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While returning from the REtech South Conference event Saturday morning I was reflecting on Friday’s sessions. I’m convinced there are a handful of questions we will never fully agree on that are often brought up during these conferences. Some issues will continue to be debated and cause many in the real estate industry to ponder for themselves.
Recently I’ve been sharing recently with our Dakno clients and my friends over at Active Rain about the need to 
expand their Internet presence by exploring the awesome applications available on the iPhone. Yes, you to can begin to broaden your web presence by using the tools that power the iPhone apps.
Even if you don’t own an iPhone, you can begin to map your properties, your favorite restaurants, your area’s bike repair shop, or any other significant location by adding it to the website called Platial. Once the business, neighborhood school or your condo building is mapped and properly “tagged”, you’ll begin to enjoy enhanced search engine ranking as well as maybe a few more site visitors who happen to click over to your blog or website to view more information from their iPhone.
The next time you have a listing appointment, say this to your potential client, “Because it is my fudiciary responsibility is to deliver the absolute best home selling results by helping you sell your property quicker and for maximum value, I utilize every means available to expose your property to as many potential buyers as possible. One of the many ways I accomplish this goal is by syndicating your property on many high-traffic national websites, and I also target the mobile computing tools available on the cell phone.” Follow that by saying; “There have been more than 3 million new generation 3G iPhones recently purchased by tech-savvy consumers and many of those same consumers will utilize their iPhone to help them search for their next home. To ensure your home is visible to those users, I will upload your home to numerous iPhone application powered websites like Trulia.com and Nearby (powered by Platial.com). That way I know your home is reaching even more potential home buyers.”
If you happen to mention what I suggested above and you secure a listing, by all means come back here and leave a comment. Now go map your area and dominate your market (and think about buying a new iPhone especially if you close on that listing you just secured :>).
Until my next post,
Bobby
P.S. For a slightly different take on the same topic, be sure to visit my Crystal Coast Blog – it’s your Emerald Isle Real Estate and Rental Resource!
Scottsdale real estate agent Heather Tawes Nelson emailed me to say she dug into Platial.com and discovered from their “Terms & Conditions” that the site doesn’t permit commercial advertising. I suggest you refrain from “advertising” your listings on Platial.com. To take advantage of the Google power and the potential additional eyeballs you could capture, I say work the “I recommend this restaurant” or “this condo building is really close to this awesome gym.” The way you play by the rules. To me mapping schools, recommending businesses and the like are fairgame. Thanks Heather for the email – good call!
To help you stay one step ahead of your competition, it’s important your Dakno real estate website provide your site visitors more information-rich resources and advanced neighborhood and condo property tools. In fact, today’s web-savvy real estate consumer expects more from their online experience.
With more consumers “hard-wired†to hit the web to fact-find and search for homes, it is critical you provide your site visitors more value so you are truly seen as the ultimate real estate resource in your area. Based on your feedback and our innovative thinking, Dakno is excited to announce numerous new features and enhancements for your Dakno website and Agent Backdoor site editor. Below is a complete list for your review.
How you ask? Before I answer that question I have to ask you another question. Do you provide links to “great” websites like your local chamber of commerce, your local newspaper website or maybe the area convention and visitors bureau from your website? I know you were thinking those websites offer all kinds of great area facts and information (and they do). And the main reason you provide those links to these sites is because…….? We both know why. Chances are your site fails to provide any solid area information to your site visitors and you want your site visitors to be able to get to know your area. So is it a bad thing to provide your visitors these “community links” to this “valuable area information”? BTW – this is as close to a rant post as you’re going to read from me. Take heart – it’s a mild rant.
It seems that when people talk about driving traffic to their website, they immediately focus on two methods – Pay Per Click, and Search Engine Optimization. While these both work, they are only two of a number of ways to drive people to your website.
I have to admit, I am often temped to include signup forms on our client’s MLS and map search pages. After all, my job is to create real estate websites that fills my client’s inbox with lots of leads. But I always advise against doing so. Why? Well that’s exactly what this blog post is all about.
Most real estate agents who require visitors to sign up to search the MLS think there is a balance of power. The agent has something the visitor wants (MLS access to thousands of homes), and the website visitor has something the real estate agent wants (their contact information). But here is the reality. It’s not equal. The site visitor is holding all the cards. The visitor doesn’t need you or your website. After all, if they do make it to your website and see that you require them to sign up to search for homes, they could give bogus information or easily hit that looming back button and move on to any of the other million or so results that Google has retrieved. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that they could search Realtor.com, Google Real Estate, Trulia, and so on.
