Showing posts with label Internet marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet marketing. Show all posts

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Can You Obtain An Affordable Mobile Website?

Virtual Florida Tours has been researching the market for years to obtain a cheaper andmore flexible solution for marketing realtors on the internet. At last in colaboration with our partners we can offer our clients a very effective website that will allow their prospects to have all their listings at the tips of their fingers. They will be able to see all your listings, browse the photos of the listing they are interested in, and also obtain driving locations to the listing of their choice.
By just sending a test message with your name to 43766 they will receive a website fitted exactly to their phone, that is extremely easy to browse. You will need to act fast before other realtors get their name and therefore exclude you of the possibility of using your own name as your website identifier. The cost is only 29.95 a month act now and get in front of your competition.

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Real Estate Today

The intention to improve the economy started in the previous administration investing mostly in the banks to buy the bad credits these institutions had incurred in. The amount of money injected was increased enormously in recent times with no change in the attitude of the banking institutions.
Despite some reports that consider that the economy was not suffering as much as others were saying 1. The reality is that the customers are not noticing the increase in loans availability from the banks.
The real estate market has declined in recent years and the homes have lost a big amount of their selling price. This has promoted the misconception of most owners that assume that their homes are valued more than where market is actually placed.2
Therefore realtors need to start educating the owners in the real market price of their property. It is important that before a realtor accepts a listing he/she should investigate if the owner is really committed to sell.
The home needs to be staged before you even accept the building, and you need to market the home as soon as possible in the Internet using all the tools of the trade from virtual tours to a complete network syndication. A home that is correctly priced in good conditions and is advertised appropriately on the internet tends to sell three times faster than other houses that only appear in the MLS.

1. Debra Gould http://activerain.com/blogsview/963298/Beating-Back-Bad-Economic-News
2. Harney, Steve, Managing Homeowner's Expectations Broker Agent News E-Letter - Updated for Sept. 30, 2007

Saturday, March 21, 2009

The importance of the Internet in your marketing

Recently I was talking to one of my clients and he came with a question on why he should be placing his adds in the Internet.
My answer was extremely simple Return On Investment (ROI). Why we have to base our adds in ROI is very simple if you place an ad in a magazine or newspaper you invest between $200 and $100 for an add whit a life stand between 2 days and a month. To make things worse this add will only be seen in the area of circulation of that specific paper or magazine. also the Real Estate section will be seen by approximately 2% of the buyers of that specific edition.
When you place a virtual tour in the Internet you will have a full year of advertising that will reach the whole world for around $100, and if you use our marketing system we will syndicate your tour and make it even more visible to potential clients all over the world! To help you understand the importance of this we recommend a little video we developed recently
the importance of Internet advertisement was recently addressed by René Fabre in her article where did your last client came from the you can retrieve from: http://activerain.com/blogsview/991492/Where-did-your-last-client-come-from
Remember if you have any Internet marketing needs in Miami Dade and Broward Counties do not hesitate to contact us at 305 331 8960.

Monday, November 24, 2008

New way to increase your presence at the web

Recently Virtual Florida Real Tours started offering a new Internet service to help enhance the presence at the Internet of our customers.
Recently the different providers of Real Tour Vision started offering Internet based Slide Showsthat are send to Facebook, AOL and Google, adding to this our already active presence in the Internet guaranties a bigger exposure to all our customers.
Virtual Florida Tours guaranties maximum exposure of your listings on the Internet by syndicating the Virtual Tour at More than 20 different pages like realtors.com, homes.com, craiglist just to mention some of the pages covered.
Other important issue for most of our clients is the personal attention of a cfamily company that is located in the same community that they are doing their business.
Our company offer its services in Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Pine Crest, Hollywood, Fortlauderdale and the rest of the counties of Miami Dae and Broward counties.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

