General Tips
 Build a user-friendly, captivating realtor website. Nowadays it is a given for top realtors to leverage real estate website design, create "impressions", invite "clicks" and generate "leads". Of course, those leads then need to be nurtured into "sales".
Your website is the puzzle's frame
Think of your website as the frame for the puzzle. Remember as a child or when helping a child that the easy part is building the frame? Frame pieces all have a flat side and are easy to spot!
You are the puzzle's backing!
You are the heart of your online business. As competition between realtors and the market demand accelerates, nothing can be left on autopilot for very long. You are the foundation of the puzzle and your patience, courage and innovation hold it all together.
Each piece has a role in generating sales
Puzzles are built over time. A proactive approach to your realtor website, turning over and placing each necessary puzzle piece, will take you a long way. Remember picking up a puzzle piece, trying it out and putting it back down? Sometimes we must wait for more information and for more pieces to be put in place. Our website real-estate business may well be assembled in the same way.
Let's look at some of the possible pieces to the puzzle and see how and when they can or should be placed in your business.
The people factor
People are part of the puzzle. In fact, people are a very important part of the puzzle. Each client that you are currently working with is a walking billboard for future business. Treat these people with the best of care-they are lifetime billboards and will not cost you any more that your best service. And do make sure that they all know your website is available 24/7 for service. Refer them to the site for some of the answers to their questions so that they have a positive experience using it.
Getting out your "impression"
Find ways to get the "impression" of your company in front of people. Many pieces to the sales puzzle have to do with getting your name out there. Start with a great telephone message that includes web contact information. Be sure your website is listed on stationery, emails, promotions such as raffles, brochures, flyers, ads, ads on grocery-carts or park benches and newspaper ads. Make the determination to list your website every time you list your phone number.
Be sure your impressions are turning into clicks and leads
Try a little of every means to create good impressions. Find ways to get your listings out in front of buyers and sellers. Yes, you want to generate visitors to your web pages (clicks). But your site must be sophisticated enough to capture data-needs and contact information-and make it usable. The forms and simple questionnaires on the site need to turn those "clicks" into "leads" that you can follow up on.
Internet puzzle pieces
Online advertising may be the grease in the gear to move the real estate agent who is in a lull back into gear. According to Borrell Associates, online real-estate advertising will increase 55 percent in 2005-06. Forrester Research reports that spending for online advertising will increase 100 percent by the year 2010. And the New York Times 2005 second-quarter results show that print advertising is down and online advertising grown 27 percent.
Experiment with a few web ads, links, paid rankings and pay-per-click if your budget permits. But also consider putting that same money into optimization through the organic search engines.
If you have a simple, inexpensive website, you may have to start pouring money into pay-per-click or banner ads or link exposures. However, if you have a thoughtfully engineered website with rich content and optimization, your investment may enable you to keep those advertising dollars in your pocket.
Put it all together
So start with a big heart, reach out with a great website. Send people to your phone, office and website. But be sure to keep trying ways to turn impressions to clicks to leads to sales and future business. Then watch the pieces of the puzzle all come together!
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