Buying and selling real estate is not usually done overnight. Quite often you need to build a relationship with your client before the transaction happens. You can also build relationships online in several ways. Generally you will notice that returning prospects are much easier to convert into clients because the more often they return to a site, the more trust they have in you and your website. The whole issue of credibility disappears and you have a much greater chance of getting their business. So here are four simple ideas you should already be using. If not give them a try. I can tell you from my experience most people are not using all four.
1: Blog - To some this might sound obvious but blogging for the Realtor can be a powerful tool. But before you can have a successful blog you need to consider what is your audience and then blog around that. For buyer agents blogging around a specific community seems to work best. If you can become a source of quality information about a community you will get a following of interested readers who will do a few things for you. a) They will help your reach by backlinking and commenting, b) Rre-post your articles, c) Bring you link popularity and hopefully become a future source of revenue for you. Your blog is also an extension of your website and they both operate independently but both enhance each other.
2: IDX - Having your MLS data on your website is a great reason for someone to keep on coming back. By having this inventory you are enticing return visits and when they request information you are now placed first in the transaction.
3: Content - Content, Content, Content. Agents often speak of Location, Location, Location and the same applies here. The more successful website are the ones with good and changing content. Stale content is a real good way to scare people away. A website that has new content all the time not only gives a reason for people to return but is also recognized by the search engines as they re-index your website.
4: Social Networking - Social Networking is taking the Internet by storm. Active Rain, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Myspace are just some to name a few. So what is a Social Network, well here is the definition as described by Wikipedia; Social Network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friendship, kinship, dislike, conflict or trade. So Social Networks bring people together of similar likes. When you angle this into Real Estate, Social Networks are a great way to not only build client relationships but also make connections with other professionals in your business. By using these four methods you will have a much deeper reach, more visibility and hopefully more success in establishing relationships with new clients.
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