Image from here.

I have been brainstorming creative ways to approach marketing from a real estate standpoint and for some inspiration, regularly read my Bloglines feed. I came across this post on BloodhoundBlog by Greg Swann and had to smile as it’s a great example of the type of marketing ideas I have been looking for: something different, something interesting, something useful.

Marketing’s past is a convoluted one. With a murky self-definition and an inability to clearly quantify its value, marketing has had its work cut out for it. Luckily, it has also had a lot of support. There were lovers and friends who stood by it even in its darkest days, before its impact was measurable, its effect was clearly discernible and its market definable.

Like all underdogs (at least in the stories) marketing managed to pull itself out of the fog and emerge as a solid and dependable tool. Now there are reliable ways to optimize its benefits, to determine what its measure is and to decide if and how it is profitable. What remains is the question of how it will continue to grow and thrive without getting caught in the comfortable circle of self-perpetuating repetition that leads to mediocrity and the eventual stagnation (and perhaps failure) of the business it’s being applied to. Remember that old adage? You know 50% of your marketing works – you just don’t know which 50%… and now with marketing establishing itself online, it’s becoming easier to pin down that elusive percentage, easier to target and definitely more efficient.

Along with the need for marketing to continue developing in a useful way is the need for recognition and avoidance of the many pitfalls along the path. With such a hazy beginning, marketing is still faced with the constant questions regarding its performance, its actions and its outcomes. While this demonstration of its capabilities is fundamental to the companies it is used by, too much on-the-dot accountability can start to bog it down and even stop it from accomplishing its goals.

When I see marketing techniques like the one used by Mike Rohrig, I become excited for marketing’s future. This is just one example of “thinking outside of the box” and hopefully it will be an inspiration for you to take the initiative to keep marketing fresh and growing!

The facts:

• A cheap website is almost certainly a dead site – as in “I’m not stopping there!”

• A website without a clear sense of “self” is a website without any friends. Keep in mind why you have this site, what you are offering and who your audience is.

• Relevancy – you have the ability to see where they came from and what they were looking for before they got to your site. Now, deliver them relevant content using that information. This is easily handled through custom landing pages especially when managing any PPC campaign, but can also be done using dynamic code on many organic pages as well. More on this later.

• Encourage interaction but don’t demand it. Statistics show that the more information you request, the more leads you lose.

• Make sure your landing page is uncluttered. I don’t say this lightly – I can’t count the number of pages I have come across that look like they have barely survived a hurricane.

• Keep your copy clear and to the point, refer to “relevancy” above.

• Use easy to read font on an easy to decipher background. Leave the pastel pink and comic sans for your personal blog (if you must).

• If you use graphics (and you should have your logo visible), make sure they are clearly related the key terms and don’t overwhelm the page.

Attention spans vary and when someone is searching for a relevant page, they take perhaps seconds before making a decision if this site is worth checking out – or not. Keep it simple, neat, readable and relevant.

Here is an excellent source for marketing information: Marketing Sherpa.

To force registration, or not to force registration, that is the question. How you chose to answer it says a good deal about what your business philosophy is. Is one choice better than another? Let’s look at the pros and cons.

Why do you have a website in the first place? Typically a realtor won’t go through the hassle and expense of creating a website only to let it languish. This is your sales booth, your office outside of the office, the one that can reach people from around the globe. When consumers or would be consumers visit your site, you know that they are looking for something. Maybe it’s just a chance to daydream about “what if”, but most of time, they are there because they are getting ready to sell or buy. This is your chance to reel in new leads, and the question becomes, do you sit back and hope they make that steady progression towards you or do you toss them some more bait and encourage them to bite?

With forced registration, you as the realtor or broker can make sure that whoever visits your site basically “pays” for the privilege of accessing your property listings information. You can decide what details you want, from name to shoe size, anything that will help you to better determine their needs and how you can best meet them. Sounds good, doesn’t it? You pay for the MLS data; doesn’t it make sense for the consumer to give something in return? Maybe, but first let’s look at the ways a forced registration can hinder the process.

Dummy information can be worse than no information at all. Yes, people aren’t always honest and when being asked for their information, even assuming that they have come to your site looking for your services, sometimes they just don’t want to give it up. So watch out for “John Doe”, “Mary Poppins” and “Yo Momma” as they can be a bit frustrating if you aren’t prepared. Others won’t even bother entering pseudonyms, they will simply move onto the next site that lets them in without a gatekeeper. With the slow down in the real estate market lately more and more websites are loosening these registration requirements, making it easier for consumers to seek out a non-restricted site much quicker and easier. This makes forced registration up front, a thing of the past…or does it?

Also, if you are a Realtor who prefers to have your customers come to you on their own time instead of tracking down the leads, then forced registration probably isn’t for you. Some Realtors also assume that a content-rich site will do all the work for them, or that email leads are from those who are less serious and may be a waste of time. Again, this depends on your point of view and what end result you are looking for. Forced registration can be seen as a “hard-sell”, but once again, that depends on your approach. Do you follow up with two calls a day, hounding them hard, or do you take it a steady pace, contacting your potential lead and assuring them that when they are ready, you are at their service?

Now let’s look at some of the positive aspects. Requiring registration gives you something to work with. Not only does it allow you to better predict the needs of your customers, it allows you to utilize traffic reports and lead generation tools. The flip side of the screening process is that those who do register can be seen as the more serious leads, the ones willing to put the ball in your hands, so to speak. With this information you can tailor the search even further, making sure that the consumer gets it packaged and presented in the most beneficial way possible.

