I recently stepped out and shot a house that met the description above.  The house is located in a beautiful, new area of town.  So new, in fact, that the landscaping is yet to be completed.  In other words: no trees, no lawn, no flowers. Yikes!  Barren, desolate yards are common sights though, especially for agents who deal with listings in newly developed areas.  In these types of locations, the house needs to stand out to attract attention, simply because there’s really nothing else.

Step 1 – Focusing on the House

When I see a dirt yard, my first intention is to try and shoot the listing photo in a manner that shows as little of the yard as possible.  So I got as close to the house as I could, and took a picture:

Listing Photo #1: Close-Up Front

Boom!  There it is, the classic garage shot, with the house tucked in behind.  There’s little focus on the yard, it’s true, but there’s really nothing to see here that a home buyer really wants to see.

Step 2 – Get More “Home” in the Picture

Seemingly dissatisfied by the results of my first attempt, I decided to give it another shot.  In a moment of genius, I found that stepping away from the house helped to decrease the visual dominance of the garage. Snap:

Listing Photo #2: Front from a Distance

So I’m standing on the neighbor’s driveway and elated that I can see the front door. And there’s windows too!  Definitely some progress…

Step 3 – Use Perspective to My Advantage

Now that I know I’m getting somewhere, I’m energized to go all out.  It’s time to get that aerial angle that I have relied on for years.  Getting the aerial angle shot does require some ingenuity, but it can be done in almost any environment.  OK, so here it is:

Listing Photo #3: The Aerial Angle

I’m loving the look and feel of the house in this shot, but there’s a problem: the house is literally swimming in a sea of houses that all look too similar.  To make matters worse, there’s no trees bursting out of the background, no shrubs, no parks, no flowers, no fences – not even a blade of grass.  It looks like a construction zone, because IT IS a construction zone.

Step 4 – Utilize Perspective, but Focus on the House

Last try.  It’s time to move in for the kill.  I know I like the angle, but the lack of green space bothers me.  So, it’s time for the low angle – the classic “go to” shot when the neighborhood looks like Mars.

Listing Photo #4: The Low Angle

That’s it!  The yard shows, but the focus is on the house – not the houses in the neighborhood, not the house next door, but THE house.  There’s a good balance between living space and parking space, and best of all, the potential buyer knows exactly what he/she is in for.

If the neighborhood would have been more developed, I’d likely have stuck with the aerial angle as my primary shot to market this listing.  Every house requires it’s own analysis in order to get the best shot possible based on it’s structure and surrounding environment.

My advice: take your time, explore possibilities, and have fun!

Building a website is easy.  Getting traffic to it is not.

Do not lose hope however, as there are small adjustments and changes that you can make to not only drive traffic to your website, but also keep those people there.

1. Content is King

People go to websites for one thing: information.

When using search engines, we all enter in search terms for the information we want to find, whether it be movie titles, band names, or listings in a particular city.  These terms and nuggets of information will go a long way to attracting people to your site and keeping them there.

What information do your clients often ask for when speaking with you?  That content should be on your website.  What information do you ensure you give to new clients?  That content should be on your website.  What knowledge about your local area do you possess through experience?  That content should be on your website.

One of the best things you can do with your Point2 Agent website is adjust the default content you received when you first created it.  While it is great content to start out with, our content pales in comparison to the knowledge, experience, and expertise you have about your local market, its neighborhoods, its listings, and its people.

Want some assistance with ideas?  Check out the Education Sessions on editing and design strategies.

2. Search Engine Optimization

Each search engine possesses what they term “crawlers” or “spiders” whose job it is to navigate through websites and make note of the information they find.  Again, content is king – and those crawlers love the king.  They worship the king.  The more custom content you have on your site, the better.  While we don’t know the formulas those crawlers live by, we do know that they prefer fresh content that they cannot find elsewhere.  Providing your own information that is different from everyone else will help you stand out to those crawlers.

Crawlers look at things like page titles, meta information, and the domain name you purchased for your website.  Sound confusing?  Join the SEO Education Session for ways that you can get started on your SEO to drive traffic without having to pay a single dollar.

