How can you dominate and be the "go to" source for your local market? According to social media evangelist Tim Hmelar, who spoke to members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® last month, for any business, including real estate, two online marketing goals are: get found when people search for you; and get found when people search for your profession in a given area.
Some people believe if they have a website, they will be found and clients will come. "So wrong," said Hmelar.
Hmelar said the goal is to be found on the Google search engine and it can't just happen just because you have a website. He described how Google's system works. According to a Cornell University study, the first result on a Google results page receives 56.46 percent of clicks, compared to the number 10 result, which only receives 2.55 percent of clicks.
"You want to be on the first page of Google," said Hmelar. "If you are not on the first page, then you are nowhere. You get lost and die."
Hmelar noted once contacted by an Internet prospect, you have 23 minutes to respond. Internet shoppers demand fast response, especially the millennial generation. "They want information now. They don't want to wait till tomorrow," said Hmelar.
This generation of 35-40 year olds born between 1981 and 2000 is made up of approximately 90 million people and encompasses nearly 40 percent of the real estate market. They switch their attention between media platforms like laptops, smartphones, tables, and television 27 times per hour on average.
According to a joint study by Google and the National Association of REALTORS®, 89 percent of new home shoppers use a mobile search engine at the start and throughout their search.
Hmelar added foreign buyers are in Silicon Valley. To appeal to foreign buyers, Hmelar said Bay Area top REALTORS® are tri-lingual. In addition to speaking English and Mandarin, Hindi or Spanish, they speak real estate and SEO/SMOish. Make sure your website reflects all these, he told the Realtors.
In whatever business one pursues, Hmelar suggests the following five things to do to help raise your ranking on Google:
Check for broken links in your website. You lose points from Google if you have dead links.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.