.tel is being touted as revolutionising the way we will communicate. Some believe it will quickly become the primary means of contact. Essentially instead of having a telephone No., Fax No., Cell No., ‘Toll Free No’ etc, we will all simply have a .tel extension to a chosen name.
Now here’s the rub. This is a global technology, so only one John Smith can have JohnSmith.tel. The others rather like hotmail accounts for instance will have to get something more obscure or put some numbers at the end of their name. However, that won’t be too much of an issue, (other than the Kudos of having your name). ‘.Tel’ also incorporates ‘keywords’ to describe yourself and also has the facilty to add location. Therefore, it should be fairly simple to search the .tel directory and find the right person/ business.
So how will this help Realtors ? Like many other professions, Realtors rely very much on reputation and their name is in many cases their brand. Being remembered and community profile help a great deal. In addition, anything new in terms of technology which is leading edge can only be a good thing.
With .tel, you instantly become easier to find, easier to remember and easier to reach. No more signs and business cards filled with contact info, just simply your .tel name.
I recently saw a realtors contact information which consisted of 94 digits including spaces. Now I know this is extreme, but how could I remember that. I may be able to remember part of it and do a search on google for the rest ! There again, I could just look up .tel on my Blackberry and give them a call or send an e-mail.
.tel pages are approximately 100th of the size of a traditional web page, so perfectly suited to mobile devices. What is also absolutely brilliant is that if ever you change your name, e-mail etc. you simply update your .tel and everyone who contacts you via .tel automatically contacts your new number. Da Dah. You will never lose contact with any of your clients. More importantly, they will always have your up to date details.
Now the cost of this is around $20.00 per year (5 Latte’s at Starbucks). Of course you could spend the $20.00 on an alternative form of marketing. If you can find a better way of raising your profile for 20 bucks. Let Me know !