Online Marketing Techniques for Real Estate Agents and Brokers: Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Take Your Business to the Next Level

Online Marketing Techniques for Real Estate Agents & Brokers

Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Take Your Business to the Next Level

By Karen F. Vieira, PhD

Online Marketing Techniques for Real Estate Agents & Brokers: Insider Secrets You Need to Know to Take Your Business to the Next Level

Copyright © 2008 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-126-2

ISBN-10: 1-60138-126-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Vieira, Karen F. (Karen Frances), 1978-

Online marketing techniques for real estate agents and brokers: insider secrets you need to know to take your business to the next level / by Karen F. Vieira.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-126-2 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-126-3 (alk. paper)

1. Real estate business--Marketing. 2. Internet marketing. I. Title.

HD1375.V54 2008

333.33068’8--dc22

2008009367

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: Why Market Online?

Chapter 2: Creating Your Branding

Chapter 3: Your Public Profile

Chapter 4: Online Directories

Chapter 5: Understanding Search Engines

Chapter 6: Search Engine Optimization

Chapter 7: Building a New Web Site

Chapter 8: Generating Web Site Traffic

Chapter 9: Effectively Using Your List

Chapter 10: Pay-per-Click Marketing

Chapter 11: Banner Advertising

Chapter 12: Affiliated Programs

Chapter 13: Blogging

Chapter 14: Unlocking the Secrets of eBay

Chapter 15: Hiring Help for Less

Conclusion

Bibliography

Biography

More Great Titles from Atlantic Publishing

Foreword

Jim Kimmons

Most real estate agents and brokers are struggling to adapt to the new world of Internet marketing. The old tried and true media and methods seem to be losing ground, while terms like Pay-Per-Click and Search Engine Optimization clamor for our attention.

The term information overload takes on a whole new meaning when a Realtor begins to research online marketing, Web sites, and blogs. Because of the huge volume of new material and the fast evolution of technology, it is a very disconcerting proposition. What do you need to do, how is it done, and how much time, effort, and money will be expended?

Dr. Karen Vieira, in Online Marketing for Real Estate Agents & Brokers, provides aid and just the right amount of information. The book is fast-paced, with an overview of everything from basic HTML tips through blogging for market development. The information is enough to get you into the process, guide you along the way, and provide you with the necessary resources to get it done. It’s an organized plan and instruction manual to get you going without information overload.

Beginning with an introduction to the Internet and the methods of marketing online, Vieira provides precisely the information you need to make the decision to take the plunge. Once you know what you want to do, specific guidance is provided on how to do it. She offers unbiased advice with decisions about what you can do yourself and when you may want to hire professional help. Resources are supplied for locating, interviewing, and selecting Web designers, search engine experts, and Internet marketing professionals.

The advice included in the book concerning SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is right on track. As a consultant to Realtors in Web marketing, SEO, and Pay-Per-Click (PPC), I have been exposed to just about every scam out there. This book will help you to avoid them. Without boring you to death, the mechanics of how search engines work are explained. Knowing what these tools are doing behind the scenes greatly increases your chances of successful positioning your business at the top of search results for your real estate related, and very competitive, search terms.

There are some very simple, yet critical, rules and techniques that can help your site or blog to achieve free search engine exposure. These techniques are outlined for you in this book, and when you make them a part of your early planning and Web site design process, you will get the results you want. I know that the suggestions included in this book work because they are the tools I use on my own personal real estate site. There is no Black Hat, no scamming the search engines, just rock-solid design and writing tools that will work.

The advantage point to using the Web in your marketing plan is that your site can present a larger-than-life presence. The Internet is a great equalizing force for marketers. You can, through the utilization of the techniques and tools in this book, end up at the top of search engine results for YourTown real estate. You can build an online presence at little or no cost that rivals the largest brokerage in the area. If the design and content are right, then it is just about getting the visitors to the site. You’ll learn about PPC marketing and why it is highly effective at bringing a real estate buyer or seller to your site precisely when they are ready to act. This gets you going while your SEO tactics are taking hold. It is a plan and a process, and with Online Marketing for Real Estate Agents & Brokers, you will get the information you need to make it work.

