SEM and VTs

SEM and VTs--sounds a little suspicious. It's code for using some Internet strategies to do a little more with online marketing.

There is a gaping area of unexploited territory available to clever brokers who understand how to leverage unbranded virtual tours in real estate. As WAV Group has discussed before, the unbranded virtual tour allows a broker to publish a virtual tour to other broker and agent websites. If done correctly, that virtual tour provides a link back to the broker's website. It is not a link that the consumer sees or can even touch, but search engine spiders follow the link.

It has long been known that link backs are a big benefit in Search Engine Optimization. However, like every exploit, this strategy wanes in effectiveness as more brokers adopt the strategy, and as search engines change their ranking algorithms.

Moving on, some WAV Group clients have begun to try some new strategies that are proving to be pretty effective. The unbranded virtual tour can place a cookie on the consumer's browser that can be used to target search engine marketing and online banner advertising to the consumer across the Internet.

Obviously, you cannot advertise to a consumer on a competing broker's website, but you can track that consumer when they leave the competitor's website and hit them with all kinds of advertising all over the web. This practice is commonly referred to as retargeting.