We live in an internet enabled world, and whilst traditional marketing methods are still valid, as a real estate agent you can’t afford to ignore the benefits of online marketing.
There are many ways to build brand and reach new customers, but online marketing is hard to beat. Many real estate agents think that it is enough to have a flashy website full of property listings, but this is not enough. It is possible to leverage some leads from a purpose-built website, but the majority of your leads will come from the main real estate websites such as realtor.com.
Website Marketing
An individual website is useful for building brand and interacting with existing customers, but the problem with such websites is many of them look the same. Buyers don’t have time waste searching for realtor websites. Instead they head straight to big name realtor directory listings where they can search for properties listed by multiple agents. For the buyer, this is the perfect solution – they are given the choice without the hassle. So instead of wasting a fortune on a customized individual website, concentrate your online marketing efforts on other areas if you want to generate more leads.
Content Marketing
Content marketing in the form of blogs, web content, articles and guest posts is worthwhile from a brand building perspective, but there is a right and a wrong way to go about it. First and foremost, content should always be useful to the reader. People don’t want to read blatant sales pitches for properties. Instead, create content that answers questions and provides value, such as tips on how to stage a home in order to attract buyers, or the best home improvements to add value.
You can post content on your blog and encourage readers to share via social media, or write guests posts for high quality websites and then link back to your social media accounts and website.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is well worth spending time and effort on. Millions of people use social networks every day and the more time you spend networking on Facebook, Twitter, and the like, the more leads you will enjoy.
Firstly, decide which social media network is right for your real estate business. Different demographics naturally migrate towards different social media networks, so if you pick the wrong one, your efforts will not be as successful as they might otherwise be.
Spend time creating the right type of social media content. The whole point of using social media is that it is a good opportunity to build brand and interact on a more personal level, but you do need to be careful not to sound too self-promotional or potential buyers will be turned off. Instead be helpful, informative, and friendly. Nurture relationships and respond quickly to questions or complaints. The more professional and approachable you are, the more effective your lead building strategy will be.
Online marketing isn’t rocket science, says Rob Harris from YouinParkCity.com, but you do need to put in some time and effort if you want to see results.
