Thoughts on Real Estate Marketing…

Do you know why homeowners come to your real estate website?

Everyone has their own reasons, but they probably loosely fit into two categories.

* They want to check the pricing on other homes.
* They want to find a good agent.

They can learn about the listing prices of homes in their neighborhood by doing a search, so you don’t need to be concerned with that part.

But they’ll learn whether they want to use you by looking at three things:
* Your agent bio
* Your blog
* Your home listings

We’ve talked about the agent bio before, and you can read more about its importance and see examples at my website.

Your blog is important because it reflects your personality and your attitude toward both your business and your customers / clients. Try to post something new at least once a week – and do it in your own “voice.”

What should you post? Market updates are good. News about local events and businesses is good. Advice for buyers and sellers is good. Even a funny story about your kids or your pets, or an adventure you had on vacation is good. The only thing you absolutely shouldn’t post is “sour grapes” or anything that reflects a negative attitude.

If you’ve had a really rotten day or gotten involved with an impossible client, save it for the “members only” section of Active Rain. But even there, be careful. Even though it’s members only, a competitor could cut and paste and share your story with your client prospects.

Post Better Pictures and Write better descriptions than your competitors offer…

When sellers look at your home listings, they want to see how well you present the homes you have listed. So be sure to use ONLY good photographs and write appealing descriptions to go with each of them.

Enlist your clients’ help in making sure the house is ready for the photo shoot – no clutter, no pets to distract from the house, and please… no pictures of the toilet!

Because you haven’t lived in the house to get first-hand experience, take some time with your new listings to learn what the occupants have appreciated most about the house. It might be something you would overlook, like the way the sun shines in the kitchen window when they’re enjoying breakfast on a winter morning.

Get them thinking and talking about living in that house. Take notes. Then use that information in your descriptions.

Of course, be sure to mention other benefits and features that you know trigger interest in home buyers.

And remember to use words that create visual impressions.

Instead of factually stating the dimensions of the back yard, say something like “In the family room, French doors open on to a back yard that stretches 100 feet to the banks of a bubbling creek.”

Pretend you’re an artist – painting a picture of your listing with words.

Once you’ve impressed that homeowner, keep on impressing…

You know I’m a big believer in using auto responders to stay in touch with prospects when you’re too busy.

That’s why I’ve written prospecting letter sets for a variety of different buyers and sellers – like expired listings, FSBO’s, short sellers, and first time buyers.

But, when a seller who is just starting to think of listing arrives at your site, he or she doesn’t yet fit into any of those categories.

And that’s why I wrote the newest prospecting letter set: Advice for Home Sellers.

This set is 18 letters long – because as I wrote and thought about things sellers need to know, it grew.

The letters begin with explaining the three basic parts of marketing a home successfully: price, presentation, and marketing. Then they go into greater depth about each. Toward the end, the letters shift to dealing with the offer stage and what to expect between agreement and closing.

Of course each letter offers your assistance – but without being pushy.

You can send these letters after a homeowner uses an automated market analysis form on your site, or offer them via a separate auto responder. In my thank you letter I offer two examples of “Invitation” copy.

Come on over to Copy by Marte to read the topic list and learn more.