We just received our Realtor Magazine for the month, and got to reading some interesting articles. As I was flipping through the magazine, I came across this ad -You might have seen in
If you are Like me, I was curious to see how I can incorporate this new tool into our business. I mean, after all
It's
- FREE,
- it will build our reputation as the Market Expert
- Keep In Touch with Our Customers
Wow - in these markets, we need all the help we can get right?!!
Okay, so I go to the HouseLogic site and enter my N.A.R. ID, and I was able to get to the Realtor content site. The only thing that I found that you could use for online marketing was a WIDGET with articles as they are published by HouseLogic.
So I thought, WOW - PRETTY COOL ARTICLES!! They will look great on my site!.....( Long Pause )
Wait a minute - if I put this on my site, then isn't it possible for every other Realtor who SHOULD BE doing online marketing be able to do the same thing? Then, how will my site differentiate from your site!! If we are all being "Branded" as the Market Expert - then by definition. There is NO EXPERT... just a bunch of copycats... At least that's the way I would look at it as a consumer visiting different realtor sites.
So then I said, "Ohh who cares" - At least it will send them valuable articles based on their home and needs." This will help me stay in front of them and give them value long after the sale as they kindly put it. So I emailed Houselogic and asked an important question in marketing - "how do I brand myself'. I wanted to see if I need to upload my web address or picture or something to say that Nikki sent them their newsletters and/or news article.
I got a response from them - "You Don't". The newsletters and news articles cannot be branded. So how will your client's know that the article is coming from you? Simply put - THEY WON'T. I was little confused because it says right on their ad that it will help US stay in communication with our clients.
That then raised the next question. Clients are asked to "Create an Account". My initial thought was " COOL - Another LEAD Capture Tool". Sadly, again, I was mistaken!! They said that there is no way to track which of our clients have signed up for the newsletters and website, and there would be no way for us to lead capture any new people from our marketing efforts - BUT WE COULD USE THEIR CONTENT!!...
Okay - so I may not be the smartest Realtor in the world, but I do have a Master's in Business, so here is the jist I got from HouseLogic.
- Ask Your Clients to Sign up For Our Services on Our Site
- You will not be able to track which people have signed up through your marketing efforts
- Nothing that goes out from US to YOUR clients or Prospect will have any Information About You as REALTOR
- The Only thing YOU get is to Build Our Client Database by using Our Content on Your Site.
I have been doing ONLINE marketing for our business long enought to know this. Online Marketers PAY sites with lots of traffic to put THEIR CONTENT on YOUR SITE. Why...it's the same reason billboards of a Freeway cost more than billboards on an abandoned road - EXPOSURE and BRANDING. So this request to put their company on your site for FREE is backwards. You are the one doing them a favor - not the other way around. You see - the more sites that link back to them - the more people who are driving traffic to them, and the higher they "Naturally" rank on Google...so they no longer have "Pay-per-Click" like we do.
This idea that putting their content on our site, you paying to market and maintain your site, and building THEIR database without them kicking in a DIME for costs...MAKES NO SENSE. If it make sense to you - please let me know how I can get my Content on your site, then you drive your clients to me...I will make sure you money is spent wisely.
Think twice about his... I say - N.A.R. put the site together - then they need to add a Premier feature that allows us to Brand ourselves with their content, and allow for the ability to lead capture our own prospects if we are going to me spending energy, time and money to market this service.....ALL WHO ARE WITH ME SAY AY!!!
I welcome a call from Houselogic and their developers. I offer an Expensive but Fair Consulting Rate!
Nikki Aguirre - Realtor
www.951HomeSales.com
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