The California Association of Realtors recently conducted a study comparing Traditional Buyers vs. Internet Savvy Buyers. The results were quite amazing. It turns out that Internet Savvy made much better clients than Traditional Buyers. They require you to show them less houses, they buy quicker, and they require less work on your part. So how does this relate to the forced registration vs. free search debate? Internet Savvy Buyers will typically find another resource if they see a website where they have to sign up to search for homes. But traditional buyers with less experience on the internet will simply follow the instructions. This means that you are actually pushing away the “easy” clients and catering to the clients that are going to make your life more difficult.
Strangely enough, forcing visitors to sign up on your real estate website actually makes it less likely to receive quality leads. Why? When it comes to home searches, one of the best leads is a request for a showing. But by forcing visitors to first sign up, you are putting one more road block between them and that precious “Request a Showing” form.
There are a few real estate agents that require their visitors to register before searching the MLS. They seem to operate in clusters. While it may be easy to follow the crowd, the reality is that you have an excellent opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competition. While everyone else is making people mouse in handcuffs, you can shout it from the rooftops that you allow people to freely search without requiring people to register.
Oh yeah. Requiring visitors to sign up effects your search engine optimization also. This is because Google can’t “sign up” to search the MLS. This means that all those pages that Google would otherwise know about goes into a black hole. Ouch!
There are more reasons such as having to deal with all the mickeymouse@noway.com leads clogging your inbox and database, pushing away repeat visitors and the appearance as a gatekeeper but you get the idea.
So what’s the answer if you are not getting enough leads? The first step is to not make things worse by putting more stipulations on your site visitor. The savvy ones are too smart for that. Instead, take the opposite approach with your real estate web design. Give even more information away! Make it easier and faster for a visitor to get the information they need. Become the true resource for information in your area. It’s only then that all those savvy visitors will start flooding your inbox with their information.
| Feature | Free MLS Search | Forced MLS SignUp |
| Search Engine Optimization | Yes. Google can freely index the content. | No. Google cannot access the MLS because they can’t sign up |
| Viral Marketing | Yes. Unique and Easy to use MLS search features are shard though out the online community (including bloggers) | No. Nothing to see because it’s hidden behind a sign up form. |
| Attracts Internet Savvy Buyers | Yes. Savvy Buyers know the internet is all about information. They respect sites that are “transparent.” | No. Savvy buyers will move on to a site where they can freely search. |
| Quality Leads | Yes. Since internet savvy buyers are encouraged to use your site as a resource, and therefore know exactly what they want when they contact you. | No. Searching your site makes it more difficult. This means that they require more time and resources from the agent. |
| Positive Trust Transference | Yes. Psychology says that people use trust association and transfer that trust to other aspects. Since the MLS Search is transparent. They assume the Agent will not try to hold back any information | No. People will associate the agent as a gatekeeper. |
Real estate agents are always taught to offer value to their prospects and clients. When it comes to a real estate website, that value is usually conveyed via MLS search tools, free buyer or seller reports, exclusive market data, compelling offers, etc. Here is the reality – you must show value FIRST. Only then can you ask for a site visitor’s information. That is because the Internet Empowered Consumer (IEC) has to first see the value (in your time saving property organizer, exclusive online content, etc.) before they will give up their personal information. Yet so many real estate agents force the user to provide personal information before the visitor obtains the valuable information or access to special tools. This “cart before the horse” concept simply goes against the grain of a successful website.
Most website visitors operate with this understanding. The World Wide Web is seen as a tremendous free-access information portal offering site visitors many choices where to secure valuable information. The IEC is leery to give away personal information or sign ‘user agreements’ to a salesperson they have never met – And rightly so. After all, they can simply leave the website and find someone else who is willing to offer the information on another website without obligation or fear of harassment. So – are you forcing your visitors to sign-in to access a search tool, holding them hostage in exchange for their contact information?
 Practical examples:
Much like we must educate our clients to the benefits of a specific marketing strategy like “Search Engine Optimization“, you must educate the internet consumer to the value and subsequent benefits to a specific tool or resource. Some site visitors may first need to be educated as to “WHY” they need the valuable information. Plus, site visitors should be given the “WHEN” they can expect to receive the information or have access to the offer. It boils down to setting proper expectations for your site visitors.
So do you want less email from “Mickey Mouse” (quantity) and more “quality” leads to your real estate website? Why not be have your website be viewed as the “giver” of desirable information. By providing great information first, you’ll gain the respect of your site visitors. Plus you will be viewed as the non-threatening provider of desirable tools and valuable information. You win by gaining instant creditability and your site visitors are highly educated and know exactly what they want.
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