Your Own Common Sense Can Put It Together

Question mark
Originally uploaded by desi.italy

Quoted below is the beginning chunk of an online discussion. It was created to sell technology solutions to the real estate professional. I'm not going to comment on the technology, just the sales-pitch. Rather than a rewrite, you'll find below the quoted text my answer that I posted in reply to the sales-pitch.

We heard a much quoted statistic again yesterday and we decided to make it our weekly topic.

They say that 80% of home buyers use the Internet in their search for properties. What does this mean exactly? You never really see this number broken down much further. [note it isn't broken down]

8 of every 10 people look online. But what are they looking at? Buying tips, mortgage rate information, Realtor information? No, we are going to estimate that 90% of everyone who uses the Internet in their search is actually performing a directed property search. And this is normally initiated from a corporate site (remax.com, century21.com etc.) or a dedicated MLS system (realtor.com, mls.ca). Some Internet shoppers may go to a Realtor's website directly, but generally this audience prefers to select from a larger pool of listings (an MLS system).

We can't really back up this 90% with facts, but it seems reasonable don't you think? [and here he says he can't back up his 90% with facts either]

My (edited) Reply:

It's very EASY to tell a Real Estate Professional what is happening on the Internet with an Internet audience. If you don't know statistics, and don't have numbers Marty, I'd hesitate to put any of this out there.

As an avid student of human behaviour, having worked in technology since 1986, and since I'm heavily and actively involved in a wide-range of Internet audiences and always have, I have not only a good sense of Internet User Behaviour, but I also found out about a lot of the business-sales tactics of Internet professionals. Take SEO for example - you know the fly-by-night ones?

So consider this: The reason people come to a Realtor's site from an MLS somewhere is simply by the nature it is created and how Real Estate is currently being marketed (has been marketed) online. You can even look at a Realtor business card for obvious clues.

Real Estate has always been a Trust profession. Ever notice that it is the only industry that the professional members almost always have their photo on their card. It's been done this way for a long time, and the reason is that they are selling themselves to the buyer/seller and the Realtor is selling trust.

Getting online, the Realtor has no idea whatsoever about the Internet, technology, or computers more than they have to know, unless they worked the tech industry previously, are an avid hobbyist, or have a family or close friend working with it. The majority however, simply don't know what the truth is around what is being sold.

Here is the Truth about Searching for Real Estate.

As a buyer, I don't look for a Realtor, I look for a home.

• Am I simply looking for a specific home, or am I looking in a particular geographic area?

So the home-buyer hits the google page and types in, "commercial drive Vancouver property listings" as an example. Some Realtor sites are likely to show up, particularly those who have been ahead of the curve, have found the right solutions and tech-teams, and who have the success to invest in their technology and Internet solutions. But is it all Realtor sites, or are there others there too?

Anyone can answer these questions by simply running their own tests.

• Act like a home buyer.
• Remember how "little" inside knowledge most home-buyers have.
• Ask the dumb questions.
• Conduct the lamest searches, and
• the more sophisticated searches.

The more you do this, you will begin to see the results and the commonalities.

• Are they looking for you?
• Are they looking for just listings?
• Are they looking for a specific place in town?

This is what Creating New Doors on the Internet is all about.

Where the Real Estate industry and profession may have done a great job getting listings online, maybe what they've put online doesn't jive with the way people interact online. A real estate site is only one piece of the equation. Internet work is never done, it is not a static place, and it along with people always shifts and changes.

That is why StrataXL Software incorporates many elements into what they offer the Real Estate industry. Yes, it includes a Realtor site, but it also goes many steps beyond that to deliver websites that actually become representative off a geographic community and that site silently FARMS LEADS all day long and night without us or the Realtor lifting another finger.

It's not just in the Sell you see Marty. It's also in the Farming. We're not reinventing the door, we're preparing the field.

Working the booth at the Real Estate Show

 
As you can see, we were hard at work, trying to impress the local ladies at the recent real estate convention in Vancouver. We spent a good deal of time introducing the concept of "bait site marketing" to people and generally having a lot of fun.

Interestingly, it was the other exibitors that were more interested in our products than the attendees. But that's alright, we'll take the business whichever way it comes in.

Internet Marketing Needs Holistic Organic Approach

Highway fog
Originally uploaded by Boby Dimitrov

A website is nothing other than a Billboard Sign in a Virtual World. The only people who see that billboard, are the people driving by. The question that begs for a Website Owner in a Virtual World is: What highway are they driving on?

In days of old it may have been true when stated, "All roads lead to Rome." This was, in fact, the strategy. Rome was the centre of the empire and all roads extended from there. In the world of Internet, that one-route-destination was SEO so the Virtual Traveler found your Internet Website Billboard while traveling the Information Highway. SEO specialists sold promises of ranking, effective keyword strategies, and most likely achieved remarkable results. Without retaining ongoing services, how long did those results last?

