Below is an interesting article from RisMedia about the the importance of using both the internet as well as traditional skills in order to effectively stay competitive in the real estate industry. This includes the use of 3d walkthroughs, 3d floor plans, and also search engine marketing tools. By Mike Parker
RISMEDIA, May 8, 2007-As your Web site just sits there, do you ever wonder what the big hullabaloo is about the Internet? Many folks just like you write me each month and ask if all the traditional skills they have nurtured are now made obsolete by "online marketing."
The answer is an emphatic "NO!" What we all need to do is think of how to blend our skills with this new way of reaching so many prospects searching for homes in our neighborhoods. How well one is able to be creative and blend these skills, determines what level of success one ultimately has when attracting Internet buyers.
For example, Richard Beckman and his company, the Richard Beckman Group in Shelton, Washington, near Seattle, continue to baffle and frustrate their competition while having tremendous success with their clients. In Richard's corner of the real estate universe, he has blended traditional skills while using the Internet in a creative but simple way.
Richard does not let his Web site ‘just sit there;' last year, he sold and listed 56 properties. In 2005, Richard sold 25 houses and listed 32 more, all using the same blend of traditional tools and the Internet.. This is no fluke, and like all Internet success, gets stronger with age.
His Web address, www.WashingtonRealEstateResource.com, is on his yard signs, letterhead, and everything he does. Beckman-in his independent, "non-affiliated-with-giant-franchises" office-came up with a great technique that has him outselling just about every other Realtor in the county.
First, he realized that if he could secure top billing on Internet searches when people look for homes in his target neighborhood, he'd have a leg up on competitors. Secondly, if he could achieve that, he would then use that position to attract more buyers and sellers. Beckman attained the first goal, and he now promotes that achievement in all his marketing materials. Moreover, every time a home is sold in his target marketplace, Beckman sends a letter to every resident of the marketplace. But he doesn't stop there.
The letter has a format: Beckman's sign at the top, his photo on the right, his information in the middle. Below his sign, the letter is addressed to the resident homeowner by name and address and the opening sentence is "91 East Ocean Lane just SOLD for $485,000-ANOTHER Richard Beckman Group listing SOLD!" A photo of the property is nicely inserted on the left third of the page. Then, the text:" Are you thinking of selling your property? I'm the agent that can put the SOLD sign on your property. Visit www.WashingtonRealEstateResource.com for more information."
"If you list your property with me, I will guarantee that your property will be the first property seen on these Internet sites: Google, Yahoo, MSN, Alta Vista and more when people type in "Alderbrook Real Estate, Alderbrook Homes or Alderbrook Golf Homes. Visit any of these search engines and see how I show up at the top of the first page. More than 80% of buyers are going online, and that's where I can put your listing-on the first page where 80% of the buyers are looking!"
That approach landed Beckman 35 listings in Alderbrook last year. Why? Because prospects recognize the importance of the Internet in real estate today and they want an agent who can put them where Internet buyers can find their listing. Beckman has been operating this way for years, now, and he has a virtual stronghold on his target market as a result. He has a lot of competition: all bigger and better funded than he was when he started, yet he consistently is a top agent in his county. How can an independent out- muscle and outperform his counterparts at the giant franchises?
"It's really simple," Beckman stated. "The business is migrating more and more to the Internet…If people can find you on the Internet, you have a chance to land Internet buyers. Once you are on top of the search engines, more buyers find you and more come to you. I manage to have a pipeline full of good properties because my clients recognize that Internet buyers come to me because I come up on the first pages. Also, I own property in Alderbrook and I am well-known there. We work hard and provide excellent service to our clients. We are like every other top professional Realtor with one exception: we've got the power of the Internet working for us and I can show my clients that we have that power to come up on the first page where their property will be seen by Internet buyers looking for property in Alderbrook."
I asked Beckman another question: "It's selfless of you to share your methods. Aren't you concerned that others will use your strategy?" His answers surprised me: "One-there's plenty of business for everyone; two-you can't believe how many Realtors won't spend $8 a day to make placement happen for them; and three-I've been doing this for three years and my position is well seasoned; as long as I keep up my subscription, I'll remain on top!"
To summarize Beckman's method: step one seems to be making sure your Web site can be found. (If you would like to know if it can or cannot be found, click here and we will tell you which is the case-free).
Once you know that, you can do something to change that or to take advantage of it. Step two of this technique is a neighborhood mailing program to your farm whenever you sell a property. In that mail, which is personally addressed to each homeowner, you use your Internet mastery to show them why you should be their agent-buying or selling.
Beckman is currently in Maui for a well earned vacation. When was the last time you were able to take two weeks off? With the Internet as your team member, that can happen, too. The Internet is a tool and you are the one who determines how effective that tool is for you.
