Most real estate websites are a great big waste of time.
There are 3 crucial mistakes agents make when considering real estate websites: Not properly using lead capture and automated followup, not using video, and re-inventing the wheel.
Let’s take these one at a time.
First, let’s face it: if you’re a real estate agent, you pretty much sell the same service as 99% of all other real estate agents in the USA. Sure, I know… your “realestateout” or you focus on high-end homes, or some other niche – but at the core, you help people buy and sell real estate. Why then do so many agents when considering real estate websites want to put in all this work customizing it or agonizing over making the right decision? Or spend hours writing custom content?
Don’t get me wrong, I know the importance of branding and separating from the competition. That said, there are systems that are very plug-and-play and do an excellent job for you – provided you search for the other two criteria.
Mistake #2 is not using video. These days, it’s not a fancy bell or whistle – it’s a way to quickly, effectively deepen your engagement with a potential client. If that contained a bit too much biz-speak, it means that video gets your potential client interested faster, and gets them to spend more time on your site, and they’re 300% to 400% more likely to contact you (which, if done right, means they become a lead).
Last, over 60% of sales happen after the 5th contact, but only about 11% of agents follow up more than 5 times. What does this mean? The classic 80/20 rule, which in real estate websites, is more like 90% / 10%, where the top 10% of agents outsell the other 90%. Fortunately, this is very easy to fix – you just need a sequential autoresponder tied to a “bait / response” system. Like a 1-800 call capture system, a good autoresponder setup will grow your email list by leaps and bounds while creating a system that the best leads automatically come forward and ask for help, like cream rising to the top of milk. People who decide to sell a home often start with “how much can I get” and then to deciding who the best agent is for their needs. Home-buyers just start with looking at listings, even though they really should start with getting pre-approved for a mortgage.
The options for real estate websites are many, but few have all the ingredients you need to dominate your area. One new concept is what’s essentially a marketing co-op. Imagine having a mastermind group that gives you an exclusive territory, and therefore everyone can really pitch in to work and promote the site. One of the biggest flaws in nearly all real estate websites is that each agent is working hard to promote their site, but the most valuable keywords are extremely competitive, and therefore dominated by the “big guys“, i.e. media companies or a few top-performing agents who have the budget for a tech staff.
