careful and exacting in creating Web pages with design elements that touch the emotions of the intended users.  Want to see some Websites with strong emotional appeal?  Visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/customweb.htm.

When people first click on your Website, their first reaction to whatever comes up is emotional.  If the site downloads slowly or if there is a wait while some animated graphic loads and the visitor must find the Skip Intro link, the first emotional reaction to the Website will be annoyance. 

TOO MANY CHOICES

If your Website has a sidebar with 20 to 30 choices of where visitors can go, their first reaction is going to be confusion.  I think real estate agents are sold on the idea that a Website with hundreds of pages will impress their prospects but that does not seem to be the case.   When faced with too many choices people tend to random click, that is they click on something to see if that is what they want. This means that a visitor might never hit on the page that he/she really wants.  Too bad!

SELLING THE SIZZLE

My husband and I bought the home we are living in now before we even went inside.  Our agent wisely led us through a lattice covered deck lined with hanging ferns, begonias and impatiens that all testified to the people-friendly environment.  She took us right past the front door where we made a right turn on the deck and got an eyeful of the Pacific Ocean nicely dappled that day with sun beams and a few small sailboats.   John and I looked at each other and we both knew that we would buy that house.  What was inside was almost immaterial.  Real estate Websites need to sell the sizzle as well as the steak or the lifestyle and emotional factors as well as the physical property.  The sizzle is the lifestyle the area offers as well as an individual home’s view, privacy and location.  A smart Web design will focus on this sizzle on every page of your Website because it is the sizzle that promotes a favorable emotional reaction. 

SIZZLE AND YOU

The emotional reaction that your Web visitors have when visiting your Website spills over and reflects on you.  If your site annoys them, then you have annoyed them.  If your site delights them, then you have delighted them.  Since you really want visitors to call or Email you, it would be wise to create your Website with high emotional appeal.

Have you noticed that many times when working with prospective buyers and sellers that they don’t always tell you the truth about what they want?  I guess you have!   Are these people lying to you or do they simply not know what they really want?  I think that most people when asked what they want will respond with factual things but do not reveal their emotional needs so easily.  Sometimes this is true because they are not so in tune with their emotions that they can verbalize them easily.  Sometimes this is true because the agent or broker is not skilled in digging for emotional needs.  All the more reason for creating a professional Website that addresses the emotional needs of your prospects.  Call me toll free at 888-814-5347 if you have any questions about tapping into the emotional needs of your customers.