As a real estate professional, you may have noticed major changes in handling the real estate business over the last ten years. Customers have been buying properties in a different way. They start by doing some online market research, and then creating a clear vision of what they want to be their future home.
For top agents and brokers, digital marketing has become a major part of their business initiatives. From lead generation to closing sales, the real estate industry has now become reliant on digital marketing.
Real Estate and the Importance of Digital Marketing
Social media changed the way businesses reach out to their customers, real estate was no exception.
Social media lets you hit your desired audience based on profile and also expand your market reach. So investing in online media placements like Facebook Ads can help your new listings to be seen by various audiences available in social media. These social media platforms allow real estate professionals to build a booming brand and business.
To jump-start your real estate digital marketing strategy, here are some tips to get the results that you wanted:
Email Campaign
Email campaigns are the most valuable tool in building a relationship with new leads and staying connected with past clients.
Remember that the most effective email campaigns are those that create valuable and meaningful content. The more relevant your content is to a client, the more likely they will be interested in opening the email to see what you have to say.
Website
In today’s digital age, your business must have a website! People have easy access to almost all the information available in the world wide web and almost half of all web browsing is completed on a mobile device, so if your website is not designed to be responsive, your clients will not be able to browse your site comfortably.
How many times have you browsed through a website only to get irritated because it wouldn’t load fast enough? I bet you’ll just immediately close it. Real estate websites contain so many photos and links, it is highly recommended that you seek help from a professional web designer that is knowledgeable about layout and design that is appealing to your customers, and is mobile-friendly search engine approved.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Pay-Per-Click – also known as PPC – advertising is an excellent strategy for realtors looking to generate new leads based on ads that they pay for every time the ad gets clicked on.
The concept behind it is that ads will only show in search results if it is triggered by the keywords you set during the ad setup. The keywords represent the highlight interest, for example, houses for sale in Vancouver, homes in Toronto, etc. So setting up the right keywords is crucial to the success of the PPC ads.
PPC is a great digital marketing option for real estate professionals who want to specifically target potential clients who may genuinely be interested in their offerings, the best part is that you only pay when the interested customer clicks on your ad.
Blog
Blogs are a fantastic way to step up your SEO performance and rank. You can build a positive reputation online, and provide your clients with actionable advice on buying or selling a home or piece of property. A real estate professional's digital marketing strategy is nothing without valuable content, whether it's shared on your website or social media.
Virtual Tours
Virtual tours of a home are incredible pieces of content in a successful digital marketing strategy. Purchasing a home can be difficult, so it is your job as a real estate expert to make the home-buying journey as easy as possible for your clients.
Social Media
The most important rule of thumb for developing a social media strategy for your real estate business is to share various and relevant content. Although sharing listings is an important factor of your digital strategy as a real estate agent, you want to make sure that your content is useful for a broad audience, not just leads in the market for a new home.
Some ideas of useful content to post on your social media channels include:
- New or existing listings
- Team bios (if you run a real estate brokerage)
- Case studies
- Relevant blog posts
- Success stories
Webinar
Sharing all your expertise as a real estate professional is vital for successful digital marketing. Thankfully, techniques such as webinars and online workshops make it easy to reach a large audience and stay relevant in the industry.
Digital marketing for real estate professionals relies highly on generating inbound leads, so getting your name and expertise out there is vital for a successful digital marketing campaign.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a critical technique to drive leads to your website. When done correctly, your website and web pages will show up higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) during relevant searches.
However, Google and other search engines are constantly changing their algorithms, so it's critical to focus on your SEO more than one time. Keywords are a basic aspect of SEO that can make a significant difference. To include keywords in your SEO strategy, make sure that you include high-ranking keywords such as your location and your industry throughout your blog content and website.
Because content is such a valuable asset to a good SEO strategy, make sure that you update your blog regularly. Typically, the material that is ranked highest on Google is between 1,140 words and 1,285 words, so it may be a good idea to write high-value, long-form content on a regular basis.
---
Choosing a career in real estate can be challenging, but in today’s market scenario, you have a lot of ways to grow your business and your brand. Remember that keeping up to date and learning new best practices will keep you moving in the game against your competitors. Be innovative and creative. Ask for help if you need it.
At Ubertor, we specialize in crafting websites that will draw in traffic, make searching easier, and turn website viewers into clients. Don’t waste time reinventing the wheel – let us do it for you! Contact us today for more information and get a FREE consultation on what needs to be done with your website presence!