Agent Update Blog

So you are wondering about ways to promote your office's website?  Perhaps the article below can stimulate a few thoughts.

Hotels.nl, a Dutch online reservation company is using sheep to promote their site.  According to a New York Times article these sheep are being "branded" for 1 euro per day.  (See: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/world/europe/24sheep.html)

The funny thing is, one local town claims that this is a breach of local laws banning advertising along highways and is fining the Hotels.nl 1,000 euro per day.

Since the advertising began, visits to the site and sales have increased by 15%.

Easy Green Promotions, the company behind the advertising medium, now has the goal of expanding this form of advertising to 25,000 sheep across The Netherlands.

Perhaps this is a new way of promoting your website in your local market!!!

Posted by Simon at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The promotion of an agent's website is critical in driving traffic to that site and hopefully converting that traffic to buyer and seller leads.

A recent article by Bob Ward in the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales Journal identifies what he terms "the 10 commandments of website promotion".

Here is a summary of his suggestions

1. Your web address should appear on all business stationery and promotional material.
2. Mention your web address in all press releases or articles you write.
3. Incorporate your web and email addresses into your email auto signature message.
4. Include your web address in your "30 second networking commercial" when you meet people and talk about your agency.
5. The web address should be included with your company logo and name on any agency t-shirts or attire.
6. Include your web address on any name badges that your staff wear.
7. When speaking in public, your speaker introduction should incorporate reference to your web address and you should refer to it in your presentation.
8. You should include your web address in your motor vehicle sign writing.
9. Establish reciprocal links with other websites that appeal to your clients, referrers and prospects.
10. Publish a newsletter and regularly include details of new content and other changes to your website.

Bob Ward can be contacted at www.lot109.com.au

Posted by Simon at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I had the fun attending the launch of the new Ray White Double Bay Group website this evening.  While the site is easy to use, full of information and covers Sydney's most luxurious homes, it also has some great pieces of technology embedded in the site.  (Check out www.rwdb.com.au)

Build by www.realestate.com.au, the co-owner of propertyfinder, the site feature video tours of homes, the ability to download these video tours to an ipod, and video introductions of sales people. 

Check out http://www.rwdb.com.au/ofiTv.shtml to see how easy it is to do.  The cost of a video tour of a house is ~GBP150. 

The Ray White Double Bay estate agents have also created video overviews of the key sales people.  Check out the video introduction for Michael Finger -  http://video.vividas.com/SmashPop/rwdb_MichaelFinger/  

Posted by Simon at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have had some really interesting emails from visitors to the website who have previously lived in houses with a history of supernatural occurences or who have experienced unusual events first-hand.

This got us wondering whether buyers have a legal right to know if a property they are looking to buy has reported supernatural occurences? Are there any laws that require surveyors to report supernatural activity and can a person sue if they move into a property that goes bump in the night?!

Posted by at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In March, a record 4.4 million people visited at least one of the websites within the propertyfinder.com family.  This was a record month and shows that online marketing is growing from strength to strength.

This family includes propertyfinder.com, realestate.com.au, allrealestate.co.nz and realcommercial.com.au.  All these sites are owned and operated by the same company and linked together.  By advertising on propertyfinder.com, you are opening your listings viewing by up to 4.4 million people from around the world.

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, Omniture

Posted by Simon at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)