What if, instead, you looked at this question in a different light? Instead of “forcing” registration, why don’t you establish trust and a relationship with your user before you “force” them to do anything. How refreshing would it be to move about a search page and find active listings in the market with no barriers to the data; until you have established that trust. Establishing trust online these days is critical, people are no longer willing to provide you any details about them until you first prove to them you have what they want. Your site and subsequently, your search tools need to establish trust in order to be effective. Internal studies at IDX, Inc. have shown that the percentage of quality leads increases dramatically with those websites that allow users to view a set number of property details before asking them for additional contact information. Although markets vary, quality leads increased over 70% when agents allowed their users to view a minimum of 5 properties before asking for more information. At this point, the term “forced” no longer applies, instead the user “wants” more info that you have to offer.

Pros:

• Needed for follow up
• It’s what the internet is all about
• Teaser sparks interest acts as a lure
• Registration screens the serious from the non serious
• It’s a sales transaction, info for info, business is not a charity and taken more seriously
• Games and software require it to screen out piracy
• An open mls creates a passive scenario takes away the realtors power/control over the process, can’t interact, has to wait idly
• Makes it easier on searcher, they can wait while the info they want is packaged for them
• Forced registration is flexible and can be added at any step in the site visit
• Can provide incentives to register, saves, contact info, detailed housing info, mapped searches

Cons:

• Some will simply choose to find a site that doesn’t require registration
• Time consuming – many users on the net are looking for a quick fix, don’t want to be held up by registration
• Idea that a content rich site will attract leads all by itself (and keep them)
• Providing information for registration doesn’t mean that they are interested in your services- could just be your information that they want
• Assumption that email leads are less serious
• Benefits mostly gained by realtor, low incentives for user. Visitors trying to avoid the hard sell by visiting site, (in lieu of an open house) Registration can be seen as hard sell
• Fake information
• Idea that page views increase when barriers are dropped (gateway instead of barrier)

Incentives:

• Auto email updates
• Relationship and trust building
• Advanced searches
• Extra detail (pics of yard, etc)
• Map based searches
• Ability to leave a comment
• Access to forums

It can be confusing to choose a search tool. There are many questions to ask. Framed? No frames? What is a framed search tool anyways? Do I have to host it myself? Do I have to take a crash course in programming to get it going and keep it going?

There are three primary options, framed, partially integrated, and fully integrated, with the first and last being the most commonly used. They all have both pros and cons, so it makes sense to do your research and make sure you find the right option for your business.

Let’s start with the framed search tool option. When using a framed data feed, the information is obtained by linking to the MLS’s IDX URL with your active agent ID. This can be done by either the Realtor/broker or more likely, by the website designer as it requires an understanding of the technical aspects of site design. Using the MLS’s URL data, you or your designer will build a frameset and then wait until the MLS verifies your information. After verification, you will be able use the search tools. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Framed IDX provides a hands-off data presentation, which may be preferred if you don’t mind the downsides that come with not having control over the development or hosting.

With a framed search tool from your MLS, you get a cost effective way to send your visitors to a search page, but the benefits pretty much end there. Note some of the downsides to a framed IDX solution that are out of your control: Design – with a framed solution you cannot determine the design of the data display, and with so many integrated options out there, users will often see the un-unified formatting as unprofessional. Search Engine Optimization (or lack thereof) – by sending users to a framed-in page, you are taking your hard earned traffic and passing it off to a non-branded search page, and if this page gets a better ranking due to your linking to it, you won’t see any of the benefits. Lead generation – by sending your users to a MLS search page, you are giving up any ability to capture leads. If the customer wants more information, they will have to contact the listing agent, instead of going straight to you or asking you to get in touch with them. Extra Features – there are no extra features. No saved searches, no automatically emailed updates, and so forth.

The next possible choice is to download the raw data from the MLS and format it yourself. If you’re a programmer on the side or have one already in your employ, this would be a good way to go. You can choose how the data displays, what criteria the consumer can search by and what bells and whistles are available. The downside? You will need to keep on it. When the MLS information updates, you will need to make sure your site is also updated. There is a fair deal of work that goes into maintaining the MLS data feed, but if you are up to the challenge, this may be the right choice for you.

Last but not least is the integrated IDX solution. This is where you, as the agent or broker, subscribe to a custom-made IDX package that is hosted on the vendor’s server. Usually formatted to match your website, the search tools look like any other part of your webpage. Different vendors offer different options. Some, like IDX Broker, will give you access to the tools so that you can change the format, the style and add or delete additional tools such as traffic reports and mortgage calculators. This option is portable, so that if you change websites, you can move your IDX feed easily and quickly. Also, you won’t have to worry about having to learn programming to make it work. You can usually include handy implements such as search saves and email updates that will add benefit from the customer’s standpoint. In addition to this, you can find packages that include lead generation and branding tools that help with your SEO efforts.

The other side of the integrated IDX option is that there are costs associated with it. There is usually a one-time sign up fee and then a monthly fee which changes according to the vendor. You are also reliant on the vendor, so it becomes important to do your homework to make sure the company you choose is consistent and stable.

Depending on what your preferences are, there are many different choices you can make when you are ready to add the invaluable addition of property search tools to your real estate website. What you choose to go with is dependent on just how much interaction you want and how important the look and feel of the information is. Good luck!