PROView - November 2008 - (Page 7) The main point of a consumer-centric website is to make it all about the visitor. All your information should address their anticipated needs and wants rather than excessive information about you and your business. That information should be provided, of course, but the most prominent information must quickly convey how the consumer will benefit from visiting you online. You have four seconds to convince your web visitor not to leave. Is your current website doing that? Here are some other general guidelines you may follow to make your website consumer-centric. • Use high quality images • Make sure the website is easily navigated and information readily available • Keep it simple and to the point • Keep your website updated frequently • Make sure to customize your website rather than using a standard template • Make sure your website is content-heavy yet easily available • Incorporate as many ways for consumers to directly communicate with you through your website as possible, either by instant message, discussion forum or a blog • Allow your cyber-visitors to choose how you will respond to them and make sure you have built an immediate response mechanism Meek suggests that an agent’s website must provide more than information about real estate. “Once consumers have bought or sold a house with your help, they must have a reason to come back to your website.” Additional information, Meek recommends, could include information about area schools, a new shopping area, and new hours of operation of a nearby recreation center – anything your consumers might find interesting and relevant to them. “Your web presence, blog or website, should give consumers the impression that they’re engaged in two-way communications with you, even if they’re only visiting your website.” Busse adds that online listings without a virtual tour are becoming rather worthless. “80% of home buyers do their search solely online and 80% of them will pass on anything that does not have a tour.” He says that public expects it all, including pictures, virtual tours and all available data, available to them from the comfort and privacy of their homes. PINELLAS REALTOR® ORGANIZATION Web 2.0 Branding Essentials Communications with existing customers and marketing efforts to attract prospective clients through the web go beyond just having a website. Tools that give you the opportunity to better target your audience. Many REALTORS® are using MySpace, YouTube and FaceBook, but few are taking full advantage of those outlets. According to a popular saying, a picture says more than a thousand words. Well, so does a video and here’s one way to reach out to your sphere of influence with targeted messages. Consider signing up for a free YouTube account. Next, include information about your business and a blog within the YouTube page. Once your static content is created, reach out to past customers and ask to videotape brief testimonials which you then post through your YouTube account. Finally, consider videos in which you present community information, consumer tips, market statistics and maybe market-specific information such as the anatomy of buying a short sale or foreclosure property. Your online presence shouldn’t end there. Next, it’s time to start building ways for consumers to find you online. Add FaceBook and MySpace accounts with your branding information and then link them to the YouTube videos. All of a sudden you’ve created an online network, making it easier for consumers to find you and for you to build credibility for your expertise and knowledge. Total cost for your online profiles at MySpace, YouTube and FaceBook? Free. So invest in a video recorder and get started. A REALTOR® who’s embracing the online video technology is Busse. “We now market our properties with video tours using YouTube.” Most recently, he says, his team has used YouTube to provide information about the market area they serve. “We recently completed a video segment on the state of the current mortgage market and we have additional pieces on insurance and tax-deferred exchanges in the works.” Changing a Business Rather than Tasks It’s easy to start looking at individual tasks and then go through the list one by one to make them consumercentric. More important is to make sure your consumercentric efforts include a complete transformation through your business. Take a look at every piece of your business and ask if you’ve made every aspect of (See CONSUMER-CENTRIC, page 20) November 2008 7
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PROView - November 2008 PROView - November 2008 Contents Chairman’s Notes Feature Story PROActive Brokerage Design Marketplace Analysis Home Sales Report MLS Update MLS Mind Your Manners 2009 REALTOR® Dues New REALTOR® and Affiliate Members Calendar of Events & Programs PROView - November 2008 PROView - November 2008 - PROView - November 2008 (Page Cover1) PROView - November 2008 - PROView - November 2008 (Page Cover2) PROView - November 2008 - Contents (Page 1) PROView - November 2008 - Chairman’s Notes (Page 2) PROView - November 2008 - Chairman’s Notes (Page 3) PROView - November 2008 - Feature Story (Page 4) PROView - November 2008 - Feature Story (Page 5) PROView - November 2008 - Feature Story (Page 6) PROView - November 2008 - Feature Story (Page 7) PROView - November 2008 - PROActive (Page 8) PROView - November 2008 - PROActive (Page 9) PROView - November 2008 - Brokerage Design (Page 10) PROView - November 2008 - Brokerage Design (Page 11) PROView - November 2008 - Marketplace Analysis (Page 12) PROView - November 2008 - Home Sales Report (Page 13) PROView - November 2008 - MLS Update (Page 14) PROView - November 2008 - MLS Mind Your Manners (Page 15) PROView - November 2008 - 2009 REALTOR® Dues (Page 16) PROView - November 2008 - New REALTOR® and Affiliate Members (Page 17) PROView - November 2008 - New REALTOR® and Affiliate Members (Page 18) PROView - November 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page 19) PROView - November 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page 20) PROView - November 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page 21) PROView - November 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page Cover3) PROView - November 2008 - Calendar of Events & Programs (Page Cover4)
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