Sucky Website = No Leads

Do you have a website or your real estate investing business?

Well, you should!

But not just any site… it has to be quality.

Why?

Because you need a solid online presence for effective lead generation.

Another why?

Because leads are the blood pumping through our investor veins. Without leads, we have NO deals. NO business. Nothing.

Hey Moguls, Cody Sperber here to share with you a series of steps that you should take to create a powerful marketing funnel in the form of a website.

3 important components

Okay friends, here are 3 characteristics that I think make up a sexy site:

1. Appearance

How does the site look overall? After all, first impressions are everything.

Did you know that a visitor will judge your site within just 6 to 10 seconds and decide whether or not to keep browsing, take action or click off your site.

So how your site looks is a HUGE part of its appeal.

2. Lead Magnet

A lead magnet is an incentive to your visitors. Think of it as an offer to potential leads in exchange for their email address or other contact information. You could offer digital downloadable content, like a free PDF checklist, report, eBook or even a video.

3. Navigation

Navigating your site has to be easy, folks. If it’s too difficult for visitors to find what they need on your site, they’re clicking away from you.

Not only should your site be simple to cruise through… you should also get rid of some navigation controls.

Why?

So you can direct visitors where YOU want them to go.

2 kinds of sites

Let’s touch on 2 kinds of sites—catalogue vs. squeeze page— and discuss the differences and why one is better than the other…

1. Catalogue

So, this is superior site designed to be all things for all people. It’s the whole Megillah… with a homepage, contact page, about us page, etc. It’s so visitors can learn about the business and click around where they want.

2. Squeeze Page (a.k.a. Lead Capture Page)

This kind of site speaks the REI lead gen language. It removes most of the navigational controls and limits the number of pages to push visitors directly to areas of data capture.

Let me be clear here… you need both of these sites:

You need the catalogue site as a general reference for your business.
You need the squeeze page for marketing and lead generation. (Without a useful squeeze page generating leads, you have no business. No business means no catalogue website. Get it?)

See, the squeeze page is like a call to action for your leads. And, it converts leads wayyyy better then the catalogue site.

When your squeeze page looks good, has a great offer, a solid call to action and gives clear solutions, you’re going to capture leads that convert to deals.

What’s old is new

I’m sure you’ve heard of the old school newspaper rule of thumb… with a folded newspaper, all major headlines went above the fold.

update The same rule applies to your website…

The most critical info must be above the fold.

But what does that mean in digital terms?

While monitors and browsers vary, in general, visitors should be able to look at the most important info on your page without scrolling down.

These should be at the top of the page and seen with just a quick glance:

main headlines
key videos
opt-in forms
business-building elements

Charged up

Did you know that your site has a charge? I mean:

positive
negative
neutral

What does that mean?

It means that your graphics, color schemes and headlines determine the charge of your site. And obvi you want a super positive charge…

Here’s 2 easy tips:

Splashes of color on neutral-colored sites
Avoid dark or bright colors throughout the entire site, but add pops that draw the eyes where you want them to go

I suggest you do a little research about which colors elicit what kinds of emotions. (Did you know that red makes people hungry? Cool, huh.)

Direct response marketing widget

Okay, I love this one!

This widget, also known as the ethical bribe, is really rather simple…

Give something away for free… like something in the lead magnet list I gave above or a property listing or CD…

In exchange for something you want… their contact info.

So, if I’m marketing rent-to-owns to a potential rent-to-own or tenant buyer, I’ll offer a list of free, currently unavailable rent-to-own properties.

The offer here – the bribe – is the key…

It has to be a tempting offer, something your buyer needs. You have to give something good enough so that your buyers stay on your site and share their contact information.

You have to make them feel like the time they spent looking into you was worth it.

It’s all about a value exchange. And please make sure to follow through and deliver. Be true to your word, always.

You ALWAYS have to deliver what you offer in your ethical bribe.

So…

If you’re starting a new website or your current site isn’t creating the lead gen you need, rework it based on my tips.

Got a budget for this to hire someone to make this page for you? Great! Just make sure they follow these important rules too.

In no time, you should have a sexy site to generate leads to convert into deals!