Google "downtown office space" and you’ll get close to 8,000 000 search results. If you’re in the real estate business, would you like to be on the bottom of that list – or at the top?
It's a simple question, but a complex goal. "Before, clients and sales opportunities could be found in one's own neighborhood. Now, the real estate industry is learning how to build these relations online," says Geir Hagen, project manager at Devant Consulting. Devant specializes in customized content management systems (CMS) for the real estate industry, but the product is only part of the foundation needed to build a strong presence online. "The challenge isn't to be online," says Hagen. "It's to stay there."
The Real Estate Industry's Use of Social Media
Several industry professionals have thrown themselves on the social media wave to increase page views and get in touch with new clients. But according to sales representative Jay Thompson in Phoenix (U.S.) it's not simply a gimmicky get-rich technique. "You have to look at it as a job," he said to Realtor magazine last year. Thompson was looking to modernize his website and decided to start a blog. He dedicated two hours per day to writing articles, tweeting and taking an active part in online networks and conversations. During a six-month period in 2009 his site measured 1,4 million page views and 380, 000 unique visitors.
His story isn't unique. Social networks like Twitter, Facebook and personal websites give agents the opportunity to communicate directly with clients, without having their message filtered by the press. "But many people still underestimate both SEO and SEM (search engine marketing)," Hagen says. "Similar to how agents used to work to get people into their office they now have to start focusing on getting people on to their website."
Complete Solutions that Combine Content and SEO
Eric Kuzuian, one of Toronto's (Canada) biggest players on the real estate scene, revolutionized his own website in 2008. "I think many industry professionals tend to forget that real estate is first and foremost a visual experience," he explains. "We sell real estate based on how something looks, and we always style a property before a showing. Why wouldn't we also style our own website?" The web is often the first point of contact between a client and a sales representative, and it becomes increasingly important to stand out. "People want access to useful and valuable information," Kuzuian explains.
Content and image is still not everything. It doesn't matter how great your blog or website looks if no one knows it exists, Hagen points out. "Many industry professionals can't really see the relationship between technology, text and marketing." Devant specializes in finding the balance between product, content and SEO, and offers a team of people ranging from marketing experts and journalists, to programmers. "Together we develop effective online solutions," Hagen adds. "One step simply can't exist without the other."
Devant Launches Terminus: CMS for the Real Estate Industry
Most of Devant's staff have several years of experience from the real estate industry. "This is an area we're not just familiar with, but that we're passionate about," says Jørgen Sando, product manager for Terminus. "It's exciting to launch an impressive product."
Terminus can be tailored to companies of any size - large real estate portals or individual agents. It is a foundation for further customization, and some of its features include integrated Google maps, calendars and online payment processing. "We offer an effective and complete web solution that combines product with experience," says Sando. "It's also exciting to announce that we are working on GPS-based iPhone app for the real estate industry." When it launches, future clients can simply point their phone at a property and scan through all necessary information about the building, from the number of square meters and price, to the agent's contact info.
The next time you do a Google search looking for office space it might be a little bit more obvious who's at the top - and why. Maybe it's you?
