Part 2 on driving off-line traffic to your website.

On my last post we reviewed what Direct Navigation was, and how it could be implemented and integrated into our marketing to increase the traffic to your website.

This post I would like to revisit the Direct Navigation concept and look at a few more zingers or slight variations on the previous examples. As you can see they are only limited by your imagination. You should review your strengths, what you are offering on your web site, and your marketplace…then promote with the appropriate “zingers” that would entice folks to visit your website.

• Visit My NEW Website
• View This Weekend’s Open Houses
• Subscribe to Neighborhood Reports for Statistics and Trends (not available all areas)
• Search All Area Homes for Sale Anytime
• To Visit Every Listing, Visit YourDomainName.com
• Request a FREE Relocation Package (if you provide one)
• View My Online Real Estate Newsletter (if you provide one)
• Request your FREE School Report [or] Free Neighborhood Report
• View Properties utilizing Google’s Earth Mapping Technology

I have had agents tell me that upon mailing out postcards promoting their websites (spheres and farms), when reviewing their stats, they saw substantial increases in traffic.

Whether using postcards, magazines (ie Homes and Land) or whatever, you will have an impact on the traffic to your site. And like anything we do in real estate, it is numbers and timing. The more we send, the greater the return.

Don’t be afraid to promote your website. Do have good quality content when your visitors stop by.

Did you know that “Direct Navigation” can often account for as much traffic to your website as do search engines…perhaps even more?

“Direct Navigation” can happen when someone types in your domain name, or URL directly into the address bar of their browser. This also  can include links from emails and bookmarks.

What might some of these marketing solutions be? Business cards, direct mail, magazine ads, newspapers, signage, etc.

For example, in Homes and Land…or newspaper advertising, you could continue to show 2 or 3 listings or whatever, but would devote the thrust of your message as to why they should visit your website with 2 or 3 zingers…maybe even only one if it is a biggie.

And another idea…send out those postcards. You could display an image of your website on the card, and then list a zinger or two as to why the recipient should visit your website. Agents that have done this  say they could see the increased traffic to their websites via their stats.

You can probably reduce the size of your advertisement one notch!

Here is a list of zingers that you can place in your advertising.

• NEW! Search homes by neighborhood!
• See Photos of your favorite listings!
• View all MLS listings from all real estate companies.
• See what homes sold for in your neighborhood.
• Estimate what your home is worth.
• Save your favorite listings for future viewing.
• Save your search for future viewing
• Find information on schools, and neighborhoods.
• Receive the latest email notification of new listings matching your search criteria.
• Send listings of interest to family and friends by email.
• View Buyer and Sellers tips.
• Calculate how much home you can afford.
• Calculate your mortgage payments.

Integrate your marketing strategies…offline marketing and online marketing…then watch your traffic grow!

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

While you can’t get to Action without building up to it with a great attention-grabbing headline and picture, building interest, and inspiring desire, it’s fair to say that Action is the lynchpin in your AIDA marketing. Without it, all the hard work you did with A, I, and D is pointless and fruitless. Don’t let your efforts go to waste! When your reader says, “You caught my attention. I’m interested, I want it!” tell them what the next step is.

Read on for 8 ways to more effective calls to action.

1. Give your name, your number, your email address, and your website. Seems simple, but just don’t forget to do it!

2. Online? Go beyond “click here” instead, try telling them why. “Click here to begin your voyage to home ownership!” “Click here to learn about the first-time-homebuyer tax credit.”

3. Imbue your calls to action with a sense of urgency. “Now”, “today” “hurry” “before it’s too late!”

4. Offer something in return. “Contact me for a free Comparative Market Analysis of your home.” “Click here for a free relocation packet.” “Visit my website to discover the value of your home.”

5. Make your call to action stand out. Use bigger, bolder text, and consider warm, bright colors when possible.

6. On your web pages, use bright, clear buttons rather than just text to elicit those clicks.

7. Place your calls to action in a clear location. DON’T bury them in the middle. Stick with the top or bottom (or both!) of your ad.

8. Make it easy! Don’t force your prospect to jump through hoops to respond to your marketing. That’s the principle behind at least half of these tips. Put that action on a silver platter and hand it to your prospect.

Thanks for sticking with me through this “treatment” of the AIDA principles of marketing. Here’s where you come in. Tell me what you think of AIDA. Do you have any unanswered questions about how to implement it? Share with me your unique perspectives on implementing it in your own business.

