In a down economy, marketing becomes more important. In fact, effective marketing can be the difference between success and failure. That’s why it’s so important to take proper advantage of every weapon in your arsenal.
Your Community Showcase on RetireNet.com offers you the opportunity to put before the public exactly the message you want, and need, for them to hear. And that message is a constant feature of the Showcase: wherever a visitor may navigate to, whether to your photo gallery or your homes for sale or your contact form, the description and amenities remain visible at all times.
The technical process of creating both is simple. After logging in and choosing which Showcase to edit (for most users, there will be only one Showcase name shown), click on the “Edit” link for your Description. Adding, or editing, your Description simply requires that you type your text into the labeled textbox. There is no limit on the number of characters or words you can type…you can make your Description as long, or as brief, as you wish.
Editing your Amenities is a separate process, and it works a little differently, but is still easy. After clicking on the “Edit” link under Amenities, you’ll see a screen that lists all the pre-defined amenities available under the RetireNet system. To add your amenities, simply select which ones you offer by clicking on the checkbox beside each one. But you can do more than that, and here’s where taking full advantage of your Showcase comes in: beside each listed amenity is a text box, in which you can provide a full description. So rather than just checking “Pools/Spas,” for instance, you can check the box and then write a full description. For instance: “There are two swimming pools, including an outdoor pool open to residents and their families and guests, and a heated, Olympic-size indoor pool open to residents only. The indoor pool is used for casual swimming, lap swimming, and planned water exercise groups.”Having a full description gives you a distinct advantage over a competing community that doesn’t utilize this feature.
Now that you know how to edit your Showcase, the question becomes: what should you say? In general, it’s best to remember that people have reached your Showcase because it fits the parameters of their search: they’re already nibbling, but what will hook them is facts. Soothing or provocative language counts for less than answering their questions: is it an age-restricted community? Is it gated? Does it offer landscaping services? Is it within easy traveling distance of shopping and medical care? Is there a golf course?
Also, try to keep your descriptions brief, to the point, and accurate. Visitors to RetireNet have big questions, and they have to sift through a lot of information before signing on the dotted line. If you do a better job than others of giving them precisely the answers they need, you gain an advantage. Florid language and unsubstantiated claims may work well in other forms of marketing; but in the context of a search for answers, relying on the same kind of ad copy in your glossy brochure may result in an impatient and frustrated visitor clicking away to the next Showcase on their list, and no sales lead being generated for your community.
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