As a real estate agent, why do I need an internet marketing plan anyway? Is it really an important key to the future success of my real estate business? Maybe you’ve heard other agents complain that their website just doesn’t produce any results. Mine didn’t either, that’s because most websites leave out one super important feature of a successful online marketing plan, the strategy itself! (No I’m not a real estate website salesman) In fact, being online is crucial to your business success if you are plan on staying in business for the long-term. The problem is most people know nothing about successful internet marketing.

Real quick note: Before starting any online strategy, you must know that there are two different but equally as important parts to a successful online plan.

1. SEO. Search Engine Optimization. On page and off page.
2. Online Marketing. The touchy-feelies, call to action, etc.

In short, SEO gets you in front of the prospect and online marketing determines if the prospect likes you or not.

We must revamp our real estate marketing plan to include the internet, especially with all the new technology and opportunities available to us online. You know as well as I that we really don’t have the option to “opt out” of this one. The internet is here to stay and our ways of doing business certainly have, and will continue changing as the Web continues to grow and becomes even more the “primary” way people transact and exchange information.

The question is have you noticed? If you answered no, you might be one of the few brokers left who are still convinced that this “internet” thing-a-ma-jigy will just go away…someday, if you wish hard enough.

On the other hand, though, you may have conceded to the fact that you do need a solid web-based real estate marketing plan but you don’t know where to start. You don’t want to get suckered into a “guru program” and spend a bunch of money only to find yourself with the same terrible results that your old canned website produced. Again, a website is not adequate in itself to produce any measurable results and is not internet marketing or SEO. I break down the differences of online marketing and SEO in another article.

When it comes to online technology and internet strategies do you feel like you’re in the middle of the movie, The Matrix, where everything seems to be a bunch of meaningless green letters and symbols just floating across the screen? (it makes sense if you’ve actually seen the movie) My point is you feel lost. If you do, its important to understand that you don’t need to know any of that techie stuff to learn to do what I and other successful real estate agents do to succeed online. You might be encouraged to know that many brokers who start learning the techniques I’m talking about are anything but tech-savvy. Some are even strangers to browsing and email.

Now, I don’t consider myself a super wiz kid or anything when it comes to technology either, but when it comes to SEO and online marketing…that I can do. So you might be thinking to yourself; okay Mr. Smartypants, why don’t you just tell us how to do everything you do so we all can have an effective online marketing strategy too…right now? I’d love to, but truthfully, it takes more hands on than just reading one simple article to learn how to put the pieces together and work. Instead, I think I’ll start with some of the things that you don’t need to understand to kick- start your new agent success plan.

You don’t need to:

* Understand the Google and other search engine algorithms.
* You don’t need to know how to write computer language.
* You don’t need to consider yourself a pro at the internet.
* You don’t need to be “tech” savvy. Some students are even new to email and browsing!
* You don’t need to pay a guru for their help. They usually charge you too much anyway.

Knowing the need and understanding the benefits and success potential you could have with a solid internet marketing plan, you just need to decide how you are going to learn the nuts and bolts, strategy, techniques, needed to take your business success to the next level. Because I wanted to collapse time frames and get moving quickly, I chose to hire a private mentor to coach to train me. Or, you can read books, research web articles and spend the next year or two trying to figure it out.

There are many different techniques you could learn to attack the market online, but my suggestion is to learn 3 or 4 to start. That way, you won’t get exhausted, overwhelmed, and give up. I believe it is very important to start like I did:

1. Get a mentor or training system
2. Learn a few powerful and proven techniques and master them quickly.
3. Get an auto-responder system (like AWeber)
4. Start seeing results in 6-8 weeks with diligence.

What kind of results? Well, what is our goal with any marketing plan? Leads, or better yet, FREE inbound buyer and seller leads! This is the reward for any well thought out and targeted marketing plan, whether it’s offline or online. The main purpose of an internet strategy is to create a system for free inbound leads where prospects contact you for your real estate services. I’d say this is a much better (and rewarding) plan than spending hundreds of dollars on postcards, mailers, and print advertising where you get one (hopeful) bang for your buck, then it’s over. As a matter of fact, the techniques I use are free, and once I create an internet sales funnel (or pipeline), it keeps working for me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! I don’t know about you, but if I can find massive success online through free techniques, I’m all in.

Here are some of my favorite internet marketing techniques:

* Blogs and share blogs
* Video marketing
* Article marketing
* Social media

You see, that doesn’t sound too hard right? The key is to master the methods, techniques, and strategies that will boost you in the search engine results and not risk identifying your content as spam. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes into play. This is also why I recommend reading my article about SEO and Internet Marketing.

The competition can get pretty tight so you need to come up with good real estate marketing ideas that would truly bring your game onto a different plane. These days, there are a number of ways you can effectively reach your target market. You just need to know the best way to maximize these strategies so that investments can eventually turn out to become profit.

Offline Marketing

This type of marketing is also known as traditional marketing. This is where you can use print outs and events to market your business. As a real estate agent you should have a business card with you always so that wherever you are you can easily hand out your contact information to potential clients. Keep your business card crisp and straight to the point.