A Key to Selling Homes

There are three Key Factors in Selling Real Estate
1. Fair Price
2. Location
3. EXPOSURE
Virtual Florida Tours is your best way to get your listings exposed! We are a full service dealer provider with RTV, the world largest network of virtual tour providers and an approved vendor with realtor.com. Our company is locally owned and operated virtual tour provider in Miami Dade, Florida. Our company serves Miami Dade and Broward counties, Included in this area are the cities of Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Pine Crest, Palmetto Bay, Hallandale, and Fort Lauderdale.
NAR statistics recently show that about 86% of home buyers use the Internet when they begin searching for a home, and 67% of current home buyers in Florida come from outside the state. You will not be able to reach this market by using a yard sign and local advertising. In today’s market exposure has become critical and Virtual Florida Tours has a distribution list that outperforms our competition. Our Virtual Tours will show your information, ensuring to brand the online exposure you and your company need to compete in today’s challenging market. The virtual tour will have links to your personal and your company’s web site; will show your business partners as well as your phone and your email address. Therefore the prospect viewing the tour is constantly exposed to your information making it easier to contact you. Additionally to the traditional virtual tour you will find Area Information, an excellent Mortgage Calculator, and Satellite View of the property. You can also contract additional requests that include:
Professional Narration, Custom Pintable Flyers and Interactive Floor Plans
Single property websites and Panoriders
We are always striving for excellence and our real value is created by the quality of the service and support that we provide to our customers. Our main priority is your complete satisfaction and we see the success of our customers as our ultimate goal. Allow us the opportunity to serve you on your next virtual tour and you will see why our customers like Gustavo Lopez consider our company the difference between on sale and SOLD!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

What's working with your company in terms of establishing an Internet presence?

While at least eighty percent or more of today's buyers begin their search on the Web. These prospective buyers expect their agents to provide them with accurate data consistently and quickly apart from their ability to email. When an agent ignores this pool of buyers he/she will have a difficult time in the business1.
Everyone is recommending an improved presence of the agents in the Internet. Mr. Taverner says. "you are what you Web." People are going to look at websites and select an agent by what they see as their virtual brochure on the Internet"2.

All agents must remember that real estate, like most other sales positions, is a numbers game. You need to contact enough people that want what you have to offer, enough times, and you will make sales1.Exposure is the most important factor to remember when marketing your listing online. Post multiple images of your listing everywhere you can. Put them on your website, your MLS, Yahoo!, Google, etc. Any good virtual tour provider will distribute your images to the major real estate websites for you3.
To transform online traffic into foot traffic, you could announce your open houses on your virtual tour and website. Doing this will make your open houses more effective since you are driving qualified foot traffic right to your doorstep3.
Virtual Florida Tours will provide you with a complete statistics of who and from where they are viewing your tour. Knowing this will allow you to decide which are the marketing tools that are working for you increasing your return on investment.. The data obtained will allow you to show your clients what you are doing to market their home and use it in your listing presentations3.

Remember that today's customer is becoming an expert in almost every field. This false confidence on their Internet acquired knowledge, these prospects lack trust on professional services and they have a big desire to cut out the middleman. So in this times of Internet informed customers you need to offer your client more than they can easily obtain or secure on their own through the Internet4.
Also the existence of a second domain name that is related to the city or region to which you provide your service and is not so evident that it is your own website will help bring traffic to your site, This second website has to be branded for legal reasons and should contain full disclosure about the fact that the site is yours must be easy to find, but it will not be placed in the first page. You may place all your information in the contact us page5.

Reference:
•1. Nelson Nancy ; Why-do-Some-Agents-Succeed-in-any-Market-and-Others-Falter-3 ; Retrieved from the Internet at: http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-09-13/viewpoints-why-do-some-agents-succeed-in-any-market-and-others-falter-3/
•2. Tavener ,Mike; "The-Right-Tools-for-Success"; retrieved from the Internet at: http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-09-13/the-right-tools-for-success/
•3. Roberts , Tyler;" Why Do Some Agents Succeed in Any Market and Others Falter?"; retrieved from the Internet at:, http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-09-06/viewpoints-why-do-some-agents-succeed-in-any-market-and-others-falter-2/
•4. Wester , Fayette; "‘Prosumerism' and Your Business - Friend or Foe?"; Retrieved from the Internet at:http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-09-10/%e2%80%98prosumerism-and-your-business-friend-or-foe/
•5. Proctor, Craig; "How to Generate More Leads and Track Your Ads with Multiple Domain Names"; Retrieved from the Internet at: http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-09-09/how-to-generate-more-leads-and-track-your-ads-with-multiple-domain-names/

