By Joe Duenat
RISMEDIA, June 10, 2008-With more and more consumers flocking to the Web to ignite their real estate search, StepsMarketing.com, a real estate marketing company, shares its experiences helping real estate professionals develop a personal website and brand that showcases their successful business as top producing agents.
1. Build your Image
A potential home buyer’s first impression of you as a professional-which lasts a lifetime-may very well be your website. This is why it’s crucial for you and your business to have a website that brands you with the professionalism and refinement you deserve (not just what your brokerage provides). For instance, if you want to sell Luxury Homes, your image and marketing should portray elegance and sophistication to complement your listings.
2. Develop Relational Marketing
As you know, image is an important part of a sales person’s marketing. In sales, it’s best to relate to your prospects by knowing who they are as a person and the characteristics they’re looking for in a home. On your professional website, be sure to specify the clientele you are seeking to service (i.e. first time home buyers, growing families, business people, etc). Don’t try to be everything to everyone. This “rifle” approach to marketing will help establish a mutually beneficial relationship for both you as the agent and your potential buyer or seller.
3. Become a Resource
Building rapport by providing knowledge and services is much more powerful than being perceived as a salesperson. People will develop a relationship with you built upon trust if they see the value in the services you offer. An online blog is great start to building rapport with online readers. First, it makes your website rich with new content and your clients can come back to your site to read the newest posts. Second, search engines, such as Google®, search based on relevant content. The more content you add to your website the more likely your site will appear at the top of the list on search engines.
4. Create Brand Loyalty
Client loyalty is priceless. It comes down to commitment and persistence. Why not differentiate yourself now and brand yourself as a sophisticated and successful professional. Making a lasting impression is vital to building a loyal client base. Remember, a loyal customer gives you referrals.
5. A Brand Called You
In real estate, prospects buy the salesperson first. Outshine your competition, and remember, the best brand you create is yourself…
Joe Duenat is CEO of Steps Marketing, Inc., creator of “out of the box” branded agent websites. For the past three years, we have helped top producing agents brand themselves on the Web. Our approach gives even the most non-tech savvy Realtor® the ability to create a functional and professionally branded website.
For more information, call (800) 496-2056 or visit www.StepsMarketing.com.
