What a seller-focused website looks like

Our client Partners Trust – a leader in the Los Angeles luxury market – launched their brand new website this week.

This was the culmination of a yearlong 1000WATT engagement. Right from the start, it was clear that something truly unique was at the heart of this brokerage.

In the first few months, we did three things. We completely reinvented their brand and value proposition, created a whole new brand identity for them, and developed a new marketing mantra:

“A commitment to you.”

This promise had to guide every decision we made together regarding the marketing tools and technology we ultimately worked on. A true commitment meant we needed to deliver the very best. And so, alongside Partners Trust’s marketing team led by Audie Chamberlain and Deidre Woollard, we got to work.

The front door

We started with the company’s website, its digital front door. We had to create an on-brand experience that was truly distinctive in the hyper-competitive LA luxury market.

One of the things we learned in our discovery process was that as a brand, Partners Trust does not follow the pack.

In our competitive survey of other brokerages in LA, we observed one thing quickly: their websites all look the same. Each features a big hero image of a gorgeous multi-million-dollar property.

So we decided we were going to zig while the others zagged.

We took our cues not from other real estate sites, but from luxury brands, including Apple, Rolex and Tiffany.

One thing you’ll notice with these companies is that the first impression on the site is a strong marketing message combined with a clear call to action.

Sellers first

PT website

This led us to focus on sellers as the primary target. The site has a robust IDX search interface, but we chose to deprecate the importance of that feature and lead with a ‘List with Us’ call to action instead.

The foundation of most brokerages is their listings. So why not use the most valuable space on this website to make a compelling case for why consumers should choose to sell their home with a Partners Trust associate?

Secondarily, we put a greater emphasis on thinking through ways we could highlight Partners Trust listings throughout the site, from the homepage to the community pages. Again, we took our cues from other luxury brands. We didn’t want to rely on “search” alone for visitors to discover these homes; we wanted to serve them up on silver plate.

The results

Partners Trust launched the site last week at a gala event in Hollywood to much success. Not only did they blow away their associates, but, more importantly, it’s already producing results.

Within the first few days of launch, more than 30 legitimate inquiries on listings came through. Even more impressive: within hours, a listing appointment request came in via the homepage call to action.

So far, the unorthodox approach is paying off.

None of this could have been possible without the vision of Nick Segal, F. Ron Smith and the other Partners Trust founders, who wanted to create the best brand in LA real estate. We were honored to get a chance to help.