WO2001033812A2 - System and method of targeted internet marketing and franchising - Google Patents

System and method of targeted internet marketing and franchising Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001033812A2
WO2001033812A2 PCT/US2000/041862 US0041862W WO0133812A2 WO 2001033812 A2 WO2001033812 A2 WO 2001033812A2 US 0041862 W US0041862 W US 0041862W WO 0133812 A2 WO0133812 A2 WO 0133812A2
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
community
information
subdivision
real estate
website
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PCT/US2000/041862
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French (fr)
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WO2001033812A3 (en
WO2001033812A9 (en
Inventor
Robert E. Reiver
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Reiver Robert E
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Publication date
Application filed by Reiver Robert E filed Critical Reiver Robert E
Priority to AU36420/01A priority Critical patent/AU3642001A/en
Publication of WO2001033812A2 publication Critical patent/WO2001033812A2/en
Publication of WO2001033812A3 publication Critical patent/WO2001033812A3/en
Publication of WO2001033812A9 publication Critical patent/WO2001033812A9/en

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Definitions

  • TITLE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TARGETED INTERNET MARKETING AND
  • This invention relates to a system and method for marketing products and services via the Internet.
  • the website www.realtor.com contains a searchable database of demographic information, including the quality of schools, age distribution, crime risk, family size, and urbanization, broken down by zip code.
  • the website www.virtualrelocation.com contains detailed demographic information, including age distribution, place of birth of residents, income distribution, employment, etc., broken down by city.
  • real estate subdivisions take on a unique character of their own, due to having been developed by a single developer, or perhaps a small handful of developers, and are usually marketed to buyers within a particular income bracket.
  • Potential renters and homebuyers are usually very interested in the character of the particular subdivision to which they are considering a move.
  • a website that covers a single real estate subdivision was thought to convey more accurate information about the character of a particular area than websites that cover other, sometimes larger, geographic areas, such as zip codes or cities (see, e.g., www.ashburnonline.com which contains general information, including real estate information, for the entire Ashbum, Virginia community comprising more than 4,000 homes).
  • having each subdivision website cover a single real estate subdivision is a very viable method for marketing real estate.
  • My earlier provisional U.S. patent application,. Ser. No. 60/184,142 reflects my discovery that, in some cases, it is not always practical to cover a single subdivision with each website. For example, some subdivisions consist of only a few homes, while others may have hundreds, and even at times thousands, of homes. Thus, in order to serve a reasonable number of homes, I found that the geographic area served by a website may need to be expanded or contracted, as the case may be, to some other identifiable geographic boundary other than a single subdivision. I also discovered the availability of valuable demographic data, e.g., family income sorted by zip code, which can enable the system and method of the present invention to be used as a powerful targeted marketing tool.
  • My earlier provisional U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 60/202,41 1 discloses a search engine that is uniquely adapted to enable users of the directory website to easily identify and access community websites associated with communities in which they are interested.
  • a primary object of the present invention is to expand upon and extend the concepts disclosed in my earlier applications to include a method of franchising access to and limited use rights of community websites, providing a real estate professional or firm with limited rights to utilize a community website for the limited purpose of real estate marketing for a specific geographic area. It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel search engine that enables users of the directory website to easily identify and access community websites associated with communities in which they are interested.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide home sellers the means to market their homes through a website dedicated to their community.
  • Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a readily accessible location on the Internet where people can obtain diverse information about a particular community.
  • a still further object of the present invention is to provide a website dedicated to a particular community for providing news about the community, cooperative purchase discounts and other information of interest.
  • Another primary object of the present invention is to provide a means for companies to advertise goods and services to a demographically and/or geographically targeted audience.
  • the foregoing and other objects are achieved in accordance with one aspect of the present invention through the creation of a network of websites, each website covering a community in a particular geographic area, and a directory website comprising a searchable database of information for each of the listed communities and a search engine for locating community websites.
  • Preferably all of the community websites in the network are owned and/or controlled by the operator of the directory website.
  • Each such community website preferably contains demographic information, real estate information, and other information of interest to residents of the community as well as persons interested in moving into the community.
  • access to and utilization of each community website for the sale or resale of real estate is franchised to a real estate agent or firm who specializes in marketing real estate within the particular community with which the website is associated and is accessible via the Internet at an Internet address which includes the community name.
  • Demographic information is collected for the geographic area served by each community website in the network and used to create a demographic profile.
  • Product and service providers have an opportunity to place advertisements on select community websites in the network based on the demographic profile of each community website and/or the geographic location of the community served. It should be understood that, although the preferred embodiment of this invention is directed to real estate professionals, the underlying concepts are readily adaptable to other product and service providers, such as insurance agents, financial planners, automobile dealerships, etc.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the Internet environment in which the present invention operates.
  • Figure 2 is a screenshot of a top level web page of a directory of websites according to the invention.
  • Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary site naming arrangement and shows how an entry directory page is related to area and neighborhood pages.
  • Figure 4 illustrates in greater detail the hierarchy of web pages.
  • Figure 5 shows how the various website pages are hyperlinked to one another.
  • Figure 6 shows one way in which the search engine operates to help a user find a neighborhood web site.
  • Figure 7 shows an alternative way in which the search engine operates to help a user find a neighborhood web site.
  • Figures 8 shows another alternative way in which the search engine operates to help a user find a neighborhood web site.
  • Figure 9 further explains the search engine.
  • Figures 10 and 11 describe how a community website is created.
  • Figures 12 and 13 describe how a neighborhood website is created.
  • Figure 14 shows a web page for gathering demographic information from a user.
  • Figure 15 shows how the demographic information can be used to create marketing campaigns.
  • Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing the organization of the database which relates all of the system pages and manages all of the data associated with the system.
  • Figure 17 shows how geographic information can be used to create marketing campaigns.
  • the marketing method of the present invention relies upon the creation of a network of community websites.
  • the community website preferably serves a particular geographic area, consisting of, for example, between 200 and 1000 homes (and at times a greater number).
  • the geographic area served by each community website can correspond, for example, to a single real estate subdivision, multiple real estate subdivisions, or other geographic or legal boundaries, such as cities, towns, villages, zip codes, boroughs, or the like.
  • the word “subdivision” has its conventional meaning of a portion of land divided into lots upon which dwelling units have been built, and the term “cluster of subdivisions" refers to a group of subdivisions that are adjacent to one another.
  • the term “subdivision website” refers to a community website that serves a single subdivision.
  • the geographic areas served by community websites preferably do not overlap. In other words, only one community website should be created to serve each particular geographic area. Thus, especially in densely populated area, such as Los Angeles, California or Washington, DC, it is preferable to list and map out all of the communities within a particular geographic region in order to avoid overlapping.
  • the community website In order to make the community website easy to find and remember, it is preferably located at a domain name which incorporates an Internet address which includes the name of the community.
  • Examples of the many possible formats for community website Internet addresses include wwwfcommunity namej.com, wwwfcommunity namejftradenamej.com, www. [community name][tradename].com, wwwfcommunity namejftradenamej.com, www[community name Broker], com and www.[tradename].com/[community name].
  • the term "community name” preferably comprises the actual name of the community which the community website serves, such as "Fallsreach” (a subdivision), "Potomac” (a village) or "Bethesda” (a town).
  • the term "tradename” can comprise any tradename selected by the proprietor of the service, such as, for example, "reivernetwork", "rn", or "homeinformationnetwork”.
  • the layout and content of a community website can take many forms, but is preferably composed of two primary components: (1 ) real estate content, and (2) community content (also referred to herein as "general information").
  • Secondary components may include general advertising or reference to advertising for special goods and/or services related to the service or commodity licensed or franchised; for example, the real estate service provider in the preferred embodiment.
  • Real estate content may include the following:
  • Comprehensive real estate information could include, for example, real estate articles, links to other real estate websites, street lists and maps, relocation assistance information, and other real estate related services.
  • each community website is preferably maintained by a real estate agent, firm and/or broker who is a specialist in the community served by the website (hereinafter referred to as a "community broker” or a “subdivision broker”).
  • a real estate agent firm and/or broker who is a specialist in the community served by the website
  • a broker can provide persons seeking to buy and sell real estate within that community with superior knowledge and advice about the community.
  • access rights to the real estate component of a community website is preferably licensed or franchised to community brokers.
  • each community website could be owned by a community broker.
  • Community content may include: a detailed description of the community; local school and educational information; local sports and recreational information; • local and regional entertainment information; news and media information; transportation information; a community bulletin board; local shopping information • government information; places of worship; discounts and promotions on goods and services; and an "electronic gateway".
  • Secondary components may include: mortgage companies banks moving companies title insurance companies home inspection companies pest inspection companies
  • the community bulletin board is a resource for current residents of the subdivision to communicate via the Internet to their neighbors by means of posting information.
