Over the last 24 months, particularly in large metropolitan markets like Atlanta, the real estate print media has all but disappeared in favor of online promotion of listings and services. Web advertising continues to evolve; Agents’ ability to provide enhanced listing details has captivated consumers who want easy access to all the information online that can be provided before getting in a car to begin their search. In the saturated 2009 Atlanta market with huge and stagnant inventories, differentiation is crucial. With approximately 45,000 single-family homes and 10,000 condominiums available for purchase, there is significant motivation for sellers and listing agents to understand and implement high-impact web marketing.
Customizable search criteria, bird’s eye views, street views, backyards, parking, amenities, questionable structures, bodies of water, and topography are information used by informed Atlanta area buyers to remove properties in oversupplied inventory. The Atlanta metro area has two MLS systems with significant overlap, so many agents list properties on both. In practice, a multiple listing system creates a level playing field, so to leverage their listings, proactive agents are likely to advertise beyond the content of these systems. Powerful area-specific websites like The Atlanta Journal Homefinder, Craigslist, Backpage, and Creative Loafing have quickly evolved to include extras like mapping tools and photo tours. Yet these opportunities continue to be underused by listing agents, even when advertising is free.
Specialized internet marketing is not included in the skill set of most agents. Tech-savvy agents who actually get internet marketing and property promotion are one of a kind. An example of the typical disconnect is the property listing website, indexed by the home address URL. What buyer knows their address before looking for their dream home? How many web paths does your listing agent provide to move the buyer to a site that showcases your home’s most attractive features?
More importantly, how does your agent rank on the front page of Google for your home? Occasionally, I see listings that have placed an informational link in the private comments section of the MLS listing, so only agents can see it. If that’s the only online visibility of the path to a virtual home tour, then everyone loses. The consumer browsing a publicly accessible listing website misses out on some of the most compelling information. When I see this error, I know that the agent has limited knowledge of internet marketing; the chances of this house ranking high on Google are slim.
Descriptive property pages that rank highly on Google aren’t the result of large brokerage firms “stuffing” listings on national real estate websites. In Atlanta’s vast inventory of urban, suburban and rural homes, the search for a home can quickly confuse and frustrate buyers. The most successful web advertising for your home is a carefully crafted product managed by an agent who knows what really matters when consumers begin the search process. If Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield National Park, The Avenue of East Cobb, or Roswell Square are popular destinations near your home, then the agent will incorporate this information into the web page headline to capture additional traffic.
Relevant interview questions to help you identify a web-savvy listing agent capable of creating a high-impact marketing campaign to sell your home are:
* What local and national real estate websites will my home be listed on?
* How often do they update my home listing information on these sites?
* What keyword searches can consumers use to find my house on the Google home page?
* Explain how you incorporate SEO techniques into your overall marketing plan.
* What specific Atlanta area domain names do you own that will help potential customers find my home?
* Do you hire a professional photographer to show the interior and exterior of my home?
* How many images will appear on my home tour and which websites will display the tour?
* Will you add information to images to create additional interest?
* How many seconds does it take for a shopper to load and view my journey?
* Can the photo tour of my home be emailed?
* Can you show me an example of your high impact listings?
* Will you guide me through the process that demonstrates how a buyer will find my home online?
* Will I be shown all the details of my home’s listing profile as it will be seen by the public?
* Will I receive weekly emails showing the number of visits to my virtual home tour?
In the crowded Atlanta real estate market of 2009, the answers to these questions and the benefits derived are important differentiators between those who make the best sales and those who don’t make it to the closing table.
