Even though it's just been a few months since my last article (hope you all had a great summer!) so much has happened on the "Net" that it's hard to pick a topic.... Instead of going into the nitty-gritty of web sites as I mentioned in my last posting, let's first take an overall strategic look at web marketing - Some things are different, while others remain the same....
#1 - Names mean a lot. Be careful about your web and e-mail addresses. Early on, many Realtors selected names that were "good sounding," but not identifiable to the person who owned it (ex: realman@, buysell@, 4homes@, etc.) Once you have 1000's of addresses out there, the "vanity" value is gone and no one knows who it is. Worse yet, if someone guesses your e-mail address, it's bound to be wrong. So I suggest that you KISS (Keep it simple...) and choose a first and/or last name combination when possible as an e-mail and a web address. The web address is more important, since someone might want to search for you on a search engine by "Name." Naturally, the best address is your own "Domain Name" (www.merealtor.com, jane@merealtor.com) but that carries higher fees. You be the judge of your internet investment - I say "It's cheaper than a local bus bench for worldwide exposure...."
#2 - There's 2 parts to web marketing; CONTENT and PROMOTION. Don't fall into the trap of purchasing a big whiz bang website and not do the proper promotion - kind of like printing a nice full-color brochure and then leaving it in boxes in your garage.... Conversely, even a modest web site can be successful with the right formula of promotion.
Promotion is "getting the word out" about your web site and particularly its address. There are three main avenues of promotion:
A) Number One is search engine registration. If you aren't savvy enough to do it yourself, pay someone to "list" your URL with as many search computers on the web as possible. Many outfits do this from $19.95 - $149.95 (And sometimes there's little difference in the service!) Keep in mind that some of the major search engines take 4-6 weeks before you are added after submission. And you should do this at least yearly, if not more. Most of the major engines (Alta Vista, Yahoo, Lycos, Excite, etc.) allow you to "add a URL" yourself, right from their home pages.
B) Second is your web organization, if you belong to one. Many Real Estate web sites exist, including NAR, local newspapers, boards,and independents (Such as MNRealty.com.) If you are considering one of these places to host your site, check into their specific "accesses" for your business where they deliver "visitors" to you, and also make sure that you are able to actively promote your own site without going "through" their pages first in order to get to yours.... *Important Note: Many MLS's are on the web (sometimes in more than one place,) and offer to "link" your listings to your e-mail and web pages...DO THIS!
C) Lastly, but as important as search engine placement, is your own personal promotion of your e-mail and web addresses. They should be on everything you print, distribute, or run in an ad... Example: "View my listings on-line at www.realcompany.com/JaneReal" Or how about: "This listing is shown in full color at www.janerealtor.com")Don't forget business cards, personal brochure, and FEATURE SHEETS!
Next time, I'll tackle some ideas on what goes IN your website, but first and foremost, you have to get the word out there that you are "on-line"....
*Original Copyright 3/97 by Chas. Campbell with permission to publish granted to MAR/MN-CRS