  • the bulletin board could include the following:
  • the electronic gateway is a navigation tool, much like www.yahoo.com or www.lycos.com, that is preferably tailored to the community served by each community website.
  • the electronic gateway preferably will allow direct access to popular local and national websites to provide general information to members of the community thereby acting as a local information portal.
  • the community content of each community website is preferably provided and maintained by the owner of a directory website.
  • the community content could be provided and maintained by the community broker.
  • the foregoing description of possible content for the community website is not intended to be exhaustive, since the possibilities for the content of a community website are, literally, endless.
  • a directory website is created.
  • a primary purpose of the directory website is to enable potential real estate buyers to locate communities having the amenities they seek and homes that they can afford.
  • the directory website includes a searchable database which provides certain information about each community.
  • the directory website could be named www.reivernetwork.com where the tradename of the owner is "reivernetwork”.
  • This website can be advertised locally and nationally to potential users.
  • a user can select a particular community in which he/she is interested, by e.g., community name. For example, if someone was interested in the Potomac community in Potomac, Maryland, (s)he might access www.potomac.com, www.potomac.reivernetwork.com, www.potomac-reivernetwork.com or www.reivernetwork.com/potomac, whichever format is selected by the owner of the service.
  • the communities stored and accessible on the directory website would consist of all the community websites, and could be further organized by state, metropolitan area, county, zip code, etc. In this manner, users knowing the name of the particular community would be able to access its particular website directly, and users who did not know such name would be able to find out those names by starting at the directory website (e.g., www.reivernetwork.com) .
  • the directory website preferably includes a community search engine.
  • the search engine preferably includes four "search levels", which are listed below in descending size order:
  • Level 1 may include states in addition to, or instead of, metropolitan areas. Allowing users to search by metropolitan areas instead of by state is preferable for areas such as New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, where a single metropolitan area may cover multiple states. However, allowing users to search by state would be preferable for users trying to locate a community that is not in any particular metropolitan area. Users of the search engine may begin their search for a community in Level 1 ,
  • Level 2 or Level 3.
  • a user beginning at Level 1 starts by selecting a metropolitan area (or state), for example, Washington, DC. Once a metropolitan area (or state) has been selected, a list of counties within that metropolitan area (or state) are displayed, from which the user selects a county, for example, Montgomery County. Next a list of zip codes within that county are displayed, from which the user selects a zip code, for example, 20814. Finally, a list of communities within the selected zip code is displayed, from which the user selects a community, for example, Wildwood. Upon selecting a community, the user is transferred to the community website for the selected community.
  • a user beginning a search at Level 2 would first select a county, then a zip code, and then a community.
  • a user beginning a search at Level 3 would first select a zip code and then a community.
  • Each community website also preferably contains hyperlinks that allow a user to easily return to Level 1 , Level 2, or Level 3.
  • a community website for the Wildwood subdivision in Bethesda, Maryland would include hyperlinks to a list of communities within zip code 20814 (Level 3), a list of zip codes within Montgomery County (Level 2), a list of counties within the Washington, DC metropolitan area (Level 1 ), or a list (or map) of metropolitan areas.
  • the search engine of the present invention makes finding a community website simple and easy.
  • a user who begins his or her search with a zip code (Level 3) can navigate to a community website in just two mouse clicks.
  • the method the present invention may also include "local umbrella websites".
  • Each umbrella website preferably covers a geographic area within a particular county that is larger than the area covered by individual community websites.
  • an umbrella website will cover more than one zip code.
  • a local umbrella website may correspond to a city, town, village or well-known geographic area.
  • Each local umbrella website includes community content (much like a community website) relating to the geographic area covered by the umbrella website, a selectable list of zip codes, or a single zip code, located within the geographic area covered by the umbrella website.
  • community content much like a community website
  • zip codes or a single zip code, located within the geographic area covered by the umbrella website.
  • Umbrella websites may also be included as part of the directory website search engine as an alternative to choosing a zip code. For example, after selecting a county (Level 2), a user would be given the option to choose a zip code or choose from a list of cities, towns, etc. that each link the user to an umbrella website. Alternatively, a user may go directly to an umbrella website.
  • all of the community websites on the network are preferably owned by the person or entity operating the directory website (the "directory owner").
  • the community content of each community website is preferably provided and controlled by the directory owner, while the real estate content of each community website is licensed or franchised to a third party (the "content provider” or “franchisee”) for the geographic area served by each community website (the “franchise area”).
  • the content provider is preferably the community broker for the franchise area.
  • the franchisee is preferably given some flexibility in selecting the franchise area for the community website to be franchised, subject to the following limitations:
  • the franchise area should include predetermined, economically feasible number of homes, such as, at least 200 homes, depending upon the median pricing of the homes in the franchise area.
  • the financial arrangement under which each community website is franchised may take on many forms.
  • the franchisee may pay one or more of the following fees to the directory owner: • Initial Franchise Fee
  • the initial franchise fee could be one-time fee proportional to the number of properties located within the franchise area, as well as the median price of such properties, and subject to a minimum (e.g., US$3000).
  • Periodic continuing franchise fees could also be proportional to the number of properties located within the franchise area, as well as the median price of such properties. This fee may be waived during a start-up period (e.g., 6 months).
  • Performance Fees Periodic performance fees are payable in the event that the total commissions earned by the franchisee during a particular period of time (e.g., 1 year) exceeds the Continuing Franchise Fee for that time period by more than a factor of ten. In that event, the franchisee would be obligated to pay a percentage (e.g., 10%) of the portion of the excess commissions.
  • Advertising Fees Periodic advertising fees could be collected to cover the costs of local, regional and national advertising for the community websites and the directory website. Such fees could be calculated, for example, as percentages of the continuing franchise fees (e.g., 3% for local advertising, 5% for regional advertising, and 1 % for national advertising). In addition, a onetime "grand opening" fee could be charged at the time of the signing of the franchise agreement.
  • the directory owner shall preferably provide the following to the franchisee:
  • the directory owner will preferably provide the following services:
  • the franchisee After delivery of an operational community website to the franchisee, the franchisee shall be responsible for providing real estate content on the franchised community website.
  • the franchisee is preferably granted the right to advertise as many franchise area properties as desired on the franchised community website. However, limits (e.g., 25 listings) are preferably placed on the advertisement of properties located outside of the franchise area.
  • the directory owner preferably maintains control over the design and functionality of each community website, e-mail, advertising and notices, website hosting, website maintenance, use of signs, letterhead, and business cards.
  • Such centralized control is maintained for two primary purposes: (1 ) to assure the quality of the appearance, functionality and information contained on the community websites; and (2) to provide a level of uniformity on all community websites, so that once a consumer becomes familiar with using one community website he or she will be able to navigate other community websites with ease.
  • each community broker purchases the limited right to use the real estate component of the community website for a particular geographic area.
  • the present invention uses the internet in a way that is contrary to most internet-based services. That is, even though each community website is accessible via the internet (i.e., worldwide), the information on each community website is generally concentrated on a particular geographic area which represents a small fraction of the total information capable of being accessed on the internet. Thus, the internet is being used with the present invention to geographically carve up the huge area it is otherwise capable of covering.
  • the present invention provides a powerful real estate marketing tool.
  • Each community website places the community broker in an ideal position to service the real estate buying and selling needs of the geographic area served by the website. By focusing on that particular geographic area, the community broker can provide persons seeking to buy and sell real estate within that community with superior knowledge and advice.
  • the present invention employs the power of the Internet to enable real estate purchasers from anywhere, or neighbors within a particular community, to locate and tap into the knowledge and expertise of the community broker.
  • the detailed community information contained on each community website will also attract potential renters and homebuyers seeking information about the character of the particular community to which they are considering a move.
  • the directory website efficiently directs potential renters and homebuyers to the community website for a geographic area to which they are considering a move.
  • a community website is more efficient (and often much less costly) than traditional real estate marketing methods.
  • each community website serves a particular geographic area.
  • each community website will represent a very affordable and efficient medium for local businesses to conduct very focused, geographically targeted marketing. Since each community website serves a particular geographic area, a local business can place advertisements on the community websites of the geographic area(s) having residents who are most likely to be interested in the local business' products and/or services. Such advertisements could be provided to local businesses at a much lower cost than "blanket" advertising (e.g., television, radio, and newspaper).
  • "blanket" advertising e.g., television, radio, and newspaper.
  • a network of community websites would provide a unique means for demographic targeted marketing of goods and services. In order to maximize such marketing potential, demographic information can be gathered for the geographic area served by each website.
  • Such demographic information could include, for example, average annual household income, average age of residents, number of children per household, and the like.
  • national advertisers who are seeking to advertise to a specific demographic group e.g., income, age, etc., will have a specific network of websites that fulfill their requirements.
