Selling any product nowadays can be difficult, especially with most people relying on the internet to at least some extent to buy. There are a lot of things that you need to take into consideration when you’re trying to market your product or when you’re trying to give customers information on who you are and what you or your company does. Referrals have become the best source of business due to the fact that you’ve been able to establish a relationship with your customer. Our approach at Agency Appeal is to turn your website into a strong referral source. We know that one of the biggest worries is being unable to communicate with a customer your mission, vision, and values simply through the information on your website, but there are effective ways to communicate your vision to prospects through your website to turn your website into your best salesperson. For most agents, a lead that comes in via the website is looked down on as an “internet lead”. The goal of your website should be to have your website leads enter into the sales funnel much further down so you view it’s value as high as a referred lead. Most people like to do business with people who have a similar value system. This can be clearly communicated on your website before you even have a chance to speak with them.
Start by taking a look at the design of your website. Stay away from using templates because that can start to look very cookie cutter to similar businesses. You want to be unique and stand out to your customers to let them know your agency or business are nothing like anything else they can find. Make sure that there are photographs on your website, but make sure you aren’t pulling solely from stock pages. They might look a bit more professional when doing so, but they also look less genuine. You want people to be aware that there are real agents behind the website and it allows you to use the kinds of photos that you want to use. You’re not limited to what you can do when you’re the one calling the shots and you don’t have to worry about copyright infringement or paying high usage fees. It’s important that your website looks professional and genuine at the same time. When using stock images, make sure that they are reflective of your brand.
We want the website to look professional, but also make sure that it’s genuine and sincere at the same time. You want people to recognize your brand, but you also want them to be able to recognize your team. Testimonials are a great way to help prospects understand what you do for your clients. Whether it is on video or text (or both!) put your satisfied clients out there for everyone to see! That will help bring your website to life, it will also let people know that you’re not just in it for business, but you’re in it to help your customers. They want to know that customer service is an important aspect to you and your agency, so make sure you strive to let them know that it’s one of your top priorities!
Another item to focus on is having various enhancements on your website. You don’t want to have too many, but you want to have enough that are tailored to exploring the website and contacting your agency directly. Some widgets that you should focus on would be having a call back option, the option to book an appointment online, a chat box, email subscribe and social media links. Social media is important because if a previous customer enjoyed their experience then they may not just share it by word of mouth, they may want to link your website through their social media. That will generate plenty of referrals on its own. Make sure that you’re including at least some of these options if not all of them, it can make all the difference in the end.
The About Us page is one that most agents need to focus on more than they have in the past. This page is often viewed by a new visitor but too often it is just a bland history of the agency. I’m not saying to omit the history, but summarize it quickly and make it more of a story than a book report. Then shift gears to who you are today. Not just your ownership but also what makes doing business with you unique. Don’t just make a comment that “we provide great service” but back it up with what you do for your clients that they cannot get with an online broker, direct writer, or even the agency down the street (Saturday or extended hours, annual review calls, registry service, etc.). Combine this with a great Meet Our Team page with pictures and a short bio on each of them. The bio should contain both professional and personal details. Even though we live in a digital age, people still want to do business with people they know and like. Since we don’t have the time to build these relationships like we did 50 (or even 20) years ago, a picture and short bio can make a big difference in a prospect’s decision making process.
Those are some of the main ways that you can create a website that will generate referrals instead of internet leads. If you have any questions, want to see some examples of some strong websites, or you’re looking for some feedback on your own website then please don’t be afraid to contact us, we’d love to hear from you!
