Mechanized Marketing Strategies

For decades, conventional real estate marketing strategies have been predictable:

cold calling consistently

newspaper classified ads weekly but daily preferrably

thousands of print fliers distributed continuously

Real estate marketing has always been a numbers game. The more fliers, classified ads and cold calls, the better chances of finding new prospects. These marketing strategies are fairly expensive in terms of time and money.

Although NOT obsolete, these prospecting methods and marketing strategies have taken a back seat to the new technologies that did not even exist 15 years ago. Today's technologies are capable of reaching a bigger and broader audience of buyer and seller prospects AND at a lesser cost than traditional real estate marketing methods.

Marketing Methods of The Past

Public access to property information was not available since all properties were stored in printed files (MLS Listing Books) available only to Realtors. Buyers and sellers had no choice but to use the services of licensed agents as only agents had the power of knowledge.

Marketing Strategies Today

With the advent of the Internet, customers have been given the power of knowledge, with access to thousands of real estate websites providing the same information as is available to Realtors. Consumers today, do their own due diligence online, prior to selecting a Realtor, then demand more information from their selected agent.

Having a web site has become as standard and common place for every real estate agent as having a cell phone. Speaking of cell phones, text message marketing is gaining momentum in today's real estate markets.

Benefits Of Today's Marketing Strategies And Tools

Buyers can find properties for sale on a user-friendly Listing Search available on most Realtor websites as well as on the large real estate portal sites.

Clicking on a particular listing that gets their attention, will bring more detailed information about the property. Usually, the regular listing information will be accompanied by:

property photos
virtual tours
quick loan calculator
community information
comparable sales
local schools
property on the map
send an email to the agent
an option to schedule a showing with the listing agent

Sellers usually benefit from more exposure and faster transactions, since every listed property is visible globally. Because most of the real estate websites are taking their listing data from the same centralized data center, usually MLS, a listing that is uploaded to MLS will appear on all sites that are sharing the same MLS data. More exposure, of course, means more prospective buyers and a faster sale at the best possible price.

Lower marketing costs is one major advantage Realtors appreciate with Internet marketing. Agents no longer have to rely on expensive newspaper campaigns or expensive fliers since the cost of electronic media is either free or much more affordable than its "hard-copy" alternative.

Cold calling is no longer necessary. With well defined online marketing strategies and the 'pull technology' of lead generating real estate websites, prospects now cold call the Realtor.

The Competition For Internet Visitors Continues

Having a real estate website and having a web site that generates leads, are two totally different animals. In today's real estate market, active and aggressive agents have multiple websites.

Real Estate Website Number 1

Yes, most real estate agents have one website that is relatively generic, and speaks of the abilities, achievements and services of the Realtor and/or his Team. The domain name is usually the name of the Realtor as in www.JohnDoe.com or www.TheJohnDoeTeam.com

This site will also likely include:

property photos
virtual tours
quick loan calculator
community information
comparable sales
local schools
property on the map (Google Maps)
send an email to the agent
an option to schedule a showing with the listing agent

Note: Because 'virtual tours' offer buyers a much greater user experience than just regular property pictures, web visitors tend to stay on a site 75% longer when the site includes videos, according to recent surveys.

Basically, it's a very good online billboard and if properly optimized with localized real estate keywords and keyword phrases, can generate some free traffic and prospects. Interestingly, many agents have come to NOT expect much business from this site even though the web address is included on their business cards and other literature. (I suspect they have not spent the time required to optimize the site for the search engines.)

Real Estate Website(s) Number 2+
Lead Generating Websites AKA Squeeze Page Or Landing Page Sites

As mentioned earlier, lead generating websites also known as squeeze page sites, or landing pages, are very focused on only one thing - generating leads.

They tend to be a single landing page with an opt-in form the site visitor/prospect must fill in BEFORE information is provided. The domain name usually has the niche topic included, such as www.ChicagoShortSales.com (not an actual site .. yet.)

The marketing strategies behind these landing pages require site visitors to either fill in the optin form or they may be able to call an 800 number or real estate hotline set up to receive calls for that specific site's offering. (Using our example, they would likely want a list of Chicago's short sale properties.)

The lead-in and follow up marketing strategies for these squeeze page sites would include: postcards, very small classifieds and/or pay-per-click campaigns through Google, Yahoo or other search engines or sites. Pay per click campaigns for squeeze page sites tend to be most profitable as site visitors are only given one or two choices at the site.

Marketing Stratgies And Systems In A Box

There are a few excellent systems you can consider if you don't have the time or expertise to set up a series of squeeze page sites yourself. What I like about these systems is, they have been created by real estate agents who understand and appreciate YOUR marketing needs.

Commission Gusher Virtual Prospecting System
This complete Internet prospecting and marketing system includes:

Your personal lead capture/squeeze page site
Client Contact Blog
Your non-branded squeeze page (stealth site)
A cross border referral system targeting buyers, sellers as well as Realtors

Finding Buyers: This package zeroes in on three drivers of today's real estate markets:

First Time Buyers
Bank Owned Foreclosure Buyers
Relocation Buyers

This bundle includes a lead generating webpage for each of these three markets as well as DOZENS of lead generating Direct Response Marketing Tools for you to personalize and use as your own.

Getting Listings is another complete system that lays out in precise detail every step, and provides every tool you’ll need to take over any farm area or neighborhood you choose. (I use it and it works if you work it consistently.)

More real estate marketing strategies here.

When it comes to real estate websites, the Moneymaker™ website is probably the best kept secret. It is easily customizable to any market area or real estate specialization. Change anything you like any time you want; with Moneymaker™ you are in control. Moneymaker™ is also a real estate marketing system, client management system and follow-up system and listing presentation system. Their online internet marketing tools will help you manage your entire real estate business. FREE!