  • One possible means of determining the demographic information for each community website would be to purchase it from any one of a number of companies that gather such information. Typically, such companies break down demographic information by zip code. The directory owner would then further break down such information for the particular communities that are to be served. The information could then be used to create a demographic profile for the geographic area served by each community website.
  • an automobile company could approach the owner of the directory website and contract to advertise a new luxury car on each community website that serves a community having over 100 households with average annual incomes of more than US$100,000.
  • Computer files corresponding to the individual web pages are stored on a server 100. Users having client computers 104 interact with the web pages by accessing them via the Internet 102.
  • An entry (top level) web page 1 10 in the directory website is shown in
  • FIG. 2 an easy entry is provided for the user in the form of a map of the United States. Clickable objects are positioned on the map to provide a way for the user to navigate to lower levels of the directory, utlimately finding a neighborhood or subdivision page of interest.
  • FIG 3 shows screenshots of four pages.
  • Page 1 10 is identical to web page 1 10 shown in Figure 2.
  • Page 1 10 (in our example - NeighborhoodBroker.com ) is linked via clickable objects to umbrella website 1 12 (among many others not shown).
  • Umbrella website 1 12 (in our example BethesdaBroker.com) refers to a geographic area smaller than the large area shown on page 1 10, but larger than the geographical areas targeted by community websites 1 14 and 1 16.
  • a naming conventions suitable for community websites 1 14 and 1 16 would be to name them for a neighborhood, such as WildwoodBroker.com or Wildwood-Broker.com . Oi course many other naming conventions not illustrated are possible.
  • Figure 4 illustrates in greater detail the hierarchy of web pages shown in Figure 3.
  • Figure 4 shows two additional umbrella websites 1 13 and 1 15, of the same hierarchy as page 1 12. Umbrella websites 1 13 and
  • umbrella website 1 13 is named ChevyChaseBroker.com and umbrella website 1 15 is named MontgomeryVillageBroker.com.
  • Umbrella website 1 12 is in turn linked to community websites 120, 122 and 124, each of which lists homes for sale in its corresponding community.
  • Umbrella website 1 13 is similary linked to community websites 126, 128 and 130.
  • Umbrella website 1 1 5 is similary linked to community websites 132, 134 and 136.
  • Figure 5 shows how the various website pages are hyperlinked to one another.
  • Umbrella website 1 13 ⁇ ChevyChaseBroker.com includes clickable objects that allow the user to review listings of homes for sale on a web page 140. Each home listing is hyperlinked by a clickable object to a page such as page 142 showing details about the home.
  • Figures 6, 7 and 8 show a series of screenshots illustrating how the search engine operates.
  • On the highest level (national) webpage in our example called www.NeighborhoodBroker.com), there are three (3) search options for finding particular neighborhoods of interest.
  • An alternative to using the United States map object 150 is to use the quick locator object 160, shown in the center portion of Figure 7.
  • a user can drill down to screen 162 by selecting a zip code of interest.
  • Screen 162 shows communities located at least partially within the selected zip code. Each community may have associated with it a plurality of neighborhoods. Each community and each neighborhood is characterized by many pieces of data. One of those pieces of data is its zip code.
  • a search based on a zip code of interest will result in a listing of communities and neighborhoods associated in the database with a zip code entered by the user.
  • the user gets to screen 156 to select a particular neighborhood.
  • Another alternative search is shown on the right side of Figure 8.
  • a user can simply enter a search by starting with a city of interest at city list object 164. Regions associated in the data base with the selected city name will then be compiled and displayed on a region object screen 166. The user can then select a sub-region, such as a county (in our example, Montgomery, County, Maryland) at a screen 1 68. Ultimately the user gets to screen 156 to select a particular neighborhood.
  • a county in our example, Montgomery, County, Maryland
  • Figure 9 further explains the search engine.
  • a user enters via United States map object 150. By clicking on a clickable object, the user can get to a region screen 152. Region screen 152 collects and displays the various areas and zip codes associated with the object clicked by the user on object 150. By clicking on an object on region screen 152, the user selects areas and zip codes associated in the data base with the selected region and causes them to be displayed on a screen 1 70 for further selecting.
  • Figures 10 -13 are 'behind the scenes' looks at the process of how community and neighborhood websites, respectively are created. It helps in understanding how the various sites are linked through the database.
  • Figures 10 and 11 describe the creation of a community website.
  • a first screen 180 is used to define or update a community name page.
  • the community is associated with a region.
  • data is entered or updated that is to be associated with the community name.
  • Figure 10 To create a community site, one would essentially follow the process shown in Figure 10 as follows:
  • Figures 12 and 13 describe the creation of a neighborhood website.
  • a first screen 186 is used to define or update a neighborhood, locating it by its affiliated zip code.
  • a neighborhood is selected.
  • data is entered or updated that is to be associated with the neighborhood.
  • the process of creating a community site is shown in Figure 13. The process is as follows: Creating/Updating Neighborhood:
  • Figures 14-15 explain the process of gathering demographic information from users to aid in the process of demographic-based marketing.
  • Figure 14 shows a web page 194 owned by a franchisee or licensee for gathering information from a user.
  • the name of this page is www.WildwoodBroker.com. This page solicits various pieces of data from a user and stores it in the database so that later, a particular neighborhood or subdivision can be characterized by the data collected.
  • Figure 15 shows an administrative page 196 used to create an e-mail campaign based on the demographic data collected, an administrative page 198 for generating an e-mailing list and an administrative page 200 for initiating the e-mail campaign.
  • Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing the organization of the database which relates all of the system pages and manages all of the data associated with the system.
  • AreaNe ghborhood AreaNe ghborhood_Appraisal AreaNe ghborhood_CommServices AreaNe ghborhood_Entertainment AreaNe ghborhood_Govence
  • Figure 17 shows an administrative page 200 use to create an email advertising campaign based on the geographic target marketing concept comprising targeted communities collected on an administrative page 200 for generating target banner ads or an emailing list for geographically targeted advertisements and an administrative page 200 for initiating the email campaign for geographically targeted advertising.

Abstract

A method of marketing real estate including creating a plurality of community websites each of which includes real estate content and community content for a particular geographic area (166), and designating a real estate agent (104) who specializes in marketing real estate within that geographic area. Each such community website is accessible via the internet at an internet address which preferably includes the name of the geographic area served by the community website. A directory website (100) has a searchable database of all of the community websites. The right to post real estate content on the community websites is licensed or franchised to real estate professionals. The owner of the directory website maintains central control over all other aspects of the community websites. The method further involves collecting demographic information about the geographic area served by each community website, creating a demographic profile for each community website, and allowing advertisers to purchase targeted advertising space on community websites in which the demographic profile of the website meets criteria desired by the advertiser. Alternatively, the advertisers can purchase targeted advertising space directed to a particular geographic area.

Description

TITLE: SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TARGETED INTERNET MARKETING AND
FRANCHISING
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a system and method for marketing products and services via the Internet.
More particularly, even though it should be understood that the system and method of the present invention has broad and general applicability, it will be described hereinafter in connection with the preferred embodiment of marketing real estate via the Internet.
BACKGROUND ART
As people have become more mobile, potential renters and homebuyers often find themselves looking for homes in distant or unfamiliar locations. In addition, homeowners who live in a localized geographic area often seek properties that are in a particular community and are desirous of obtaining as much information as expeditiously as possible with respect to their desired neighborhood. The Internet has become an invaluable source of information for such potential buyers, both local and distant, as they search for a new home.
Internet real estate directories which provide information about specific geographic areas are not new to the art. The website www.realtor.com contains a searchable database of demographic information, including the quality of schools, age distribution, crime risk, family size, and urbanization, broken down by zip code.
The website www.virtualrelocation.com contains detailed demographic information, including age distribution, place of birth of residents, income distribution, employment, etc., broken down by city.
My earlier U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 09/433,920, discloses a method of and system for marketing real estate on the Internet comprising a plurality of "subdivision websites" and a directory website having a searchable database of information about the subdivision websites. Each subdivision website is maintained by a "subdivision broker", i.e., a real estate agent or broker who specializes in the particular subdivision served by the website. Each subdivision website covers a geographic area corresponding to a single real estate subdivision: a tract of land divided into lots upon which dwelling units have been built.