You should also make it a point to attend events or even local fundraisers to get better acquainted with people. Fund raising events are a good place to spot potential clients. No need to hard sell with them but at least you can immediately introduce yourself as a realtor. Who knows, your conversation might eventually end up about buying properties.

Website

There are a lot of real estate marketing ideas that you can follow if you have decided to put up your own website. You should consider this as a realtor because your website is your own shop or portal online. People would see it as a plus point if you have a website and this can also allow you to reach more customers than you can with personal networking alone.

For one, you can use opt-in marketing tactics to get people to follow your website. Email marketing is an efficient way of sending out your marketing collaterals without them ending up as junk mail. You can also use search engine optimization to expand your website’s reach. By increasing your website traffic you can also attract business partnerships in the process.

Social Networking

Another internet marketing sensation that’s really making waves these days is social networking. It’s like everyone’s suddenly connecting with friends or finding themselves microblogging. These social networking sites are free to register in so you better take the time to sign up.

What’s even better is that most of these social networking sites can easily connect with other forms of social media platform. They also allow you to publish different types of content aside from text such as videos, audios, and photos. So if you want to create viral marketing campaign that can be easily achieved through the said social networking sites.

As competition gets tough, you should also care to beef up your real estate marketing ideas. Utilize as many channels of communication as you see fit and always be on the lookout for training opportunities so you can learn new skills to market your expertise.

Real estate agents often ask me, what’s the best marketing tool for real estate? In fact, if I had a dollar for each time I heard this question, I would be on vacation right now!

So what are the best marketing tools for real estate? Well, I’m always quick to say that you are your best real estate marketing tool. Yes, you … the real estate agent reading this article. I’ve gone so far as to write an article about the most powerful real estate marketing tool, which is the agent behind the marketing.

So that automatically gets into the top-ten list of marketing tools for real estate. But what are the other nine? Here’s my list.

1. A Real Estate Website

Each day in your market area, hundreds (possibly thousands) of home buyers and sellers turn to the Internet for real estate information. Having a real estate website is the first step to connecting with this ideal audience. Thus, the website is a core marketing tool for real estate in the modern age.

2. A Web “Presence”

What’s the difference between a web presence and a website? Plenty. A website is a grain of sand on a long beach, with little hope of standing out in any significant way. But a web presence increases the chance people will find you online. A web presence includes such things as the real estate website, online press releases, real estate blogging and other online ventures. your chances of be. In an age where so many people use the Internet for real estate research, a strong web presence is a necessary marketing tool for real estate success.

3. A Real Estate Blog

In my opinion, real estate blogs can be one of the most effective marketing tools for real estate agents. Especially when they’re used properly. When you publish quality content to a real estate blog on a regular basis, you are increasing your web presence (mentioned above). You’re also positioning yourself as an authority in your area. These are just a few of the reasons a blog makes a good marketing tool for real estate success.

4. Real Estate Postcards

“Postcards,” you say, “aren’t those a little outdated?” Not at all. The postcard marketing strategies used by a lot of real estate agents are indeed outdated, but the medium itself can still bring great rewards. Real estate postcards have been a reliable marketing tool for real estate agents for decades. They can still be highly effective, especially when integrated with some of the other marketing channels on this page.

5. Home-Buying Seminars

I frequently recommend home-buying seminars as a marketing tool for real estate agents. No other real estate marketing technique can produce a room full of potential clients, eager to hear what you have to say. Sure, there are plenty of logistics involved, but the rewards usually outweigh the effort. Home buying seminars are most effective as a real estate marketing tool when conducted in collaboration (i.e., a real estate agent teaming up with a home inspector, mortgage professional, etc.

6. Client Referrals

It’s no secret that client referrals lead to a lot of business in the real estate industry. So in this regard, referrals are a powerful marketing tool for real estate agents. But some agents forget that the process leading up to a good referral begins on Day 1 of the working relationship. Take good care of your clients from first contact to closing day, and you’ll tap into one of the most powerful marketing tools for real estate — the client referral.

7. A Big Idea

This is a real estate marketing tool you can’t buy in stores, which is partly why it’s so effective. Big ideas are everywhere, but it’s almost impossible for me to list them for you. Once a big idea has been used in a certain market area, it can never be repeated with equal success. When you can come up with something that gets people in you’re area “buzzing” and spreading the word, you’ve tapped into another powerful marketing tool for real estate success. You’ve harnessed a big idea!

8. A Modern Outlook

The Internet has forever changed real estate research, as well as the real estate transactions themselves. So it’s important for real estate agents to adopt a modern way of thinking about their business. Start with what consumers are doing today, how they’re using the Internet, etc. Work backwards from there? How can you use that to your advantage? Keep a modern outlook toward real estate, and you’ll acquire yet another marketing tool for real estate success.

9. The Website Listed Below

Currently, there’s only one place online where agents can go to learn about direct mail marketing, online marketing, blogs and other topics on the subject. That website is listed below, and it offers dozens of free articles on the topics mentioned above.

10. Behold, the Real Estate Professional

As we discussed at the beginning of this article, you are your most powerful marketing tool for real estate success. None of the other items on this list can be effective without your energy, focus, compassion, intelligence and enthusiasm. So the next time a software or web marketing company says, “We have the most effective marketing tool for real estate business” … you can say, “No you don’t. I do!”