Ruane explains that each Homes.com program also includes a robust set of reporting and marketing tools that help agents and brokers answer the important questions: “How many impressions?” “How many leads?” and “What’s the ROI of the marketing spend?”
One of their newly launched programs is Local Connect, offering agents and brokers the opportunity of prominent listing page-branding and leads on property inquiries. The practice of prominently displaying listing agent details runs contrary to some industry competitors and appears to be a welcome differentiation for ensuring listing agents receive both brand awareness and the leads from their listings.
So far, reviews of the new product have been stellar. “When we first started with Homes.com’s Local Connect product, it was as though we turned a faucet on,” says Jeff Cook, owner of Jeff Cook Real Estate in Summerville, S.C. “The quality leads from Homes.com are the nicest people. We’re finding that most are willing to talk, or even ready to buy.”
In addition to high-quality leads, Cook says that using Local Connect generates revenue simply because of the amount of time being saved by his agents.
“Time is so valuable,” stresses Cook, who explains that Local Connect helps his firm secure more qualified clients in less time.
Local Ads, another new Homes.com advertising product, also works to bring active buyers and sellers directly to professionals by advertising their listing inventory with one of the largest top-of-page banner ads available in the industry.
“With our targeted approach to driving engaged consumers to our clients, Local Ads positions advertisers one click from a home shopper’s search on Google,” explains Ruane. “Once they land on Homes.com, they see a big banner at the top of the search result page with that advertiser’s listings and prominently-displayed contact info.”
For Homes.com client Frank Baloun, broker/owner of RE/MAX Showcase in Windermere, Fla., partnering with Homes.com was a no-brainer once he saw their suite of tools. “When deciding where to invest our online advertising dollars, we considered the competitive landscape and ultimately decided to go with Homes.com’s new Local Ads,” says Baloun. “We’ve tried the other major sites, but the available advertising products didn’t perform in a way that served our needs. Homes.com’s new ad format gives my brokerage prominent exposure at the top of the page and gives us another tool we can use in listing presentations.”
A Better Friend to the Industry
Customer kudos aside, Homes.com is still painted with the same broad brush that has tarnished many real estate portals in recent years. The debate continues over whether listing portals are the industry’s friend or worst enemy, with much of the discussion centering around the display of listing agent and brokerage branding, and the routing of consumer inquiries.
The Homes.com attitude is different, focusing on the agent, broker and MLS with products like Local Ads and Local Connect that facilitate a connection to in-market consumers, rather than interrupt it.
“We’ve made a simple but important commitment to the industry, to always deliver leads to the listing agent on their own listings,” explains Woolley. “Homes.com’s listing detail pages always clearly identify who the listing agent and broker are at no cost. It’s clear and honest advertising—‘your listing, your leads’—and it’s the only way we want to do business.”
Better Industry Partnerships: Powered by Homes.com
The company recently renewed their technical and services contract with remax.com. The two companies have been partners for over 10 years—an extensive lifespan for a technology partnership in an industry that continues to shape-shift. “We power remax.com with the same technology as Homes.com,” says Woolley, “but here we’re behind the scenes.” All of the Homes.com tools utilized by remax.com are branded to RE/MAX, offering the same lead generation and insight to consumer behavior, but with RE/MAX customizations.
In addition to remax.com, Homes.com also powers ERA.com, tulsarealtors.com and tens of thousands of broker and agent websites nationwide.
Is Better Quality Marketing Working?
With a targeted approach to funneling the right audience, providing cutting-edge tools and quality content and positioning themselves as a friend to the industry, it would seem the “David” portal is ready to rock. But, some may wonder, are they as successful as the Goliaths?
You bet.
2015 has been Homes.com’s best year ever, with managed growth driving quality, in-market traffic; in fact, 90 percent of their page views were from in-market homebuyers and renters actively looking for their next home.
“We have an urgency in the company right now,” says Mele, “but not in an effort to outspend or out-shout our competitors. It’s about quality, responsible management, innovative marketing, industry-leading products and a focus on delivering more to our clients—and better.”
And with that kind of attitude, who’s to argue they won’t deliver just that?
Top 5 Tips to Get Google Love
Grant Simmons, Homes.com’s vice president of Search Marketing and Consumer Engagement, offers the following insights to improve your site’s SEO and gain some Google love.
Mobile is a must. You need a mobile-friendly website that is easy for users to navigate on mobile devices and for search engines to understand.
Make it user-friendly. Is your site content easy to find, browse and understand? Generally, if it’s great for users, it will be great for search engines.
Content truly is king. Are you answering the most common user-driven questions on your website? Position yourself as a topic expert to build a level of trust with your audience.
Link love. Links are still part of the Google algorithm. Inspire people to link to you by offering high-quality, valuable content. Do not buy links.
Savvy social. Social media offers great visibility and branding opportunities. Although not a direct ranking factor, it is a great way for users to discover, share and then link to your content.
For more information, visit http://connect.homes.com
