Dear Reader,

The first CyberAgent newsletter for 2005!

Here at CyberAgent we strive in bringing the most to all our CyberAgent users and 2005 will be no different. We started the year with two new staff members, John Coffee and Mark Harris. Both of them will be operating in the support section of our company and already they are standing by to support your calls.

Technology plays an important role in all businesses and we will be bringing the BEST to you in the next few weeks. It will be... new..funky and will support your business on all levels, from marketing to obtaining mandates. Keep watching this space.

This month we assist you in making the most of your website - an article not to be missed.

Most of you are aware of the fact that our server is hosted at Internet Solutions (IS). This must give you peace of mind to know that your data is safe at all times. I received an article from IS, Benefits of having your own domain. I found this article very interesting and therefore I share it with our users this month. To read more on IS you can visit their website at www.is.co.za.

Greetings!

The editor

New Developments Module

New Developments Module - Loads up your (on) developments at no extra cost with all the relevant information for example, notes on the development, main picture, site plans, map to development, unit descriptions, building specs and progress reports. There is also meta keywords entered by default for all the developments. To this you can add your own extra keywords suitable for each development. These keywords are used so that search engines will find your developments when browsers type in any of the keywords when searching on search engines...

>> Read more
   

Mail 1

The pictures on your website are nice, the layout is great, and the info is so out of date as to be completely useless.

In looking for a house, I have emailed 15-20 estate agents (most of whom don't respond on the 1st attempt), and without fail, I always get the response that " this house has been sold 3 months ago"

Christine

Mail 2

Some of the users are under the impression that one needs to update the website after every property change or addition. This is not the case. You do not need to update after every change. Once you have completed all changes to your property you can update it to the website.

Willie

Mail 3

Hi, i am still waiting for a reply to my enquiry on the 27.01.2005

T. J Crombie
(email was send to CA after no response was received from the estate agency on an Internet enquiry)

We will be implementing a Unique Property Number for every property loaded onto the Internet.

How will it work?

When you update properties to the Internet, our server will allocate a unique number for every property that does not have a number. Before every property update CyberAgent will check for newly issued numbers and update your data before sending the latest update to the Internet. This unique number will be displayed in the "Property Manager" (top right hand corner).

Why implement a unique property number?

Since CyberAgent is an offline application we cannot issue unique property numbers via the Internet. A unique number is created by your BID (branch ID) and a number issued by your computer. For example: BID: SDEM1, Property Number: 00000301, Unique property number: SDEM100000301. The Internet generated number for this property for example can be "34532".
When advertising the property you can now refer to Listing number: "34532" instead of "SDEM100000301".

If you are planning to use this unique number in your marketing process, please email Johan@cyberprop.com to add this feature to your website.

There are other reasons to but we will let you know within the next month.

Add your URL (web address) to everything!
Don't forget to make it your complete address - for example www.realestate.co.za.
Add this address to all correspondence, business cards, flyers, brochures, posters, mailings, car stickers, television and radio ads etc. People who visit your site will think of you when they consider buying or selling a house.

Make your site interactive!
We supply for FREE a mortgage calculator, exchange rates and a SMS function to your website for visitors to use. Make your site useful to the visitors. Add newsletters, articles on the areas that you are operating in, agency news etc.

Add your email link!
It should be posted on ALL pages. No visitor should have to look through your site to find a way to contact you. You never know exactly what page they entered your site on or which one they will leave by so add your email to all pages.

Submit your URL to search engines!
This you do not have to do. This is another FREE function offered by CyberAgent.
From your side you can make sure that the necessary key words that you need for search engines to pick up your websites are there for example: houses, for sale, to rent, property, etc.
If you have your own website, you are a CyberAgent Professional user.
You can now modify your own Keywords and Website description by clicking on the Modify Website & Keywords hyperlink. If you want to change it and is uncertain, please call support on 011 9559100

Don't worry about not getting feedback!
For instance, this week [8-8-99] we had 13,779 hits on ComPortOne, yet we get only 3 to 5 qualified emails a day. The important thing is that THEY ARE VISITING. All you have to do is to make sure that you have "fresh" stock on your website with ample photos and notes at all times

Don't add a web counter!
If you are visited often, counters appear to others as bragging. If you are visited less often they can be devastating. It is not how often you are visited but the quality of those visits that counts. [...Besides, those in the business refer to them as IDIOT COUNTERS - that must mean something.]

Articles!
We are looking for property related articles from all our CyberAgents users for our weekly CyberProp.com newsletter that currently goes out to 13000+ subscribers. These articles will appear in our article section and will have a link to your home page of the site that donated them. All articles must be original or have copyright permission from the source to adhere to Internet copyright laws.
Should you need more information you can contact us at news@cyberprop.com. This is a FREE offer not to be missed on.

A warm welcome to all new Agencies:

• Speranza Properties
• Key West Estates
• Batt & Viljoen Real Estates
• Pinnacle Property
• J D Properties
• Louw & Coetzee Properties
  

We trust that by now you are well aware of what CyberAgent can do for you. If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Jaco at support@cyberprop.com or phone us at: +27 (0)11 955-9100 or 086 112- 9237

Most Internet enquiries:

By: by Internet Solutions (IS)

WHAT IS A DOMAIN NAME?

A domain name is a unique address that identifies a computer or network, which is connected to the Internet. In short, a domain name is your Internet address online, as in is.co.za for example, which is the domain name for IS (Internet Solutions).

BENEFITS OF HAVING YOUR OWN DOMAIN NAME

A domain name could contain your business name: http://www.businessname.co.za, or any other word/alphanumeric character combination that you want, based upon availability. For example, Internet Solutions currently have the following domain name registered: http://www.is.co.za.

The benefits of having your own domain name are:-
1) Gives Exclusivity.
2) Adds Credibility.
3) Allows Mobility.
4) Avoids Loss of Momentum.

EXCLUSIVITY

Without your own domain, your email and web addresses will generally be based on the domain name of your host or Internet service provider, such as username@yourISP.com and http:/ /www.yourISP.com/username/

Having your own domain name is like owning your own virtual real estate; your own slice of the Internet. Such exclusivity can help build name recognition for you and your company.

CREDIBILITY

Having your own domain name projects a professional image of you and your company, normally associated with large companies. It tends to say to others that you're a serious businessperson, operating an established business, in a professional manner.

MOBILITY

If you set up a web site without owning your own domain name, you end up using the domain name of your web host by default. Such a web address is not mobile; and cannot be moved to another provider as the domain does not belong to you.

Ownership of your own domain name gives you the option of moving your web site to another host without losing your web address.

AVOIDS LOSS OF MOMENTUM

As any web marketer knows, it takes effort (not necessarily any expense, if you know some tricks of the trade) to promote a web site. Fortunately, over time, some of those marketing efforts can build momentum, bringing more and more traffic to your site without additional marketing effort. But unfortunately, if you can't take your web address with you when you switch to another ISP or host, you can lose much - if not all - of the momentum gained by your previous web marketing efforts.

Now you may be happy with your current web host and have no plans to switch, but having the option to move your web site to another host without losing your web address is always good to have open to you. Domain name ownership gives you that option, and any momentum you've gained from previous effort (and possibly expense) involved in promoting your web address doesn't go down the drain.

So, are you a serious Internet entrepreneur without your own domain name for your web site? Then now might be a good time to start making a list of possible domain names. However, don't grab just any domain name in haste. A poorly chosen one won't give you the maximum benefits that a well-chosen one can. Take your time to brainstorm the best domain name that you can come up with. That's a key task for serious web marketers, especially if you consider that your web address is the world's link to you.