Will there be a single multiple listing service for the entire
country? While there has been a heated discussion about this topic, few
people have noted the parallel consolidation of the vendor services
that agents and brokers use. Integrated, single platforms of services
are rapidly replacing the piecemeal approach that required agents and
brokers to go to multiple vendors to obtain the services they need.
What's even more surprising is that many of these new platforms are
available at no charge.
I recently conducted a new-agent training class and wanted to
illustrate to the class how easy it is to set up a Web site. Several
years ago, you would have invested several thousand dollars to have a
quality Web site. Today, agents can create a Web site in just a few
minutes and have an amazing array of services available from that site,
all at no charge. Before you say, "I already have a Web site," remember
that searching the Web is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
The more places that you and your listings appear the more likely you
will be to generate and convert leads.
Sadly, most agent and broker Web sites lack landing pages. The
reason to have a landing page is to motivate leads to give you their
contact information. The strategy works by offering your Web visitor a
free report or some other offer of service such as a complimentary CMA.
Since your Web visitor must supply a valid e-mail address to receive
the information, you are now engaging in "give-to-get marketing." In
other words, you offer a service and then allow your Web visitors to
determine whether they want the service. In exchange, you obtain their
contact information.
An important part of your strategy in working with a landing page is
to offer additional services each time someone requests information.
For example, if a buyer clicks through from your report, "How to Save
Money on Your Mortgage," you could follow up with "Five Inspection Tips
Most Buyers Miss." The idea is to continue to offer services until your
Web visitors decide to work with you.
The challenge for agents and brokers alike is that doing this
process manually takes a great deal of time. New integrated technology
solutions now allow you to do this quickly and easily. For example,
when you sign up for one of the Point2Agent Web sites, you can create a
Web site that is packed with landing pages, all of which offer services
to your client. Once Web visitors click on a report, the system
automatically sends it to them and then adds the data to your contact
manager.
Point2's technology does much more. Once you post a listing on your
Point2 site, it is syndicated to more than 20 different Web sites,
including Yahoo! Classifieds, craigslist, Google, Oodle, Trulia, Live
Deal and PropertySmart. You can also elect through their "Handshake"
program to syndicate to any of the other 140,000-plus agents who are
already in their system. Their "NLS," or National Listing Service,
allows you to display your listings to the public as well. In addition
to these resources, they also have a blogging product included in the
package. The most exciting part of this package, however, is their new
service that integrates into social networking site Facebook.
Much like MySpace.com, visitors to Facebook can post pictures,
videos and other information on their "wall." Social networking sites
are similar to a town hall meeting where like-minded people can gather
to share information about common interests. Facebook.com is well on
the road to becoming more popular than MySpace.com because it allows
users to control access to their network. What Point2 has done is to
integrate a new application into its current Web site product that
posts your listings on Facebook in the appropriate neighborhood. It
also allows you to establish yourself as the expert Realtor in the area
by answering questions and participating in the Facebook community.
To establish yourself as an expert in today's Web 2.0 environment, follow these three easy steps:
1. Participate in a social networking site that is specific to your geographical location or neighborhood
2. Be a strong resource for community information
3. Post plenty of photos and videos about your location as well as relevant and interesting content.
Taking advantage of Web 2.0 is now easier than ever. If you haven't joined in, now's the time to do so!