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Bernice Ross
When most real estate professionals make business-related posts on their website or the social media, they do so with the expectation that their site will attract customers for their business. While the number of unique visitors to your site is important, creating a “sticky” site or post is one of the most powerful ways to build your business.
No matter where you are posting, stickiness is one of the most important metrics. “Stickiness” refers to how long visitors spend on your site and whether they interact by commenting on your post, sharing it with others or contacting you to download a report or make an appointment.
If your posts are merely an infomercial for you, you’ve created Teflon, not stickiness. In fact, research dating back as far as 2005 has shown that having your picture on the home page of your website or on your print marketing materials can cause up to 50 percent of your web visitors to leave. The reason? It’s about you rather than them.
As one irritated consumer observed, “Who do these agents think they are – movie stars?”
In contrast, a well-constructed post that focuses on the consumer and the local lifestyle is the formula for being sticky. Here are some ways to have your clients stick with you.
Call to action: If you have a website or you’re using Facebook ads, it’s important to have a call to action where your web visitor obtains something of value for providing their contact information. My personal favorite is a “Equity Checkup” that combines a CMA, an area report from NARRPR.com and a HomeDisclosure.com report on the property.
Other suggestions include links to utility or energy saving appliance rebates and credits, discount coupons from local restaurants and other vendors or an invitation to a first-time buyer seminar where buyers can learn how to obtain down payment assistance (check out DownPaymentResource.com).
Interactive, not static: A static website, no matter how attractive, is nothing more than a digital billboard. Visitors read it once and then move on to the next website.
In contrast, interactive websites engage your web visitors and increase the probability that they will return. You can make your site more interactive by including mortgage calculators, rent vs. buy calculators, maps or any other application that invites your web visitor to interact with your site.
Update your content: There are numerous ways to make your content fresh. You can do this with a blog or you can also provide links that track such things as today’s interest rates, upcoming neighborhood events or recent sales. If you set up your website properly, the visitor links to the resource while still staying on your site.
Be a community resource: Provide lists of service providers that you trust. You can also provide entertainment information including phone numbers and addresses of restaurants, theaters and museums as well as contact information for schools, places of worship, public parks, police, fire, etc.
Be prepared: One of the best ways to make your website or Facebook business page stickier is to share emergency preparedness posts. This can rotate based upon the types of issues you face in your region. For example, if you live in an area with earthquakes, every time there is a major quake, you can use your newsletter, blog or social media to direct people to your site for more information. If you live in an area where there are tornados, floods or blizzards, you can post tips on how to be best prepared.
Quizzes and tests: People love quick inventories that test their knowledge. These are especially effective for Facebook and other social media sites. For example, to create a weekly quiz, use real estate information from previous eras.
A great place to gather this information is from old newspapers. You can view them at your local library or research them online. These old photos can also make for a great post on Instagram or even possibly a video.
Invite comments: Asking for feedback about your website, your inventory or your services and then posting it to your site is a great way to hear from your community as well as to increase your business.
Here’s the bottom line – regardless of what you post, have fun and keep your content fresh. That’s the best way to have your digital visitors stick with you!
Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, trainer and author. She may be reached at Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com.
