16
Oct
The horrible C word, the dreaded S word and the unmentionable W
word.
You
are usually in your teens when you realise what the dreaded C word
is all about. It creeps up on all of us, takes us unawares and
makes us re-evaluate the world. Deep down we all hate it. Many
people are in denial for a long time and try to busy themselves
ignoring the mounting evidence. Alas, in the end, you cannot ignore
the evidence. 'Change' is the only constant in our known
universe.
As Bob Dylan once wrote, "The times they are-a-changin", which
is as true in 1964 as it is today. Some may even argue that
technology has even sped up the process, with the use of the
internet and mobile phones, people are able to communicate at a
much faster rate.
So what's the latest change that hasn't been fully utilised by
estate agents? This is an easy one, the dreaded S word - 'Social
networks'. The dreaded social networks make agents communicate
directly with their customers. Oh no, we wouldn't want to directly
communicate with new and existing customers... No wait, we were
communicating directly with customers before, so how is social
networking different?
In all honesty, it's not that different. It's as instantaneous
as a text, as in-depth as an email and as personal as a phone
conversation, and can be as warm as face-to-face. So how does it
help my estate agency? I hear you cry... (Please don't cry, we're
getting to the point!)
This leads us to our last unmentionable W word - Websites.
Social networking not only helps you communicate with new and
existing customers, but it allows you to point people in the
direction you want them to go. Your website.
Not everyone wants to search for property all the time, but
catching that one person at the right time can turn the tide when
it comes to property sales. Unless they are a hermit, people will
one point in their life look to moving house. This decision won't
be immediate and neither will the final move. Within this time
frame (spanning months to years), users will log onto their social
networks and interact with the digital environment.
The great thing about social networking is that agents do not
have to catch that person at the right time. Updating your profile,
on a regular basis and with relevant content, will stay there
indefinitely - or for as long as you have a profile.
As soon as the individual is ready to start thinking about
moving, your estate agency will be sitting behind a mass of branded
fresh, updated content on their social network. All this content
will be pointing towards your website, which will of course have an
unbelievably beautiful design, a prominent 'Property search button'
calling them to action, high resolution pictures through the latest
viewer technology and enhanced Google mapping with local amenities
such as schools and public transport.
Troy Stanley comments, 'Don't take our word for
it. Visit the Team Wessex website, type in 'BH21' and tick the box
that says 'Display on Google maps'. From there you are able to view
13 different amenities including doctors, dentists and
theatres.'
'Users love functionality like this. They can do anything from
planning their child's route to school or the nearest bus stop so
that they can get to work.'
'Call us on 0208 457 4777 to see how we can
help your web design for estate agents, Search Engine optimisation (SEO) or social networking.' - Troy Stanley.
Back to Top