Frequently, real estate subdivisions take on a unique character of their own, due to having been developed by a single developer, or perhaps a small handful of developers, and are usually marketed to buyers within a particular income bracket. Potential renters and homebuyers are usually very interested in the character of the particular subdivision to which they are considering a move. A website that covers a single real estate subdivision was thought to convey more accurate information about the character of a particular area than websites that cover other, sometimes larger, geographic areas, such as zip codes or cities (see, e.g., www.ashburnonline.com which contains general information, including real estate information, for the entire Ashbum, Virginia community comprising more than 4,000 homes). Thus, having each subdivision website cover a single real estate subdivision is a very viable method for marketing real estate. My earlier provisional U.S. patent application,. Ser. No. 60/184,142 reflects my discovery that, in some cases, it is not always practical to cover a single subdivision with each website. For example, some subdivisions consist of only a few homes, while others may have hundreds, and even at times thousands, of homes. Thus, in order to serve a reasonable number of homes, I found that the geographic area served by a website may need to be expanded or contracted, as the case may be, to some other identifiable geographic boundary other than a single subdivision. I also discovered the availability of valuable demographic data, e.g., family income sorted by zip code, which can enable the system and method of the present invention to be used as a powerful targeted marketing tool. My earlier provisional U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 60/202,41 1 discloses a search engine that is uniquely adapted to enable users of the directory website to easily identify and access community websites associated with communities in which they are interested.
Since the filing of my earlier applications, I have developed a method of granting access to and limited use of community websites by licensing, franchising or other contractual means to real estate professionals, etc, while maintaining central ownership of the community websites and of the directory website.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to expand upon and extend the concepts disclosed in my earlier applications to include a method of franchising access to and limited use rights of community websites, providing a real estate professional or firm with limited rights to utilize a community website for the limited purpose of real estate marketing for a specific geographic area. It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel search engine that enables users of the directory website to easily identify and access community websites associated with communities in which they are interested.
It is another object of the present invention to provide prospective homebuyers with a means to quickly and easily identify communities that they can afford within a particular geographic area and to obtain information about homes for sale within a specific community.
Another object of the present invention is to provide home sellers the means to market their homes through a website dedicated to their community.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a readily accessible location on the Internet where people can obtain diverse information about a particular community.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a website dedicated to a particular community for providing news about the community, cooperative purchase discounts and other information of interest. Another primary object of the present invention is to provide a means for companies to advertise goods and services to a demographically and/or geographically targeted audience. The foregoing and other objects are achieved in accordance with one aspect of the present invention through the creation of a network of websites, each website covering a community in a particular geographic area, and a directory website comprising a searchable database of information for each of the listed communities and a search engine for locating community websites. Preferably all of the community websites in the network are owned and/or controlled by the operator of the directory website. Each such community website preferably contains demographic information, real estate information, and other information of interest to residents of the community as well as persons interested in moving into the community. In one embodiment of the invention, access to and utilization of each community website for the sale or resale of real estate is franchised to a real estate agent or firm who specializes in marketing real estate within the particular community with which the website is associated and is accessible via the Internet at an Internet address which includes the community name. Demographic information is collected for the geographic area served by each community website in the network and used to create a demographic profile. Product and service providers have an opportunity to place advertisements on select community websites in the network based on the demographic profile of each community website and/or the geographic location of the community served. It should be understood that, although the preferred embodiment of this invention is directed to real estate professionals, the underlying concepts are readily adaptable to other product and service providers, such as insurance agents, financial planners, automobile dealerships, etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The Detailed Description portion of this document refers to the following drawings which constitute disclosure of the invention. Like reference numerals refer to like or corresponding parts throughout. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the Internet environment in which the present invention operates. Figure 2 is a screenshot of a top level web page of a directory of websites according to the invention.
Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary site naming arrangement and shows how an entry directory page is related to area and neighborhood pages. Figure 4 illustrates in greater detail the hierarchy of web pages. Figure 5 shows how the various website pages are hyperlinked to one another.
Figure 6 shows one way in which the search engine operates to help a user find a neighborhood web site.
Figure 7 shows an alternative way in which the search engine operates to help a user find a neighborhood web site.
Figures 8 shows another alternative way in which the search engine operates to help a user find a neighborhood web site.
Figure 9 further explains the search engine.
Figures 10 and 11 describe how a community website is created. Figures 12 and 13 describe how a neighborhood website is created.
Figure 14 shows a web page for gathering demographic information from a user.
Figure 15 shows how the demographic information can be used to create marketing campaigns.
Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing the organization of the database which relates all of the system pages and manages all of the data associated with the system.
Figure 17 shows how geographic information can be used to create marketing campaigns.
MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
COMMUNITY WEBSITES
The marketing method of the present invention relies upon the creation of a network of community websites. The community website preferably serves a particular geographic area, consisting of, for example, between 200 and 1000 homes (and at times a greater number). The geographic area served by each community website can correspond, for example, to a single real estate subdivision, multiple real estate subdivisions, or other geographic or legal boundaries, such as cities, towns, villages, zip codes, boroughs, or the like. As used herein, the word "subdivision" has its conventional meaning of a portion of land divided into lots upon which dwelling units have been built, and the term "cluster of subdivisions" refers to a group of subdivisions that are adjacent to one another. As used herein, the term "subdivision website" refers to a community website that serves a single subdivision.
In order to avoid confusion and duplication of services, the geographic areas served by community websites preferably do not overlap. In other words, only one community website should be created to serve each particular geographic area. Thus, especially in densely populated area, such as Los Angeles, California or Washington, DC, it is preferable to list and map out all of the communities within a particular geographic region in order to avoid overlapping.
In order to make the community website easy to find and remember, it is preferably located at a domain name which incorporates an Internet address which includes the name of the community. Examples of the many possible formats for community website Internet addresses include wwwfcommunity namej.com, wwwfcommunity namejftradenamej.com, www. [community name][tradename].com, wwwfcommunity namejftradenamej.com, www[community name Broker], com and www.[tradename].com/[community name]. In these examples, the term "community name" preferably comprises the actual name of the community which the community website serves, such as "Fallsreach" (a subdivision), "Potomac" (a village) or "Bethesda" (a town). The term "tradename" can comprise any tradename selected by the proprietor of the service, such as, for example, "reivernetwork", "rn", or "homeinformationnetwork".
The layout and content of a community website can take many forms, but is preferably composed of two primary components: (1 ) real estate content, and (2) community content (also referred to herein as "general information").
Secondary components may include general advertising or reference to advertising for special goods and/or services related to the service or commodity licensed or franchised; for example, the real estate service provider in the preferred embodiment. Real estate content may include the following:
• listings of homes for sale within the community (optionally including virtual walkthroughs); • comprehensive real estate information;
• information about the community broker; and
• other real estate listings offered by the community broker.
Comprehensive real estate information could include, for example, real estate articles, links to other real estate websites, street lists and maps, relocation assistance information, and other real estate related services.
The real estate content of each community website is preferably maintained by a real estate agent, firm and/or broker who is a specialist in the community served by the website (hereinafter referred to as a "community broker" or a "subdivision broker"). By focusing on a single community (or, depending upon their size, a small group of communities), such a broker can provide persons seeking to buy and sell real estate within that community with superior knowledge and advice about the community. As will be discussed in greater detail herein, access rights to the real estate component of a community website is preferably licensed or franchised to community brokers. Alternatively, each community website could be owned by a community broker. Community content may include: a detailed description of the community; local school and educational information; local sports and recreational information; • local and regional entertainment information; news and media information; transportation information; a community bulletin board; local shopping information • government information; places of worship; discounts and promotions on goods and services; and an "electronic gateway".
Secondary components may include: mortgage companies banks moving companies title insurance companies home inspection companies pest inspection companies
The community bulletin board is a resource for current residents of the subdivision to communicate via the Internet to their neighbors by means of posting information. The bulletin board could include the following:
• items of interest to the residents • neighborhood discounts homeowner announcements carpooling information child care / babysitting resources area news and events • information about new residents school and religious notices and information
The electronic gateway is a navigation tool, much like www.yahoo.com or www.lycos.com, that is preferably tailored to the community served by each community website. The electronic gateway preferably will allow direct access to popular local and national websites to provide general information to members of the community thereby acting as a local information portal.
As will be described in greater detail herein, the community content of each community website is preferably provided and maintained by the owner of a directory website. Alternatively, the community content could be provided and maintained by the community broker. The foregoing description of possible content for the community website is not intended to be exhaustive, since the possibilities for the content of a community website are, literally, endless.
As should be evident from the wealth of information available, each community website has the potential to become an important resource and communication tool for the residents of the community served by the website.
THE DIRECTORY
Once a network of community websites have been created for a particular geographic area, a directory website is created.
A primary purpose of the directory website is to enable potential real estate buyers to locate communities having the amenities they seek and homes that they can afford. To accomplish this purpose, the directory website includes a searchable database which provides certain information about each community.
For example, the directory website could be named www.reivernetwork.com where the tradename of the owner is "reivernetwork". This website can be advertised locally and nationally to potential users. Upon accessing this website, a user can select a particular community in which he/she is interested, by e.g., community name. For example, if someone was interested in the Potomac community in Potomac, Maryland, (s)he might access www.potomac.com, www.potomac.reivernetwork.com, www.potomac-reivernetwork.com or www.reivernetwork.com/potomac, whichever format is selected by the owner of the service.
