So far this spring, real estate leads have begun flowing online in spite of a slowing housing market. A developer in Lake Keowee, SC went from receiving 2-3 real estate leads per week to over 20 web requests.  It has never been a better time to find buyers online and here are a few reasons why:

Tightening lender restrictions are making the leads better. Thanks to the media, it’s becoming common knowledge that you need to have your financial stuff in order if you want to buy a home. The days of “have a pulse, get a loan” are over.  While the leads may not be as plentiful as the good ol’ days, they are, in my opinion, better qualified.

It’s no secret that internet leads may be anywhere from 3-12 months away in terms of buying a home. Therefore, lead incubation management becomes a high priority in building a pipeline of 50-60 prospects that could buy at any time. One of our clients has a buyer’s agent with 50+ prospects that check their automated listing updates at least once per week. This agent is developing quite a nice business for herself in a slow market wouldn’t you say?

The Search Factory has created a way to develop online customer relationships until your web visitors are ready to buy. Our real estate search engine marketing coaching solutions help agents, builders, brokers, and developers create online relationships through a synchronized multi-stage approach including the following 4 steps. Remember, a website is worthless if cannot be found, cannot capture a lead, and cannot track return on investment and other important statistics.

1) Advertise the real estate website on the search engines. Your site needs to be visible or else you’re wasting serious money-something you can’t afford to do if you hope to survive this market.  You must be on the first page of major search engines to be most effective.

2) Turn your website into a lead generating site. In order to succeed in the world of search engine marketing, your site must be able to capture leads. Some ideas to capture leads may be to offer a free giveaway or report on your site in exchange for an e-mail address and phone number. Gifts could include local MLS statistics or an inexpensive resource from the visitors and convention bureau. Zig Ziglar says “help other people get what they want, and you will get what you want.” Buyers want to do one thing when they go to the web, search for homes. Help them do this and provide them with “goodies” that they would give you their info for, and you’ve got a hit.

3) Manage and analyze data from search engine marketing program.  Data must be tracked and ROI calculated. A search engine marketer worth his/her salt must provide a monthly update on how your advertising campaign is performing. With our AdCoaching solutions, you receive a 30 minute coaching call once per month to analyze and enhance your online advertising program.

4) Write a customized and personal lead incubation program for your registered visitors that lasts at least 6 months, 12 months is ideal. In all lead correspondence, always give them a compelling reason to come back to your site.

Remember, the more “returning visitors” you have, the healthier your website. If 50-60% of your visitors are returning, then you have done something right. While you may not know who those returning visitors are today, know that you’re pipeline is filling with people that like using your website over and over again. If they like your site, they probably will like you to and give you a call when they are ready to move forward.
 

There are many third party companies that can help you pick out keywords for your various search campaigns.  I have found that some of the best ideas for keyword selection can be found within your own sphere of influence.

1) Use trade magazines and journals. They are loaded with industry jargon and little niche phrases that may help you uncover a few great keywords that don’t cost a great deal for prime time positioning.

2) Set up a focus group. Make sure they have a basic understanding of the products and services you offer before sending them searching. This works well in areas such as real estate and many retail categories. Might be more difficult in companies that work with specialized products. Ex) packaging company that produces blister packaging, etc. In this case, the focus group may need to be another company you’ve developed a relationship with or is a current client. Perhaps they could be part of your focus group.

 3) Always be thinking. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a brilliant search phrase and didn’t write it down. It passes quickly in the recesses of my mind. It literally pays to have a notebook with you to write down all your ideas. One of those ideas will make you rich someday.

Many businesses simply don’t have the budget or staff to craft a campaign. If you’re stuck, you can always leave it to the experts. A good search engine management company will spend time with your company learning it’s culture and marketing strategies. Remember that the company should constantly be tracking, split testing, and coaching you on the results.

Written by: Terry Burger, The Search Factory 

One of our Atlanta clients is going to earn over $16,000 in January using our website marketing systems in a very slow real estate market.

I was on the phone yesterday with Amy, one of the real estate team’s buyers’ agents. She said that she received a lead 3 days ago and wrote a contract that will close in January. This will be the 4th closing in January as a result of the website systems we have put in place for this company.  This team’s top agent in 2007 generated over $120,000 in commissions from internet leads that came directly to the agent’s website.  Oh and by the way, the agent only worked for 10 months.

