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What a mortgage web site really costs…
“How much for a web site?” Asks the mortgage owner. Seems simple enough. Seems to be a reasonable question that any potential web site owner would ask, except that…
“How Much For A Web Site?” Is The Wrong
Question To Ask.
This question, “How much for a web site?”
is also one of the biggest mistakes any web site owner can make; and it is
significantly worse if this question is asked by someone who is in the
mortgage industry. And, any web designer that actually answers that
question (addressing only cost) is probably not a web designer you want.A mortgage company is on the Net to conduct business and generate revenue; they are not there to incur expense or to just ‘be on the Net.’ A prospective mortgage site should not focus on short-term cost analysis. While the expense of a web site is an important consideration, two major factors should control your decision: the revenue a web site can generate and the market share and brand name awareness your site can create.
How Much For A Web Site? Last Year.
Here is a typical scenario from a year or
two ago: Potential Client: answers - select one or more of the following…
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4. Client thinks, “I think I could do it myself cheaper,” and says, “I will get back to you.”
A Web Site Is Worthless…
Here is how a conversation with your Web
Manager should progress.
Potential Client: “You design web sites?” Web Manager: “Well, yes, while the actual design aspect is very important; that is just one component of the overall success for your mortgage web site. But a web site is worthless…” Potential Client: politely interrupting… “Worthless? What do you mean?”
Web Manager: “Let me show you how… This is how most web page designers
design a web site. You tell them what you want, show them your logo, tell
them your favorite color, and the web page designer brings back a few
nifty graphic layouts. Your spouse gets involved, your secretary, your
mother-in-law, your MIS professional, and you finally pick an award
winning design. Then you build your web site. End result - a nice looking
site...”
Web Sites Need Eyeballs
“But that is like creating a wonderful
television commercial. The TV ad is worthless... unless potential
customers see it, unless you get the commercial in front of people.
It is the same with web sites. You can spend tens of thousands of dollars
designing a web site, but if no one sees it; your site is actually
worthless. It will not be generating new mortgage customers.”
For a web site to be effective, you need to get ‘eye balls’ to your site. You may have competitive interest rates and great loan programs, but if no one knows your web site exists... your online mortgage business will be non-existent. You will be missing a huge marketing opportunity.”
How To Build A Successful Web Site
Web Manager: “Here is how a web management
company builds successful web pages. Internet studies show that unless you
are a company like E-loan who spends thousands of dollars on banner
advertising and real world media, most people will find your web site on
the Net by going to a search engine and typing in key words to find what
they want, i.e. ‘home loans,’ |
‘mortgage loans’ or ‘mortgage broker.’
So we first work with our clients to determine which key words we will
build their web site around.”
“Because information presented on the Net is not the same information as presented in a brochure, we next determine what information to provide to your current and potential customers. People will arrive at your site seeking EXACTLY what they want. So unlike a TV commercial that interrupts your favorite show, a web site is a ‘TV commercial’ that someone has asked to see and wants to visit. You have 5-10 seconds to entice them to stay... to make them your customer. If you don’t ...there are thousands of other web sites that can. “After we do that, we complete the web page layout and
graphics...Subtle? Yes. Difference? HUGE! End result - a web site that
produces results. Can we make people purchase a mortgage from your
company? No, but we can design your web site so that it delivers them to
your site... so you can do your job.”
The Real Cost Of A Successful Web Site is $0
“That is how we turn a worthless web site
into a valuable site. That is why a well designed and managed web site
doesn’t cost anything; it generates revenue. With professional web
sites costing from tens of thousands of dollars, here is what is wrong
with the question, ‘How much for a web site?’ A well-designed
web site costs you nothing, it makes you money. You will
quickly find out that a poorly designed web site is actually ‘costing
your company money’ instead of generating revenue each month.”
Client: “So the question is not how much does a web site cost, but how many closed loans we could generate with a well designed web site and how much market share are we going to lose by not being found on the Internet.” *************** Rod Aries and Robert Farris are co-founders of MortgagePromote.com a leading Internet based marketing provider to the mortgage industry. Web site: www.mortgagepromote.com. MortgagePromote.com offers web site lead generation services, proven Internet marketing techniques, and search engine management strategies to mortgage brokers, bankers, and lending institutions.
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