Comprehensive info focus of R.B. Murray Web site

by Clarissa A. French

SBJ Staff

An aerial photography database; four-color maps, pictures and brochures; detailed demographics and specific site information; all of it is updated daily and available at the click of a button.

It isn't science fiction. It's R.B. Murray Co.

Rob Murray III is delighted with the response the family business is receiving to its Web site,

www.rbmurray.com,

which it unveiled in May of this year.

"It provides a level of service that a lot of people are not providing," Murray said. And the company is benefitting.

R.B. Murray Co. is a three-broker family business comprising Rob Murray III, his father, Robert Murray Jr., and his uncle, David Murray, plus an office staff of three.

It's a small company. But you wouldn't know it from its Web site.

The emphasis of the site is to provide information, Murray said.

"We've had some brokers say, 'You're giving away all your information,' but we feel its better to provide as much information as possible," he said.

Among that information is facts from the city of Springfield, including traffic counts.

Each property listed includes at least one color photo, and would-be buyers or developers can pull up aerial shots of significant Springfield developments and intersections; specific, up-to-date demographic information within a 1-, 3- and 5-mile radius of a particular property and information about how R.B. Murray markets properties, Murray said.

If someone calls about a property; and has Internet access, Murray can walk the caller through the location via the Web site sort of a virtual tour. Compare that with the traditional method: a potential buyer calls, the agent puts together an information packet and the buyer receives it in the mail up to a week later, Murray said.

"We can provide more on the Internet than we can provide on paper," he added.

As a result of its Web site, R.B. Murray Co. is now marketing a Kansas property for an owner who is based in Colorado.

The property owner, who has a 131,000-square-foot facility in Ellsworth, Kan., came across the R.B. Murray site, liked what he saw and contacted the firm.

R.B. Murray first started looking at how to use the Internet about three years ago. Then, in January of this year, the younger Murray set aside some time and, working closely with database programmer Angela Jones, of WebSpinners Inc., came up with a Web site that offers, well, just about everything.

"It was a unique relationship," Murray said of the design process.

He and Jones both worked on the site, and "she pretty much trouble-shoots all my problems.

"The design, functionality and target markets come from this office and (Jones) makes it work."

Murray said he is confident that R.B. Murray's Web site is on an equal footing with those of large metropolitan brokerage offices many times its size.

It is hardware and software that enable the small business to offer such a complex site affordably.

"Maintenance is a big deal," Murray said, and it can be a major burden for a small office.

"Most people would think you'd need a regular employee to update the site and keep it running, but it's designed so our database, with a couple of clicks, automatically updates the site" at 5 p.m. every day, he said.

All the company's information is kept on its server.

The key to putting that information online was the creation of a specialized program that publishes everything to the company's Web site, Murray said.

Another cost-saving advantage was that the firm did not outsource the whole project.

Instead, Murray devoted "several months, working full-time alongside Angela" to come up with what he wanted.

Otherwise "it would have been cost-prohibitive," he said. Considering the hours, the hardware and the site creation, "I wouldn't want to venture a dollar figure to have had it done," Murray said.

Anyone can create a Web site, he said; the challenge is keeping it up to date. He added that, in his opinion, having no Web site at all is better than having a stagnant Web site.

"It looks bad. Do it right, or don't do it," Murray said.

The company's Web site "is rapidly becoming an integral part of how we do business," he added.

R.B. Murray only recently began promoting its Web site in the print media, but it has been promoting it on the Web, through search engines, for some time. The R.B. Murray site is integrated with Loopnet, a search engine for commercial properties.

The company recently added its Web address to its letterhead and will be adding it to its signage. Awareness, Murray said, is vital.

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