Real estate agents, do you have presence online?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 17, 2009 -- If you are a real estate agent, you must know how vital marketing is for your business. With the shift of home buyers’ behavior, real estate marketing is not just about newspaper ads, fliers, postcards, letters, or what not anymore. The battle has taken a new platform—the internet.

Online marketing, social media marketing, you’ve probably heard about them. Well if you haven’t, you just have to do some Googling.

Most agents have gone online because homebuyers are online. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 75 % of home buyers in 2006 started their search online. That is up from only 41 % in 2001. Moreover, online buyers are found to be more knowledgeable and informed, have shorter purchasing cycles, and purchase more expensive properties (California Association of Realtors.)

If you don’t have presence online, chances are you are not sold to the idea of internet marketing, you know nothing about it, or you’re inclined to give it a try, but somehow, you just don’t know where to start.

If you don’t have presence online, you are losing a lot of good leads that could have been clients. And it isn’t just about good leads, talk about saving money.

A website can advertise your listings, as well as you, your achievements, and what you can do for your clients. Furthermore, you’re not limited to a local audience. You are connected to the whole world. You are able to showcase your listings to people seeking relocation from other states or other parts of the globe, much to the delight of your sellers.

And if buyers don’t find you online, chances are, they will find another.

But how do you drive people on your website? Agents, who are not that computer savvy, may be burdened by this. But here are three basic things that you should remember.

1. Know thy audience – What do home buyers need? Put yourself in their shoes and try to see what they want. Your website must be able to address these needs. If not, your website will just be tossed aside.

2. Invest time in SEO – Search Engine Optimization. Get your website noticed by search engines. This is not a one-shot deal though. This may take time, but it’s worth the investment.
3. Expand your social network – At least online. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, these are just some of the few social networking sites you can utilize.
4. Lead Management – What are that website traffic for if you’re not able to get clients? Don’t let them go stale.

If you’re still not online, maybe it’s time to ponder about doing so, don’t you think?

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