The communities stored and accessible on the directory website would consist of all the community websites, and could be further organized by state, metropolitan area, county, zip code, etc. In this manner, users knowing the name of the particular community would be able to access its particular website directly, and users who did not know such name would be able to find out those names by starting at the directory website (e.g., www.reivernetwork.com) . In order to enable users to quickly and easily find communities that he or she may be interested in, the directory website preferably includes a community search engine. The search engine preferably includes four "search levels", which are listed below in descending size order:
Level 1 metropolitan areas Level 2 counties
Level 3 zip codes
Level 4 communities
Optionally, Level 1 may include states in addition to, or instead of, metropolitan areas. Allowing users to search by metropolitan areas instead of by state is preferable for areas such as New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, where a single metropolitan area may cover multiple states. However, allowing users to search by state would be preferable for users trying to locate a community that is not in any particular metropolitan area. Users of the search engine may begin their search for a community in Level 1 ,
Level 2, or Level 3.
A user beginning at Level 1 starts by selecting a metropolitan area (or state), for example, Washington, DC. Once a metropolitan area (or state) has been selected, a list of counties within that metropolitan area (or state) are displayed, from which the user selects a county, for example, Montgomery County. Next a list of zip codes within that county are displayed, from which the user selects a zip code, for example, 20814. Finally, a list of communities within the selected zip code is displayed, from which the user selects a community, for example, Wildwood. Upon selecting a community, the user is transferred to the community website for the selected community. A user beginning a search at Level 2 would first select a county, then a zip code, and then a community. A user beginning a search at Level 3 would first select a zip code and then a community.
Each community website also preferably contains hyperlinks that allow a user to easily return to Level 1 , Level 2, or Level 3. For example, a community website for the Wildwood subdivision in Bethesda, Maryland would include hyperlinks to a list of communities within zip code 20814 (Level 3), a list of zip codes within Montgomery County (Level 2), a list of counties within the Washington, DC metropolitan area (Level 1 ), or a list (or map) of metropolitan areas.
As the foregoing illustrates, the search engine of the present invention makes finding a community website simple and easy. In fact, a user who begins his or her search with a zip code (Level 3) can navigate to a community website in just two mouse clicks.
LOCAL UMBRELLA WEBSITES
Optionally, the method the present invention may also include "local umbrella websites". Each umbrella website preferably covers a geographic area within a particular county that is larger than the area covered by individual community websites. In certain instances, an umbrella website will cover more than one zip code. In some cases, a local umbrella website may correspond to a city, town, village or well-known geographic area. Each local umbrella website includes community content (much like a community website) relating to the geographic area covered by the umbrella website, a selectable list of zip codes, or a single zip code, located within the geographic area covered by the umbrella website. By selecting one of the zip codes listed, a user can view a list of communities (each of which correspond to a community website), along with information about that community, such as a range of real estate prices for that community. By clicking on any one of the communities listed, the user is transferred to the community website that covers that community.
Umbrella websites may also be included as part of the directory website search engine as an alternative to choosing a zip code. For example, after selecting a county (Level 2), a user would be given the option to choose a zip code or choose from a list of cities, towns, etc. that each link the user to an umbrella website. Alternatively, a user may go directly to an umbrella website.
LICENSING/FRANCHISING OF COMMUNITY WEBSITES
In order to insure the quality and accuracy of the information contained on each community website and to maximize the marketing potential of each community website (as will be discussed in greater detail herein), all of the community websites on the network are preferably owned by the person or entity operating the directory website (the "directory owner"). In addition, the community content of each community website is preferably provided and controlled by the directory owner, while the real estate content of each community website is licensed or franchised to a third party (the "content provider" or "franchisee") for the geographic area served by each community website (the "franchise area"). For the reasons discussed above, the content provider is preferably the community broker for the franchise area.
Under such an arrangement, the franchisee is preferably given some flexibility in selecting the franchise area for the community website to be franchised, subject to the following limitations:
• the franchise area of a community website should not overlap the franchise area of any other community website; and
• practical considerations suggest that the franchise area should include predetermined, economically feasible number of homes, such as, at least 200 homes, depending upon the median pricing of the homes in the franchise area.
The financial arrangement under which each community website is franchised may take on many forms. For example, the franchisee may pay one or more of the following fees to the directory owner: • Initial Franchise Fee The initial franchise fee could be one-time fee proportional to the number of properties located within the franchise area, as well as the median price of such properties, and subject to a minimum (e.g., US$3000).
• Continuing Franchise Fees Periodic continuing franchise fees could also be proportional to the number of properties located within the franchise area, as well as the median price of such properties. This fee may be waived during a start-up period (e.g., 6 months).
• Performance Fees Periodic performance fees are payable in the event that the total commissions earned by the franchisee during a particular period of time (e.g., 1 year) exceeds the Continuing Franchise Fee for that time period by more than a factor of ten. In that event, the franchisee would be obligated to pay a percentage (e.g., 10%) of the portion of the excess commissions. • Advertising Fees Periodic advertising fees could be collected to cover the costs of local, regional and national advertising for the community websites and the directory website. Such fees could be calculated, for example, as percentages of the continuing franchise fees (e.g., 3% for local advertising, 5% for regional advertising, and 1 % for national advertising). In addition, a onetime "grand opening" fee could be charged at the time of the signing of the franchise agreement.
Once a franchise area is chosen and appropriate franchise fees are paid, the directory owner shall preferably provide the following to the franchisee:
• a functioning community website with a domain name that preferably incorporates the name of the community served by the website;
• link modules for hyperlinking to other websites that may be of interest to the residents of the community served by the website; and • training for the franchisee (or a person designated by the franchisee) to become familiar with the use and operation of the community website.
After the community website has become operational, the directory owner will preferably provide the following services:
• an online guide including technical support for the use of the franchisee;
• hosting services for the community website;
• advertising on the local, regional, and national level to promote the services provided by community websites, as well and the directory website; and • a marketing plan , including affiliate programs, to generate traffic to the community website.
After delivery of an operational community website to the franchisee, the franchisee shall be responsible for providing real estate content on the franchised community website. The franchisee is preferably granted the right to advertise as many franchise area properties as desired on the franchised community website. However, limits (e.g., 25 listings) are preferably placed on the advertisement of properties located outside of the franchise area.
Under such a franchise arrangement, the directory owner preferably maintains control over the design and functionality of each community website, e-mail, advertising and notices, website hosting, website maintenance, use of signs, letterhead, and business cards. Such centralized control is maintained for two primary purposes: (1 ) to assure the quality of the appearance, functionality and information contained on the community websites; and (2) to provide a level of uniformity on all community websites, so that once a consumer becomes familiar with using one community website he or she will be able to navigate other community websites with ease.
Under the franchise method of the present invention, each community broker purchases the limited right to use the real estate component of the community website for a particular geographic area. Thus, the present invention uses the internet in a way that is contrary to most internet-based services. That is, even though each community website is accessible via the internet (i.e., worldwide), the information on each community website is generally concentrated on a particular geographic area which represents a small fraction of the total information capable of being accessed on the internet. Thus, the internet is being used with the present invention to geographically carve up the huge area it is otherwise capable of covering.
The above-described ownership arrangement provides many benefits to the community broker, including:
• development of dominant name recognition for the community broker in the community served by the website; • development of goodwill in the community website which becomes a tangible, transferable asset to the community broker;
• decreased marketing and advertising costs; and
• the opportunity to co-operate with other community brokers in promoting the community websites.
REAL ESTATE MARKETING The present invention provides a powerful real estate marketing tool.
Each community website places the community broker in an ideal position to service the real estate buying and selling needs of the geographic area served by the website. By focusing on that particular geographic area, the community broker can provide persons seeking to buy and sell real estate within that community with superior knowledge and advice.
The present invention employs the power of the Internet to enable real estate purchasers from anywhere, or neighbors within a particular community, to locate and tap into the knowledge and expertise of the community broker. The detailed community information contained on each community website will also attract potential renters and homebuyers seeking information about the character of the particular community to which they are considering a move. The directory website efficiently directs potential renters and homebuyers to the community website for a geographic area to which they are considering a move. In addition, a community website is more efficient (and often much less costly) than traditional real estate marketing methods.
The above example is based on a real estate marketing embodiment. The principles of the present invention may be expanded to cover virtually any service or commodity.
TARGETED MARKETING OF GOODS AND SERVICES
In addition to its real estate marketing advantages, the present invention provides a powerful tool for the targeted marketing of products and services. As described above, each community website serves a particular geographic area.
As such, each community website will represent a very affordable and efficient medium for local businesses to conduct very focused, geographically targeted marketing. Since each community website serves a particular geographic area, a local business can place advertisements on the community websites of the geographic area(s) having residents who are most likely to be interested in the local business' products and/or services. Such advertisements could be provided to local businesses at a much lower cost than "blanket" advertising (e.g., television, radio, and newspaper). In addition, on a regional or national scale, a network of community websites would provide a unique means for demographic targeted marketing of goods and services. In order to maximize such marketing potential, demographic information can be gathered for the geographic area served by each website. Such demographic information could include, for example, average annual household income, average age of residents, number of children per household, and the like. Thus, national advertisers who are seeking to advertise to a specific demographic group, e.g., income, age, etc., will have a specific network of websites that fulfill their requirements.
