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There is hardly a place you can go these days without seeing and hearing about the Internet and witnessing the incredible impact it has on our communication, whether it is television, radio or newspapers. With so much hype and even more confusion, it's no wonder that many of us are concerned about making a decision to enter the information highway. The reasons are many, but the most common one is the question: "Where do I start and how?" The simplest answer is that there is about 5 steps that every business, be it a small entrepreneurial enterprise or corporation should take today to win, and not just compete for, a digital presence. To begin… Step #1: Register your personal domain name Your name is the cornerstone of your business identity. The same rule would apply to your Internet identity. It would be good common sense to have your Internet "addresses" for both your E-mail and your web site address reflect your own name. If you have designed your marketing strategy around your own personal name, then that is the same marketing that should be the foundation of your Internet marketing strategy as well. "Branding" is a type of identification that we are quite used to in the world of marketing. Mega companies like MicroSoft or IBM know the power of their name, and incorporate that "identification" into their Web presence. Microsoft registered Microsoft.com, as did IBM with IBM.com and USA Today (USAToday.com) and many others you are exposed to daily. Your choice can be your FirstnameLastname.com (TerriMurphy.com) or your business name or sloganlike"CallMurph.com." The biggest decision you must make is to decide how your clients and customers now identify you, and choose that domain name as the center of your new digital marketing presence. Domain names are registered online, most commonly through NetworkSolutions.com. If your domain name is still available, do not waste time -- register it before someone else does, making it forever unavailable to you. The frenzy is on to register domain names, with reservations happening at more than 150,000 per month! So get to it quickly, or be forced to use a secondary choice that doesn't serve your marketing plan as well. Step #2: Get your own Web Site on the Web The commercial use of the World Wide Web is exploding. Consumers and businesses are quickly making the transition to the Web. Learning to use the Web as a beginner is a bit frustrating, but every day the learning curve becomes a little easier. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of the early migration to the use of the web and lay the foundation for your Web Presence. A web site is the "graphical" side of the Internet. Since the use and "usability" of the Web is still in its early stages for the masses of consumers, you might want to think twice before spending thousands of dollars and millions of hours developing the perfect web site. Worse yet, you could be wasting many months in research, planning and design, while your competitors are already up and running. When considering the type of Web site you will need, we suggest that you keep it simple and align it with your regular marketing strategies:
These questions will help you select a Web site that works for you. After working with hundreds of agents and consulting for many brokerage companies, we suggest that you keep it basic, simple and easy to navigate. Begin by getting a content-filled site that links to other sites that contain useful information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without needing you to update or maintain this information. You will want to work with a company that can launch your site within a minimum number of days with minimal effort on your part and an affordable price. We suggest you check out the one that we built at: http://www.InternetCrusade.com/agent Use this site to gauge what design information and costs are involved when shopping for a complete web presence. Be careful to examine costs as well, since there are many variables that may look good at first glance, but have hidden costs and fees that occur monthly. Step #3: Use E-mail Communication E-mail and Web sites are each valuable tools --- combining them creates a powerful means of interacting with clients and prospects. E-mail is the communication side of the web. Having your own Domain makes your E-mail address easy to remember and gives you the maximum freedom to choose any ISP (Internet Service Provider) for your service and never risk the loss of business. Use E-mail to drive people to your Web site, especially when you add new features. Be sure to include your Web address as part of the "signature block" appearing automatically at the end of each e-mail message. Include a one-line promotion message as well. Remember that E-mail is a way of "publishing" your presence, and should be presented in a most effective way to promote you! An automated signature not only saves you time and energy, it communicates to the recipient good information about who you are and what you do, without much effort on your part. Make it easy for your Web site users to contact you if they have any questions. The best way to do this is to include a handy e-mail response link on each page of your Web site. As soon as a customer clicks on the E-mail button, a pre-addressed response template appears ready to send you an instant message that arrives on your computer desktop in seconds. Be sure to respond promptly…that's what the Internet is all about. Step #4: Drive clients and customers to your site! A common question is: "How will people find me on the Internet?" The answer is the same as it has been for traditional marketing, "How are they finding you now?" As agents, we have been effective drawing clients and customers to us with tried and true sources, like newspaper advertisements, brochures, photo's on signs, newsletters, etc. We "direct" the client and customer to us by telling them where they can find us. The same applies to "finding" us on the Internet. Think of your web site as an alternative, electronic brochure and business presence that is available by using your name as the address on the Web. Now you can see why it is most critical to take immediate steps and include your new permanent E-mail and Web address on your business cards, letterhead, advertisements, signs, and all your marketing pieces. Your domain becomes your brand identity and should be showcased whenever possible. When you meet people, be sure to ask for their E-mail address and offer to give them yours. Build up a database of E-mail addresses so you can keep in touch with informative E-newsletters --- all at the click of a mouse, at the price of a local phone call, with no envelopes to stuff and seal. Be creative and spend some time integrating your Web and E-mail presence into your regular marketing program. Since you already use "For Sale" signs on your listings, buy a rider that offers your Web Site address. Drive the client to this alternative service and "living" information detailing you and your full spectrum of services. Think about new ways to use your site to generate leads and service your past and current clientele. For example, provide Free Reports online using AutoResponders that will capture the E-mail addresses of interested visitors to your site. As your experience and results increase, you will discover ways to expand the offerings on your Web site. It will then be more effective to work with a professional Web designer to add to your site, or you can learn some basic programming skills on your own. Your personal Web site will become your storefront in cyberspace. But remember your Web site is but one of the many tools you have in marketing your services --- it supplements, but does not replace, your tried and true marketing practices. It's all about integrating this new technology into what we have been doing to promote ourselves. Step #5: Make effective use of unlimited E-mail addresses You can direct E-mail to different return addresses using your domain name. For example, you can run an ad having responses sent to Info@YourDomain.com and another ad with a return address of homes@YourDomain.com. All the mail will come to you, but now it is easier to track the source to see which promotions are generating the most activity. Think of the power at a listing presentation when you can tell the Seller that their home has their own E-mail address that is directed to you. Since you can enjoy unlimited E-mail addresses to your own domain, you can now create a new E-mail address for every property you list. Tracking responses becomes easier, and you can create these addresses on your own without any special programming skills. Another opportunity to maximize E-mail addresses is using your own domain, to create E-mail addresses for others in your home or office. Mail sent to Assistant@YourName.com can be forwarded to your regular mailbox or directed to your Assistant's separate ISP if they have one. This simplifies your Web presence, and further solidifies your name as the center of the overall marketing strategy. It is not so difficult to understand when the steps are followed to get your Web presence working for you. The easiest way to get the fast track is to get all the steps necessary in one "turnkey" approach, insuring that you have covered all the steps, get all the tools necessary at an affordable investment with little effort and minimal frustration. All too often there are pitfalls and hidden costs that make us hesitant to begin. The 5 steps will make it easier for you to ask the questions to help guide you. |