Sunday, August 17, 2008

A Growing Real Estate Market


In this times that all the Real Estate Agents are hearing is that the market is shrinking, there is still a certain part of the real estate market that is continuously expanding.
As health care improves the number of Americans reaching their senior years is increasing at a tremendous pace. Some of them choose to live in active retirement communities while others look at facilities that allow them the assistance needed for their needs.
According the US census there were 37.3 million people over age 65 living in the United States in 2006 that is approximately 12 % of the US population. Not forget that this number is growing exponentially and is expected to increase to around 86.7 million people by the year 2050.
This market is spread all around the country and Florida is an excellent place for retirement due to its excellent climate. To address the needs of this growing community REaltors shoulkd increase the Interenet presence of their lisitng using virtual tours to increase the possibilities of obtaining a share of this market.
To prepare Realtors to focus on this growing group of the population the National Association of Realtors created the SRES designation. Those Realtors interested in addressing the needs of Americans ages 50 and over need to understand that it is not easy for people to downsize or move from their homes, therefore to cope with the stress generated you will need a lot of patience, but on the other hand you will be rewarded with the knowledge that you helped a person to obtain a better living condition.
Based on this and the continuous need of learning to correctly serve the community it will be a good time to go back to school and obtain the SRES designation.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ideas on: How to Excel in a Slow Market?

Once you review all the recomendations of different realtor coaches and especially those of bob Corcoran you will realize that if you want to succed in a slow market you will need to do some adjustments.
you need to make your prospect understand that you are way ahead of those that only work on real estate when things are going well. Make emphasis on your experience and quality of your service. For example all the information from the national real estate association let you know that around 87% of the new buyers start their search for a new home on the Internet. So you need to address the current marketing conditions offering your sellers a virtual tour of their home, you could include a panorider that show a panoramic view of the interior of the house and is associated with a webpage that uses the address of the house as its URL (this will increase dramatically the number of hits to your virtual tour).
By showing your prospects that you are totally committed to your profession and that your personal goal is to sell their house.
You need to explain your client the market conditions and why setting the right price is the only way to generate the interest of the buyers and therefore you will receive more offers allowing you to sell at a better price.
Since the market is slow you need to look for houses that are in top notch shape since those are the ones that will sell faster.
Use your time wisely. Do not run around without a specific task.
Reference: Corcoran, Bob; "How to Flourish in a Slow Market"; retrieved from the Internet at: http://brokeragentpro.com/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=1465

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Importance of Measuring Your Return on Investment

When organizations want to measure their success they have to rely on their return on investment (ROI). A successful organization is capable of measure the leverage and demonstrates the contribution of their marketing strategies and how they affect the bottom line of the company.
You need to measure:
•1. What is the amount invested in the specific marketing campaign?
•2. What amount is the return?
•3. How many customers were gained?
•4. What share and penetration does the company has on the market?
•5. Which points of the marketing campaign worked and which didn't?
Any marketing plan needs to be balanced to help your organization measuring the contributions of the marketing plan. When you are able to place the plan into a larger context and link it to the asset growth of your company you can validate if the plan is a valuable or profitable opportunity for your business.
If you are not able to show if the marketing's plan ROI is positive you can be repeating systematically the same mistake again and again until you go bankruptcy. This has to be done with all your marketing as advertisement.
Does your investment in magazine adds bring you back the return you are expecting?
Is your webpage PRS at least a 2?
Can customers find you without typing the URL of your company?
Are you using Virtual Tours and placing them in the major Internet portals?
You need to be able to do this or you will be throwing away your money.
Reference: The Gonzalez Group; "What's Your MROI? 5 Ways to Find Out"; http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-07-16/whats-your-mroi-5-ways-to-find-out/

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Succeding in Today's Real Estate Business