The Atlanta  real estate marketplace has slowed dramatically the past 12 months with rising inventory, builders going bankrupt, and lenders going out of business.  The agents that seem to be surviving are the ones who are able to capture and incubate a lead over time until it is ready to close. It is estimated that 97-99% of agents do not have a lead incubation program at work. 

The team’s lead agent estimates they will close between 22-25 transactions and volume of $6.6-$7.5M as a result of the leads their website generates through The Search Factory. That will represent approximately 35-40% of the agency’s total business.

The Search Factory is a company that consults agents, brokers, builders, and developers on how to create an internet presence, capture leads, and incubate those leads until they are ready to purchase. If you would like to know more information about how we can help you achieve the results described above, please call 1-877-567-3272.

This is the question I am asked the most in a given week. The answer is not easy to pin down, but it truly comes down to your needs at the moment.

SEO, or the process of optimizing your website, can take many months for the keywords you choose to eventually show up in the search engines. Companies will charge a monthly fee based on the number of keywords you want. Identifying a reputable SEO company is difficult. You will want to interview several, making sure that they use what we call “White Hat” techniques that the search engines approve.  Some search engines will ban your site if your website uses techniques that are not above board in terms of ethical SEO. Keep in mind, once your site is optimized, it’s difficult to change the text associated with your search results placement. PPC (pay per click) advertising is somewhat opposite from SEO. You can be placed on the search engines very quickly and get a product or site up and running generally within hours. Your ads on PPC can be changed in an instant. This is particularly helpful if you want to publish sale items, special incentives, etc. (EX: A homebuilder offering a special weekend incentive like ($10,000 off existing inventory this weekend only). The flexibility that pay per click offers any profit generating business is well worth the investment. According to a recent survey, 40% of all sales conversions result from pay per click advertising. Ideally, you need a little of both. My company prefers to hand craft and perfect campaigns on the PPC level due to the ability to test and retest every detail regarding our clients’ advertising. Once you have a well crafted and effective PPC campaign, then a mix of PPC and SEO techniques can supply you with a balanced attack.  Know that my statements here will be met with controversy depending on which side of the SEO/PPC fence you’re on.  Have questions? Please call us at 877-567-3272 or visit us online at www.TheSearchFactory.net.  We’ll be happy to help you sort out what is best for your company. Sign up for our free newsletter and to be notified of upcoming search engine training.

Posted by: Terry Burger, CEO & Founder, The Search Factory 

Every week or so I spend 2-3 hours per week checking out our competitors in order to continue to deliver solid value to our clients.   I will never name these companies, but as a business owner, I want to be aware of my competition. Most importantly, I want to make sure we are exceeding our own clients’ expectations.

Today I’m on a call that began with a search of “real estate leads” on Google. Website was impressive and so I filled out a test drive form. A prompt response (on a Saturday) was impressive and then the salesperson began  to lead me through a very weak slide show presentation. At the end of a 48 minute call he asked me for $14,900 to get started! Keep in mind, I think the company was selling leads, but the salesperson did a whole lot of talking and not very much listening to my needs.

I asked if I could speak to one of their clients regarding their ability to deliver what they promised. They said no, and so I wished them a good day and sent them packing.

First of all, they promised me 55 leads. Now I’m not sure what their definition of leads is, but to promise me 55 leads with an investment of fifteen grand is preposterous. That works out to be $271 per lead, if they were able to deliver that many.  And if you are in sales, you know that there are a certain number of leads that you need to make a sale, pay your bills, and make a profit so this thing we call business can feed our families. 

If you close 10% of the leads they sent, it would cost you $2,721 to find a customer. Conclusion: RIP OFF ALERT! Be wary of marketing firms that say they will deliver “x” number of leads per month. There is no guarantee that this is true.  Ask for a money back guarantee, and if they won’t give you one, wish them a nice day.

My passion is to see businesses succeed in the online marketplace and make a profit. Our search marketing systems are here for you. Please give us a call at 1-877-567-3272 or visit us online at www.TheSearchFactory.net; it would be a pleasure to serve you.