One possible means of determining the demographic information for each community website would be to purchase it from any one of a number of companies that gather such information. Typically, such companies break down demographic information by zip code. The directory owner would then further break down such information for the particular communities that are to be served. The information could then be used to create a demographic profile for the geographic area served by each community website.
Companies interested in advertising goods and services can very simply and efficiently market to a target audience by choosing community websites having the desirable demographic profiles.
For example, an automobile company could approach the owner of the directory website and contract to advertise a new luxury car on each community website that serves a community having over 100 households with average annual incomes of more than US$100,000.
A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Application of the above-described concepts may take on many different forms. The following embodiment of the invention is provided to enhance the reader's understanding of the invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the intended scope of the appended claims. The inventions defined by the claims herein are essentially practiced using the
Internet, as shown in Figure 1. Computer files corresponding to the individual web pages are stored on a server 100. Users having client computers 104 interact with the web pages by accessing them via the Internet 102.
An entry (top level) web page 1 10 in the directory website is shown in
Figure 2. In this embodiment, an easy entry is provided for the user in the form of a map of the United States. Clickable objects are positioned on the map to provide a way for the user to navigate to lower levels of the directory, utlimately finding a neighborhood or subdivision page of interest.
Figure 3 shows screenshots of four pages. Page 1 10 is identical to web page 1 10 shown in Figure 2. Page 1 10 (in our example - NeighborhoodBroker.com ) is linked via clickable objects to umbrella website 1 12 (among many others not shown). Umbrella website 1 12 (in our example BethesdaBroker.com) refers to a geographic area smaller than the large area shown on page 1 10, but larger than the geographical areas targeted by community websites 1 14 and 1 16. One example of a naming conventions suitable for community websites 1 14 and 1 16 would be to name them for a neighborhood, such as WildwoodBroker.com or Wildwood-Broker.com . Oi course many other naming conventions not illustrated are possible.
Figure 4 illustrates in greater detail the hierarchy of web pages shown in Figure 3.
Again page 1 10 is shown at the top. As in Figure 3, umbrella website 1 12,
BethesdaBroker.com is shown. However, Figure 4 shows two additional umbrella websites 1 13 and 1 15, of the same hierarchy as page 1 12. Umbrella websites 1 13 and
1 15 are linked to pages of smaller geographic coverage (i.e., community websites). In our example, umbrella website 1 13 is named ChevyChaseBroker.com and umbrella website 1 15 is named MontgomeryVillageBroker.com. Umbrella website 1 12 is in turn linked to community websites 120, 122 and 124, each of which lists homes for sale in its corresponding community. Umbrella website 1 13 is similary linked to community websites 126, 128 and 130. Umbrella website 1 1 5 is similary linked to community websites 132, 134 and 136.
Figure 5 shows how the various website pages are hyperlinked to one another.
Umbrella website 1 13 {ChevyChaseBroker.com) includes clickable objects that allow the user to review listings of homes for sale on a web page 140. Each home listing is hyperlinked by a clickable object to a page such as page 142 showing details about the home. Figures 6, 7 and 8 show a series of screenshots illustrating how the search engine operates. On the highest level (national) webpage (in our example called www.NeighborhoodBroker.com), there are three (3) search options for finding particular neighborhoods of interest. One could start with the United States map object 150 in Figure 6 and select one of the clickable objects on it. By clicking from screen to screen via pages 152, 154 and 156, one can drill down to a particular neighborhood of interest.
An alternative to using the United States map object 150 is to use the quick locator object 160, shown in the center portion of Figure 7. From object 160, a user can drill down to screen 162 by selecting a zip code of interest. Screen 162 shows communities located at least partially within the selected zip code. Each community may have associated with it a plurality of neighborhoods. Each community and each neighborhood is characterized by many pieces of data. One of those pieces of data is its zip code. Thus, a search based on a zip code of interest will result in a listing of communities and neighborhoods associated in the database with a zip code entered by the user. Ultimately the user gets to screen 156 to select a particular neighborhood. Another alternative search is shown on the right side of Figure 8. A user can simply enter a search by starting with a city of interest at city list object 164. Regions associated in the data base with the selected city name will then be compiled and displayed on a region object screen 166. The user can then select a sub-region, such as a county (in our example, Montgomery, County, Maryland) at a screen 1 68. Ultimately the user gets to screen 156 to select a particular neighborhood.
Figure 9 further explains the search engine. In this alternative, a user enters via United States map object 150. By clicking on a clickable object, the user can get to a region screen 152. Region screen 152 collects and displays the various areas and zip codes associated with the object clicked by the user on object 150. By clicking on an object on region screen 152, the user selects areas and zip codes associated in the data base with the selected region and causes them to be displayed on a screen 1 70 for further selecting.
Figures 10 -13 are 'behind the scenes' looks at the process of how community and neighborhood websites, respectively are created. It helps in understanding how the various sites are linked through the database. Figures 10 and 11 describe the creation of a community website. A first screen 180 is used to define or update a community name page. At screen 182, the community is associated with a region. Then, at screen 184, data is entered or updated that is to be associated with the community name. To create a community site, one would essentially follow the process shown in Figure 10 as follows:
Creating/Updating Community Site:
Login to the Administrative site. Click on 'Community Sites' in the menu to the left, and then click on 'Create/Update Community'.
Choose a County Within City:
To get started, choose a city and state from the 'City' drop down menu.
Then, click on 'Select-Region'.
Create/Update Community Site:
If you are adding a community site:
Choose a region for your new community from the drop down menu, and then click on 'Add-Community'. Fill in all blanks to fully describe your new community. If you would like to add photos, browse for files to include.
Decide if you want your new community to be active. In order for the community to appear on the live site, you must click on
'Yes'. Then select related zip codes from the 'Available Zip Codes' box to the left. To do this, click on and highlight a zip code that you would like to add to your related codes list. Then, click on 'add > > '. Related zip codes are ones that you would like to associate with your community. You may choose as many as you like.
If you are updating a community site:
Choose the region of the community site that you wish to update from the drop down menu, and then click on 'Find-Community'. Choose the community site from the next drop down menu, and click on 'Update- Community'. Make your changes to the Community Site information form.
Grab Available Domain Names from Domains Table that are
Like Commnity Name:
If you are updating a community site:
Choose domain names found in the table near the bottom of the Community Site
Information form that are similar to the community name.
Domain Name Desired Found: If you are updating a community site: Click on a name in the 'Suggested URLs' box, and then click on 'add > > '. The name(s) you select should appear in the 'Selected URLs' box.
Assign and Finalize all data on Community: If you are updating a community site:
Check to be sure you have made all necessary changes. When ready, click on 'Submit' at the bottom of the Community Site Information form.
Save to Database and Attach Domain(s): If you are updating a community site:
Your new information is now saved to the database.
Launch Advanced URL Selector:
If you are adding a community site: In order to find domain names to associate with your new community site, click on 'Open Advanced URL Selector'. The selector will open in a new window.
Alpha Search for Domain Name:
If you are adding a community site:
Type the name of your community in the 'Domain Name' box to find an available domain name that matches it and click on 'Skip To'. Or, you may click on a letter or number to see a complete list of domains for that particular character.
Choose Appropriate Domain(s):
If you are adding a community site:
Click on 'Add Domain' next to the domain name that you are interested in. The domain name will be added to the 'Selected URLs' box on the Community
Site Information page. Close Advanced URL Selector:
If you are adding a community site:
Close the Selector window.
Finalize All Data on Community:
Check to make sure that all boxes are filled in with correct community site information.
Save to Database and Attach Domain (s):
When you are ready, click on 'Submit' at the bottom of your screen.
Community Created/Updated:
The creation of your new community site or the updating of your pre-existing community site is complete.
Figures 12 and 13 describe the creation of a neighborhood website. A first screen 186 is used to define or update a neighborhood, locating it by its affiliated zip code. At screen 188, a neighborhood is selected. Then, at screen 190, data is entered or updated that is to be associated with the neighborhood. The process of creating a community site is shown in Figure 13. The process is as follows: Creating/Updating Neighborhood:
Login to the Administrative site. Click on 'Locations' in the menu to the left, and then click on 'Quick Add Neighborhood'.
Choose a Zip Code:
To get started, click your mouse in the 'Zip Code' box and type in the full zip code of the neighborhood that you want to add, or the full or partial code of the neighborhood you want to update. Click on 'Find-Zips'.