Today, not all roads lead to Rome and the SEO game has changed enormously. Google and other Search Engine leaders are continually altering and fine-tuning the search-rank-algorithms in order to normalize and level the playing field against SEO tactics that seek to boost rankings artificially. This is why it is more important to follow organic processes incorporated into your SEO and Social Media Marketing (SMM) strategy. Keep watch for more tips related to this in coming weeks and months.

Organic approaches include content creation, submitting articles to websites, having a blog that is continually adding new content for the RSS world of subscribers, a Facebook and/or other Social Media profiles featuring your sites, business, services, etc., and a host of other campaigns that seek-out the roads less-traveled. Why? Because that is what the Internet user is seeking; the road that is their own.

A Holistic approach, tackling SEO, Social Media, Link-Building, Content-Creation, Articles, Blogging, and others all combine together to create an effective Omnipresence in the Digital Realm of the Internet's Virtual World. Your website becomes the Billboard along many Internet super-highways.

If you would like to learn more, we invite you to visit us at StrataXL.com

BC Real Estate Convention 2008 at Canada Place

Yesterday and today, StrataXL Software Inc. was in attendance demonstrating their Technology and Marketing Strategies to both Exhibitors and participants of this year’s BC Real Estate Convention 2008 at Canada Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The BC Real Estate Convention 2008 had superb turnout, standing-room only speaker-series, and a wide-range of opportunities for Realtors, Investors, Developers, and many other industry-related professionals. For StrataXL, attendance turned into a treasure chest of discoveries of other potential markets and applications for our creative suite of technology and marketing strategies.

For a successful Realtor or Realty Office, our Technology Solution provides an extraordinary tool to develop and manage various Internet website Properties for upcoming, ongoing, and after-sales Community Development Projects. Take our Premiere Launch into our Pilot Project, graciously spear-headed and funded by our initial Investor, Rick Stonehouse.

RickStonehouse.com is a professionally crafted Realtor Website using our Technology Solution. This solution also permits the creation of additional websites from the same interface as RickStonehouse.com. In this case, LiveInStrathcona.com is the launch of the much anticipated Community Creation Vehicle.

Imagine: The imminent launch of a Real Estate Development project. Whether it is a building, a subdivision, a resort, or small-town, prior to breaking ground the pre-sales activities have begun. The LiveIn branding creates the immediate identification of a virtual community that will soon be built. The functionality of the Technology Solution provides a vehicle to farm sales-leads and manage ongoing communication campaigns for both marketing, sales, closing, ongoing bulletins to new owners, and so on.

The interactivity of the discussion forums create vehicles for ongoing question and answers during the sales cycle. As the transition from sales-building-move-in, the evolution and flexibility of the site allow the evolution to take it from a sales vehicle to move the Development Realty Properties, to an actual thriving interactive online community that enable neighbours to become acquainted before the project was even completed. The life-force allows local-business to advertise and the community to interact and thrive in various ways.

You see how it is being birthed in already existing communities. When you want to farm qualified leads, the LiveIn strategy will be life-long gold.

Contact us at StrataXL.com to enquire further. Let us help you succeed with our powerful Technology and Tools.

Seth's Blog: Advice for real estate agents (quit now!)

Seth's Blog: Advice for real estate agents (quit now!): "Advice for real estate agents (quit now!)

I had the good fortune to speak to a large gathering of real estate agents last week. Here’s my best advice (everyone knows an agent or two, so feel free to forward this along).

Plan A: You should quit selling real estate.

I’m serious.

Quit being an agent. Get a job doing something else.

Some of you have been waiting to hear that. My pleasure."

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Everyone loves affirmation of their direction. Truth be known? I wasn't really sure. Is anyone ever when you move in a new direction?

I'm not, I never am, I just sort of "listen to my hunch" and "go with my gut".

The middle management types can't stand me because I don't do my homework, but what they miss is that I just don't write down my homework.

Trial by fire doesn't always mean not knowing what you're doing, sometimes it just means that you know instinctively what you're doing.

Check out our free report on "Bait Sites" and how our "live in" websites are working for our real estate clients.

If you'd like a bait site developed, be sure to contact us to discuss your needs further.

Blogging Builds Business: What, How, and Why.

Burman (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

More people than not know that blog(s) are great vehicles to promote and build your online reputation and brand. For years, we've been attached to brands, where the Internet audience is attached to you.

In the Internet world, the audience surfing the web are attracted by what engages them. Personality, expertise, reliability, and all the trademarks of personal-relationship building apply. If you're in business, you know exactly what I mean.

Community is Created

• Blogging allows you to share your expertise with a ready audience. The technology and proper application of Internet exposure strategies places your expertise in front of a relevant audience. Your expert content can connect you with these people as they respond to your posts. The more effective and skilled you become with engaging them, the more community you create.

