Business Opportunities and Internet Marketing Systems that Don't Work |
||||
|
||||
Real Estate Agent WebsitesThere are companies that offer a full website package for real estate agents, with the implication that it will provide all they need to compete with the big guys - real time searches, referral services, mortgage calculators, etc.There is only one basic problem with them.... They don't work like they say they will. Oh, the calculators and search functions are exemplary. And the site does in fact have everything it says it will. It just lacks one thing: Personality. Let me explain: When someone wants to search online for housing options, and does not want to commit themselves by actually contacting a realtor, they go to places like Realtor.com. It is impersonal, and delivers results without asking you for any contact info in return. If you try to compete with that, you probably can, but it won't get you what you want, because it is targeting people who DO NOT WANT to contact you! What you want is people who are actually interested in contacting a live, breathing realtor. And to attract them, and get them to actually make a move to contact you, you have to take another approach. Nameless, coldly served information, just won't do! So a template driven "cookie cutter" site, which does not allow you to fully personalize and customize it, will fail to bring you any meaningful client contacts. You need to find a way to reach out in a friendly, and very comfortable manner, to persuade these people that they can contact you with utter confidence that you will listen to their needs, and give them something personal. To do this, your site design has to be completely coordinated, from the design, to the fonts used, to the images used, to the way the copy is written, and to how the navigation works. The entire site needs to give a cohesive message of warmth and welcome - it needs to feel familiarly cozy, like the right house does. You need to show images that are taken of you, interacting with other people. You need to show houses that are located in the area you are in, and images of the inside of homes with people in them that are real, and not sterile. It needs to help them envision a place that feels like home. The site needs to have evidence on every page of a person behind the words and images. And it needs to have a good About page that gives people reason to feel that they know you just a little - enough to trust you anyway. Template driven sites may be much harder to get indexed with the search engines, and they will generally ALWAYS have aspects to them that cannot be modified, and which will interfere with the primary function of the site - to generate quality leads that progress to sales. You are better off looking for "plug-in" services, which can be added to an existing site. Stay away from template driven "all in one" solutions. They will sabotage your efforts more than they will help you. Written by Laura Wheeler, MicroBusiness Website Developer, and founder of the MicroWebmasters Alliance |
||||
|
|
||||
|
Every reasonable effort has been made to provide true and accurate information on this site. We are not responsible for the content of sites that are not under our direct control, including sites that are linked to ours. It is inherent in the nature of business and the web, that things will change over time. We do try to keep our information up to date, and to avoid all defamatory or libelous statements about any individual or entity. If you are aware of inaccuracies in our information, we request that you notify us so we can investigate and make adjustments if our information is in fact inaccurate. We screen advertisements for this site, with the exception of Google ads, which we do not control the content of. Business and marketing success is dependent upon factors that are out of our control, such as individual effort, individual resources, market trends, local demand, and other factors. We make no guarantees of success of any kind. We provide information which, if used correctly,under the right circumstances, will reduce business, marketing, and internet purchase risks by a significant amount, but we cannot eliminate the risks of any of those activities. Use this site at your own risk. If you are dissatisfied with the content or presentation of this information, you may discontinue use of the site. Site Design By Firelight Web Studio, Copyright, 2006, All Rights Reserved |
||||