3. Linking

Ever taken a look at the list of ‘friends’ someone has on Facebook?  That feature makes visible groups of people and how they network amongst themselves.  You even receive suggestions as to people you may know through someone else, or a friend can suggest that you ‘friend’ someone.  It’s all about forming bonds with others.

Linking of websites works in the same way.  Website A provides a link to website B’s domain name, which tells the online visitors looking at A that they may also enjoy reading the information on B.  Now, if B is nice, it will also have a link telling its online visitors to check out A.  That linking and backlinking not only helps to drive traffic (sending people to another site and receiving traffic in return), but it also aids your SEO efforts .  Crawlers recognize the linking and networking that is occurring and pay particular attention to the number of people who are following those links.

As an interesting note, referral traffic from website linking accounts for over 40% of the traffic we receive on our own Education Team website.  I just created another link to our website…it’s that easy!

4. Blog

A great place to start linking between your website and others is a blog .  While a website provides consistent information, a blog can be more “this moment now” in providing information on market statistics, open houses, local attractions, etc.  It can also be a great way to quickly disseminate brief pieces of information that just don’t seem to fit in with your website (ie. roadwork construction, being out of the office for a few days, etc.).

This online web journal provides you the opportunity to not only talk more about real estate, listings, and market trends, but also about other topics that matter to you.  Have a particular hobby that you are passionate about?  Put it on your blog.  Have an opinion on that trendy new restaurant that opened last week?  Put it on your blog.

It may seem trivial and inconsequential, but remember that people go online for information.  Often the information is related to entertainment, which may account for the incredible popularity of YouTube.  Whether it is music videos, ’stupid pet tricks’, or some dude doing an AC/DC cover in his basement, it’s on YouTube.  Your blog can be business related, but it can also have an element of fun to it that showcases who you are outside of real estate.

Think of your blog as as your website’s mullet.  Business in the front, party in the back.  It’s all good.

5. Marketing

Of course, no matter how much great information you have on your website or blog, no matter how much you link to other sites, and no matter how good your SEO work is, you will not see the increase of traffic to your site if you don’t market it.

What does “market it” mean?

It means that wherever you advertise yourself, your listings, your business, your website address should be there too.  Business cards, email signatures, sign riders, bus benches, magnets, keychains, pens, listing brochures, listing presentations, mugs, shirts, hats…you get the idea.  From this point forward, wherever you would put your name, put your website address with it.  Your website is your twin.  It is the online version of yourself.

This may sound extreme, but it will make your website stand out from your competitor’s websites.  Chances are, those online visitors will form a relationship with that online version of you well before they actually meet or talk to you.  With over 80% of the real estate market going online first to look for potential houses, this trend won’t be changing anytime soon.  Learning more about online marketing strategies will be key in driving traffic to your website.

Online visitors are a lot like drivers on the road.  They know what their final destination should be, so take the streets and avenues that they feel will get them there.  The destination for online visitors is information.  They know what they want to learn or find, so look for websites that are going to provide them that information.  You can’t control where they go, but you can put up the road signs and help the search engines provide the maps to the information you provide on your site.  With any luck, those visitors will love what they see so much, they’ll stay.

So build it.  Customize it.  Blog about it.  Market it.  They will come.

Some of you just smiled, secretly thinking “me too, sister!”.  If you aren’t smiling, then you probably haven’t seen one of the funniest, most innovative television shows to hit the air for a long time: “Glee“.

The show follows a group of talented young teens whose voices have landed them a role in their high school’s Glee Club.

Sounds glamorous, although the daily slushie to the face indicates that only the geeks belong to Glee.  They sure have a lot of fun, though, covering hit songs from a variety of genres and from a variety of decades.  The songs chosen meld well with the overall storyline and character development, which makes “Glee” the smart comedy that it is.

Often each episode features songs from a variety of artists.  While entertaining and interesting, the episode that contained hits from songstress Madonna was likely the most talked-about episode of the series’ run.

