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The number one key
to getting business in the real estate home sales market is to be people’s
first contact. The National Association of Realtor’s last three surveys
between 1999 to 2003 said 66% of buyers stayed with the first real estate
agent they contacted yet only 6% of this number came from web sites. This
number is rising as people become more comfortable finding their
information on the Internet. There are three ways to show your uniqueness
on the Internet: words, pictures, and interactive activities.
What is pulling
prospects to visit your web site? You have the obvious – strategic
alliances with lenders, title reps, home inspectors, appraisers and
attorneys. Here are ten ideas that aren’t obvious.
1. Use balloons
besides at the open house. Print an action slogan on the balloon along
with your URL – web site address. An action slogan is very important,
otherwise people will not know what the URL is for. When attending an
outdoor event, like a fair, carry them, place them on your children’s arm
so you can find them, and hand them out. Take the balloons to the kids
baseball games or other sports. If traveling with balloons is difficult,
call the show’s event office and find out if there is going to be someone
there with the equipment for balloon blowing. When you get there, give
them a few dollars to blow a few up for you. Here is a great place to
order balloons, they have all sizes and shapes:
http://www.gopromos.com/store/category.asp?CL=101A1276A1292
2. On brochures add
an action request, such as “Search all area homes for sale anytime.” Or
change “anytime” to “24/7”. If you don’t have this on your brochures, go
to an office supply store and pick up some colorful Avery labels, or maybe
you have some hanging around the office, and create them yourself. Also
add your URL to that action request. Go ahead and use the stickers for a
lockbox action request, “If this house doesn’t fit your needs, visit [URL]
for a complete search of other homes in this area”.
3. Home-For-Sale
Signage. Does your for sale front lawn or directional signs for the open
house have your web site address on them? If not, add them with along
with an action request for all those not quite ready that are driving by,
or for those that don’t have the time to stop at that particular time.
4. Community
bulletin boards. Grocery stores, libraries, community centers. Post your
business cards at minimum. Create tear off tabs small flyers that fit
within their requirements with an action request and your URL.
5. “Honk, if you
want to sell your home” can be a bumper sticker or a clear sign for the
side or rear top portion of the back window.
6. Glow in the dark
banners, stickers and auto stickers. Home signage like: Visit [URL] for
complete information on this property. Make it a glow in the dark for
night time visual effectiveness.
7. What about the
times that you don’t have office duty? What about setting up a table for
3-4 hours outside the grocery stores. Add a nice table cloth, the
balloons, and a large sign, “Ask me anything about buying a home.” Or,
“Ask us anything about selling a home.” Switch approaches every few hours
to see which one fits best. I don’t suggest place both out there unless
there are two of you. Create tee-shirts with the same action request
along with the URL. Use a table covering that is the same color as the
tee-shirt to help support your message and attractiveness.
8. Transit ads.
What type of transportation is available in the areas you focus in? Is
there massive transit like buses or metro? Don’t forget taxi cabs, inside
and out, as well as the taxi stands. Find out where their direct phone
lines are. Sometimes, yet rare, you can place an Avery sticker next to.
One sign works with well if you have this ability on your web site: “Take
a virtual tour of our latest properties [URL].”
9. This one is
something I dreamed up and it really works. Rig a button that people can
press on the side of your car window that gives off a recording of the
latest houses you available for sale. Then park in obvious places for
people to see the button. Add a sign on the inside of the window giving
them permission to press the button. Caution, this doesn’t work with some
car alarm systems.
10. Merchants.
Where do you get your dry cleaning done? Hair cuts, massages, or other
frequented stores. Do you have some favorite restaurants? Can you stock
a business card holder by the cash register? As a previous owner of
restaurants, the one I like best is when the real estate agent paid for
part of or the whole cost of the menus. In exchange we allowed them to
create some marketing information on the menus.
Testing is always
important when trying new things. In selling real estate, uniqueness is
the key. As said in the latest National Association of Realtors 2003
survey, most people perceive all real estate agents as being the same.
But you know you aren’t. Yet, how are you showing it? Be comfortable
with being uncomfortable. Create play and fun and stretch with your
marketing. Let it be as unique as you are and then smile all the way to
the bank.(c) Copyright, Catherine Franz.
All rights reserved. |
Ideas
That Will Pull Visitors to
Your Real Estate Agent Web Site