The chapter on blogging alone is worth the cost of the book. Read it carefully and think about the promises that blogging holds for the real estate professional. There isn’t a better way to position yourself as a professional and your community’s real estate expert. You will get guidance on how to set up your blog, what kind of content should be included, and how to get it up and running free and fast.

Once you have put together your marketing plan and begin to have a presence online, you may want to enhance your marketing with banner ads on other sites or do cooperative banner advertising with other local, non-competing businesses. Everything you need to know about online marketing is included in this book. There is even instruction for implementing ads on your site that will generate revenue to help offset your costs of maintaining your Web presence.

The real estate professional of the future will not be able to rely on handing out business cards, joining clubs, and shaking hands. When more than 80 percent of your potential clients are using the Internet to gather real estate information, can you afford to be absent?

Jim Kimmons

Real Estate Broker

www.RealEstateBusinessSuccess.com

http://realestate.About.com

jimkimmons@gmail.com

866-503-2260

Jim Kimmons is a working real estate broker in Taos, New Mexico and the Real Estate Business Guide writer for the New York Times Web site (http://realestate.About.com). He consults with real estate professionals in making the transition to the effective use of all types of technology in real estate. You can visit his consulting Web site at: www.RealEstateBusinessSuccess.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Marketing your real estate services and listings online can make a dramatic difference in your income. The Internet is a great marketing tool for most consumer products or services, but like any tool, it will take time to learn how to use it. You do not have to be an expert to be successful. The Internet has the ability to make or break you based on how you go about using it as a resource. The ability to locate interested consumers and direct them to your Web site is a priceless advantage, and if you are not yet utilizing Internet marketing, you are missing out. The way real estate is marketed, bought, and sold is being revolutionized by the Internet, and the way real estate agents do business is being changed forever.

The Internet is just one tool — albeit a vital tool — in real estate marketing that all real estate agents and brokers must analyze to decide whether marketing their listings and services online offers a great enough return on the investment in marketing costs. Many real estate agents and brokers who market heavily online and have a strong Internet presence in their local area have seen a corresponding increase in their sales and their income, as well as a decrease in expenditures on items such as newspaper advertisements and gas used on wasted trips. Often, real estate service providers are concerned that promoting their Web sites will cost them a fortune that they will not be able to recover in corresponding sales. The truth is quite the opposite: Online marketing of real estate Web sites is a cost-effective way of reaching out to anyone in the world interested in buying or selling property in your local area. An even better feature is that you can manage your online marketing campaign from anywhere in the world.

In today’s competitive environment, it is essential to utilize Internet marketing, a presence on the Web, e-mail advertising, and other forms of e-commerce. The Internet is a valuable tool whether you have a brick-and-mortar business or an online business, and a Web site for your business is virtually indispensable in our time of advanced technology. The Internet allows you to promote, advertise, and market your business in a cost-efficient manner, giving you the opportunity to focus your costs on other areas of your business. There is no better marketing tool to place at your disposal. Using the Internet has become more convenient and available. Laptops, cell phones, and even iPods have the ability to connect to the Internet in most public places via a wireless connection. The Internet consists of billions of people who have the ability to reach out directly to your business or organization from anywhere in the world. You have the capability of advertising to all these potential clients for little capital investment.

Having a Web page is not enough as a marketing and advertising strategy. A common misconception among new business owners (or established business owners who are simply not getting the marketing they desire) is the idea that creating a Web site will be enough to promote their company on a mass level. Your Web site is just one small part of your entire marketing plan, depending on your business goals. Many successful real estate agents want to advertise and promote their business on the Web, and for them creating a Web site is good, but if it is not promoted and advertised, no one will ever know about it. By passing out business cards with their Web site URL embossed on them, they are using a traditional marketing campaign to promote their Web site. If they offer a downloadable and printable informational article about their local market from their Web site, or create a place for home buyers to enter information about the home they are looking for so they can be e-mailed each time a home meeting their criteria is listed for sale, they are successfully using their Web site as part of their marketing strategy to meet the goal of increased business.

No one has to be a computer geek, Webmaster, or even have a lot of online experience to quickly learn how to effectively market a business online with a small budget. The best news for real estate agents and brokers is that most potential buyers or sellers of real estate are already searching online. So take advantage of that by providing them with the information and services they are searching for. This book is simple and is designed for individual real estate agents or brokers who do not have an information technology department and are marketing within a limited budget.

