If you have not already added Google Analytics to your website…now is a good time to do so.

All that a GraphicalData website user needs to do is create an account in Google,  sign up for Google Analytics and then do a quick copy-paste and you are done.

This powerful Web-based statistics package used to cost hundreds of dollars per month before Google bought it and now makes it available for free.

To begin, go to http://www.google.com/analytics/ and if you already have a Google account, just use it. If not follow the steps for creating an account and you are on your way.

[NOTE: GraphicalData has provided a manual to walk you through this whole process. Go into your admin center>website>website statistics>New! Google Analytics (or view manual here). Also take note of the field where you will paste in your Google Analytics account number. Then click the "Update Analytics" button and you are good to go.]

After this process is completed, you will be able to log into your Google Analytics account from any Web browser and see daily real time statistics on everything you could ever want to know about your site visitors and their behavior. All kinds of charts and graphs and information.

If you should have a challenge creating this account, call our support line as found on www.GraphicalData.com and we will be glad to assist.

Website statistics are highly useful if you have the ability to a) understand what they are saying about your site’s ability or lack of ability to convert visitors to clients, and b) they can be used to help create a strategic plan of action.

Part four in a multi-part series on improving your ad-writing skills.

You’ll remember that AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. I introduced this concept in part one of this series, and gave some time to Attention in parts two and three. If you missed those, I urge you to read at least part one before continuing, but either way, today I’ll be telling you a bit more about Interest.

Knowing the next steps, you may be tempted to spend just a moment on interest before moving onto desire and action, but that would be a mistake. You’ll have a significantly harder time building your readers’ desire if you don’t first interest them.

Make sure to relate your interest to your head-line and pictures. For home sales, this may mean quoting the price, showing more pictures of the property, or describing some real benefits of that particular home. For selling yourself and your services, this would be where you describe your great sales record or tell about the increased marketing coverage provided by your unique marketing methods.

The interest portion of the formula is definitely where you focus on “what’s in it for me?” the bottom line for any potential customer. So instead of focusing on features focus on how those features benefit the reader.

Good: Professional photographs are taken of every listing I sell.

Better: Homes with many professional photos sell more quickly than the average home. My services include professional photography for every listing I sell.

Good: Your home will be listed on my website.

Better: Your home will be seen by more potential buyers when listed on my website.

Whatever statements you make, whatever services you offer, consider how you can reword them to communicate the benefits: The why instead of just what or how.

Check back soon for part five where I’ll cover the next AIDA element: Desire.

If you are in an MLS that allows for searching open houses, then this feature can be available to you. Currently it is available in the NWMLS. This product has been available since the first of May 2009. If you are a new subscriber since that time, you are automatically enrolled in this newer tool. If you have been a subscriber before that date, then you will need to contact us to change you over to the newer product.

This feature is integrated into your interactive search map options as an additional search field. Your website visitors can then search for open houses using the standard search parameters.

Only open houses that MLS members have inputted into the MLS will be searchable and displayed. If you have not input your open houses into the MLS, then they will not display.

If you have a SnapViewer activated on your website, it is easy to update the listings in it.

Probably the only tricky thing is to make the changes to your existing SnapViewer and not create a new one. Typically, you will be modifying an existing SnapViewer that we have already created within your site.

When modifying a SnapViewer that has already been created in your GD site, just follow the following simple steps:

1. Login as you normally would in your admin center using your email and password
2. Select Tools >>> Marketing Tools
3. Select SnapViewer
4. Then in the upper left corner of the subsequent page, select “Edit” under “Edit an Existing SnapViewer”
5. On the page to follow, it will be evident how to add new MLS#s or replace existing MLS#s
6. When satisfied, click the “Build Snap-Viewer” button and it will instantly update your SnapViewer Flash presentation.
7. ***If you visit the “Help” section in you Website section, you will also find a movie tutorial on this topic***

Provide your visitors with the best in neighborhood trends as well as the current inventory of homes listed for sale…and even recent sales.

Visitors can create a profile on your website and then request a neighborhood report to be emailed to them monthly. From this report, they will be able to view interesting information such as:

- Active neighborhood inventory
- Number of recent sales
- Number of new listings
- Median listing and selling prices
- Supply of inventory
- Trends from previous month
- List price to sale price ratio
- Days on market

This is an easy way to acquire leads from your website*. As a GraphicalData website subscriber, there is no need to do anything on your part, this new feature appears as an option when a full listing is displayed and your visitor can take it from there.

Each report that goes out is branded to the website owner with photo, contact information and website address. Each report has been designed to be easy to understand and provide the information that your visitors are looking for.

And best of all, these reports are updated each month as the MLS updates their information and then are automatically emailed to your subscribers. By visiting a subscriber’s Client profile in your Contacts section you can additionally monitor if a report has been viewed.

This is a great informational tool created to help set GraphicalData users apart from the competition and in front of your visitors and clients. No additional work needed on your behalf…enjoy a tool most others don’t have.

View an example of this product which would be branded to the website owner.

NOTE: If you are a GraphicalData website subscriber, then this product is already available to you*.

Contact GraphicalData to for additional information or to subscribe to this lead generating and information providing tool.

*Currently available in NWMLS, RMLS, HAR.