QUICK SUMMARY Real Geeks websites include many great features designed to generate real estate leads. Combined with a beautiful custom design, they can be lead-generating powerhouses. We break it all down for you, using examples from sites we’ve built for agencies across the country.
A Real Geeks website can be your greatest asset for growing your real estate business. However, getting there takes planning and effort. In this article, we review the important components that make up Real Geeks websites, strategies for generating traffic, and how a custom design can help you maximize lead conversions.
Are you considering a Real Geeks website to grow your real estate business? Looking to upgrade a Real Geeks website you currently own? Blue Dream Creative specializes in building stunning Real Geeks websites that make a great impression and convert more leads.
Components of a Real Geeks Website
1. IDX Search
The foundation of a Real Geeks website is its IDX property search. IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange. It is how MLS listings make their way to a website. Real Geeks pulls local property data via the IDX, and displays it on your website.
Most leads are generated when visitors search properties on your website. Visitors can initiate searches using various search forms embedded throughout the website. There are two main types of search forms–quick search and advanced search.
a) Quick Search
The quick search forms provides a fast and easy way to start an IDX property search. It includes basic search filters like city, neighborhood, property type, min and max price, beds, and baths. It also includes an advanced search link, for those who want to get more specific.
For most visitors, the quick search is sufficient. However, some visitors will want more search options. These are provided by the advanced search form.
b) Advanced Search
The advanced search form can include any filters made available by your local MLS. Available filters vary between MLS boards.
Popular filters include year built, lot size, school district, garage spaces, amenities, architectural style, and waterfront features, among others. The advanced search makes it easy to find homes that meet very specific criteria.
In addition to more search filters, the advanced search includes other ways to search for homes altogether. You’ll find these options along the top of the form as tabs. They include ‘Condo Search’, ‘Foreclosure Search’, ‘Zip Code Search’, ‘MLS Number Search’, and ‘Address Search’.
2. Home Value Estimator
While the Real Geeks IDX aims to generate buyer leads, the home value estimator is designed to generate seller leads. Sellers needs only provide a few pieces of information to receive an instant home value report.
In exchange for their address and contact info, potential home sellers receive a detailed home value report that includes comparable sales data and other vital information.
Whenever a new lead submits a home value request, you receive an immediate email and text notification, while lead details are added to the CRM database. From there, you can follow up immediately with a personal phone call or email.
If the lead is unresponsive, you can nurture it with an automated marketing campaign directly from the Real Geeks CRM.
3. Local Market Reports
All Real Geeks websites include the market reports tool, which generates a snapshot of local market activity. You can set search criteria just as with a traditional property search.
Want to know how many multi-acre properties sold in a specific area over the last six months? Interested in researching recent condo sales in a popular development? Or sales of multi-million dollar estates in an exclusive subdivision? Simply define your search with the market reports form and submit to receive an instant report.
You can create and save market report pages, and link to them from anywhere on your Real Geeks website. A common practice is to add them to your area pages, which are pages with pre-set search results.
For example, say you work in the San Diego market, and you create an area page for Downtown San Diego. This area page is pre-populated with Downtown San Diego MLS listings. Somewhere on that same page, you can link to a market report that shows Downtown San Diego recent sales. The market report link should be somewhere that is easy to spot, preferably toward the top of the page.
4. Real Geeks CRM
When your Real Geeks website captures a lead, it is automatically added to your CRM, a full-featured platform that allows you to track and nurture leads through every step of the sales cycle.
Not only that, you can also send third party leads to the CRM, whether from other websites you own, or from popular platforms like Facebook, Contactually, MailChimp, and more.
The CRM records all lead activity on your Real Geeks website. You can track recent property searches, viewed properties, favorite properties, average price of viewed properties, activity dates, and more.
If you wish to contact a lead, you can email or text directly from the CRM. All email and text exchanges are recorded, so you know exactly where each lead is in terms of the sales cycle.
If you manage a team of real estate agents, this feature makes it easy to keep track of communications between your agents and their leads.
a) Automated Email & Text Follow-Up
One of the most powerful tools in the Real Geeks CRM is automated lead follow-up. You can program the CRM to send an automatic text and email whenever a new lead signs up.
You can even delay the amount of time between when the lead signs up and when the text and email are sent. This gives leads the impression that the messages were personally sent, increasing the likelihood of a response.
Setting up automated responses is easy and intuitive. Furthermore, Real Geeks provides one-on-one support services should you require assistance. You can customize responses any way you like to appeal to your local market.
b) Drip Marketing
Most leads will not reply to your first contact attempt. The real estate sales cycle can be a long one. It is simply the nature of the business. It is also why drip marketing is absolutely essential.
Drip marketing consists of texts and emails that your leads receive according to a schedule. A scheduled group of texts and emails is defined as a workflow. Real Geeks makes it easy to set up workflows and assign them on the fly.
Moreover, the CRM includes pre-defined workflows for both buyers and sellers, eliminating the need for time-consuming setup. You can have your drip campaigns up and running in a matter of minutes. Real Geeks websites without active drip campaigns are truly missing out on a very valuable tool.
Your drip campaigns need not be limited to text. You can include links, pictures, and videos to drive your message. In short, the more you put into your drip campaigns, the more you will get out of them.
c) Lead Management
Real Geeks websites make it easy to manage, track, and distribute leads among your team of agents. The CRM includes many useful features that facilitate this.
When a new lead comes in, the first thing one must decide is which member to assign it to. With Real Geeks round robin system, leads are automatically assigned on a rotating basis. This ensures an equitable and unbiased distribution of leads.
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