Portal Power – How to Supercharge Your Online Marketing

 Portal Power - How to Supercharge Your Online Marketing [25:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

BuilderRadio interviews Andy Brown, Move.com & Realtor.com

Are you confused by all the options available for marketing your homes online?  After all, internet marketing is a rapidly moving target.  Having a good, effective website is absolutely essential, but keeping up with all that it takes to stay current – SEO, SEM, PPC, page ranking, social media, etc. – can quickly become overwhelming.

Andy Brown, Vice President of Move.com and Realtor.com, helps us to get a broader perspective of how Internet marketing and the ‘new media’ relates to Builders and Realtors, how and why portals are reaching buyers by the thousands, and how to chart an online strategy that is right for you.

“There are really multiple layers within the Internet marketing opportunity,” says Brown.  “I’ll focus on three levels.”

Level 1:  The Basics
This is where builders have committed to the basics of new media.  They have a website and keep it updated regularly.  They have their homes listed on the MLSs and perhaps on portal sites – online directories such as Move.com or Realtor.com.  That done, Brown recommends taking it one step further with an ‘enhanced’ listing.  “Enhanced listings are very important to creating a better consumer experience on a portal site.”

Level 2:  Intermediate Internet Marketing
This would include regular Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and perhaps some Search Engine Marketing (SEM), such as pay per click advertising.

Level 3:  Advanced Internet Marketing Strategies
This third level includes using social marketing outlets, such as blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to find and communicate with potential buyers.  “At Level 3,” says Brown, “the builder’s goal is to have their website at the center of all their marketing.”

Brown sees strong reasons for both Builders and Realtors to continue to increase their online presence and work to get to Level 3.  First, studies show that the overwhelming majority of homebuyers are doing their research online.  If they don’t find you there, chances are they won’t find you at all… or take you seriously if they do.

Secondly, unlike offline media advertising, Internet marketing can be accurately and effectively measured.  You can quickly determine what works and what doesn’t and adjust accordingly.

“Internet marketing, including portals, has the capability of being highly effective, and it’s certainly cost effective.  Really, it’s totally accountable to performance.  And that’s where you want to be, particularly in these challenging times.

Become an Internet Practitioner
“Lawyers practice law and doctors practice medicine.  We need to be in the business of practicing Internet marketing.  It’s an ongoing, dynamic process that we need to be continually developing in terms of return on investment and ultimately selling more homes.”

Here, Brown poses an important question for anyone wanting to develop and effective marketing strategy:  “You have to ask yourself, ‘Do I believe in new media, and is this going to be an essential part of my success?’  And if the answer is yes, the next question is ‘How will our company utilize new media?  Will we learn and implement it internally?  Outsource it?  Or a combination of the two?’

In my experience, it’s usually a combination of both.  A lot of companies are very good at managing their website and updating content, but maybe they need help in outsourcing their SEO or understanding how to buy online media.  That’s where portals and Internet listing services can really help with the process.”

Using Portals to Drive Traffic and Build Brand
Portals and online directories work because of their ability to pull in vast amounts of high-quality traffic.  Virtually every industry has portals – ‘mega-sites’ if you will, that have the ability to attract thousands of visitors for every one that we might be able to find on our own, and then screening each visitor so that they find the specific information, i.e. homes and communities, that they are most interested.

So, if you’re listing your homes on a community, you’re listings are being viewed by those individuals that are most likely to become buyers of your products.

Portals can also show prospective buyers much more than most MLS listings, including multiple views, enhanced descriptions, links to your website, even videos.  So prospects can get as much information as you wish to share with them, then click a link or pick up the phone to contact you directly.

Moreover, no matter what your current level of involvement is in online marketing, you can use portals to help you get to the next level.  If you’re at Level 1 and you’re keeping your website updated and current, then portals like Move.com and Realtor.com can help you drive traffic and build your brand.  Some Level one strategies might include:

• Use portal sites to list your communities and individual plans or models.
• Make sure that your local MLS listings are enhanced; include multiple photos.
• Integrate email marketing as part of your overall marketing strategy
• Test banner advertising on portals and measure the results

At Level 2, portal listings and advertising help your search engine optimization by providing high-authority links back to your website – something on which search engines place increasingly high value.

At Level 3, where you’re actively using social media to market your homes and company, portals give you the ability to not only cast a wider ‘net’, but also provide relevant links that more people can find and share.

Are portals the best use your online advertising dollars?  With all that they have to offer, the cost to list your homes or community is remarkably reasonable, though costs vary from site to site.  Most portal sites offer trial listings, and some, such as Move.com, offer free consultation by Internet marketing experts, to help you get started.

If you are committed to increasing your online presence, though, why not do some research, pick a portal, and try a listing.  You may find, as thousands of Builders and Realtors are finding, that portals work to grow your sales.

_______________________________ .

Contact Move.com or Realtor.com at 888-347-2211,  or email newhomemarketing@move.com.

Where to List Your Homes Online:  For a list of 50+ additional internet portals and listing services, go to www.BuilderRadio.com/50Resources.

Next Webinar:  Wednesday, October 21 @ 2:00pm ET

Think Like a Consumer; Act Like a (World Class) Retailer
presented by Jane Meagher
If you’re going to sell effectively, you need to know what your buyer is thinking,
what their motivation is and what they’ll respond to.  Top retailers, like Saks and Nordstroms, are pros at understanding buyer behavior and trends, and Jane Meagher, President of Success Strategies, will show you how you can follow their lead to better connect with your buyers.  Click here for details.