Create/Update Neighborhood: If you are adding a neighborhood:
If there are other neighborhoods that currently share the zip code you entered, a list of them will appear on your screen. Scroll to the bottom of your screen and click on 'Add Neighborhood'. The city and region names will automatically be assigned according to the zip code you provided. Fill in all blanks to fully describe your new neighborhood. Decide if you want your new neighborhood to be active. In order for the neighborhood to appear on the live site, you must click on 'Yes'. Next, choose the correct broker from the drop down menu. Then select related zip codes from the
'Available Zip
Codes' box to the left To do this, click on and highlight a zip code that you would like to add to your related codes list. Then, click on 'add > > '.
Related zip codes are ones that you would like to associate with your neighborhood. You may choose as many as you like.
If you are updating a neighborhood:
Click on the name of the neighborhood that you want to update. You will see the Neighborhood Information form that belongs to your selection. Make your changes in the boxes.
Grab Available Domain Names from Domains Table that are
Like Neighborhood
Name:
If you are updating a neighborhood:
Choose domain names found in the table near the bottom of the Neighborhood
Information form that are similar to the neighborhood name.
Domain Name Desired Found: If you are updating a neighborhood: Click on a name in the 'Suggested URLs' box, and then click on 'add > > '. The name(s) you select should appear in the 'Selected URLs' box.
Assign and Finalize all data on Neighborhood: If you are updating a neighborhood:
Check to be sure you have made all necessary changes.
When ready, click on
'Submit' at the bottom of the Neighborhood Information form.
Save to Database and Attach Domain(s):
If you are updating a neighborhood:
Your new information is now saved to the database.
Launch Advanced URL Selector:
If you are adding a neighborhood: In order to find domain names to associate with your new neighborhood, click on 'Open Advanced URL Selector'. The selector will open in a new window.
Alpha Search for Domain Name: If you are adding a neighborhood:
Type the name of your neighborhood in the 'Domain Name' box to find an available domain name that matches it and click on 'Skip
To'. Or, you may click on a letter or number to see a complete list of domains for that particular character.
Choose Appropriate Domain(s): If you are adding a neighborhood:
Click on 'Add Domain' next to the domain name that you are interested in. The domain name will be added to the 'Suggested URLs' box on the Neighborhood Information page.
Close Advanced URL Selector: If you are adding a neighborhood:
Close the Selector window.
Finalize All Data on Neighborhood: Check to make sure that all boxes are filled in with correct neighborhood information. Save to Database and Attach Domain (s):
When you are ready, click on 'Submit' at the bottom of your screen.
Neighborhood Created/Updated:
The creation of your new neighborhood or the updating of your pre-existing neighborhood is complete.
Figures 14-15 explain the process of gathering demographic information from users to aid in the process of demographic-based marketing. Figure 14 shows a web page 194 owned by a franchisee or licensee for gathering information from a user. In our example, the name of this page is www.WildwoodBroker.com. This page solicits various pieces of data from a user and stores it in the database so that later, a particular neighborhood or subdivision can be characterized by the data collected.
Figure 15 shows an administrative page 196 used to create an e-mail campaign based on the demographic data collected, an administrative page 198 for generating an e-mailing list and an administrative page 200 for initiating the e-mail campaign. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing the organization of the database which relates all of the system pages and manages all of the data associated with the system.
The following is list of tables in the database. This is merely one example of the way the database could be organized. Other organizations could be used consistent with the spirit of the inventions defined by the claims. Appraisal
AreaNe ghborhood AreaNe ghborhood_Appraisal AreaNe ghborhood_CommServices AreaNe ghborhood_Entertainment AreaNe ghborhood_Govemment
AreaNe ghborhood_Healths AreaNe ghborhood_HomeFurnishing AreaNeighborhood_Homelmprovement
AreaNeighborhood_Homelnspection
AreaNeighborhood_Loan
AreaNeighborhood_Media
AreaNeighborhood_Moving
AreaNeighborhood_Neighborhood Discounts
AreaNeighborhood_PersonalFinance
AreaNeighborhood_PersonalFinance2
AreaNeighborhood_POWorship
AreaNeighborhood_Products
AreaNeighborhood_RealEstateServices
AreaNeighborhood_Restaurant
AreaNeighborhood_School
AreaNeighborhood_Settlement
AreaNeighborhood_Shopping
AreaNeighborhood_Sport
AreaNeighborhood_StockedPhoto
AreaNeighborhood_Trans
AreaNeighborhood_Utility
CommServices
Entertainment
Finance
Government
Healths
HomeFurnishing
Homelmprovement
Homelnspection
Loan
Media
Moving
NeighborhoodDiscounts
PersonalFinance POWorship Products
RealEstateServices Restaurant School
Settlement Shopping Sport Trans Utility
Figure 17 shows an administrative page 200 use to create an email advertising campaign based on the geographic target marketing concept comprising targeted communities collected on an administrative page 200 for generating target banner ads or an emailing list for geographically targeted advertisements and an administrative page 200 for initiating the email campaign for geographically targeted advertising.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the foregoing are possible. Thus, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims

/ CLAIM AS MY INVENTION:
1. A method of doing business using the Internet, comprising the steps of: creating a network of community websites, each community website containing real estate information for a particular geographic area; granting the right to post said real estate information on each community website to a content provider; and creating a directory website that includes links to each of said plurality of community websites.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said geographic area includes no less than a predetermined number of residential homes.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said geographic area of any one of said community websites does not geographically overlap the geographic area of any other of said community websites.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said directory website is controlled and maintained by a directory owner.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of said community websites further includes community information.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said community information is provided by said directory owner.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein said community information is provided by said content provider.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of granting the right to post said real estate information on each community website to a content provider, further comprises executing a franchise agreement for each of said community websites, said franchising agreement specifying that said directory owner shall provide said community content and control said directory website and that said content provider shall provide said real estate content.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said real estate information comprises listings for the sale of real estate located within said geographic area.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said content provider comprises a real estate agent.
1 1 . The method of claim 9, wherein said real estate information of each of said community websites is provided by said respective content provider for the corresponding one of said community websites.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein said real estate information does not comprise more than a predetermined number of listings for the sale of real estate located outside said geographic area.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structure and layout of each of said community websites is substantially similar.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of providing local, regional and national advertising to promote each of said plurality of community websites.
15. A method of marketing real estate using the internet, comprising: creating a plurality of community websites, wherein each of said plurality of community websites comprises real estate content and community content for a particular geographic area, said real estate content being provided by a community broker for said particular geographic area; and a directory website coupling the plurality of community websites.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said real estate content comprises at least one of the group consisting of: listings of homes for sale within said geographic area, information about said community broker, other real estate listings offered by said community broker, real estate articles, links to real estate websites, street lists and maps, and relocation assistance information.
1 7. The method of claim 15, wherein said community content comprises at least one of the group consisting of: a detailed description of said geographic area, school and educational information for said geographic area, sports and recreational information, entertainment information, news and media information, transportation information for said geographic area, a community bulletin board, shopping information for said geographic area, government information for said geographic area, places of worship in and near said geographic area, discounts and promotions on goods and services available to persons living within said geographic area, and an electronic gateway.
18. The method of claim 1 7, wherein said community bulletin board comprises at least one of the group consisting of: carpooling information, child care information, babysitting information, neighborhood discounts, news and events for said geographic area, information regarding new residents in said geographic area, and notices and information regarding schools and religious organizations.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein each of said community websites is accessible on the internet at an internet address that incorporates the name of said particular geographic area corresponding thereto.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein said internet address is of the format www. [geographic area name].x, wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein said internet address is of the format www. [geographic area namej.com.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein said internet address is of the format www. [geographic area namejbroker.x, wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein said internet address is of the format www. [geographic area namejbroker.com.
24. The method of claim 20, wherein said internet address is of the format www. [geographic area name]-broker.x, wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein said internet address is of the format www. [geographic area name]-broker.com.
26. The method of claim 15, wherein said geographic area corresponds to exactly one real estate subdivision.
27. The method of claim 15, wherein said geographic area corresponds to a cluster of subdivisions.
28. The method of claim 15, wherein said geographic area corresponds to a fractional part of a subdivision.
29. A method of marketing real estate on the internet, comprising the steps of: creating a plurality of community websites, wherein each of said community websites comprises real estate content and community content for a unique geographic area; and creating a directory website comprising a searchable database of said plurality of community websites.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein said real estate content is provided by a community broker.
31. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of searching said searchable database by community name.
32. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of searching said searchable database by zip code.
33. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of searching said searchable database by county name.
34. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of searching said searchable database by metropolitan area name.
35. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of searching said searchable database by at least one selected from the group consisting of community name, zip code, county name and metropolitan area.