Residential real estate professionals need to get back to the basics of your business or you will certainly lose your customer base. The industry is dealing with the continuing impact of subprime and mortgage liquidity problems in the housing market.
Some realtors complain of the conditions of the market, but if their home is priced right, buyers will buy. You need to inform your buyers that our local market is simply phenomenal because prices are down and interest rates are historically low.
The realtor needs to research the market so he could list the house just one hair below the competition. You will need to go back to the basics-from sending out ‘Just Listed' and ‘Just Sold' postcards to holding buyer seminars and staying in touch with former clients and prospects. It is important to increase your visibility in your community and your marketplace. Knock on doors; reintroduce yourself. Do not forget to place in the contract an agreement with the seller that if the property is not sold in a certain time span, the listing price will be revisited for a possible reduction you need to be aggressive and realistic in pricing homes for sale. In this market is a good idea to target market your prospecting to homeowners who have to sell for whatever reason, such as deaths, divorces, company relocations and downsizing.
The simple solution to the actual situation in the marketplace is to spend your time increasing the number of your listing inventory. You need to spend 100 percent of your time focused on getting your product in front of the consumer
Even though the according to NAR 87% of buyers are starting their search in the Internet , only 5% of them is ready to buy in that moment. So as a realtor you need to educate your customers on the realities of the local marketplace. Also if you get a prospect to contact you through the Internet it is important that they receive immediate response. You can have an automated system in place or a personal assistant for customer follow-up a Blackberry can help also these are critical components to establishing and maintaining a good relationship with both clients and prospects.
Get yourself consider as the expert in your local marketplace, the easiest way to do this is by offering current housing data to the local media.
Most real estate companies are obtaining good results by using virtual tours and sending the tours and slide shows of properties on discs, using panoriders (this are riders with a panoramic tour of the property and a URL containing the address of the property that is attached to the virtual tour) thereby creating detailed exposure of the property for their prospects. This gives them more information than sending the standard photos and listing data.
You need to change your approach to fit today's changing marketplace. Do something different to rebuild your productivity or you may find yourself doing something different tomorrow to make a living.
Right now there are some signs indicating that Miami's real estate housing market is showing some signs of recovery. If you check you will see fewer foreclosure signs, that home prices are stabilizing and less time required for listings to sell. Maybe the most important of all is that the media is becoming more positive.
for any of your virtual tours needs in Miami Beach, Miami Dade or Broward counties remember to contact Virtual Florida Tours at (305) 331 8960 or www.virtualfloridaraltours.com.

Reference: Monte Helme; "Say ‘Yes' to Results - A Dozen Ways to Say ‘No' to Negativity"; retrieved from realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Your Most Powerful Tool

As a professional you do not have any tool more powerful that your mind. You need to think with clarity before acting, by doing this you will move upward and onward more rapidly in your career.

The best way is to think in your benefits as well as the benefits of the company of which you are part. To achieve this in a personal term is to increase your earning ability. In other words you need to apply the needed mental, emotional and physical energies toward getting the needed results for yourself and your company.
You should try to increase your overall effectiveness and contribution in all the areas of your life, especially and most important in your work.
Increase everything that you are doing that yield the maximum financial return. Also think in those activities that give you the greatest value and achieve the most satisfaction and increase them as much as possible.
As a realtor what are you doing to differentiate yourself from other professionals and make yourself more marketable. Are you using the Intenet in a valuable way? Are you giving the seller/buyer a service that other professionals in your area are not providing?
Have your company stablished a plan of action that separates your's from other companies offering similar services? Do you offfer virtual tours that will allow possible buyers from other states or countries to "visit " your listing without the need of personally coming to see it? Do you have a stablished folow up plan that will allow you to give drip information to possible clients?
Rememeber you can always count on your virtual tour provider for advice in how to make your listings more effectively presented to your prospects. If you have any virtual tour need in Miami Beac, Miami Dade or Broward Counties? Please call Virtual Florida Tours at (305) 331 8960 or contact us through the Internet at http:www.virtualfloridarealtours.com and remember that we strive for excellence.
Reference: Tracy, Brian; "Strategic Thinking", Broker Agent News E-Letter - Updated for Sept. 19, 2007

Saturday, March 1, 2008

How to increase your presence on the Internet?

