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Directories Int'l Realty US Realty
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Get Your Creative Juices WorkingBy: Alice Held, CRS, GRI
Outline What Your Website Will BeYour goal is to get a feel for what you want your website to be. Prepare an outline that includes the major sections and subsections that you believe should appear in your website.Grab Everything That's HandyDig through every file, box and file cabinet you have to unearth the information that's already available to you. You'll surprise yourself with what you find and with how nicely this will move you forward. Consider marketing pieces you've prepared, press releases, related articles, notes or ideas you've accumulated over time. Don't rate the quality of this information, just gather it.Just Type!Start typing thoughts, ideas, words, questions and to-dos into each section of your website outline. Put rough thoughts on paper and empty your brain - don't worry about complete sentences or proper grammar, just type. Approach this step like a brainstorming session, the more powerful the storm, the more potent your website. Strive to place your thoughts in the most appropriate section of your outline and rearrange the outline if insight informs you it will be more logical for your readers.Prepare Your Rough DraftNow it's time to take your outline, the information you've got handy and your brainstormed ideas and shape them into a useable rough draft. Move through your entire outline, section by section, and begin writing complete sentences and paragraphs. As you work, start a list to keep track of topics that require in-depth research, statistics or back-up information. When you're done, print out a copy and read it a few times, revising lightly as you go. Your outline should be rather sparse, but when you've completed this step, you've made progress.It's Research TimeNow is the time to think like a publisher. Your goal is to compile information and research to support the outline. Talk to anyone and everyone that might be able to help you collect information.Write A Final DraftSometimes finishing is the hardest part of completing a large project. Avoid mistakes by checking your writing for grammatical and spelling errors. Go all out and create a powerful message.Set A DeadlineTo ensure that you complete your outline, set yourself a deadline you can't ignore. Call a few people you respect to ask if they would be willing to proofread your work and offer suggestions. Make this arrangement with someone whom you're not particularly close with, so that it's more difficult and uncomfortable to call and delay. Ask for feedback and make it clear that honesty is what you're after. If you don't explain this up front, you may hear "looks good to me", essentially a waste of time for both of you. If you feel tears coming on as they serve up their advice, things are going well. Take detailed notes and feel confident that if you disagree strongly, you are confident in your work.Polish Your Plan To PerfectionThe comments you receive from your readers will help you to beef up the sections of your website that need attention. Track down any additional information you may need, incorporate the ideas that your readers offered and clarify sections or points that were not clearly conveyed. Put together a Table of Contents and include a response form. Get yourself together with a webpage designer. And congratulations, now you're the proud owner of a website!What Drives Repeat Visitors To Your Site?According to Forrester Research, these are the factors driving repeat visitors to their favorite Web sites:
Please think of me for your real estate referrals in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area!
ALICE HELD
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