Please allow me to introduce you to Lee Hurst of Chinowth and Cohen REALTORS® in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Lee has graciously shared a few tips with us he used to make Point2 IDX work for him so well.

At the forefront of Lee’s strategy was to make his website more user-friendly for searching listings.  He explains, “Approximately half of my business comes from people who have found me first through my website.”

Knowing this fact prompted Lee to make his website as interactive and informative as possible for visitors searching for listings.  He began by researching which keywords people were using to access his website.  Then, taking those keywords into consideration he tailored individual pages based on those search results.

Lee shared his thoughts on this with us.  ”The public likes information.  There are a lot of great websites out there, but the public may not stay on the site because the information they are seeking isn’t readily available.  People like to click for information, not type the information in, as much as possible.”

For this reason Lee’s custom created pages and saved IDX searches go a long way to making the process of finding listings much easier for website visitors.

Lee took those individually created custom pages a step further and integrated an easy-to-navigate menu so that visitors could locate the area they were searching for and the desired price range with just a click of the mouse.

This combination of elements has contributed to huge success experienced by Lee Hurst using Point2 IDX on his website.  Though Lee admits some work and effort is involved to make these searches available to visitors, the results speak for themselves.

If you want to take your website visitor experience to the next level, take some of Lee Hurst’s advice and put Point2 IDX to work for you!

But then I started getting long-winded, so I had to stop.  And yes, I’m still going to give out some freebies.  So before I start rambling, I’ll get to work and continue on.

Copy, Paste, and Voila! aka: Listings2Go – Most people have more than one website these days.  Do you?  May as well show your listings there too.   It’s pretty simple…so simple that I don’t have much to write about on this one – just copy and paste a few lines of code that we provide you – and ta da!  It’s like magic.

Engage in Shameless Self Promotion aka: Engage in Shameless Self Promotion – I don’t have another name for this, because it is what it is.  If you are good at what you do, why not brag about it a little?  Not excessively, but it’s fine to have a little bit of an ego.  I have a couple side projects that require me to market myself – and I think I’m pretty good at what I do…so I tend to stick my nose in just about everywhere that it makes sense.  Let me tell you, I’ve left business cards in the most bizarre places!  Word of mouth is one of the fastest, most effective forms of advertising.  Maybe not everyone needs a real estate agent right now…but someone always knows someone who needs something.

And last (but not least)…one of the most important…

It’s Picture Day, Put on A Nice Shirt  aka: Listing Photos – I can’t stress this enough.  If I was told that someone was taking a picture of me and showing it off to the rest of the world – I’d probably make an effort that day to (try) get up a few minutes earlier and wear something nice.  Listing photos are no different.  Sure, it can be a nice place – but going the extra mile and showcasing its best qualities will make it look even sweeter.  When I moved recently, I can’t even count the number of places I declined to look at simply because the listing photos were…let’s just say, less than appealing.  I stumbled upon this video posted by a local real estate broker/agent here in Saskatoon, Norm Fisher.  This video pretty much sums it up:

But enough of me talking … Now it’s your turn.  Tell us some of the things that work for you and the unique ways you have found to get more prospects.  Comment below and you may just walk away with…something (I haven’t decided what yet).  Now stop reading, and go get those prospects!

There’s no beating around the bush – times are tough right now.  Trust me, I’m feeling it too.  I even went so far as to move across the city, just a few blocks from work, so I could actually afford to drive to work.  Fueling up my rocket is a bit easier now … a three minute drive rather than a half hour drive.

Everybody is feeling the pinch, and it’s no doubt that some of the biggest impact has been on the Real Estate industry.  It’s not surprising that overall real estate confidence is at an all-time low.

There may not be as many prospects out there as we’d like.  But they haven’t gone completely extinct.  The economy may have taken a nosedive (for lack of a better term), but there are still people looking for homes.

Before you get too depressed, I have a few tips to use what you’ve already got at your disposal, even better, to help you make it through.  I’ve got quite a bit to say so this will be in two parts.  Stay tuned though…because at the end of it, I’m going to give away a few freebies.  The boss isn’t looking, and I’m feeling generous.

Whether or not the economy is doing good or bad, it is essential to market your listings in every possible way (yes, I know you already know this!).  But here’s the thing…I don’t mean you have to spend thousands on some huge over-the-top marketing plan. You can get a whole lotta bang for your buck by starting right here at home with your Point2 Agent website and save some gas money without moving across town.

I’m sure many of you are already doing most of these things, but just in case…here is a refresher.  Starting with the most obvious, of course:

Send Your Listing on an All-Expense Paid Vacation: aka Syndication – I probably don’t need to explain this one, but as you can see <– I’m already packed.  Are you taking the opportunity to use the world’s largest syndication network that’s available right at your doorstep with your Point2 account? Not to break out the lame analogies – but it’s like putting your listing on the Point2 tour bus (or a cruise ship if that’s more your thing), and we’re taking it to all the hot spots – and it’s door-to-door service. All you have to do is show up prepared to get the most out of it – we do the rest of the work for you.  Pretty sweet deal, I’d say.  If you’re not onboard and ready to have your listing hit the hot spots for real estate, well then…I guess you could stay home.

Go on, Stand Out a Little: aka Spotlight Ads – Maybe it’s just me, but when I’m out in a crowd, I like to stand out.  I like attention and lots of it (I’m sure my co-workers would agree that I might have a big head at times).  Last week I attended a function where I knew everyone would be wearing black – so what did I do?  I wore white of course.

