You have a client that is interested in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home for around $200,000. Use your site as a way to send them listing information on properties that match their criteria. Go on your site, do a search for 3 bedrooms, 2 bath homes within the price range of $200,000. Comb through the results for them - much the same way you would if you were searching the MLS system. Select the properties you think they would be interested in and e-mail them links to their location on your website. You have now created a way for your customer to view properties and communicate with you by visiting your site. Now your customer is using your site as a way to continue searching for real estate that fits their profile.

Consequently, your customer tells their family and friends to go to your site and check out the properties you picked for them. Suddenly you have multiple people visiting your site, book marking it and telling their friends and family to check it out. This is “word-of-mouth advertising” and it is extremely effective for obtaining additional clients.

Through your home search, give your users the opportunity to create a favorites list of the properties they have found on your site that are of interest to them. Provide them with a way to email that list directly to you, themselves, or to a friend. Soon you’ll find them using YOUR site as a way to keep track and communicate about certain properties throughout their selection process.

By giving every property on the MLS its own easy URL site address, you can easily market properties and send those links to prospective customers. (Example: http://myagentwebsite.com/234568 ) Think about ways you can market this simply URL (Rider sign outside the house, MLS printouts to customers, etc.)

Your web site should provide you (and your customers) an automated process that sends home search data matching a user’s specified criteria automatically to your customer’s email address. The way this works is that you give your site to a prospect, they fill out the criteria form by providing their name, email address and property specifications. They submit this information to your site, and immediately start receiving listing data that matches their criteria straight to their email account. The email they receive has a link within it to every “property details page” so that the user can easily visit your site to view more information about a particular property. It’s quick, convenient and easy.

Using a private client login section of your site is an extremely useful and effective tool for communication and sharing documents with your customers. By providing them a password-protected area of your site, you can share information, documents and more with the client all through one easy location. This also help make the customer think they are one of your VIP customers

Send prospective and current clients links to properties that are open for them to view during upcoming weekends. Your client will appreciate the fact that you are doing the research for them. In addition to encouraging repeat visits to your site, you’re offering the kind of customer service that is expected of real estate agents in the market today.

Current information is vital to encourage repeat visitors to your site. Encourage your visitors to sign up for your weekly or monthly e-newsletter. Realty Times offers an excellent program that gives you the ability to email your e-newsletter to clients (and prospects) containing current and valuable real estate industry information. This e-newsletter is tied to your Website and includes a link directly back to your site.

By implementing these simple features on your website and using them to your advantage, you’ll find that more and more people will begin to use your site as an important resource of real estate information within your area. This in turn will drive the kind of traffic you need to start generating sales from your site.

Additionally, you must provide your Website address on every single piece of marketing material you have about yourself. Put your website address on all letterhead, business cards, rider signs, brochures, magazine and TV ads. Make sure that when potential customers come across your materials they know that they can go to your site to view additional information. On your voice mail message, encourage callers to visit your website as an additional way to contact you. This will get them using your site and familiar with it while they wait for you to return their call. Your site should be an extension of you- accessible to them any time of the day or night.

Finally, set up a marketing budget. You must commit yourself to marketing your website. Set aside a set percentage of your commissions for marketing. Then decide what percentage of your marketing budget will be spent on search engine marketing. Remember that search engines are a highly competitive, lucrative business. Your success with search engines is going to be directly proportional to what you are willing to spend. The benefits can be tremendous- but you have to be willing to spend money to bring leads in consistently.

Committing yourself to the diverse elements described above, you will begin to see tremendous results. Websites are a proactive marketing tool that must be consistently nurtured and improved. Having a website will definitely bring you more business- if you’re willing to put the time and energy into utilizing it to its full potential.