Leading the Way in Online Lead Generation

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The neighborhood Web site and newsletter allow residents to do everything from posting free classified ads to learning of events to finding out new recipes
By Lesley Geary

RISMEDIA, Jan. 19 ? Angie Sherman and her partner Shari Crumbaker say they sell so many houses in the Puget Sound, Washington suburb of Dupont, that they are known as ?the Dupont Divas.?

?People just know it?s our territory because we have our ear to the ground and we know what?s going on,? Sherman explains.

For the last nine years, Sherman who is a RE/MAX agent in Tacoma says she has done well, but that it wasn?t until their neighborhood marketing program was launched that their business really took off. ?Since we launched our neighborhood Web site and newsletter, www.Dupont-Neighbors.com, we have had over 21,000 hits and received great leads.?

The site, developed by Michigan-based Connecting Neighbors, is part of an innovative marketing plan to develop quality online leads for Realtors. According to Connecting Neighbors President, Sean Fox, ?the emphasis is on quality leads.?

Since 1998, Connecting Neighbors, which now has 8,000 neighborhoods across North America, has created a neighborhood marketing program that delivers quality leads to Realtors who focus on specific neighborhoods. The neighborhood Web site and newsletter allow residents of the specific areas to do everything from posting free classified ads to learning of events on community calendars to finding out new cooking recipes. There is also a section that allows people to search for new homes.

Additionally residents can subscribe to a monthly e-mail newsletter containing information about the neighborhood. Fox says the program, which has a set-up fee of $799, and monthly service fees starting at $49.95, ?are more than worth the investment when you consider the quality of leads generated.?

He explains the reason the neighborhood marketing program works so well is that ?real estate is a very personal, one-on-one business. The more you can be involved with the community, the better your chances are of having those residents turn to you when they go to buy or sell their home.?

Fox cites a recent survey by The National Association of Realtors which reports that 65% of all home buyers and 73% of all home sellers only contact one Realtor when they decide to enter the market. And he says, ?if your name is the one they continually see when they go onto the neighborhood Web site or read the neighborhood newsletter, it only stands to reason that you are the one they will call to help them with their real estate needs.?

Sacramento broker, Michael Soares agrees with Fox about the benefits of the online marketing service. An admittedly ?low tech kind of a guy,? Soares says he did not have a Web presence of any sort until he linked up with Connecting Neighbors last year.

Today he notes his site, www.NatomasNeighbors.com gets him ?lots and lots of great leads.? Soares, who sells about 160 homes a year in the Natomas area of Sacramento, explains the neighborhood marketing program is invaluable for at least two reasons. ?First, when I sell that many houses in a community, the site lets me give something back to the residents?it?s a big benefit to them that I sponsor a Web site where they can put in free classifieds, sell a car or a couch, and have so many community events available to them for free.?

Secondly, Soares notes, ?For me, every time they go on the neighborhood Web site or read their newsletter they will see my name and picture as the sponsor of the neighborhood. It may not mean anything today, but when the residents go to sell their home they will think of me.?

Sound unbeatable? Soares says Connecting Neighbors is definitely a worthwhile marketing tool, but he adds that the neighborhood Web site and newsletter are only effective if you announce them to the residents. He adds that Connecting Neighbors is very responsive to any requests he may have, and that they offer a variety of marketing materials to their clients. However, it is up to individual Realtors to promote their neighborhood Web site and newsletter to the residents.

The Sacramento broker promotes his neighborhood Web site and newsletter in all of his marketing campaigns, which he says, makes www.NatomasNeighbors.com very worthwhile indeed.

Connecting Neighbors explains for those willing to promote their Web sites and newsletters it is probably the best lead-generation tool available to Realtors online. The organization assigns a Neighborhood Marketing Specialist to help each sponsor announce the program to the residents of the neighborhood by either using their existing marketing materials or the numerous materials offered through the program.

Right now the Michigan-based firm has sold about 8,000 neighborhood marketing programs and is said to be the only national program of its type. As for its ability to grow, President Sean Fox believes with an estimated 600,000 neighborhoods that could benefit from its service, ?the sky?s the limit.?

To grow the company, Fox says it continues to add to its sales force of 40, which he sees as a key to getting the word out about the service. And while the privately held company does not disclose sales figures, Fox explains that Connecting Neighbors is profitable and has never had to attract money from outside investors. He adds, ?How many dot-coms built before 1998 can say that??

As for Angie Sherman and Shari Crumbaker, they too want to see Connecting Neighbors grow. Their neighborhood Web site, www.Dupont- Neighbors.com continues to flourish. They intend to add new features to make the site more interesting and to attract more Web traffic. In the future the ?Dupont Divas? hope their Web traffic (generated by people looking for neighborhood news, recipes, and real estate) will make them the ?Dot Com Divas? as well.

Source: National Relocation & Real Estate magazine

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