Generate leads from testimonials on your real estate blog in 5 simple steps

ASK for the testimonial.

When you close a great deal or help find that hard to please home buyer the perfect pad, step up to the plate and ask them for a testimonial. If you stand around and wait for the testimonial to come to you, expect to be standing on that corner for quite some time. You need to identify your most valuable prospects from your past client database and give them a ring or send them a card asking for a testimonial. Take special care to ask those clients that have recommended you on their own. Happy clients are more than happy to give you a testimonial.

GUIDE your client on how to write a situation specific testimonial.

The best testimonials are those that address specific situations. So, feel free to guide your client on how you want that testimonial to read by reminding them of the specific circumstances of their deal that made it unique. For example, if they had very specific criteria for their home search, be sure to remind them of how hard it was to find those properties. If they had a home that had sat on the market for a year with another Realtor but you sold it in less than a month, push the testimonial in that direction.

DON’T fake or over edit testimonials.

Testimonials only really work when they are natural and REAL. Most people can spot B.S. from a mile away, so stick to the content your client gave you warts and all. You can edit the content down, but don’t change grammar or context. Also, never, never, never make up a testimonial. Your reputation is not worth the embarrassment of being caught gaffing a testimonial. Also, the real testimonials will drive in more traffic because you should always let a client know you have posted their words by sending them a link to the article. People like to be quoted, so they are likely to send their friends and family to your site to point out how brilliantly they were excerpted.

PLACE testimonials on your real estate blog appropriately.

There is nothing worse than seeing a Realtor that has taken the time to collect a slew of testimonials and relegated them to a never read Testimonials Page on their real estate blog or website. Always place testimonials related to buying towards the top of a page or post about buying in a larger and/or colored font, similarly place seller testimonials on seller pages and posts. Each time you pen a situation specific post that would tie nicely into your testimonial, be sure to couple the two. Feel free to use testimonials as inspiration for posts and addressing objections or problems potential buyers or sellers may encounter. This is a great way to grow your content and present testimonials naturally. Imagine the power a testimonial about how you helped a buyer through a difficult closing has sitting alongside an article about techniques you use to make a closing easier.

DIRECT readers to your lead generators through the testimonial.

If you make the testimonial itself a focal point of the page by enlarging the font and/pr changing the color, utilize the impact of the testimonial to guide readers to your lead generator. If the article and testimonial is about selling a home, clearly place a graphical link close to the testimonial to your lead generator for sellers.

~ REBlogGirl

Let Your Clients Do the Selling For You

In order to sell more houses, you must first sell yourself to potential clients. Your marketing message and client testimonials can truly set you apart from the competition.

What others say about you may be just as important as your own marketing message. In today’s information age, people tend to do a little homework before making a purchase or hiring for services. Often, folks rely on the referrals and testimonials of others.

The fact is that testimonials work. If at the end of a listing presentation you provide Mr and Mrs Seller with a list of names and positive comments from other happy sellers, this automatically gives you credibility. Or while a homebuyer is searching the web, they come across several testimonials showing how you have helped others save money and time, this person now feels you might be just the expert they are searching for.

You now have an advantage over the competition and a better opportunity to turn leads into clients.

As REALTORS, how many of you have one or more marketing messages posted on your website, printed materials, and advertisements? All of us, right?

And how many of those include testimonials from your clients? If you don’t have testimonials yet, get some. Ask each client personally for a written synopsis of their experience with you. You can even help them promote the message you want to convey by asking questions.

Mr Seller, how much money did I save you in selling your home? Mrs Buyer, did I negotiate an excellent price for you on this home? Did I make the escrow process as painless as possible? Did I always follow up in a timely manner? Would you recommend my services to others?

Adding testimonials to your sales message is certainly not a new concept. Jay Abraham, perhaps the most famous marketer of them all, stresses the importance of getting your clients to talk on your behalf. “Provide testimonials and show examples…that other clients have experienced…” he pitches to a group of business clients (Summaries of the Master Marketing Strategies, 2003). In fact, as popular as he is, even he displays client testimonials on his own website.