Blogging is a useful thing in SEO, but 90% of blogs fail for the most elemental of reasons: Most people fall back into a pattern where they start failing to keep it posted frequently, which actually gets the agent PENALIZED by the search engines, because the content is not kept fresh. If you want a blog and you are not willing to invest the time required for this task, there is a company named Real Estate Blog Sites. They will run it for you and keep it current for under $100 a month. (Parker, 2008)
If you want to capture your clients make a habit of doing these two things: Use persuasive words that "hook" their interest, and include a well-defined call to action in every piece. You should:
Know who you are writing for and keep their preferences in mind as you write each word.
Put your message in terms of "you" rather than "I" or "we." People don't care about what "we" offer; they care about how your product or service can make their lives better.
Make it clear what your readers should do, think, or believe as a result of reading the information you present.
State your intention as a command—known as a "call to action." It can be as simple as "Call Today" or "Order It Now." (Saunders, 2008)
How much money you spend annually on marketing whose results are unaccounted for. Monies spent on classified newspaper ads, phone books, brochures, flyers, magazines, direct mail, bus benches, TV/Radio, pens, hats, jackets, shirts, Internet, billboards, logos, slogos, and blogs. STOP IT! Stop spending money without monitoring and evaluating the results of every marketing dollar you've spent and are going to spend!
In comparison with a newspaper ad that cost you around 200 dollars for a weekend a virtual tour give you exposure on the Internet for a whole year at a cost of pennies a day.
Also since we are dealers of Real Tour Vision and its proprietary system you can evaluate the hit statistics of the tour by webpage and in this way you can show your customer how effective is your advertisement.
References
1. Parker, Michael, What every agent needs to know about blogging, social networking, RSS feeds and SEO, Broker Agent News Feb 2008
2. Saunders, Karen, Capture clients with words that hook and graphics that kick, Broker Agent News, 2008

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Online Marketing Internet Buyer vs. Traditional Home Buyer

