Pick Up Your Marketing Pace

The Danger of Letting Things Slide

Marketing and advertising produce cumulative effects. By that I mean that the longer your message is out there, the more times your prospects hear about you, the more business will come your way. This is assuming that your message is on target and focuses on the self-interests of your target audience. Those who slack off on marketing and advertising run the risk of having to play “Catch-Up” down the road. For an established agent or broker, playing Catch-Up is like going back to square one. It is better for your budget and for your results to keep things going. So once you have a plan and all your marketing and advertising, including your Website, is coordinated and running like clockwork, don’t stop!

THE RISK OF GETTING TOO MUCH BUSINESS

First let me say this: “There IS NO RISK of getting too much business!” If you should be so lucky as to become swamped with buyers, sellers or both, you can always refer some prospects to other agents and get a referral fee. If the problem of too many qualified leads persists, you might consider taking on an assistant or building or adding to your team. Just promise me this! Don’t ever complain that you are getting too many leads. People will think you are nuts!

THE LIKELIHOOD
OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH

Let your marketing and advertising slide and the likelihood of not getting enough business is the more likely scenario. This is true because things change. For example today many agents who were doing very well before the Internet came to dominate the real estate industry have experienced steady declines and now must face the fact that the Internet is a POWER and it is here to stay. If you find yourself in that category, don’t panic! We can help. Call me toll free at 888-814-5347.

The Relentless March of the Internet

These days an agent without a Website is considered seriously behind the times in the minds of large segments of the population. From your prospective buyer’s point of view, nothing could be easier than jumping online to find out what homes are available and what price ranges they can expect to find.

COMMUNICATION ONLINE IS EASIER

As the general public becomes more and more comfortable using the Internet, they expect higher and higher levels of sophistication and communication from you. Why not include a separate, password-protected section for each client so each can find out his/her exact status in the buying or selling process. Putting this information online saves them time and it saves you time and it is easy to do when you have a custom Website. Want an idea of how a Custom Website will help you generate more leads and save you time and money? Visit me online at http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp complete the form and I’ll help you develop a plan that will work to your advantage.

YOU KNOW WHERE THEY LOOK.
BE THERE!

If you have not heard that about 75% of buyers start their real estate research online, you simply have been hiding your head in the sand. Today’s buyers use the Internet. They go to their favorite search engine, type in a keyword phrase or search term and all the information they need is right at their fingertips. If you are not there, well then, that is your loss.

IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS

I hear stories from agents that they “bought” a particular key word phrase and they still do not get any leads. In order to make search engine placement pay for you, you need to know what keyword phrases buyers are using to search your area. You need to know about how many buyers a month are searching for real estate in your area and you need a really good Website so that when buyers find you, your site can lead them to contact you. For more information on search engine placement visit http://www.sellrealestate.net
/SearchEnginePlacement.htm.

Half Way Measures Only Go Half Way

If your market is upscale and/or high-tech, all of your marketing and advertising, including your Website, should be geared to those markets. Canned or template postcards or Websites only make you look out of step. Your market is used to booking airline and hotel reservations online. They frequently purchase a variety of products including books, clothes, clocks, make-up, and birthday and wedding gifts online. It will be hard to impress these people with a template Website that gives you only the barest minimum of an Internet presence. Visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/customweb.htm for some ideas on Web design looks and contents designed to impress the upscale, high-tech markets.

A WORD ABOUT RECIPE CARDS

I cannot think of any reason why a real estate agent would send out recipe cards to people unless the agent was absolutely certain that this group of people never or hardly ever use the Internet. Why? Because the Internet is crawling with recipe Websites. In fact, many recipe Websites are created for the purpose of selling advertising space. Advertisers who want to target women primarily find that advertising on a recipe Website is good business because so many folks use the Internet these days instead of a cookbook and certainly instead of recipe cards they receive in the mail. So, if you really want to send out recipe cards, then talk with me about developing a recipe Website. If you could persuade most of the families in your area to rely on your Recipe Website that contains ads about your real estate business, then it starts to make sense.