The simple fact that the internet is a part of the returning real estate market is not big news, but with so much information coming out so fast, understanding it can be difficult. This article is the fifth in a series of six that decodes the basics, and even some mild intricacies, of the world of electronic marketing and will show you how to compete and succeed in an area of marketing where you might have previously feared to tread.

In this portion we will discuss the core of your electronic marketing strategy – your website. In the interest of full disclosure it should be noted that I consult for a company that provides web sites for real estate agents. As such I will not be citing sources to specific providers as I have in previous articles. This is in the interest of fairness.

Types of websites In the last article in this series we discussed the essential components of a successful website. Now we get into the meat of the subject, how do you choose a website? The market is wide open for real estate web sites at the moment, and there are many options to choose from. As I mentioned earlier, I have a vested interest in this area so rather than discuss what I prefer, I will list the three main types of sites that are currently selling best and what the advantages of each type are.

Template sites – There are a great variety of templated sites available. At the bottom end they begin with free sites (that you may never get a Google rank out of) all the way up to highly intelligent IDX data delivery systems. Templated sites tend to go up quick and easy. They also tend to be very cheap and will cost you anywhere from Free to about $125 per month. The main advantage of a template site is that you have something that goes up quick and that you don't have to touch. If you are a hands-off agent, then these are the sites for you. Larger offices will typically give template sites to agents for free.

Custom Designed Sites – This is a site that you would order from a local web designer. These sites are often the most original looking as the only limitation is what the designer is capable of. They are also the most expensive (by far). While it is nice to have the exact design that you want, there is no consistency in quality due to the fact that every single designer is an independent contractor. If you decide to go this route, it is a must to find a designer that specializes in real estate agent web design.

Content Management Based (CMS) based sites – These are sites that while based on a template, are generally customizable to some degree and allow you to change the basic content with no extra software. The key to finding a quality Template/Custom CMS vendor is partially in their ability to deliver a quality product and your ability to edit the content that you want to on a regular basis. There are quite a few of these vendors so it is best to find one that suits you best in your particular niche. For example, there is only one company that offers CSS/XHTML compliant websites with a CMS back end – for those agents wanting a site customized along the lines of a fully custom site. Do your homework and you will likely find the crème de la crème of agent sites in this particular area.

Succeeding With a Website

You are going to spend a good amount of money for a decent site so in the end you are going to want to choose a site that will suit your activity the best. If you want leads (and if you will follow up with them) then a more functionally relevant website is going to be best for you. If you really don't want anything to do with the web and you feel that you just need your name 'out there' somewhere then perhaps a less active site is a better match for you.

Just remember that in order for a web site to be successful it must be able to excel at:

• Inbound marketing - Draw users to it

• Relevant - Contain information relevant to your clients

• Elicit Action - Your site should compel your visitors to leave their information

• Follow-up - You have to follow-up on the leads that your site generates for you or you are not getting the full benefit of your site.

The last bit of advice that I will dispense with here is this: Don't design your website yourself. So many people get a brand new Mac or jump on WordPress and think that they have found the key to 'do it yourself.' Ask yourself this, are your clients better off selling their own homes without you? Of course not, and we all know the reasons why. Ergo, you should probably let a professional build your website – for many of the same reasons. Above all, do not forget that this site will represent you and you as a brand.

Next Article: Your Electronic Funnel - SEO to Leads

Brandon Smith is a marketing expert in the real estate industry and college instructor. He can be reached at AgentExcel.

Published: January 20, 2010

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