"If you are one of those many agents or brokers who don't really believe that the Internet is "the way" in real estate today, perhaps the following data compiled and presented by Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist and Vice President of the California Association of Realtors® (CAR®) in her analysis of the Real Estate Market in California for 2006 will get your attention.
If you believe that the Internet is the single most important factor in your future success, here's your continuing proof that you are correct. Ms. Appleton-Young and CAR® have compiled data of such import and enlightenment that I felt some of it should be shared with you. Pages 62 - 82 of the study compare some distinctions between Internet vs. Traditional buyers and the findings are powerful. These charts show the undeniable trends and the clear preferences consumers have for the Internet approach to buying a home: since the year 2000, virtually every preference that used to favor the traditional approach has been turned upside down and the Internet approach is now overwhelmingly favored. This report is unequivocal evidence that if you are not on the Internet bandwagon and if you can't be found by people searching for homes on the Internet, you are completely "missing the boat" in the real estate business.
Here are just a few of the report's findings:
• 92% of Internet buyers found their agent on a web site; 63% found them through an Internet search engine; 0% of Internet buyers found their agent through brochures, flyers, yard signs or mailers to their home (does this tell you to spend more on Internet marketing and less on print?);
• In 2000, 28% of people said that they used the Internet as an important part of their home-buying and selection process. In 2006, 70% said they did;
• 86% of home buyers started using the Internet as part of their process BEFORE they started looking for a specific home;the other 14% did after they started looking, but BEFORE they contacted a real estate agent; that means that 100% of buyers surveyed started looking at homes first, agents second. When you combine that finding with the already existing one that fully 81% of Internet buyers stay with the first real estate agent they choose to contact, you can see a powerful case for being able to have consumers find you, first;
• Internet buyers spent an average of 4.8 weeks doing research before contacting an agent; traditional buyers only 1.7 weeks. That means an Internet buyer is better prepared and twice+ as less likely to waste your time;
• Internet buyers bought a home on average after spending 2.2 weeks looking for a home with an agent; traditional buyers spent an average of 7.1 weeks; How high would your productivity be if you could spend 2/3 of the time you now spend previewing with clients and could dedicate it to selling and marketing, instead?
• Internet buyers previewed an average of 6.7 homes with their agent (they had already eliminated ones they did not wish to see), traditional buyers previewed 15.4 homes; an average of just under nine fewer wasted showings per customer;
• Only 3% of all Internet connections available at the primary computer used for the home-buying process were dial-up: Internet home buyers and searchers are not sticking with dial-up, just as they are not sticking with traditional methods;
• The approximate distance between previous residence and new residence for traditional buyers was 25 miles; for Internet buyers, it was 242 miles (you can sell anywhere compared to traditional ways);
• Number of agents an internet buyer interviewed, on the median: 1; Traditional buyers? 3. (Why would you want fewer auditions and more certain retentions?)
• 69% of Internet buyers said response time was extremely important.83% of those buyers chose email as their favored communication method with their agent. 0% chose "in person." (The Internet is the new "office visit.")
• Internet buyers were more satisfied with their agents: 4.3 to 3.3 for traditional buyers, on a scale of 5 where 5 is "surpassed expectations."
• 35% of traditional agents listed "faster response time from my agent" as the one thing they would change, if they could, about their experience; Internet buyers? 0%!
• Internet buyers were far more satisfied in every important researched category of satisfaction than traditional buyers were; when asked the number one reason for satisfaction with their agent, 91% of Internet buyers said that satisfaction was because their agent "was always quick to respond." Traditional buyers? Their number one reason was "worked hard on my behalf", chosen by 62% of them, leading us to conclude that traditional buyers did not find their agents "quick to respond."
And, ladies and gentlemen (a little drum roll, here, please), 97% of Internet buyers said they would use the same agent again. Traditional buyers? 50%. (Twice as likely to be satisfied and twice as likely to give a referral, wouldn't you think?)
I'm not an economist, (I don't even play one on TV), but it seems to me that these data show clearly that:
1. Agents who sell via the Internet do not get as bogged down in unproductive chauffeuring to preview homes as traditional agents do;
2. Agents who utilize online marketing and have Internet buyers are more liked, more highly regarded, more likely to have a repeat sale with the client,
3. Agents selling to Internet buyers are likely to work only 2.2 weeks with a buyer before selling a property (vs. 7.1 weeks traditionally);
4. Agents committed to online marketing may be able to expand their market area to an average 242 mile radius of their location and remain effective due to online communication; people find you on the Internet, call you or email you, and use you to help them find a home in an area they may not know.
5. The money you may spend on brochures, ads, newspaper ads, and the like should be reconsidered and placed into Internet Marketing.
So, unless you are in a state of denial about the Internet's importance to real estate transactions, you need to do several things in your planning for this year, at minimum, if you want to be on the right side of these statistics.
1. You need to take most of the money you are spending on newspaper ads, brochures, glossy marketing pieces, etc., and invest it in your Online Marketing. Chances are good that you cannot possibly wisely spend all those dollars online; consider those savings as your bonus this year. It will be tough not seeing your comforting listings in the paper, but think of all the money you'll be saving! (And as more fuel for that fire, consider this: Ms. Appleton-Young's data also show that over 70% of people 65 and older read a daily newspaper, but only 35% of 24 year olds do. PRINT IS DEAD TO THIS GENERATION OF HOMEBUYERS!)
2. You need your own website showing your properties and you. You can get a very good one free. What are you waiting for?
3. Just having a website or a page on your franchise site won't cut it; you must be able to be found by people searching for homes in your considerably larger e-neighborhood. The Internet is a really big place and chances are that you and your site may be lost in its hugeness.
4. You must be permanently committed to "Thinking Internet." I have heard many agents say "I don't get that involved with Online Marketing; I've been successful the traditional way for 15 years." I offer those of you saying that now two things: my sincere congratulations on your past success and my sincere empathy for the frustration you will suffer as the curve gets further out in front of you. The report told us that in 2006, 63% of Internet buyers (who comprise 70-85% of all buyers today) find their agent on the Internet. We believe that within the next two years, this number will approach 90%. While this CAR® study does not report on every State in the Union, it does report on what is happening in America's biggest and most influential real estate market. No matter where you are, these data and trends are coming at you. You must get on board or you will be literally run over and left behind. Internet selling is the way, and within our lifetimes, the statistics will continue to favor online marketing of real estate in even greater proportions.
We at Blackwater and our affiliated companies, Compass Internet Systems and Web Reporter Tool, talk to agents from Martha's Vineyard to Hawaii, Maine to Florida, Texas to Canada and everywhere in between on a daily basis. That will never make us as well-informed as Ms. Appleton-Young, but I believe it gives us a good perspective on trends in this area, and here's what we think: all over the country, agents and brokers are showing interest in, adopting, and pouring their time, effort and money into online marketing on a scale that was unimagined only two years ago. That makes us certain that every professional real estate sales person who wants to stay in this business must adapt to Darwin's Law on its most brutal terms: Adapt, or die. In listing and selling terms, that means that you must make the effort to make the Internet make money for you, for soon, that is where it all will be made. Go to a search engine, enter your city, state and the words "Real Estate" or "Homes for Sale" or any other combination that describes what you do. Then hit "Search." Are you one of the ten people listed on the page? Based on the statistics you just read, if you are not that means there is a certainty that the searcher will not buy a home from you, but from one of the people on that list of ten; after all: "92% found their agent on the Internet; 63% of them used a search engine." 63% of 92% of all Internet buyers means that there's a 57% chance you are out of luck.
After years of evolution in the way we do things, the pace of that evolution is increasing. This is the time to get with the wave, this is not the time to miss it. As Eugene L. Meyer, former Washington Post writer and editor recently stated in an online article: "Search Engine Placement is Mission Critical (for Real Estate)." I'd put it another way: "Internet Marketing is the future of real estate sales." It's up to you: Stay where you're comfortable with Traditional buyers, or move the cheese and learn how to get more Internet buyers. In the long run, there will be fewer and fewer traditional buyers for you to pursue, but more and more Internet buyers. It seems plain where you need to be going!
Thanks to Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist and Vice President of the California Association of Realtors® (lesliea@car.org) for producing this information and being so cooperative in permitting its publication, and thanks also to Andy Alexander of Shorewood Realtors in El Segundo, CA for bringing this study to my attention (www.andy-alexander.com). It was the excitement in Andy's virtual epiphany that got me onto this report; because - as he put it: "I just realized I must do better in my Online Marketing because that's where all the buyers are."
Andy, I couldn't have put it better, myself."
Reference:
Online Marketing Internet Buyer vs. Traditional Home Buyer Study: The Real Estate World is Changing even Faster than You Think!
Broker Agent News The Best of 2007
by Michael E. Parker
Remember for you Internet needs you can contact us at: www.virtualfloridarealtours.com
or by phone at 305 331 8960

