LOCAL EXPERTS dot com

By Shaila Wunderlich

Since their rollout in the early 1990s, commercial websites have evolved.

They’ve gone from glorified business cards to sophisticated marketing tools, able to generate leads and target consumers before they are even aware of needing the service. “When it comes to marketing, the website is at the top of the funnel,” says Carolyn MacNeill, social media manager at Steve McKenna & The Home Advantage in Arlington, Massachusetts. “Whether through saved searches or people registering on the site, we provide useful information to engage potential customers and further connect with them through social media and other routes.”

Over the past five to ten years, real estate websites have found a tremendously effective niche by offering informative, hyper-local content that’s both free of charge and free of heavy-handed sales pitches.