This book will show you how to tailor your marketing to not only the World Wide Web, but also to the community you serve. It will help you decide if you want to continue only with your current Web site, or if you need multiple Web sites to accomplish your marketing and financial goals. This book also shows you how to build better Web sites that efficiently market your services. We will cover building new Web sites, a separate blog Web site, using a professional designer, design mistakes to avoid, and how to make your Web site valid using Web standards. You will be instructed on how to build a marketing list, how to capture contact information, how to use an auto-responder, as well as legal considerations for commercial Internet marketing and tips for newsletter and e-zine creation. We will address polling your prospects, selling your prospects on other services, asking for referrals, and keeping your prospects up to date. This book will also cover pay-per-click marketing, how pay-per-click works, why pay-per-click is successful, how to buy advertising, Google™ and Yahoo!® search marketing, Yahoo!® advertising, secret tricks of pay-per-click marketing experts, and cheap pay-per-click marketing tactics.

In Chapter 2, we will discuss branding, some additional Internet marketing techniques, continuity in all your marketing, finding easy-to-remember domain names, and developing a professional image. Chapter 3 will deal with developing your public profile, improving your visibility using online social networking, remaining up to date on trends, current market information, posting on blogs and forums, and utilizing print media in conjunction with the Internet to gain maximum exposure. Chapter 4 will present ideas for keeping your Web sites up to date, getting listed in online phone books, and listing your Web site in major directories. In Chapters 5 and 6, we will delve into understanding search engines, search engine optimization, and how to use search engines to your advantage. Chapters 7 and 8 will instruct the reader on building a new Web site and maximizing traffic to your Web site. Chapter 9 will help you turn Web site traffic into prospects and give you other helpful tips for communicating with your prospects. In Chapter 10, we will get into the world of pay-per-click marketing and will detail how to effectively use Google AdWords. Chapters 11 and 12 will address banner advertising, reasons to use it, banner exchange programs, how to use an affiliate program to get other people to promote your listings, and how they get paid for it. Chapter 13 will cover the important topic of blogging. You will come to understand how much blogging can enhance your image, keep your Web site fresh, and get you recognized as an expert real estate agent or broker in your area. Chapter 14 reveals the new, hot real estate market on eBay, how to advertise on it, and the benefits of an eBay storefront. Chapter 15 covers the topic of when to outsource and how to do it without going over budget. This book also offers case studies of 15 top agents and brokers who have used online marketing, and reveals their secrets and techniques.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Why Market Online?

Statistics of Internet Usage for Real Estate Purchasing

Twenty million people are browsing home listings each month. Gone are the days when home buyers would drive around neighborhoods every weekend searching for their dream home. They now have the option of surfing the Web and automatically receiving daily e-mail updates about new homes on the market that meet their exact specifications. This new breed of Internet-savvy home buyer expects more from an agent now than previous generations did.

The statistics of Internet usage for online real estate services are in, and the results are promising. Currently, about 65 percent of consumers use the Internet to search for real estate services, but as more people become aware of the ease and convenience of online real estate Web sites, this number is expected to rise. Also, as online real estate services expand and computer ownership grows, the number of people using online real estate Web sites will grow more rapidly in the next few years.

The top Realtors online are seeing annual sales of four to eight million dollars. How is this possible? They have learned the secrets of aggressive online marketing, and as can happen in traditional business, they have managed to shut out their competition. The process of getting your name on the Internet may seem challenging at first, but using the techniques in this book can lead to recognition of your name and branding so you will gain a reputation as the top person in your field for your local area.

What Internet Customers Want Most

When a consumer decides to start looking at purchasing a home, some may go online first to peruse their local market and see what is currently available. This is a perfect opportunity to win their trust and grab the sale. No one should fool themselves into thinking that personal interaction is no longer a necessary element of online real estate success. A Web site must offer a personal touch and an easy avenue to a local real estate agent by offering contact information and by allowing the consumer to opt for the agent to contact them by phone or e-mail.

Customers want a Web site, with useful features, that helps them through the process of buying or selling property. The great news is, this book is going to show you how to give it to them.

When a potential home buyer goes online to research real estate agents, available homes, and financing options,