Or, when Angels Refuse to Fly
Out there on the property web we see many value propositions. It isn't anything new to place listings online in a vertical portal. Surely Trulia is a company who is in the right place at the right time. However one wonders when the Angels will ask for a revenue model. Which brings us to... Free is Free: The way most largely backed websites start off is with a good idea for a website that would get visitors (eyeballs they call it) but without the distraction of a revenue model. I am told that the Investors do not take much attention at a venture unless the website generates 3 million uniques. But at some point the Angels get tired of carrying a site on their wings.
Like the open source software that is freely available,you have competitors that make themselves freely available and they are the noise that devalues and fuzzies your message. What can you do to change the conversation? To reframe the debate?
Thus forcing their investment to actually prove its viability. Tired of giving webspace handouts, it places ads or some sort of revenue scheme. So now as an example of the inevitability of free, Facebook is placing an ad program into their system as YouTube is placing ads on top of video. This is the inevitable.
But in many websites that model will just not work as the site or portal does not get enough traffic, or the freebie users will not tolerate "their" space being littered with ads.
History Repeats Itself
This has all happened before. How soon we all forget. Can you remember in the Web 1.0 days and sites like Anglefire. They gave free webspace hosting. It was't too long before any site you hosted for free became a cesspool of Advertising.
It is what makes a stupid piece of software such as a blog have real value. It is how Vortals take a script that anyone can find in an Open Source directory, beefs it up with cool sexy features. But let's face it, all that coolness would not matter to you if they were not in the top of the SERPs. Who wants to upload their listings to a site with no traffic? Free Listings Vortals like Trulia has traffic, thus value to you. And right now the price is right.
Nothing is free. Everything has a price, either overtly or covertly.
It is only a matter of time where free services are forced to charge. Always ask yourself what will that cost be?
When Free is Not so Free
The day this blog does not bring my company revenue thru additional paid subscriber or clients is the day I stop writing. It is the only reason I write this blog. No, it is not out of charity or my good heart. Which I believe in. Do not get me wrong. But I know the purpose of this marketing piece. I may not be the smartest business man, but I am sure of why I blog. For more business.
Well, this is how you take a commodity, which all Realtors suffer from by the way, and make an offer have some teeth. My company is not about blogging, or about SEO, or websites. It is about using the web to make our clients more money.
So how do I go from Vortals to what might be called a self endoresement?
As much as I love to write about Trulia, it is not because I have a beef with them. I have actually talked to the CEO over the phone once. We had a great conversation.
Why I mention them is that they have taken a simple and not unique idea of a Vortal and made it unique. And manipulated it to carry value to you the Realtor. Long term I have to guess that they would not be bothered if they become the defacto MLS online. Oh and how that could change things for you my dear Realtor.
Heroin Marketing
They have gotten you or hope to get you on their drug. They want you hooked. And in marketing once hooked, it is hard to break the habit.
And every drug has its repercussions.And sidestepping your own MLS system has costs. But you must appreciate what this company has created. It is beautiful.
They have gotten Realtors and their Vendors to upload listings that they get from the MLS to Trulia. Trulia owes no loyalty to the rules and guidelines of the MLS (as far as I know). You are giving away your only tangible assett, and the only thing you ask for is MORE!
This is a business model. It works so long as a company can keep its doors open before charging for admission.
The Door is Open, But the Ride, It Ain't Free
Bruce Springsteen
The point is that Trulia is offering a great service. It is free, but at a potential cost to you. I think something like their model is the future. I mention this so that perhaps you have a say in what that future looks like.
And most importantly, please appreciate the dynamic. What they created to cause value. I wonder what brought them there? What opening in the marketplace gave them this flash of brilliance.
What can you do to cause value? Like the open source software that is freely available, you have competitors that freely are available to prospects. They are the noise that fuzzies your message. What can you do to change the conversation? To reframe the debate? To reframe the value proposition above the typical commodity called Realtor. Are you just another Realtor,or a provider of dreams?
Decommoditize and set yourself free.
Everything has costs.Time or money. Even reading this blog (which I really appreciate by the way). Because every so often I throw a pitch in. But hopefully the value you get is more than the cost. But like in any transaction, the value we at Spider Juice Technologies get, is less than the cost of publication.
That is business. Your comments are appreciated.
In the middle of a housing market slump, the last thing any landlord or property owner needs is to spend more money to list their vacancies. Cribs4students' is a platform that connects landlords to the student market without charging a fee. With sites like Facebook on their side (http://apps.facebook.com/cribsforstudents), they surely have the student apartment information market on a choke hold.
What makes Cribs4Students.com different from other websites that offer similar services?
Cribs4Students is free, convenient, and easy to use. Rather than having your listings unattended, Cribs4students’ advertises your listings with all universities, university papers, student events, and social networks (like Facebook) so your listings are viewed by millions of students in several days.
How can one post an apartment, room, or sublet for free?
In the home page, http://www.cribs4students.com:
1) Select a state from the map
2) Select a university
3) Click 'Post Apartments/Sublets'
4) Insert the information for your property; click submit
http://cribs4students.com
About the company:
The website was launched in February 2007 and has received widespread attention in universities and colleges across the United States. The website is now global and supports international universities in major cities around the world.
Posted by: Michael | September 14, 2007 at 12:56 PM