Realtor Marketing On The Internet

As a realtor marketing online, you are familiar with your own industry language  There is significant terminology to learn in internet marketing.  The terminology applies to all businesses that operate online.  What I present here is not exclusive to realtors or real estate business.

So, let’s get started:

Web site:

• you will see it website and web site.  I learned from an old timer on the internet that it is two words.
• Can be static HTML or a content manager such as a blog – the easiest to start with is WordPress – it’s designed for publishers.  There are lots of free WordPress Themes available and you take your chances with them being unstable. There is no one to help you if that is the case. If you take moving your real estate business online seriously, buy a WordPress Theme – they range in price from $49 up.
• You can develop a WordPress or static HTML site yourself or outsource the build to a site developer

HTML:

• hypertext markup language – when a web site is built with static HTML once it’s done, it’s done.  This type of site works well for an “authority” site.  Your beginning efforts may lead to becoming an authority site. When you write your business plan, you should consider what you really want your online business to be – this will determine how you establish your site.

Blog:

• As stated previously, WordPress is the easiest to begin with.  There are other formats of blogs and many free ones.  Google loves blogs.  Blogs have fresh content.  Blogs attract a lot of traffic.

Things you must know about web sites:

• SEO – search engine optimization – occurs both “onpage” and “offpage.”  Good SEO helps your site receive natural search engine traffic.  If you use “targeted” keywords, you’ll get serious people coming to your site to do business with you.  I recommend you pay attention closely to this subject even if you don’t plan to build your own sites.  It’s important to find the right people to outsource to.  If you don’t know the subject thoroughly yourself, you can fall prey to vendors that will sell you services that look good on paper, but don’t work online.
• Web 2.0 – Social Media – you must become familiar with social media and work it to your advantage.  This is how you create your reputation online and find your target niche.  Web 2.0 provides the venue to become acquainted with people and build relationships – not to sell. But, selling does happen.
• Video – Presenting your business via video is mandatory.  More than a property showcase, the video medium presents a plethora of opportunities for you to expand your explanation of what, where, how and why in your corner of the world.  A picture is worth a thousand words and video is worth 10 times more.  It combines, image, sound and movement. Video is story telling – Facts tell and stories sell.
• Traffic – visitors that will buy from you.  Organic traffic creates pay days without costing you anything.  There are also paid traffic strategies that will get you up and running quickly.  Either way, you need to know both kinds.  Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a ton of traffic to make sales.  You need the right traffic.  You want to focus on targeted keywords that buyers use to find you in search engines.  For instance, if you work in Tallahassee, FL, you can use this keyword to bring traffic to your site:  Tallahassee Realtor Specializing in $_________ homes, or whatever your specialty is.  People searching for real estate in Tallahassee will see those words and click your site.  If you are selling a particular neighborhood, you can use the name of the neighborhood as your keyword.  If you are leasing – same thing.  If you are in commercial sales, you can use the same tactic.
• Outsourcing – let the experts do it for you.  There’s an old saying that applies here:  “Work on your business not in your business.” Personally, I like to know the bones of things.  If I can do things myself, then I understand better how to give the work away to the expert.  So, get some training from experts, then, give your mundane tasks away.  You can hire experts for a monthly fee or by-the-job.  There are several online companies that act as networks for freelancers.  Elance.com and ODesk.com are two that come to mind.  As you become familiar with the internet community, you’ll find many worthwhile people to work with that can help your real estate business bottom line.

That’s enough for today.  I’ll be back with more.  Come back and see me.  In fact, hit the orange RSS button at the top right of my site and get my feed.  You can stay in my loop.

Technorati Tags: html, internet marketing, outsourcing, realtor marketing, seo, traffic, web 2.0, web 3.0, wordpress