Hi, I'm your customer. I think we've met before.

October 21, 2009 | Posted by Carolyn Pikoulas
Did you know that 75% of your website's visitors already know you? They know you from word-of-mouth referrals; they've seen your billboard, heard your radio spot, drove past your yard sign or received your direct mail piece in their mailbox. No matter how they were introduced to you, they are then going straight to your website to learn more. They either know you by name or your website's URL. Therefore, your site visitors are not strangers - they are people that have been influenced by your brand.

The study, conducted by WAV Group (a professional consulting service to the Real Estate industry), looked at the nation's top 50 brokers' websites over a one week period, and tracked approximately 1.5 million visitors. In the study they found that about 75% of visitors typed in the website address in the browser. Or, if they couldn't remember the exact URL, they searched for the company name using a search engine. Of course, that means that this info would be included in the search engine traffic of your web analytics, but it also means that it's a direct result from your branding/marketing.

In reality, leads come from a variety of places: referrals, yard signs, business cards, and all other forms of advertising. That's not to say that website optimization or search engine marketing isn't important. But, this study does reinforce the fact that building a strong brand using a variety of tools is just as important. Ultimately, your website is where the consumer ends up, after coming in contact with your brand. This is why a well-balanced-diet of all your marketing tools is essential in a complete strategy. You must keep your brand healthy by taking a 360 degree view of your marketing approach.