Many web development companies have been focusing on Real Estate for eons — we won’t name them, but you know who they are. Some are dirt cheap, some are charging exorbitant amounts of money for developing so-called custom web sites, along with custom SEO & SEM campaigns.
Even when working with the latter, most of you end up with websites that look just like the ones from your competition up the street.
Take a look at the two sites on the right, for example. Clearly, two high end sites. And they look pretty new. They also look like twins. Except that the one on the right does not size images properly for tablets, and ends up displaying ceilings of properties only. A shame for a high end site.
The introductory copy for both sites, which is what short-attention-span people will use to decide whether to call you vs. someone else up the street, is somewhat bland, and sounds similar as well. On the one site, it says “We specialize in Upper Valley real estate in New Hampshire and Vermont, including: luxury homes, land lots, condos, vacation homes…” On the other site they claim “the leading boutique real estate firm in the Upper Valley with over $50 million in listings, and offices in Woodstock, Vermont and Hanover, New Hampshire. We have exceptional agents, who had accomplished international careers before returning to local roots here in the Upper Valley. We specialize in luxury homes, estates and second homes…”
Ok, so who would you choose?
Here is another example. Again, two real estate companies serving the same region. They have the exact same look and feel. Not only that, both their header images are not scaled properly for tablets, one cropping the image to show mostly sky, and the other focused the ground. Again, what a shame for high end sites that are visited mostly by people using mobile devices.
Their introductory copy? Remember, that is the copy that potential clients who have an 8 second attention span, will use to decide whether to come and see you vs. the agent up the street. On the left site they say “We are a full service agency meeting the needs of buyers and sellers every day. Located in… and… Vermont, and servicing the entire Northeast Kingdom. We offer first time homebuyer (sp?) experience, unique marketing of our properties, and experienced agents who take personal care…” Well, I guess it’s always good to know that you will have a clean agent, isn’t it? The one on the right claims “… has the expertise, energy, and enthusiasm to handle your real estate transactions. If you’re in the market to buy a new home, we’ll help you find what you’re looking for. If you’re ready to sell your home, we’ll create a plan to attract buyers to your property. We have a history of selling more homes, land, and commercial real estate than any other agency in the Northeast Kingdom. We know the market, and we use our expertise to get the best deal for you.”
Ok, so who would you choose?
Maybe these sites were not sold as custom sites, but I suspect they were. These sites don’t differentiate you from the agent/broker up the street. They will not appeal to millennials, the largest generation in the workforce today, and your current/future power buyers. They certainly will not help the out-of-state buyer decide whether to call you or someone else to help them in their search for a second home, or a possible retirement home.
Whoever will come up with a better mouse trap in your area, as in a better, more authentic website, will reap all the rewards — and sign up all the new clients which you cannot reach through referrals.
I know we are biased, but I am convinced that having some new thinking in real estate digital marketing is a huge advantage — one that we would gladly share with you.
Here is what a new customer recently wrote about us:
“Francois and his team was the dream-team for us to work with, given that we have been ‘too busy’ to tackle overhauling our website for too long. He asked questions and listened carefully, got a bead on our work and principles, drafted up a very efficient, actionable and reasonable plan and hit the ground running. His ideas were spot on, his execution was light-speed and thorough and his follow-through responsive and immediate. His creative thinking and years of marketing were all put to work.”
Let us know what you think.
