|
What
is a Lead Generating Website?
|
When there
is absolutely nothing new to talk about, somebody
comes along, crafts a new name for an old product and
hypes it to the hilt. Lately, several agents have called
asking if I can help them develop a Lead Generating
Website. The
way they ask the question I know darned well they are
hoping for some delicious piece of magic that will cause
qualified leads to materialize in droves.
And I know that somebody out there is acting like
he/she just invented the idea of using a Website to
generate leads.
LEAD
GENERATING FORMULA
While there are many other very good reasons to
develop a custom Website, most real estate Websites are
created in the hopes of generating leads, preferably
qualified leads. So,
this is nothing new.
In fact, there is a formula for setting up Lead
Generating Web Pages.
Visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/
LeadGeneration.htm to see samples and for more
information. Also
visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/customweb.htm
for more lead generating ideas.
ASK
THEIR OPINION
In essence, a page on your Website can help you
generate leads if the page is structured in an easy to
use, easy to read format that hits a hot button.
Have you seen those Emails floating around asking
people to vote on whether or not they prefer Pepsi or Coca
Cola? Well, while I could care less about Coke or Pepsi,
the strategy is known as an involvement technique and can
be effective in generating leads.
To utilize this on a real estate Website you might
ask visitors to vote on home styles or tell you whether
they prefer living in a condo, a single family residence
or a farm.
|
|
Another
term that is somewhat misunderstood is “Optimized
Website.” The
term usually comes up when search engines are being
discussed and an Optimized Website is one that was designed
following search engine guidelines. You’ll find more information on this at http://www.sellrealestate.net/
SearchEnginePlacement.htm.
PEOPLE
COUNT TOO
In general, search engine guidelines are sensible and
should be followed but sometimes this advice can be taken
too seriously. Search
engines like to see a lot of words on the pages and on those
wordy pages they like to see your keyword phrases appear,
usually more than once.
Trouble is that people do not like to see a lot of
words on the page and if you repeat your keyword phrases too
often on one page they will think you are a moron.
The good news is that it is possible to do both and
if you want a truly effective Website that is what you or
your Web designer must do.
OUTGOING
LINKS ARE IMPORTANT BUT…
Search engines like to see that you give links to other
Websites but if you expect your favorite search engine to
give you placement on page one, you will need to have lots
of other Websites linking TO YOU.
When it comes to religion it may be better to Give
than to Receive but if you want top search engine placement,
it is far better to Receive than it is to Give.
In fact, a very sensible strategy is to GIVE a
link to someone in order to RECEIVE a reciprocal
link. That’s
fair. Call me toll free at 888-814-5347 if you would like to
talk to me about how to pull this off.
|
|
Some
Things
to Think About |
Web
Design can and often does go way beyond lead generation.
I understand that if getting more business is
crucial for you, it may be difficult to think about
other benefits, but for those who want to generate leads
AND tap into some other benefits, here are some things
to think about. For a personal and customized plan for your Web strategy
visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp.
AGENT
SUPPORT / AGENT TRAINING WEBSITES
It is possible for a company or a brokerage to
enhance agent performance by creating a Website for that
purpose. A company might develop a Website that all agents can use to
generate leads. In
order for this to work there needs to be some internal
office controls. A company that wants to recruit inexperienced agents can set
up a powerful Master Website that can be cloned for each
agent. Brokers
who want to increase their agents’ productivity can
call me toll free at 888-814-5347 for a more in-depth
discussion of these methods.
MARKETING
& FOLLOW UP CAPABILITIES
It is possible to create
a custom Website with sophisticated Email follow up
systems built right in. A
monthly Enewsletter can be sent to everyone n your
database without you having to give it a thought.
Even more targeted follow up can be created and
scheduled to ensure that leads, when generated are
maximized. Real
Estate uses a great deal of paperwork that can be stored
ready to print at a moment’s notice right on your
Website. Imagine
that wherever you are, you are only a mouse-click away
from your company’s Offer to Purchase Form or Listing
Contract. Or, keep your customers updated with
their own password protected Buyer / Seller Checklist
sections on your Website.
Keeps your customers always in the loop, saves
you countless hours.
|
|
