Don’t Limit Your Lead Generating Prospecting Systems

We are fortunate to have web sites to generate leads, to lend credibility, to provide information and resources to our visitors, promote our listings (and ourselves), and the like.

When I was a real estate agent/broker back in the 80’s and early 90’s…wow that seems like a long time ago…we, of course did not have the internet available. I was one of the first to have both a computer and a cell phone, when they became available.

What did we did do for prospecting? We held open houses, called expireds, called/stopped by FSBOs, sent bulk mailouts, worked our sphere of influence (this one was always the best), place ads in Homes and Land, newspaprs, geographical farms, and the like.

As we all know, there are many ways to prospect…and a good agent will do most of them, or at least the ones we feel good about doing, and do well. I was not a natural when it came to working with FSBOs, but I was killer with expireds and the like, so I focused on those that were my strengths. And we should never limit ourselves to just one means of prospecting, we need to work several avenues.

Where am I going with this??? It really makes me nervous when I see someone acquiring a web site and all of a sudden, it is supposed to do all the work…and why aren’t there more leads coming in???

The answer is that in addition to all the things a web site can do for us, it is also just one of our many lead generating systems that we should have in place. We still need to do the mailouts, the cold calls, working our spheres, etc. We can’t just stop doing all the other things that made us successful…what we have actually done, is added another resource to empower us...including an additional lead generating system. Notice I said additional.

However, all of our materials should be designed so that in addition to their main function, they should drive traffic to our site as well. Everything we do should drive traffic to our site…because all the answers are there. Right?

So, keep doing the things that have worked for you in the past. And when you do receive those additional leads that you can convert to listings or sales, realize that you are developing a more secure business…because you are spreading your net over a wider area and you will benefit from it.

Don’t depend only on your site for lead generation…work them all…and you will have a well-rounded, secure business that provides leads on a regular and ongoing basis.

Customized GraphicalData Website Designs

GraphicalData websites can be divided into two types of sites. The first being those that are the regular deluxe websites with banner/color schemes that you can select when in the Website Design section and choosing the Design section.

The second type of GraphicalData sites are those that have been customized either by GraphicalData or Agent Support Center. Regardless of who has customized your site (and by this I am refering to the banner/color scheme), this new look is locked into place and the stock banners/color schemes that are provided for free are no longer available to you due to technical and structural constraints.

The purpose of this message...if you are in this section of your site, and just having fun looking at what you can modify...do not try to change to one of the prefab styles as this has been known to blow away your custom settings, and then they need to be reset by the tech department.

If it is time for a new banner and/or color scheme, just contact us and we will be happy to work up a new one for you...easy to do...affordable...and your site maintains its integrity throughout...any questions, fee free to contact us!

Search Engine Optimization for the Big 3

Ranking highly on all three major search engines takes time, patience and a good few rounds of tweaking to get the perfect balance of onsite and offsite optimization.

Visit this article to get a basic understanding of what it takes to show well on MSN, Yahoo and Google.

This process takes time and understanding. There are no quick fixes (unless you include pay-per-click). Become a student of SEO, subscribe to some of the available newsletters online, visit SEO web sites and blogs, and you will begin to develop an understanding of of what it takes to have your site show in the top rankings.

Grow Your Web Site

Add Your Own Pages to Your Web Site

It is important to continue “growing” your web site. Add valuable content that your visitors will appreciate. And, the bonus is…that the search engines will too! Google loves lots of content.

If you regularly add fresh content, your visitors have another reason to return to your site on a regular basis. And, so do the search engines. When they see fresh content, they return more often. Google, especially loves fresh content…and if it is good, relevant content…well written, you will probably be rewarded in rankings.

Many custom sites make it difficult to add regular, new content without going through your designer each time that you want to modify/add content. Your GraphicalData site makes it easy to add/edit your content any time you like.

It is easy to add new pages…new sub-pages and the like to your site…with photos or graphics…and even links to another web site if needed.

What additional content can you add? Any topic relating to our industry. If you perceive that you are more knowledgeable than your peers in some aspect of your business, then that might be a good place to start. Don’t forget, “reality means nothing…perception means everything.” So, just provide good sound, meaningful articles and advice that will benefit folks.

What are some ideas? Real estate market updates and statistics. Additional school information. More community or neighborhood links or information. Your business partners (ie. Lenders, escrow, builders, decorating services, remodel contractors, accountants, attorneys, moving companies, landscaping services, etc.). A list of service providers. Regular tips on moving and selling. Land use articles. Whatever you feel good about writing.

You have all the tools to flesh out or “grow” your site on a regular basis…keeping your visitors happy…and just as important, keeping the search engines happy.