The horrible C word, the dreaded S word and the unmentionable W word.

| Web design

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.