The second tip addresses the extremely important concept of first impressions.

Real estate agents have to convey trust, professionalism, and friendliness within a few seconds of seeing their prospective buyer or seller. A tall order!

We’ve been taught to smile, stand up straight, look ‘em in the eye, and give a confident-but-not-crushing handshake. You have to dress and groom nicely, use an upbeat-tone of voice… You know the drill!

Even though you may think you have first impressions down pat, the Internet has changed everything.

• According to NAR’s 2015 Real Estate in a Digital Age, a resounding 94% of Millennials and 84% of Baby Boomers search for homes online. What’s more, typical buyers conduct 10 or more online searches before meeting with an agent!
• A discussion of search trends is incomplete without recognizing the huge swell in the use of mobile devices. NAR also reported that 89% of new home shoppers use a mobile search engine before seeing an agent and throughout their search.
• Nielsen research indicates that 7 out of 10 consumers worldwide think branded websites are the most trust-worthy online advertising format.

Here’s what these numbers mean for your business: the same trustworthiness and professionalism that you project in person must first be conveyed on a mobile-friendly website. This conclusion leads us to our second and third tips:

Tip #2: Make your website a great “first impression” for prospects who research you before meeting.

Tip #3: Ensure that your website is easy to use, visually appealing, and mobile friendly.

Thanks to the Internet, the first and most important impression that your prospects have about you is now formed on a screen, before you ever see them.

And just like in a face-to-face meeting, excellent online first impressions don’t happen by accident.

Unless you are a capable web developer and have impeccable taste in design and user-friendly functionality, you will definitely want some help in projecting an online presence as good as your real-life presence.

Today’s Action: Determine the future of your website design and maintenance … DIY or outsourced.

1. Take a look at your website. Is it up-to-date and easy to use?
2. Does your website look great and function perfectly on any screen size?
3. Does your website have a form where visitors can give you their email addresses to stay in touch?
4. Is your website quick and easy for you to maintain and update?
5. Do you have a user-friendly content management system?

If you realize that professional web design is necessary for a professional first impression, reply back to this email and I’ll schedule some time to show you examples of beautiful websites designed on the Agent SITE platform.

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” 

-Albert Einstein

Having an online presence that generates business is a tough job, even for a large company with hundreds of employees – not to mention a sole realtor like you!

There’s a lot to think about:

• Website content, photos, logo, branding, and design
• Email marketing
• Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages
• Zillow, Trulia, and related real estate portals
• Search engine optimization
• Content marketing
• Oh yeah, and at some point you have to run your business, too!

Companies that offer all-inclusive marketing campaigns for a hefty fee won’t tell you this, but there’s a big secret:

You don’t have to do it all. In fact, it is a terrible idea to try to do everything at once, which is the premise for our first tip:

Tip #1: Solely focus on online marketing efforts that you can sustain and keep fresh.

You’ve probably heard the “statistics” on how many daily marketing and advertising messages a person sees in the US. 3,000 – 5,000 ads per day is a commonly cited range. How is a lone realtor supposed to stand out above the noise?

The truth is, we only “see” several hundred advertisements per day. “The Myth of 5,000 Ads” only refers to the potential number of ads that we could possibly look at. Our brains automatically ignore the majority of what our eyes happen to notice.

Unfortunately, this makes standing out even harder. An ad can only have an impact if it is first seen, then recognized, absorbed, and remembered! The odds are not in our favor, here.

Almost everyone will need a realtor at some point, but not a lot of people need a realtor at any one time. That’s why sustainability is number one in online marketing. In order to already have a long-term relationship in place when it’s time for a prospect to move, you have to continue being on their radar for years!

We’ve all seen the anemic Facebook business pages, websites that have fallen into disrepair, and content that is significantly dated. It goes without saying that you cannot afford to be one of these businesses.

If you build your marketing efforts gradually, you’ll be impressed with what you can accomplish in a year. For realtors, slow and steady wins the race.

Today’s Action: An online presence check-up

1. First, make a list of all the online platforms that you have leveraged in the past five years to market your real estate business (your website, Zillow, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
2. Of all the platforms you have used, how many have been updated in the past month?
3. Which ones have produced solid leads and customers?
4. Approximately how many hours per week do you spend marketing yourself online?
5. With website costs, membership fees, subscriptions, advertising spend, and all other expenses combined, how much money per month do you invest in online marketing?

Knowing how your online presence is doing now will help you create a sustainable growth strategy in the coming days.