Property ManagementAre You Upgrading Your Template Web Site?
It seems that many Realtors® are at this place regarding their web
marketing: "Will you get off my back already? I went and bought a template
web site and I got myself e-mail, too. So now I"m competitive. I can tell
sellers that I"ve got everything any other online agent has and that"s all I
need to convince the seller that I"m web-savvy! I"m done!"
If that"s you, you"re not done; you"re just misinformed. You"ve become a
victim of "the easy way out." And here"s why:
You thought that all you had to do was shell out a few hundred dollars and
suddenly you"d be riding the technology wave that everyone was saying you had
to be on. You thought that your template-based web site contained all the
"right stuff" for consumers. Or perhaps you bought that template site because
you got an incredibly good deal. You may have even gotten your template site
free. Editor"s note: A template web site is one that includes the same basic
design and content from agent to agent with typically only the photo, bio info
and several other items changing.
I bet the firm that sold you the site told you it would make you competitive
with all the other Realtors. Well, they were right. Now you look just like a
huge percentage of all the other Realtors on the web. Sadly, mere parity was
what you likely had even before you purchased a template web site. Bottom
line? You"re still at the line of scrimmage.
Oh yes, you can say that your template site brings you an inquiry once in a
while and maybe one might lead to a sale over a year or so. But a stand-alone,
original web site that looks like no other will do worlds better inquiry-wise.
Know too, that template sites become far less effective as more agents put up
ones that look almost exactly like yours.
Consumers who have visited several of these template sites soon tend to
ignore all of them, including yours. They think they already visited it. Thus,
what did you gain? The answer? Virtually nothing.
Sadly, at a time when you were still pretty ignorant about the web, the
template site sales rep may have forgotten to stress that your site exists in a
competitive war zone and has to scream "Look at me! I"m unique! I"ve got
the right stuff you need to buy or sell a home. I"m what you sought!"
This is especially important in light of a recent study done by NPD online Research showing that among 2,355 internet users, 19% said that their online search for a home resulted in a meeting with a REALTOR®.
Well, folks, as Groucho said, now it"s time to play you bet your life.
Your template site was an admirable first step in your web marketing
experience. You should be applauded for dipping your toe in the scary waters
of web marketing. However, what can you do next?
First off, adopt a new attitude, not merely "tokenism" about your web
marketing. If your web page or site looks like that of many other agents in
your marketing region, make it look radically different or get rid of it.
Budget some serious funds this year for web marketing, including from $2,000 to
$3,000 for a custom web site that looks radically different from other ones.
That"s still cheap. The average corporate web page costs about $24,000 today,
but you don"t need the very best designers, at least for several years. But
you do need to look different from the very peers with whom you wage marketing
warfare every day. Or, make every modification that you can squeeze out of
your existing your template site.
See, your site is more important than you may think it is. How important?
Well, to any visiting consumer on the web it IS you. So do you want that
consumer to view you as just like all the other Realtors sporting those same
nifty, inexpensive, all-inclusive template sites with all their pretty frames
and buttons? Or do you want to stand proud on the web as an uncommon choice? A
choice that is obviously not "me-too?" A Realtor who makes things happen? A
leader? An innovator?
The web is always changing. And so should your web site. It should evolve.
You cannot just let it sit there like maybe you thought you could. It needs your
attention. You must change its look and wording on a regular basis as market
conditions evolve. Say, every few months. Otherwise, you"ll bore your repeat
visitors, much as you would by showing them the same brochure about yourself
year after year.
Unfortunately, changing a template site is something that few Realtors® ever
do, once it is up and running. And this is a great pity because most template
site firms actually do allow enough changes in color, button type and content
to make one look different from another. Find out if your template maker offers
upgrades and then pay to have them added. Take their suggestions on adding
features such as mapping, schools, and community information. Search the Web
yourself for good material that you can add and then give it to your template
page host or learn to add features yourself.
There are no free lunches on the web. Or in the marketing positioning of
yourself. If your realty office gets offered a "deal" if only its Realtors
will all choose from the same handful of template-looking sites, be sure to
find out to what extent the template sites may be modified by each individual
owner.
A custom-designed site will always be a better marketing tool for a
Realtor®. But if you can make your existing template site look more like a
custom site, hey, that"s all right, too.
Also See:
How To and How Not To Design Your Web Site
Technology Integral to REALTOR® Success, Studies Show