I’d love to hear how you’re using these and other marketing and writing principles in the real world. Share your thoughts and insights by leaving a comment below!

Part 1 on driving off-line traffic to your website.

Did you know that “Direct Navigation” accounts for as much traffic to your website as does search engines…perhaps even more?

What exactly is “Direct Navigation”? It means that visitors typed your domain name, or URL directly into the address bar of their browser. This also includes links from emails and bookmarks.

This means that all the “off-line” marketing we do can make a difference to our traffic. The benefit here of course, is that many of these are “low-tech” and inexpensive.

What might some of these marketing solutions be? Business cards, direct mail, magazine ads, newspapers, signage, etc.

So, how…what would you do??? If I were an agent, I would get busy with my “off-line” marketing. I would focus on driving folks to my website as my primary focus.

For example, in Homes and Land…or newspaper advertising, you could continue to show 2 or 3 listings or whatever, but would devote the thrust of your message as to why they should visit your website with 2 or 3 zingers…maybe even only one if it is a biggie.

The cool thing is that you could probably reduce the size of your advertisement one notch down because once a visitor visits your site, they have even more content to become excited with…and interact with! They just need that “sexy” reason to go to their computer and type in your URL (your domain name).

Here is a list of zingers that you can place in your advertising.

• Search homes by neighborhood!
• See Photos of your favorite listings!
• View all MLS listings from all real estate companies from one website.
• See what homes have sold for in your neighborhood.
• Estimate what your home is worth.
• Save your favorite listings for future viewing.
• Save your own custom search for future viewing
• Find information on schools, and neighborhoods.
• Receive the latest email notification of new listings matching your search criteria.
• Send listings of interest to family and friends by email.
• View Buyer and Sellers tips.
• Calculate how much home you can afford.
• Calculate your mortgage payments.
• Get creative…you can come up with even more reasons

And another idea…send out those postcards. You could display an image of your website on the card, and then list a zinger or two as to why the recipient should visit your website. Agents that have done this say they could see the increased traffic to their websites via their stats.

You need to integrate your marketing strategies…offline marketing and online marketing…then watch your traffic grow!

It is easy to add a Photo Gallery Tour to your listing in the GraphicalData database. The Photo Gallery will then show as a button when the actual listing is displayed.

But wait, there’s more…most any type of media that has a web address can be attached to your listing. So, this could be the photo gallery, the photo viewer, a 360 degree virtual tour that you have had created, etc.

How? First, determine the address of the Photo Gallery (or other media). Then, just sign into your GraphicalData admin page and select the Listings Tab in the top navigation bar. From there, drill down to “Inventory”. Any listing(s) that are current in the MLS should appear in this section. Select “View” on the listing you wish to add your media web address link to.

The applicable section is called “Virtual Tours”. You will note that there are 3 fields available to hold media links to. Select “Tour 1 Link” to begin. At this same point, are simple instructions on how to proceed. In essence, name what the link is to be called (ie Photo Gallery) and then paste in the link…save, and you are done.

Now, anyone who views your listing, will see your Photo Gallery (or other attached media).

Common grammar blunders to avoid.

I like to give folks the benefit of the doubt, and assume that when I see the homophones too and to misused that it’s actually just a typo. Maybe I’m naïve. So, here’s a quick reminder on when to use too and to, two and tutu too!

Too is an adverb that means “also” or “excessively.”

To is a preposition with so many uses that it would put you to sleep to read them all.  There are literally 27 indications of its use on dictionary.com, and I invite you to read them all if you’re curious.

If that’s too much of a brain bender, or you simply don’t have the time, it might help to use this simple mnemonic, “too has too many o’s” or an excessive number of o’s. If you’re using too when you mean excessive or also (”in addition,” which is related to excessive) then you’d use too, otherwise use to.

It’s rare to see the noun two misused. It represents the numeral 2. And don’t forget that tutu is not a short form of “to too”, but rather a noun referring to the short, full skirts worn by ballerinas. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with that one.

Here are a few examples before I go.

Correct: He went to the zoo.

Correct: That shirt belongs to Sue.

Correct: They want to help

Incorrect: I’m to tired.

Incorrect: We’re going shopping to.

Correct: I’m too tired.

Correct: He spent too much.

Correct: We’re going shopping too.

Incorrect: I want too walk.

Incorrect: They went too church.

Correct: Those two girls took too many tutus to the show. (Am I good or what?)