Ok, let’s have a quick review from where we left off last time: In our last article, we covered how almost everyone is online these days.  Most people you know have email. They have Facebook. Some have Twitter and other ‘Flavors of the Week.’  In addition to that, more and more people are using their Smartphones (iPhones, Droids, Blackberrys, etc.) to get online.

Let’s face it: Traditional advertising media, such as the Yellow Pages, newspapers and the like are dying a slow death as the internet continues its surge in popularity and ease of use.  Quick test: When was the last time YOU used the Yellow Pages?  Can’t remember?  That’s what I thought. 

So now that we’re back up to speed, let’s get right to it.  I’ll start off by stating the obvious fact, for those who might be a little slow today:

If You’re in Business, You NEED to Have an Online Presence!

…Or you won’t be in business for long.  You need to have a website. We’ll cover what needs to be on it in a second.  Some other essentials you’ll need: Email. A simple contact form. And definitely a Fan Page on Facebook.  There’s more, but let’s start with those for now…

Let’s talk about Facebook for a second.  Why do you need to be on there? Simple. Because everyone else is on Facebook! I won’t bore you with all the statistics, but let’s just put it this way: If Facebook members were a country, it would be bigger than the entire population of the U.S. and a lot of other countries combined.

The Simple Main Reason to be on Facebook:

Because that’s where your Prospects (potential customers) are!!  So it makes sense to go where they go and make your presence known to them so that they can connect with you and you can possibly do business together.  Marketing Guru Dan Kennedy gives the best example: If you’re selling hot dogs, the BEST thing you can do is get your cart in front of a hungry crowd!

The CROWD is on Facebook. We’ll find the HUNGRY ones soon enough.

If you’re on Facebook already, great! All you need to do is make a Fan Page.  There’s not enough time nor space to teach you how to do that in this article, but you can easily learn how to do this by going to YouTube and looking it up.  Tip: Facebook is more fickle than a teenage girl, and they make changes OFTEN, so be sure that the tutorial you use for creating your Fan Page is RECENT!

Now let’s get back to that Website thing…

A Question I Often Get Asked is, “What Should I Put On My Website?”

Start with the basics… A visitor to your site (or Fan Page) should:

• Be able to tell exactly WHAT you do…within 5 seconds of arriving,
• Identify if what you do (or have) is appropriate for them, and
• Want to take the right ACTION if what you have can help them get what they want.

A Very Simple 4-Step Formula I Like To Use Is:

1. WHO Are You?
2. WHAT Do You Have?
3. WHY Do They Need It?
4. HOW Can They Get It?

If you can follow that simple formula and put it at the TOP of your page in a simple, clean format, your site will be head and shoulders above most other websites.

A GREAT format to use is to have a headline at the top of your page that identifies your target market, then gives them a benefit-laden promise and gives them a reason to KEEP READING.  Right after that, have a VIDEO that engages them and TELLS them what to do to get what you’ve got. 

Confused? Just follow the 4-step simple formula above!

Headline Example:
“Do You Have a House to Sell?” (identifies target market)

“Who Else Wants To Discover the 5 Simple Secrets Most Home Sellers Absolutely Need to Know Before Selling Their House?”

Right under that headline, you could have a 90-second video that utilizes the Simple 4-Step Formula to further engage the visitor and lead them to want to take the next action: Filling out the form you have on your site that asks them for their name and email address in exchange for giving them something of value, such as a Free Report, another video, more information, a free estimate… or an offer on their house.

This type of web page is often referred to as a ‘Squeeze Page,’ because you’re trying to ‘squeeze’ their name & email information from them in exchange for giving them something they want or need.  But for your Real Estate Website (or Fan Page), you should also give them some a way of contacting you by putting your phone number at the top and bottom of the page. In addition to that, you should also put links to your other Social Media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Other content you can have on your site could include an ‘F.A.Q.’ page (Frequently Asked Questions), an ‘About Us’ page (in case they want to investigate), a ‘Locations’ page (to identify what specific geographic area you cover, if appropriate), and that ‘Contact Us’ page (with your phone number, email address, and an online form).

Those are the main basics you need to have on your website.

Whew! We’ve covered a LOT in this article. But we’re just getting started. We have a lot more to cover in the next few articles, so stick with me and make sure you get your greedy little hands on the next issue of “The Profit.”  We’ll continue next time by covering some other fun tricks and tips to attract TONS of motivated sellers, buyers, and whomever else you want to you like a stadium full of starving people to a hot dog cart!

See You Soon

Tony Pearl