Does anyone use custom webaddress.

paulsps · 03-12-2008, 09:48 PM

Wow - there's a lot of confusion here and mis-information going on!

What is 'real estate' as a 'Business' if it is not really, and mainly the business of marketing?

For example, if we can successfully win listings then for most agents thats half the battle. my Listings then become my referral tool - the listing 'markets me' even more in the neighborhood and I get more listings.

This is the primary purpose of putting effort into a marketing approach like a single property site - you can analyze the SEO aspects to death - but the bottom line is that its a fabulous way to impress the socks of the seller AND then get the inquisitive neighbors to see what an amazing marketing god you really are.

The real point is that this is a marketing effort focussed on the HOME, not the Realtor (what an amazing concept) - as a consequence it can have a very positive effect on your potential sellers and neighbors, friends, family work colleagues etc.

Of course, all this opportunity has to be balanced by the cost and effort of doing it. So - you need to decide the cost benefits. But you can only do that if you understand the real benefits.

Technology now makes these solutions very accessible to even the most technically and financially challenged. Systems and tools now permit anyone to create a very elegant site in just a few minutes and the cost - well cost can be as low as $5 or $6 per listing per month.

The benefits continue to mount. These services are now evolving into comprehensive listing marketing solutions - a part of which, is the creation of a single property site, but they also now offer the capability to take that data and spin it, push it and present it in multiple ways - all automatically.
So, once data is entered, syndicate it all over the web, create WIDGETS automatically and present this in your own sites, BLOGS, mySpace etc, this is now your virtual tour, connect it REALTOR.com, use it as an unbranded virtual tour, create and post elegant flyers to craigslist automatically, create print flyers and postcards - all using the data set you created for this property.

On top of this, you could, possibly get a street address domain name and sign rider just in case you thought marketing yourself to the seller and the drive by buyers had any importance...
(Notice here i am NOT advocating a 3rd level domain like http://streetaddress.mydomain.com - first, how cheap is that!.. you are avoiding a great marketing opportunity to save yourself 11 or so bucks!? secondly a third level domain is all about YOU not the home, and thirdly, if you are worried about SEO, this won't help you a bean - a real domain name sitting out there with back-links to your main site is definitely going to help - well I can't think of many other SEO benefits that cost as little as $11.99 per year ...(& please note that with SPS, a 'SOLD' site stays live for free) )

If you want to see more - see a real sample of what can get created in a few minutes and for just a few bucks www.1122MainStreet.com

I have a BLOG here that will give you more insights..including how to use SPS as a tool to build relationships with FSBOs.

Anyway - Hope this helps, its not the solution but the strategy that will make you rich.

Good luck!

EFS Webmaster · 07:31 PM

the turn-key vanity sites have their place (and we use them) however many of them are really cookie-cutter and surprisingly, the problem seems to be getting worse (not better) as new companies enter the fold.

For some of our really distinct listings - like this new one - we tend to ramp it up a bit with a vanity site and high-end photography. Quite a bit different than the traditional single property websites out there - and obviously more expensive.

It would be nice if someone developed a vanity template with a little "non-template" sizzle. Maybe it's a business opportunity for REW? Seems like a great 'foot in the door' with realtors which could grow into more business.

At the end of the day, I think people would be willing to pay more for these custom web address sites if they looked less template, offered some seo value and were easy for a non-techie to setup/manage.

Ron Tarvin · 04-08-2008, 12:37 PM

I have used the address specific websites to market properties, but I do find that I don't like to use riders that send people there because it's NOT TRACKABLE. I know it gets hits, but I don't know how they got there or if they liked what they saw!

paulsps · 04-08-2008, 01:52 PM

Quote:

I have used the address specific websites to market properties, but I do find that I don't like to use riders that send people there because it's NOT TRACKABLE. I know it gets hits, but I don't know how they got there or if they liked what they saw!

Ron - thats a very valid point indeed.
When you think about extensive ways listing data gets pushed out by SPS - widgets, syndication and feeds, craigslist, virtual tours, realtor.com and of course a sign rider, clearly it is VITAL to track and understand when clicks come from!
It's one of the reasons why SPS provides a full tracking and statistic system built in for every listing site you create which will show you referrer sites. If there is no referrer site, then the URL was accessed directly, i.e. from a Sign Rider.

But look, there's another, much more important value to you of the sign rider with a domain name on it - it's fabulous marketing for YOU.

Not only does it provide the fastest way to connect with property details online, but sellers love it!

Forget about click-referrals for a moment, this is a SALES referral machine. What do the sellers do? - they tell all their friends and family... What do the neighbors do? - they go and view it. And your name is there, the provider of this service. This is one of the most important values to you (much more important than tracking stats and click referrals).

NY RE Broker · 04-14-2008, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EFS Webmaster

It would be nice if someone developed a vanity template with a little "non-template" sizzle. Maybe it's a business opportunity for REW? Seems like a great 'foot in the door' with realtors which could grow into more business.

I am not sure if I understand this because you can easily create a specific page or pages on your REW site and then purchase a domain name and redirect it to your current site. That way they can easily go from the dedicated page to your full web site with one click.

Am I missing anything? I think I might be?

EFS Webmaster · 04-14-2008, 06:40 AM

Quote:

I am not sure if I understand this because you can easily create a specific page or pages on your REW site and then purchase a domain name and redirect it to your current site. That way they can easily go from the dedicated page to your full web site with one click.

Am I missing anything? I think I might be?

I know you can create a generic page and then redirect however I am talking about a vanity property page like this that "sizzles" and doesn't look like a typical, semi-generic webpage.

paulsps · 04-14-2008, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EFS Webmaster

I know you can create a generic page and then redirect however I am talking about a vanity property page like this that "sizzles" and doesn't look like a typical, semi-generic webpage.

I think 'sizzle' is very subjective!
However, I couldn't agree more, which is why we spent a lot of time on 'design' and 'user interface' - after all, if we can make sites more sticky by having them look beautiful, and generate one more inquiry because of the slick interaction the user has, .. then it can really help.

See this example - click the photo, click the contact me etc menu links, click 'SlideShow'. I hope you'll agree its not bad for a template!
www.1122MainStreet.com
or perhaps an alternative look and feel
www.1122MainStreet.com - different!

EFS Webmaster · 08:18 PM

Quote:

I think 'sizzle' is very subjective!
However, I couldn't agree more, which is why we spent a lot of time on 'design' and 'user interface' - after all, if we can make sites more sticky by having them look beautiful, and generate one more inquiry because of the slick interaction the user has, .. then it can really help.

Paul,

Interesting response...

We actually use single property websites for select listings however I think they are in a different category when compared to my example.

For instance, check out these differences for 2 of our current listings (same photographer, two different "presentations"):

single property presentation example

"sizzle" presentation example

I really wish that there was an off the shelf solution that could give more sizzle with a strong focus on the photography vs. basic photos with the traditional framed menus.

Granted it may not be appropriate for all properties however something that looks less template-ish and more unique would be a great alternative to what the various vanity website vendors are offering today.

If you are ever looking for a guinea pig for trying out some "out of the box" designs at SPS, please drop me a line (note: we currently have a handful of SPS sites with you)>