Saturday, June 23, 2007

How can I increase the results of advertising?


“I know that half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” - P.T. Barnum
In other ways, if I invested 100 dollars on an add in a magazine or newspaper I should expect:
1. that 4 out of one hundred readers will open the section where my add is.
2. Hope tha at least one out of all the readres call me.

But how can I make my presence more effective on the Internet?
Here are some recommendations from the experts on how to obtain a better return from your hard earned money. The following is an excerpt from

•Melani Broman Broker Agent News E-Letter 12/ 2005

•1. Branding yourself by ensuring that you meet customer needs in a way that is different from your competition. Ask to yourself: Do customers really see me as different from my competitors? Use your website to differentiate yourself. You can do this by providing reports and local resources that will allow you to become the local expert.
•2. The top reason consumers visit real estate websites is to SEE LISTINGS. Do not fall for a common mistake in multiple websites displaying the whole MLS, You need to include advanced home search functions on your website. that way you are separating your home search function from other agents? Get IDX, provide free home updates via email, add rich media virtual tours and take advantage of the many enhanced mapping capabilities on the market.
•3. Understanding and selecting the most effective keywords that potential visitors are using to arrive at your website is essential to optimize your Internet investment. Use tools like WordTracker and prepare your list of keywords. Remember the importance of keyword prominence and place your keyword phrases early in the body text of the page. Try to craft the beginning text so that it is appropriate to be used as a description of your site. Using techniques such as these will increase your chances of being ranked in the top search engines, thus increasing the number of visits to your site.
•4. Measure Link Popularity. Measure and monitor with tools like MarketLeap. Link Popularity refers to the quality and the quantity of external links to your website and it is one of the most important criteria used by the search engines to determine your site's ranking. The benefits of increasing your site's Link Popularity are:
a.Improved search engine rankings, particularly on Google, Yahoo and MSN.
b.Direct increase in traffic via links from other websites. Ask for reciprocal links through your business network. Real Estate is largely based on building a strong referral network, which will help you grow your business.
•Warning: Enhancing your Link Popularity through reciprocal links is an important traffic building strategy, but it is not a quick fix. It may take two months or longer to see the effect of your new incoming links on your search engine rankings.

if you want our specialist to stusy your webpage and recommend you how you can increase the traffic to yur webpage? Contanct us at duquegl@virtualfloridarealtours.com or place a comment to this blog.

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