Always be sure to keep a copy of the original testimonial from each client – and be sure to get the client’s permission to publish their name and comments.

If you are new to the business with no clients yet, ask if your brokerage has some statistics and testimonials that you can use. You could use something like “My company sold over 1200 homes last year” and “92% of my company’s clients would recommend us to their friends.” This can get you started. Then, ask for testimonials from every client you service.

When you post the testimonials on your website and printed materials, be sure to include the client’s full name. Using anonymous names or initials makes it look like the clients aren’t real. This can actually detract from your credibility. Adding full names and possibly the city or phone number gives your testimonial a human touch.

And you will be seen by potential clients as the trustworthy and reliable agent that they are seeking.

~ Andrea Messenger

Professional Design Makes a BIG Difference

Wendy Maynard is one of my favorite marketing bloggers.  While her recent post is not specifically written for Realtors, it certainly does apply.  I have seen some absolutely horrendous Realtor web sites out there and I am always asking myself….”what are they thinking?”.  Anyway, enjoy the read and please follow her advice!  

Some businesses make the mistake of trying to design their own logo, business card, or website. Or they have an amateur “throw together” something for them. This is actually a VERY costly mistake. Having a logo, stationery, brochures, and other marketing materials that look unprofessional and poorly designed creates a less-than-favorable impression in the minds of new prospects and can lose you potential business.  

Hire a professional, reputable design firm to develop your logo and marketing materials. Do it right from the beginning. Here are some specific reasons why having professionals design your marketing materials is an investment in the future of your business:  

1. First Impressions Count: Your logo and marketing materials are the first impression people get of your company. People often make decisions about where they make purchases based on imagery. Your appearance helps sell your company and draw in new prospects!  

2. Your Branding Sets You Apart: A well-designed identity will help to differentiate your business. Without a solid brand, your core-marketing message isn’t being reinforced, you aren’t memorable, and you also have a problem distinguishing your company from your competitors.  

3. Your Materials Sell You: Anything your company puts out in front of prospects and customers must be of the highest quality. If your logo, website, business cards, and brochure aren’t professional, why would prospects think your services are any better?  

4. Professional Design Enhances Credibility: People want to purchase services or products from a company that appears established, secure, and reliable. Your business needs to look sound and trustworthy. Professional materials show that you care about quality and have attention to detail.  

Well-designed, strategic marketing materials will reward you again and again by driving more customers to your company and helping you to make a great first impression. Professional, high-quality marketing tools will move your prospects closer to making a purchase. And after all, you wouldn’t show up to a professional networking event in pajamas, so, why would you dress your business in sloppy clothes? 

~ Wendy Maynard – Kinetic Ideas

What SEO Copywriting Is… and Isn’t

I’ve been frustrated lately. It seems people just don’t get it. There’s lots of talk about SEO copywriting these days, but hardly any of it is on target. The majority of the conversations, posts and articles I’ve seen deal with topics like keyword density, allowable limits, over optimization and such. These people are making search engine copywriting all about the search engines. They are forgetting the fact that SEO copywriting is still copywriting.

What that means – generally speaking – is you are still writing promotional copy designed to cause a *person* to take a specific action. Your target audience (your site visitors) should come first. The elements designed to help the copy rank well absolutely come last.

What good is all the traffic in the world if your site copy doesn’t convert visitors into buyers? Not much. That’s why – when writing SEO copy – the human visitor comes first.

Unfortunately, SEO copywriting is getting a bad name because so much of what is being cranked out is repetitious babble. Most of these pages would never have made it on to a site, except for the fact that the site owner wanted to rank highly for certain key terms.

So, in the interest of salvaging the good name of search engine copywriting, before it’s too late, let me offer some guidelines.

SEO Copy Is:

• first and foremost – written for the visitor.
• unique and purposeful.
• natural-sounding – it flows.