The same concept applies to your listing.  Why have your listing lumped in with thousands of other listings, when you can have it front and center for the same price as a white shirt?  $25 gets you premium placement on Point2Homes for a full month.

Did you know? Point2Homes received over a million visits last month, over one million unique visitors, and over 12 million pageviews.  With that large of a gathering – why wouldn’t you want to stand out?

I know these may seem obvious…but believe it or not, there’s several who aren’t doing any of these.  Anyway, this is getting long! I’ll stop here for now…but join me next time, and I’ll mention a few more things…and tell you how you can get some freebies.  I’m impatient though…and in the mood for sharing…so share with me some of the ways you’ve found ways to attract prospects.  Just for the heck of it, I may toss you a little something just for sharing!

During the month of July we ran a promotion for our Canadian members to win a free Apple iPad.  With the purchase of each Spotlight Ad for Point2Homes.com during the month of July, an entry was made into the draw for the iPad.

I’m pleased to announce that Karen Kenyon of Nanoose Bay, BC has been selected as our lucky winner.

Karen shares, “I have been very impressed with the Spotlight Ads, not only because they get your listing great exposure, but vendors love the feedback about the web views.  Spotlight Ads are the best value for your advertising dollars.”

Karen’s feedback echoes what many of our members feel when using Spotlight Ads as an integral part of their listing marketing.

Bummed out you didn’t win the iPad yourself?  Don’t be sad.  Because of the premium placement on Point2 Homes, your listings potentially received far more views than if you hadn’t used a Spotlight Ad.  You still win!

With Point2 Homes Spotlight Ads your listings appear at the forefront of millions of eyeballs, featured right front and center on one of the highest traffic consumer search sites for listings.  That exposure is a valuable boost to your listing marketing.

For more reasons why you should use Point2 Homes Spotlight Ads read this post.

Congratulations Karen on winning the Apple iPad!  I am sure you’ll have tons of fun with it and find it very useful for your real estate business.

Stay tuned for more great giveaways and promotions from Point2 in the future!

Agent Reboot is a one-day power session of hands-on learning about the latest in business development, technology, and marketing.  It’s a must-attend event for both new and seasoned real estate professionals alike.

With sessions discussing social media, how to market your listings online, killer business strategies, lead generation from your website, and much more; you will come away from Agent Reboot with an arsenal of tools to command your business and take it to the next level.

The Agent Reboot 12-city tour will be hosted by two emcees – Nicole Nicolay and Daniel Rothamel.

Hosted in cities all across the United States, you can find an Agent Reboot session near you.  The first two sessions have already taken place but there’s still time to register for and attend upcoming sessions.

Register today for $79 (regular price $149) Use Promo Code: POINT2

Register online at www.agentreboot.com

Hopefully everyone has followed the advice we posted last week which lists ways to create your listings so they get noticed.  Now that your listings have all the rich content that buyers are looking for, it’s time to begin advertising your listings everywhere possible.

I mentioned in point #13 of that post to use the Point2 Exposure Engine to syndicate your listings everywhere.  You are probably already taking advantage of this amazing exposure for your listings.  If you aren’t already syndicating your listings, you should start now.  Our User Manual can help you get started with syndicating your listings now.

In addition to syndicating your listings, you may want to consider purchasing enhanced listing placement to advertise on busy consumer search sites.

Point2 has partnered with some of our syndication partners to provide enhanced listing placement on some of the highest-trafficked search sites.  We call them Spotlight Ads.

The additional listing exposure and extra visibility from using Spotlight Ads can go a long way to capture the interest of home buyers.

Point2 offers Spotlight Ads through NewYorkTimes.com, Google, Point2 Homes, and HotPads.com.

Spotlight Ad on NewYorkTimes.com

A Spotlight Ad on NewYorkTimes.com provides your listing with placement on their website which has approximately 36 million unique visitors per month.  Your listing also has the potential of  reaching a target audience of active affluent property seekers through the Great Homes network of newspaper sites, 35% of them with an annual income of $100K or more.

Spotlight Ad on Google

The Spotlight Ad for Google actually is a service we provide to book a Google Adword campaign for your listing.  We take the guess work out of the equation and provide you with an automated way to book pre-packaged campaigns with targeted keywords for your listings.  You can purchase Google Adwords in two separate packages, both for 15 days.  The amount of keywords that you receive in your campaign is based on the spend amount, either $30 or $60.

Purchasing Google Adwords this way does not change where your listing is viewed on Google Base as these are two different services from Google.  Instead, purchasing Adwords makes it so that your listing appears when certain keywords are searched in a Google search, in the Sponsored Links areas of the search results. 

Spotlight Ad on Point2 Homes

Give your listings additional prominence on Point2Homes.com by having it placed along the top and sides of the listing pages for State/Province, County, City, and Neighborhood.  It will rotate along with all other featured listings from those areas, and as the pages become more targeted (City, Neighborhood) your listing will show more frequently.

Spotlight Ad on HotPads.com

You can appoint your listings as Featured Listings on HotPads.com using the Spotlight Ad service we make possible directly through your Point2 Agent account.  Featured listings appear on the highest zoom levels in map-search, are given a bold contrasting icon in the search page, and has an expanded blue preview box on the right corner of the map. 

It’s very easy to set up a Spotlight Ad and is a relatively inexpensive investment for advertising your listings.  You can purchase Spotlight Ads directly through your Point2 Agent account.  You can find detailed instructions in our User Manual.

Did you know?  Point2 Agent Premium members receive 2 free Spotlight Ad credits to use every month for any listings they choose to be featured on Point2 Homes.