Help-U-Sell Updates – Page 20 – Help-U-Sell® Connect

New Blitz Signs

Our on-demand print vendor, Alexander’s Print Advantage, has designed two new blitz signs for Help-U-Sell. You can see the designs and order them at www.brandsawonline.com/helpusell.

These signs are simple and affordable, so they’re perfect for blanketing a target neighborhood to build brand recognition or to use in conjunction with open house signs.

Images of the two versions are below.

You can customize the new Help-U-Sell Real Estate blitz sign with your text and phone number.

Send people directly to your site by using the blitz sign with QR code.

Both signs measure 11.5″ x 17.25″ and are made of heavy-stock cardboard that is gloss laminated on both sides. You can order as few as 25 signs for $40, and 100 signs go for $135. On the QR code sign, you can specify the URL that you want the code to link to. You might want to create a URL just for your signs to measure how many responses you signs generate. If you’re targeting a neighborhood, why not link to the search results on your site that feature property listings from that area? If you’re looking for sellers, consider linking the QR code to the Seller Savings Calculator. Get creative with where you send your potential clients and think about what would resonate most with them.

We want to hear your ideas and, if you’ve already used the blitz signs, what your successes were.

Changes to Search on the New Corporate Site

Based on input from our franchisees and to streamline the search process for site visitors, we have made a couple of changes to the new corporate site’s search imagery and functionality.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate's Corporate Website Search — Based on input from franchisees, we have changed the image of the person from a man to a woman.

Instead of the man who previously appeared in the search area on the homepage, a woman is now pointing to the search bar. The man remains on the internal pages of the corporate site.

We have also streamlined the search process so that visitors who search for homes go directly to franchisees’ websites to view results. If a visitor searches in a city that more than one Help-U-Sell office serves, the system will direct the visitor to the office that has garnered the least number of leads from the corporate site. This “counter” method will keep track of which office’s site last received a lead and will evenly distribute leads, as opposed to the random, round-robin method currently in use. Visitors will land on search results pages on broker websites that Help-U-Sell built. Franchisees that are using a web solution from a third party will still get leads, but visitors will be taken to the franchise’s home page. The reason being that we cannot control the data that is delivered from a third-party source.

Someone who searches for single-family homes in Tucson from the new corporate site and is directed to Southeast Rita Ranch Realty’s site will see the map view of single-family homes in Tucson on Southeast Rita Ranch Realty’s site, as pictured below.

Help-U-Sell Southeast Rita Ranch Realty search results — Visitors who search for Tucson homes will be taken to the map view on Help-U-Sell broker sites.

The visitor will no longer have to click through from the list of Help-U-Sell listings. Below is the current search results that a visitor who searches for Tucson homes sees.

Help-U-Sell Search Results — The current Help-U-Sell site's search results page looks like this and requires visitors to click to get to a franchisee's site.

We think the new search method will make getting leads easier and will fairly distribute them. If you have any questions about this change or any suggestions about the new website, please let us know.

New Help-U-Sell Corporate Site Updates

Thank you to our franchisees who have offered feedback on the new corporate site, which will launch very soon. We have made updates since our last Connect blog post about the site and are continuing to refine and adjust elements based on your input.

The biggest change is to the search function. We heard from you that you wanted it to be more prominent and easier for people to understand how to use. Our solution has made the search bar itself more visible by giving it a bolder border. We’ve also made it more intuitive to use by adding “Click here to Search for Homes” in the overlay of the search bar and incorporating the “Search Homes” button into the bar. A tutorial video with voiceover by James Dingman is in production and will offer a more detailed explanation of how to make the most out of the innovative search functionality. We have also included the Office Locator at the top of the homepage to facilitate users searching for their local offices.

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Homepage Search — The new Help-U-Sell Real Estate search function is easier to use and more prominent.

In an informal poll at the end of this week’s Tech Time Tuesday, most franchisees wanted the new search function on their broker sites. By popular request, we are looking into replacing the guy pointing at the search bar with a different person or a couple.

The broker sites will also have the option of adding a smaller version of the carousel scroller at the bottom of the homepage above the footer. See the rough mock-up below for an idea of the layout.

This is a mock-up of the carousel scroller on a Help-U-Sell Real Estate broker website.

Some of your site’s pages have been refreshed in the past week or two, including the home evaluation page and the press page. We are continuing to make improvements. Let us know what you would like to see on the corporate site and your broker site, in terms of additional modifications, and we will take those into consideration.

California Event Next Week

Where will you be next Wednesday, May 23? Our own Ron McCoy and James Dingman will be attending Agent Reboot Orange County, a one-day, tech-oriented event produced by Inman News, and they would love for you to join them.

“In real estate, survival depends on doing large numbers of transactions with fewer people,” says Dingman, Help-U-Sell Real Estate’s Chief Development Officer. “Smart brokers use technology to become more efficient, freeing up time that used to be spent on marketing and administrative tasks, for more important things like making new contacts and putting more transactions together. I know of no better place to get an understanding of the tech tools available and how they function in a real estate operation than Agent Reboot.”

During the fast-paced day, presentations will last no more than 20 minutes and will cover topics ranging from video marketing to generating business on Facebook to nurturing your clients. Inman News’ Chris Smith and Katie Lance will be among the speakers, along with experts like Zillow’s Industry Outreach Manager Brad Andersohn.

Agent Reboot Orange County will take place at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, and it runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you’re in the area, we encourage you to attend with us. The registration fee is only $49 if you book online. Go to the official site to sign up.

If you’re not based in Southern California, there are other Agent Reboot events scheduled from now through the fall, with stops in Portland, Ore.; Phoenix; Denver; South Florida; and Honolulu, to name a few. You can see the full list of locations on the Agent Reboot site.

Help-U-Sell Cookbook Update

At last year’s Broker Summit, the idea for a Help-U-Sell cookbook germinated. We have since collected recipes from offices throughout the country, from Pennsylvania to California and Minnesota to Texas. Thank you to everyone who submitted a favorite dish! The final cookbook contains almost 50 recipes in four categories: Appetizers and Side Dishes, Soups, Entrees, and Baked Goods and Desserts.

All the offices whose recipes appear in the book have their contact information in a directory toward the back of the cookbook.

It is now in the early stages of being designed. We plan to have a couple of hard copies to each office early next month. Each office will also receive an electronic version that you can have printed by a local vendor. The cover can be personalized for your office.

The cookbooks will make great housewarming gifts for buyers and sellers, thank-you gifts for testimonials or referrals, or holiday gifts for former clients. How will you use your cookbooks in your marketing plan?