SEO Copy Is Not:

• written exclusively with the engines in mind.
• mirrored, adjusted or altered to create new pages by simply changing keyphrases.
• stiff, forced or overly repetitive.

The Dos of SEO Copywriting

When writing SEO copy, you’ll want to:

• understand who you are writing to.
• choose what the focus of the page will be.
• create a plan outlining the message you want to convey.
• decide how best to communicate that message to your particular target customers.
• choose which keyphrases will be incorporated into the copy.
• make sure those keyphrases work well with the page and the planned copy.
• incorporate keyphrases as you write (not after you write), so they flow naturally with the planned message.

The Don’ts of SEO Copywriting

When writing SEO copy, you should never:

• create a plan based solely on how to rank high.
• replace *every* instance of a generic term (car) with a keyphrase (red, convertible car).
• add pages of copy simply to appease the search engines.
• rely on useless keyword density ratios and formulas.
• shove keyphrases in everywhere possible. (No, it won’t get you banned, but it will sound completely ridiculous!)

SEO copywriting is not the process of writing exclusively for the search engines. It is the process of writing copy to appeal to your visitors, while including elements to help the search engines and your visitors understand what the page is all about.

If you remember who truly makes or breaks your site’s success (your customers!) and focus on them, you’re sure to create SEO copy that rings true.

~ Karon Thackston – Search Engine Guide

Why Online Marketing Matters

Search engine marketing has boomed in recent years and statistics show that spending for online marketing is only going to continue to increase year after year. Several years ago the concept of running a website in conjunction with your “brick and mortar” store was seen as just another avenue to generate a handful more sales each year. Today, running a website is not only a great way to generate a considerable amount of new revenue, it is almost essential to the total marketing plan of your business.

Every day, millions of people go to the web for research, shopping, news, entertainment and more. Offline stores are heavily promoting their websites to their consumers in the isles and at the checkout stand as a means of building brand loyalty as well as shopping convenience. Marketing your website online can literally add thousands, hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars into your business bank account.

As consumers turn to the web for a variety of reasons, planning the online marketing strategy of your website can help you tap into each of those avenues as a way to generate new traffic, more conversions, and a loyal customer base. Ignoring the potential of the web will only serve to give your competitors a substantial advantage in reaching your target market. Not investing appropriate time, money, or resources into the online marketing of your website is akin to handing your customers over directly to your competitors.

Let’s consider the success of Amazon.com. When you think of online bookstores, most people think of Amazon. Why is that? Why not BarnsandNoble.com or Borders.com? Ten years ago, when the web was in its infancy, yet growing in popularity, Jeff Bezos jumped into the online game with a bookstore of his own. He got his store online before Barnes and Noble and Borders and now runs one of the most successful marketplaces online: Amazon.com

Even today, as all national booksellers are selling their products online, they have not been able to overcome the online success of this one guy who started a bookstore in his basement. Here we are, ten years later, and there are still thousands of businesses that have still not built up their online presence. Many have websites, but very few are marketing their websites effectively. You may not become the next Amazon.com success story, but effective marketing of your website can add considerable coin to your purse.

~ Stoney deGeyter

Search Engine Optimization and Back Link Building

By now, if you’ve been attempting to raise the position of your website in Google, Yahoo, or MSN, you know that one of the ways to do so is through “back links.” (There are others too, like fresh content and updates, meta tags, and more.)

If you’re not sure what back links are, back links are links to your site from someone else’s. Each back link acts as a vote for your site. In other words, the search engines think that if others are willing to link to your website, you must have relevant worthwhile information on it. However, there are a few points to remember: 1. The quality of the pages linking to you matter.2. The higher their ranking, the more their vote weighs for your site.

3. Be careful not to get banned from the search engines by creating many different junk sites that link to your site.

4. Don’t SPAM all over the web, linking your site however and whenever you can. You should only be leaving your link on other relevant sites when you have something to contribute!

~ from: www.royallmedia.blogspot.com