Sell, Sell, Sell - Location, Location, Location

• Blogging is a natural conversation where an author expresses their opinion, their expertise, and so on. This casual online environment, whether business or personal focused, allows you to plug products and services in a natural way. Your expertise attracts them, your not pushing keeps them, and the value-add you offer creates trust.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Elevate Your Page Rank

• Google it! We've all heard it, we've all used it. This is how people find the information, products, and services they seek. Blogs by their very nature utilize Web2.0 technology, offer keywords for every post, and massive linking capabilities, and so forth. As well, comments to your blog posts will also contain keywords to continue enhancing your site.

Be an Authority and Keep the Edge

• There are believers everywhere. Simply publishing content online adds credibility
  to any story, person, idea, or business - even if it is just you. Your content, your expertise will attract the right audience. Keep them engaged! As you do, and as they comment, you will gain valuable knowledge to enhance your business-building and delivery of services.
  You offer the Integrity and Expertise and They will bring the Pulse!
  

This may seem like a lot to some of you. Take your time with it, and feel free to call upon us with further questions.

Top Key Requirements for Real Estate Website

Strategy
Originally uploaded by Waponi

It is Key to choose the right Real Estate Website. An effective Internet presence depends upon your Real Estate Website's features and benefits. The Internet isn't just a Billboard, it is a communicating sales tool working 24/7 with your Listings, your News, and your trustworthy personality. Are you engaging the audience?

Here's what a Real Estate Website needs:

• Stand Out From the Crowd and Be Yourself: Templates don't cut-it anymore. You and at least 50 other people have the same look and feel to your website. You want a website with customizable design.
  
  
• Where you can use a word processor, you can customize content: Putting a sign on a telephone pole won't work nearly as well as a television commercial. Interact and engage the audience. Bring them back with fresh and valuable content. Don't pay another web professional to keep changing or adding web pages and content. You want a website with customizable content. SEO will like you too!
  
  
• You find things by the names and questions that make sense. You save files the same way. People search and ask questions of the Internet the same way. Labelling your page titles, meta-tag keywords, and url powerfully optimizes your website for search engine ranking. You want a website with customizable SEO details.
  
  
• Search Engines can be Rank on badly coded sites: Search Engines scour website html code for the valuable keywords and content that determine search engine ranking. Too much cluttered code washes out the ranking of valuable keyword content. You want a Web2.0 compliant site with clean uncluttered code for higher Search Engine Ranking.
  
  
• You sell houses, so where are the listings!? A Real Estate website without MLS integration, showing your personally chosen listings, just doesn't make sense. You want a Real Estate website that allows you to add, edit, or remove listings, and offer them in sort views.
  
  
• Listings are boring – Make it Stand Out! The MLS listings page can be a little tedious. Other, less-information dense pages display a Featured Listing (customizable) to attract more enquiries. You want a website with a Featured Listing feature.
  
  
• Farm your leads, farm your leads. You don't get anywhere in Real Estate without farming. Harness Internet traffic to your Real Estate website and offer the incentives that engage and collect them as Contacts in your very own website-based Contact Management Database! You want a website that collects farmed contacts.
  
  
• What are my websites visitors doing? How can I tell? Website statistics integration to your Real Estate website allows your to observe website Internet visitor behaviour patterns. What attracts them? Where do they go? What is ignored? This information guides you in shaping the site, the content, and engaging and attracting a wider and deeper audience for you to Farm for Contacts. You want a website that offers Statistics.
  
  
• Content Management System: What? Do we have to repeat ourselves? We said it before, we'll say it again, "You want a Real Estate website with customizable design, and customizable content." What did you think we were talking about? You get this so all our promises come true. Your level of skill determines the level you play with the code. Either way, you get a site that is customizable, fully-supported, and easily editable alone, or with a support plan.
  
  
• Real Estate is demanding on time; You Need Support! What is suggested by all that is offered and recommended may appear to be a lot, and overwhelming. That's why you need a team that can support you. Initial design, layout, creation, all the bells and whistles, included content creation strategy and training (what and how to say to audiences for SEO, engagement, and the technical how-to), and ongoing training and support for all aspects of developing a powerful and engaging Internet online presence at the tip of your fingers.
  
  
• Everything is Going Digital: Email, Newsletters, Blogs (RSS), and Social Media Engagement are old and new terms that mean a lot to successful Marketers. Real Estate is no different. The digital age and the digital society require an entirely different set of rules, strategy, and team-approach.
  
  
• Are You ready to Plug In? Plugging into the Internet intimidates some – that's a lack of information and understanding. A committed team will provide you with the tools that will give you information and understanding that offer all of the following:
  
  
• Integrated Real Estate Website with MLS Listings, Featured Listing, Customizable Design, Content, Layout, Discussion Forum, Contact Harvesting for Lead Farming, Newsletter and other Mass Communication tools included with Email, Website Statistics, Contact Management, and access to a Team of Experts covering SEO – Search Engine Optimization for better ranking, and Social Media Strategists that teach best-practices and insights to begin Internet-effective online social media marketing strategies and tactics to maximize farming results.

It's a journey, not a destination. Begin with the first step. Our package pricing strategies will get you started.