Real Estate Internet Marketing - The Power of Information
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by Brandon Cornett
Article Goal: Show you how to increase your real estate Internet marketing success by offering informational reports through your website.
Do you have some basic research skills? Do you own a website? If you answered yes to both questions, then you have what it takes to improve your online real estate marketing program.
The truth is, by next week you could create a high-value report and offer it through your real estate website (in exchange for a fresh new lead).
However, like anything else in real estate Internet marketing, you'll only get out of it what you put into it. Some real estate agents use this method — the free report — with great results. Others waste their time struggling with it. The difference is all in the approach.
Some keys to success:
1. With this approach to real estate Internet marketing, success begins by having a strong report. You have to put a lot of value into it. You have to make it something unique that isn't available elsewhere, such as hard-to-find information about future development around town.
Or, if the information is readily available, include a lot of it and highlight the timesaving benefits (since you've done all the research for them).
2. People can't ask for something they don't know about. So be sure to promote your report through your normal marketing channels -- website, newsletter, direct mail, email signature block, casual conversation...
3. Show pictures of your report. Some web users are skeptical, so a picture of the report's cover page will convince them it's real. You could also use a sample image, graphic or chart from the body of the report. Use visual persuasion in addition to words.
4. Try to obtain a testimonial from someone who read the report and found it useful. Showcase the testimonial in a callout box near the image of the report, near the headline, or near the "sign up" button.
5. Create several reports on topics related to real estate, buying, selling, etc. Position them on a page of your website so people can "shop" for the report that's most appealing to them. The more topics you cover, the more likely folks will be to find a topic they want.
6. Let the report dominate the page it's on. Don't put it on a page with other competing elements. If capturing the reader's contact information is the point of that particular page, make it the only point.
7. Be sure you have a way to capture leads. Make it so people have to fill out some kind form or email you for the report. It's a fair exchange — you're exchanging your valuable item for permission to contact the person receiving it.
Informational reports can improve your real estate Internet marketing program by generating qualified leads. But you only get out of it what you put into it:
Half-hearted reports marketed poorly will flop. Well-crafted reports marketed properly can generate a wealth of leads. The difference is all in the approach.
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