949-392-1999
Negotiating a successful real estate contract, whether in person or online, requires communication skills and the ability to create an environment of trust and cooperation. As much of consumerism shies away from personal or direct selling, real estate is one product that most predict will hold on strongly to the personal approach.
‘Seeing’ the product and ‘trusting’ those who rent it are significant success factors in the industry. Internet marketing standards are of precise importance to real estate because many of the obstacles reflected in these principles are particularly high for this industry. A first principle is that Internet marketing must be calculated to reach the target market. It is not sufficient to set up a nice website and hope that the right audience will find it, and appreciate the product.
Create Credibility
The bigger the need for credibility, the greater the need to follow the unwritten principles of Internet marketing when presenting your product. Effectively promoting real estate requires the instantaneous formation of trust and comfort: To miss doing this online will end customer relationships before they can start forming, and creates a bad precedent for future transactions.
Always remember not use intrusive or pushy messages that invite an immediate sale. Let the web visitor be interested in your real estate product by properly, and slowly guiding him or herself through the pertinent information provided, to fully answer their queries and concerns. Patiently, and concretely dealing with an online real estate client ‘invites’ interest.
Be Transparent With Customers
It is imperative to provide full information, and clearly explain how the details can be obtained. Do not hide or conceal significant information about your real estate product, even if it tilts towards the negative. The importance of straight talk, honest and factual information will develop the confidence required.
For example, by clearly stating early in your message whether or not you ban pets or if your building is adult-only will narrow your market to authentic potential clients. Respecting the Internet customer by providing ‘filtering’ information is polite and makes plain good marketing sense. Busy consumers would be delighted to be able to get useful information faster and more concise.
Provide Extra Information
When dealing with real estate online, ensure that you provide some extra information that would be of real use to your guest. Offer an ‘apartment or house assessment’ feature that provides a form to enable clients to make comparisons, or an article on the community that would provide relevant useful information and links for new buyers or sellers.
Offer Immediate Choices
Offer immediate choices, which show the guest that he/she is in charge and is not being tricked or enticed into something flawed, or suspicious. You must explain the choices clearly and provide check boxes if a guest confirmation is needed to ‘proceed’ with something that involves a commitment. Do not overwhelm your guest with bright lights and colored animation when your page pops up: You would want to create enough credibility to build some trust as your guest uses your site, and not see a carnival or a fireworks display of flashing lights and colors.
Bill Manassero is the founder/top dog at “The Old Dawg’s REI Network,” a blog, newsletter and podcast for seniors and retirees that teaches the art of real estate investing. His personal real estate investing goal, which will be chronicled at olddawgsreinetwork.com, is to own/control 1,000 units/doors in the next 6 years. Prior to that, Bill and his family lived in Haiti as missionaries serving orphaned, abandoned and at risk children for Child Hope International.