What made it rise above all the other charming episodes was that it was focused on one particular artist, one particular personality, one particular musical interest.  The trailers for the episode targeted certain song clips, presented images that tie in with the transformation Madonna underwent throughout her career, and built intrigue by making us all wonder how the storylines could possibly match up the varied tones and themes of her music.

It was all about a targeted message.  It was all about a niche market.

Niche marketing is, essentially, choosing a particular type or group of people, determining what interests them the most, and then creating marketing materials and tools that relate to their interests.  In “Glee”‘s case, it was the music of Madonna.  In real estate, a niche market could be anything from new home buyers to new parents; retirees to empty nesters; military relocation to job relocation; a particular city to a particular neighborhood; a particular type of home to a particular house design.

It can be as specific or as expansive as you choose.  The great aspect of determining a niche is that it can be personalized to reflect who you are as a real estate professional, where your strengths lie, and what makes you passionate about your career.

Here are some ways you can adjust your current website and marketing plan to reflect your niche market:

Targeted Website Content

Considering that your website is now going to be focused in on particular group or segment of the market, the content on every page of your site should reflect their interests, concerns, and topics for discussion.  What questions do you get the most from your customers?  What do you feel is important for this segment of the market?  What do you know that highlights your passion, knowledge, and expertise for this niche market?  The answers to these questions can form the basis for your customized content.

Shared Terminology

When creating the content for your niche market, using terminology that is shared within that market will build a trusting relationship.  “Knowing the lingo” goes a long way to forging new ties and setting yourself apart from your competitors.

Specialized Topic Pages

Sometimes specific topics deserve their own pages devoted to sharing further background information, discussion points, or graphics.  Not only do specialized pages keep your website clean and crisp, but they also help your online visitors quickly find the information they desire.  Ideas for specialized pages could include neighborhood information, school districts, shopping information, local attractions, local vendors, job sites, etc.

Group-specific Blogs

Your niche market may be a larger one, such as “new home buyers”.  Since a new home buyer could be a person in a number of situations, it may help to create multiple blogs within that niche market to provide targeted information.  For instance, you could have a blog for a new family, one for recent graduates, one for divorcees.  People in each of these segments will have varying financial, life, and moving considerations and decisions to make, even though they are all new home buyers.  The more information you can provide and assist them with, the more competent and helpful you appear.

Relevant Pictures

Ever been to a website that may possess great information, but the pictures are incorrect or irrelevant?  That site likely lost credibility with you.  Niche markets usually take great pride in being a niche market, as that sets them apart.  For instance, architecturally distinctive homes are unique.  The photos on the site should not only reinforce this uniqueness, but celebrate it.  What makes your niche market interesting and unique?  Showcase what makes it special in your photos.  Since the majority of people are visual learners and create connections through visuals, providing these relevant photos will help strengthen your online relationship with people coming to your website.

The key thing to consider at all times is the niche market: who you are attempting to attract, what they are interested in, what affects them, the information they will need, and how you can utilize your skills and passion to facilitate finding them a property to meet their needs.

Need some inspiration?

Check out these websites for examples: www.VegasHomesGuide.com, www.JoeJanus.com, www.GoArmyHomes.com.  I also recommend you watch “The Power of Madonna” episode of “Glee“, as it not only cleverly illustrates niche marketing, but does so with a soundtrack!

Recently I’ve been talking to a number of members in the Point2 community who have asked where they can find someone to help them either design their site, manage listing information, add audio to their listings, or generally provide marketing tools and advertising exposure.  My answer: check out the list of fantastic vendors in the Alliance Member Program (AMP)!

Having undergone a rigorous screening process, these vendors are identified as having extensive experience and knowledge in their field and with Point2 Agent, have special pricing and packages for Point2 Agent members, and provide exceptional customer service.

Check them out today and see how AMP can assist you!

There are a lot of considerations and plans that help in selling a home, so to make things easier on your Sellers, share this handy checklist with them!

As well, if they or other Buyers are in the throes of mortgage headaches (or anticipating them), here’s a way to simplify the mortgage process.

Enjoy…and Happy Spring!