If so, you’re going to love this idea. In fact, you should consider using this strategy with every single listing you take – just make it part of your listing checklist.

The feedback I received from agents across the country learning this strategy has been overwhelmingly positive. One agent reported he drove over 12,000 visitors to his site in a single month using it. So I wanted to get it into our Agent Inner Circle™ community for you to use too.

Let’s say you just took a listing and you’re (obviously) planning on promoting the home (with photos) in lots of ways: homes ads, flyers, farming, Just Listed’s, MLS, etc.

One of the first things you’ll do is take a series of great photos of the home. And it’s in THIS process you have an opportunity to “leverage” the traffic and potential clients you’ll get to your web site. Here’s how you do it…

Step #1: Go out and take a series of great photos of your new listing with your digital camera.

Step #2: Hop on the web and reserve a web site name that’s the same as your listing’s address, such as www.123AnywhereStreet.com (by the way, this part of the strategy was submitted by Michael Krisa – thanks Michael!). You can use GoDaddy.com or any other URL-reserving site. If the exact name is not available, create a URL that’s as close to the address of your listing as possible.

Next, you want your new URL (address) to point to a web page that promotes the home on YOUR web site. But here’s the important point: make sure the web page also presents ways to capture the buyers (or sellers) contact information – so you’ll either want to offer special reports, a free list of homes for sale, etc. to attract them. And don’t forget to give the visitor the ability to search the MLS through your site as well.

Web visitors are worthless unless you know who they are, and can follow-up with them as leads. If you don’t give people great reasons for contacting you (i.e. a strong offer for something they really desire), then your efforts will be wasted.

Step #3: Take the photos you’ll be using to promote your listing, and open them in your photo editing software that came with your digital camera. Almost all digital cameras come with photo editing software, and most computers have some type of software already loaded that will do the trick here (Microsoft Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is installed on most computers and has a photo editor included).

With each photo, insert a text box across the bottom of the photo (it can be large or small, but don’t let it interfere with the photo too much), and write the web site URL (you just reserved for the listing) in the text box. You can even make the URL a “screen” so it is seen, but doesn’t distract viewers from the photo of the home.

Step #4: Use your newly created photos in EVERY promotion you make for your home. The more listings you manage, the more effective the strategy. Want a few ideas? OK…check these out…

• Use the photos with your home brochures…
• Use the photos with your info boxes/tubes in front of the home for buyers to see and visit your site…
• Use the photos in all your “homes” ads – viewers will see them and be motivated to see more at your web site…
• If you send Just Listed’s, include the URL imprinted photos with those mailings…
• If you send a community newsletter with highlighted listings, use these photos…
• Put the home address URL on a listing sign rider – people driving by will take the URL down (the home address) and visit your site…

Can you use your URL implanted photos with your MLS listing?

In the early days (years ago), the answer was “you could get away with it.” A number of agents uploaded photos of their homes into MLS using their web site URL. It was a brilliant strategy because the photos would capture people conducting public searches on the MLS (and from search engines) and drive them to your site. But that’s all changed now.

I would bet dollars to donuts your MLS will NOT allow you to use this strategy with your submitted photos – even with the home address as the URL. By now there may even be fines or other penalties involved. So before you get bold and try this with your MLS, give ’em a call and check it out.

Nevertheless, this strategy still highlights the point of posting access to your web site in ALL your marketing promotions. It’s easy. It’s inexpensive. And it works. Try it – you’ll like it.