Have you ever visited a real estate website that resembles an in your face used car commercial with flashing graphics, neon colors and every sentence competing for your attention all at once? You immediately feel the urge to click off the page and avoid being pressured to “act NOW!”
On the other hand, there are those websites that seem somewhat mysterious and finding any type of contact information feels like a treasure hunt with a dead end. After a minute of trying to figure out where the real estate agent is located or attempting to contact them to ask them a question about a property, you give up and find another more user friendly site.
So where’s the middle ground? How can you grab your audiences attention without “yelling” at them? How can you provide clear information in a compelling way?
There are two simple elements that can completely change how visitors view your website: contact forms and calls to action. Let’s take a quick look.
Contact Forms
Gone are the days of merely having your phone number and email posted somewhere on your home page. Today’s consumer wants to have an easier way to contact you. Consequently, the contact form has become a staple of cutting edge real estate websites.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. A clear, easily accessible contact page. This should be a tab on your website that is easy to find.
2. This contact page will be a fill-in form that will feed directly to your email inbox.
3. You can also put your contact information on this page, but your main focus will be the contact form.
4. State clearly near the top or the bottom of the contact form that their information will be kept confidential to make them feel at ease and built trust.
5. To make it even easier, a link at the bottom of each page on your website to your contact page will allow for even more immediate interaction.
Calls to Action
Our culture has become so used to the responsiveness of social media sites that they come to expect the same thing from a website. While you may not be able to respond right away once someone has filled out a form, you can give the feeling that your site is just as interactive.
Calls to Action are words that encourage readers to take action. You’ve all heard of them, but sometimes taking the time to get to the basics allows you to look at something from a fresh perspective. Imagine if you were visiting your site. What type of call to action would catch your eye and make you take time to fill out your information?
Here are a few key elements for creating effective Calls to Action:
1. Action words will instinctively draw in your readers. Words like subscribe, call, view now, search, etc... will provide a definitive action.
2. Offer an incentive. People will not freely give out their personal information, so a “trade” will make it easier to evoke a response. Provide a free market analysis, e-book of your community, or anything else you feel would interest your audience.
3. Graphical buttons are great for calls to action. Create buttons that complement the look of your site, but still stand out on the page.
4. Limit the number of calls to action. If you have too many on your site, visitors will get overwhelmed with the amount of choices. Three to five is usually an ideal amount as it offers variety, but keeps your calls to action from crowding up your site.
5. Keep it simple, yet creative. A short phrase or sentence will draw the reader in and will force you to choose your words wisely. Creativity in the graphic and wording will be the most effective call to action.
While often overlooked on a website, these two elements are essential for creating a website that reaches out to today’s audience. If you have more questions about creating a contact form or calls to action for your website, or need someone to create them for you; please let us know!
Our seasoned marketing team can design calls to action for you that are visually appealing, will grab attention and spark a response. Contact us today to get started!
Allie Coyle
Marketing & Copywriting Coordinator
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