Individual Listing Web Sites Made Easy

There is a new company called UniqueHomeSites.com that has really impressed me with their technology. They provide the easiest way to create and maintain a web site for a specific listing that I have ever come across. I am talking about a web site with the home’s address as the URL such as www.1234WalnutStreet.com.

There are three reasons to publish a web site for a listing:

1. Differentiate your marketing from all of the other Realtors (which will help you get listings)
2. Increase exposure of the listing to the 80% of buyers that start their search on the internet.
3. Provide more information on the home than is possible on your web site and make it look more professional.

I created a web site in less time than it took to write this post and now UniqueHomeSites will reserve and pay for the address URL for a year,  publish and store the web site for $ 69.00 for one site or $ 49.00 of you buy a package of 10.

(Click here to see a rough Unique Homes Sites Sample)

The software includes features such as:

• Integrated Google mapping and YouTube integration
• Agent branding
• Reciprocal links back to your agent website
• Automated Canadian school locator (US to follow)
• Wide variety of professional templates to choose from
• Domain name registration
• Panoramic photo viewer
• Free preview

If you don’t have the time to create the web site we can do it for you for only $ 50.00.

Blogging Tips

I have become a huge fan of blogging in the past couple of months and while I consider myself a novice I am overwhelmed by the results I have achieved as measured by my rankings in Google. I am always thirsting for new ideas and Mack Collier wrote an article on the Marketing Profs blog called “Eight Easy Ways To Grow Your Blog” that is indispensable. You can also visit his blog for more ideas. I would also like to credit Jordan Behan of Tell Ten Friends for alerting me to this post.

Here is a an excerpt from the post, but to do it justice you should read the whole article and visit Mack’s blog for a few more. The photo is a re-enactment of me typing with two fingers and a thumb.

1 – Post regularly. Probably the easiest way to grow your blog’s readership is to make sure you post on a regular schedule going in.

2 – Develop a comment policy. Decide how you will handle comments, if you will post them automatically, or moderate them. And if you moderate them, you need to develop a plan for approving them as quickly as possible, and during non-business hours.

3 – Reply to comments. Listen to the feedback you are receiving from your readers. Readers want to know that you are paying attention to their comments, and by replying and acknowledging them, you are showing your readers that you appreciate their efforts.

4 – Showcase readers who make special contributions. Do everything you can to make sure that readers that frequently comment, or link to your blog, know that you appreciate them.

5 – Build your blogroll with your readers’ interests in mind. Remember your blog isn’t for you, it’s for your community.

6 – Offer unique content aimed at your blog’s target audience.

7 – Make your blog’s feed available for RSS subscribers. Feed readers such as Google Reader and Bloglines are becoming increasingly popular, so you should set up a FeedBurner account ASAP and get your feed out there.

8 – Offer email subscriptions to your blog’s content. FeedBurner offers this service as well. Offering email subscriptions gives these infrequent readers the ability to stay up to date on your postings.

Client Appreciation Versus Client Referral Events

Clients sometimes confuse client appreciation events with client referral events and while the difference seems subtle, done correctly a client appreciation event will bring in referrals naturally as a result of the feeling of goodwill it generates whereas a client referral event is very much a business development exercise.

Client Appreciation Event is to thank current business clients.

Client Referral Event is for clients to bring one or more of their “qualified” friends to meet you.

A Client Appreciation Event assists businesses in retaining existing clients and developing repeat business, whereas a Referral Event is a vehicle to attract new clients. But remember, clients go where they are invited, and they stay only where they are appreciated.

Here are some ideas for a Client Appreciation event ranging from a few dollars per client up to about $ 100 per client. All of these need “fleshing” out to make them work, but they give you some food for thought.

1. Put on an old-fashioned family picnic (bouncy castles etc)
2. Take clients to sports events (football, baseball, basketball, hockey, etc.)
3. Put together a Wine & Cheese tasting at a local restaurant or wine store
4. Chocolate tasting at a local Chocolatier
5. Host a dinner cruise
6. Invite clients to a theater event
7. Have a mobile spa come to your event (in Dallas try A Spa Affair)
8. Rent a movie theatre for a first-run movie
9. Host a holiday party
10. Have a wardrobe consultant give a presentation
11. Casino Night with proceeds to a charity
12. Invite clients to a cooking class
13. Rent out a public pool for a family swim night
14. Host a tail gate party at a sports event
15. Organize a family hike with a picnic after
16. Invite people to a tournament (golf, baseball, croquet etc)
17. Hot air balloon rides
18. Weekly dance lessons for clients
19. Create a Scavenger Hunt for clients and a have a party after
20. Rent the IMAX Theatre for a special showing
21. Take them to the horse race track and give them $ 25 to gamble
22. Have a Magician teach clients magic tricks
23. Hire a relevant Speaker
24. Reserve cars or go-carts at the local car race track and invite clients to drive them
25. Sports Fishing charter
26. Dinner & Private showing at an artists home
27. Whitewater rafting trip
28. Rent out a spa and provide 2 treatments per client
29. Evening golf lessons with a Pro

Have fun and make sure your clients feel appreciated.

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