36. A method of targeted marketing of goods and services, comprising the steps of: collecting demographic information for each of a plurality of geographic areas; creating a demographic profile for each of said plurality of geographic areas; creating a plurality of community websites, each of said community websites comprising information relating to one of said geographic areas; and advertising goods and services only on those of said community websites having a demographic profile that meets criteria set by an advertiser.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein said demographic information comprises at least one of the group of: average annual household income, average age of residents, median price of homes, and number of children per household.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein said criteria comprises a minimum number of households located within said geographic area having a minimum average annual income.
39. The method of claim 36, wherein each of said plurality of geographic areas consists of one zip code.
40. A method of doing business using the internet, comprising the step of creating a website for a particular subdivision including data and an electronic bulletin board.
41 . A method according to claim 40, wherein said data comprises general information about said subdivision, real estate information about said subdivision, and discounts on goods and services offered to residents of said subdivision.
42. A method according to claim 41 , wherein said general information is selected from the group consisting of: clubs and organizations in said subdivision, recreational amenities in and near said subdivision, schools and places of worship in and near said subdivision, public transportation in and near said subdivision, or businesses and shopping centers in and near said subdivision.
43. A method according to claim 41 , wherein said real estate information is selected from the group consisting of: listings of homes for sale in said subdivision, virtual walkthroughs of said homes for sale, real estate articles, hyperlinks to other real estate websites, lists and maps of streets in and near said subdivision, or relocation information.
44. A method according to claim 40, wherein said bulletin board includes information relating to said subdivision selected from the group consisting of: carpooling information, child care or babysitting services.
45. A method according to claim 44, wherein said bulletin board further comprises information relating to said subdivision selected from the group consisting of: area news and events, information about new residents, discounts on goods and services offered to residents of said subdivision, or schools and religious notices.
46. A method of doing business using the internet, comprising the step of creating a directory website comprising a searchable database directory having information from a plurality of subdivision websites, each of said plurality of subdivision websites having data thereon relating to a particular geographic area.
47. A method of doing business using the internet, comprising the steps of:
(a) creating a list of subdivisions within a particular geographic region;
(b) selecting one subdivision from said list, said one subdivision having a subdivision name; (c) creating a subdivision website for said one subdivision having data relating to said one subdivision; and
(d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for each of said subdivisions on said list.
48. A method according to claim 47, wherein said subdivision website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [subdivision namej.com.
49. A method according to claim 47, wherein said subdivision website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [subdivision name].x, wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name.
50. A method according to claim 47, wherein said subdivision website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www.x/[subdivision name], wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name.
51 . A method according to claim 47, wherein said subdivision website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [subdivision name].x wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name
52. A method according to claim 47, wherein said subdivision website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [subdivision name]x wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name
53. A method according to claim 47, wherein said subdivision website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [subdivision name]-x wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name
54. A method according to claim 47, wherein said data comprises general information, real estate information, and discounts on goods and services offered to residents of said subdivision.
55. A method according to claim 54, wherein said general information is selected from the group consisting of: clubs and organizations for said subdivision, recreational amenities in and near said subdivision, schools and places of worship in and near said subdivision, public transportation in and near said subdivision, or businesses and shopping centers in and near said subdivision.
56. A method according to claim 54, wherein said real estate information is selected from the group consisting of: listings of homes for sale in said subdivision, virtual walkthroughs of said homes for sale, real estate articles, hyperlinks to other real estate websites, lists and maps of streets in and near said subdivision, or relocation information.
57. A method according to claim 47, further comprising the step of designating a plurality of subdivision brokers each of whom will specialize in marketing real estate within one or more of said communities.
58. A method according to claim 57, wherein said subdivision website further includes a bulletin board.
59. A method according to claim 58, wherein said bulletin board includes information relating to said subdivision selected from the group consisting of: carpooling information, child care or babysitting services.
60. A method according to claim 59, wherein said bulletin board further comprises information relating to said subdivision selected from the group consisting of: area news and events, information about new residents, discounts on goods and services offered to residents of said subdivision, or schools and religious notices.
61 . A method according to claim 47, further comprising the step of creating a directory website including a searchable database directory having information from each of said subdivision websites.
62. A system for targeted marketing of goods and/or services, comprising: a directory website viewable on the Internet; and a network of community websites, each of said community websites being viewable on the Internet and including community content for a particular geographic area; wherein said directory website includes a hyperlink to each of said community websites.
63. The system of claim 62, wherein said directory website is controlled and maintained by a directory owner.
64. The system of claim 63, wherein each of said community websites further comprises real estate content.
65. The system of claim 64, wherein the right to post said real estate content on each of said community websites is granted to a respective content provider.
66. The system of claim 65, wherein said content provider is a real estate professional.
67. The system of claim 64, wherein said real estate content comprises listings for the sale of real estate located within said geographic area.
68. The system of claim 67, wherein said real estate information does not comprise more than a predetermined number of listings for the sale of real estate located outside said geographic area.
69. The system of claim 68, wherein said real estate information does not comprise more than 25 listings.
70. The system of claim 62, wherein said geographic area includes no less than predetermined number of residential homes.
71 . The system of claim 62, wherein said geographic area of any one of said community websites does not overlap the geographic area of any other of said community websites.
72. The system of claim 62, wherein said community content is provided by said directory owner.
73. The method of claim 62, wherein the structure and layout of each of said community websites is substantially similar.
74. A method of doing business in goods and/or services using the Internet, comprising the steps of: creating a network of community websites each containing information pertaining to said goods and/or services for a particular geographic area; granting rights to provide content on each of said community websites to a content provider; and creating a directory website that includes links to each of said plurality of community websites.
75. A method of doing business using the internet, comprising the steps of:
(a) creating a list of communities within a particular geographic region;
(b) selecting one community from said list, said one community having a community name;
(c) creating a community website for said one community having data relating to said one community; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for each of said communities on said list.
76. A method according to claim 75, wherein said community website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [community name]. com.
77. A method according to claim 75, wherein said community website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [community name].x, wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name.
78. A method according to claim 75, wherein said community website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www.x/[community name], wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name.
79. A method according to claim 75, wherein said community website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www.[community name].x wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name
80. A method according to claim 75, wherein said community website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [community name]x wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name
81 . A method according to claim 75, wherein said community website is accessible via the internet at an internet address of the format www. [community name]-x wherein x comprises a top-level internet domain name
82. A method according to claim 75, wherein said data comprises general information, real estate information, and discounts on goods and services offered to residents of said community.
83. A method according to claim 82, wherein said general information is selected from the group consisting of: clubs and organizations for said community, recreational amenities in and near said community, schools and places of worship in and near said community, public transportation in and near said community, or businesses and shopping centers in and near said community.
84. A method according to claim 82, wherein said real estate information is selected from the group consisting of: listings of homes for sale in said community, virtual walkthroughs of said homes for sale, real estate articles, hyperlinks to other real estate websites, lists and maps of streets in and near said community, or relocation information.
85. A method according to claim 75, further comprising the step of designating a plurality of community brokers each of whom will specialize in marketing real estate within one or more of said communities.
86. A method according to claim 85, wherein said community website further includes a bulletin board.
87. A method according to claim 86, wherein said bulletin board includes information relating to said community selected from the group consisting of: carpooling information, child care or babysitting services.
88. A method according to claim 87, wherein said bulletin board further comprises information relating to said community selected from the group consisting of: area news and events, information about new residents, discounts on goods and services offered to residents of said community, or schools and religious notices.
89. A method according to claim 75, further comprising the step of creating a directory website including a searchable database directory having information from each of said community websites.
90. A method of marketing goods and/or services on the internet, comprising the steps of: creating a plurality of community websites, wherein each of said community websites comprises content pertaining to said goods and/or services and community content for a unique geographic area, said content pertaining to said goods and/or services being provided by a community goods and/or services provider; and creating a directory website comprising a searchable database of said plurality of community websites.
91 . A method of targeted marketing of goods and services, comprising the steps of: creating a network of community websites, each of said community websites comprising information relating to a particular geographic area; and placing advertisements only on those of said community websites having information relating to the geographic areas chosen by an advertiser.
92. The method of claim 91 , wherein each of said geographic areas consists of one real estate subdivision.
93. The method of claim 91 , wherein each of said geographic areas consists of a cluster of real estate subdivisions.
94. The method of claim 91 , wherein each of said geographic areas consists of a fractional part of one real estate subdivision.
95. The method of claim 91 , wherein each of said geographic areas consists of a zip code.
PCT/US2000/041862 1999-11-04 2000-11-03 System and method of targeted internet marketing and franchising WO2001033812A2 (en)

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Applications Claiming Priority (8)

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US43392099A 1999-11-04 1999-11-04
US09/433,920 1999-11-04
US18414200P 2000-02-22 2000-02-22
US60/184,142 2000-02-22
US20241100P 2000-05-08 2000-05-08
US60/202,411 2000-05-08
US23451800P 2000-09-20 2000-09-20
US60/234,518 2000-09-20

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