I had a conversation with a real estate agent the other day about the best way to market themselves online without needing to pay for ads every month. I shared this plan with them . . . I believe that almost every real estate agent could grow their online presence and establish more credibility with their target customers if they forgot about using an IDX feed on their website. Watch to hear why and what I believe you should do as a real estate agent. I welcome your constructive comments too!https://youtu.be/qdmAW2w35RE
Here’s the marketing oriented web page layout I discussed in the video:
Transcript
Hi, it’s Jonathan, and today I want to talk to you about what you should do if you need a simple web presence for your business, in particular if you’re a realtor.
So today I got a message from a prospect who happened to be in the real estate business, wanting to know what I recommend they do in order to establish a good web presence. This is a successful realtor, but they’re really looking to figure out how they can capitalize upon their online exposure to find more clients, more listings, more buyers, and all of that. As we talked, I realized this is something that probably is applicable to a lot of small businesses, whether you have a web presence or not, but specifically if you’re a sole proprietor or if you’re looking to create that web presence to begin with. Where do you start and what do you do?
Well, the answer I gave to the realtor really applies across the board, and it’s probably not what most realtors are hearing. So I guess I’ll say I’ll welcome the comments.
First and foremost, if you’re a realtor, I don’t think – and I know this is going to get me in trouble, but I don’t think that people are looking to go to your personal site to find a home. What does that mean? That means that all of the flutter about having an IDX feed on your website so that people will come to your website to look for a home, I think it’s malarkey. Candidly, there’s a lot of agencies out there, or websites out there, such as Zillow – I know you hate it, but that’s life, Realtor.com, and locally here, Grar.com, that are already spending a lot of time and energy to make sure that someone can find the home they’re looking for. They’re doing the marketing. That’s where your customers are going; they’re not going to come to your personal website and choose you because of the quality of your IDX feed. I just don’t believe it’s going to happen.
So does that mean as a realtor, you don’t need a website? No, in fact I think you absolutely need a website. But, I think you need to be focused not on properties, but on the service you bring to your customers. Most importantly, how are you going to improve your customers’ lives if they work with you? If I’m selling a home, how are you going to make my life better by working with you? If you’re buying a home, how are you going to make my life better by working with you? Those are the questions you need to ask, and we need to be focused on that on your website, not on showing other houses and trying to get a list of all the houses on the MLS.
So, how do you do that? Well, very simply, I’m going to recommend if nothing else, you start with a simple one-page website. The focus of that website should be very simple: what value you bring to your customers. End of story.
I’m going to share with you, in a link underneath this video, an example of a page that I encourage you to make copies of and to use. It will be a layout that you can use for this. It begins at the top of the page by telling that one simple thing: the value that you bring to your customers. It then gives you an opportunity to share some testimonials so that you can build some credibility with those prospects, those people that are looking at you, and of course it has some calls to action to encourage them to reach out to you, in this case, whether you want to buy or sell a home.
The second thing that’s important, and I know you probably don’t want to hear this either, but you need to do just what I’m doing right now. You need to sit in your vehicle, just like I’m sitting in my car right now, and you need to start shooting videos. What? Yeah, you need to start shooting videos. You need to tell stories. Tell stories of how you’re helping people sell their homes, how you’re helping buyers find the perfect home, and a combination of the things you do and again, the value you’re bringing to your customers.
Those videos need to be uploaded to a YouTube or a Vimeo channel that you set up, and then they need to be set-up as vlog posts on your website. I’d encourage you to do at least two a week, maybe more. Talk about what things people can benefit from and how they benefit from working with you.
And, if need be, follow our E.I.E.I.O. formula. It’s very simple:
- E stands for Entertain
- I, Inspire
- E, Educate
- I, Instruct.
That’s the type of content that you need to create: content that is either entertaining, instructive, inspirational, educational. And the O part of the E.I.E.I.O., while it’s really simple, you can’t be boring. Why? Because everybody is online talking. Well, okay, not everybody, but there’s a lot of people online, and if you’re boring, nobody is going to listen to you. So make sure you’re outrageous. Now, outrageous does not mean offensive, but think Dave Ramsey of Financial Peace University, not Howard Stern.
So if you’re a realtor and you’re wondering what should you do online, set-up a one-page website, forget about the MLS listings; people aren’t coming to look at you for that purpose. Tell a story about why people benefit by working with you. Do multiple, twice a week or more, video blogs, just like I’m doing here, with your mobile phone, telling people stories about how you help others. Post those on your website. Post links to those videos on your social media: on your Facebook, on your Instagram, on your Twitter profiles. Don’t post links back to the YouTube video, but post links to that blog post on your website.
Oh, and last but not least, when people are on your website, encourage them to sign up for your email list and give them value. Not just to get your latest newsletter, but encourage them to sign-up and give you an email address in exchange for a free guide on three things they can do to make packing easier, or four mistakes to avoid if they’re selling their home. Offer a simple guide, giving value to them in exchange for offering their email address. And then not only will you be attracting more visitors, but you’ll be building a list of people raising their hands, going, “sell to me!” And over time, you’re going to convert a lot of those emails into customers.
So I just talked about what you should do if you’re a realtor. What if you’re a sole proprietor, you’re a small business and you’re trying to figure it out? Well, you can really do the exact same thing. Create a single, one-page website. Tell your customers what is in it for them if they work with you. Talk about the value you bring, how you positively change their lives. And yes, still do video blogs just like I’m doing here. Help entertain, inspire, educate, and instruct people in things related to your business to build credibility for who you are. Post that up, just like I talked about, share it on your social media, and get ready to start answering the phone.
I’m Jonathan, make it a great day.
