It can be difficult to find good real estate agent marketing ideas. It is difficult to know what methods will produce the most qualified leads while still remaining sane.
You want people to think of your name when they think of buying or selling a home. You want them to give you a call. And you want them to work with YOU.
Of course, that’s easier said than done.
Other real estate agents in the area are competing for the same attention.
It is not necessary to have all the attention to dominate the market, just most of it.
And the best part is…
You do not even have to get up from your computer to start.
Digital marketing has been present for a few years now. The transition from traditional media to digital media has been a huge change for the media industry.
How can agents use these digital sources?
1. Local SEO
Real estate agents are often limited to the area around their office. It is important to have a high ranking on Google when someone does a local search.
Google My Business is the solution that Google offers to businesses to manage their online presence.
Whenever you apply to Google My Business, you’re getting the following local SEO advantages:
Knowledge graph
The Google Knowledge Graph provides additional information about your brand when someone searches for your branded term. This can include website information, driving directions, street views, pictures, phone numbers, business hours, customer reviews, and more.
The knowledge graph is an advantage because it is at the top of the Google SERP, so it gets a lot of attention.
Local pack
The “local pack” refers to the companies that come up in a search engine query based on the searcher’s location. The Google SERP provides a view of Google Maps with links to websites, phone numbers, and driving directions for companies that match your search query.
Google My Business enables you to list your agency within Google Maps, with added information about your company, such as location, website, phone number, and driving directions.
Website optimization for local SEO
Google My Business had made it easier to rank higher onlocal search queries. Local SEO isn’t just about creating a Google My Business account.
You will need to optimize your website for local SEO. Let’s say your agency is active in Shoreline, WA. It is important to rank high on search engines when someone is looking for a house or real estate agent in Shoreline.
Google recognizes that these are local search results, so you should take this opportunity to position your website as the perfect answer to this person’s question. When optimizing your website for local SEO, there’s a few options you need to look into:
- Page title: whenever you’re optimizing a website, you need to keep the search term you want to rank on in mind. Is the title of the page you want to rank on matching with the search term you’ve got in mind? Take a look at this example by Realo – the company I work for. We want this page to rank on the term “House for sale in Ghent” (which is a small city in Belgium):
- Page URL: just like the page title, the more you can match the URL with the search term you’ve got in mind, the higher you’ll rank on that term. I’d like to refer back to the image above showing how we optimized our URL structure to match the search query we want to rank on (House for sale in Ghent).
- Internal linking: one of the most important factors of ranking a specific page is linking. You can see a link as a vote. The more votes, the higher that page will rank. In most cases, for a real estate agent, the homepage will be most important. However, if you’ve got other pages you want to rank, adding them to your navigation bar is a good way to start.
- External linking: next to internal linking, external linking is a good way to push your rankings higher in search engines. Think about where you can score some links back to your site (technical term: backlinks). Maybe you can get a link from your local authority? Or maybe there’s a directory of all businesses in your town / city? Possibilities are endless, however, please bear in mind to look for relevant backlinks.
If you’re trying to game the system by getting a lot of backlinks from sources that aren’t related to your site, Google will likely remove your site from their search engine. So be cautious whenever implementing this tactic.
There are several ways to improve your local SEO. There are many different tactics you can use to increase your rankings. You can be sure that these tactics will have an immediate effect.
2. Social Media
Local real estate agents have a big opportunity to capitalize on social media. There are many Facebook groups dedicated to helping people find new homes. These groups are full of people who are looking for advice and assistance in their search for a new home. This is your chance to attract these possible home buyers with your product. It’s important to be aware of the things you should and shouldn’t do. Don’t spam these groups with your listings.
You should only engage in a conversation with a home seeker when you feel that you can provide value to them.
Home seekers should be asked relevant questions by groups in order to interact with them. What type of house are they looking for? What price category? Do they have a specific neighborhood in mind? Are animals allowed? That kind off thing.
If you know exactly what kind of home someone is looking for, you can be more helpful to them instead of just promoting your most recent listings. You look more professional when you can match the right home with the right audience.
Facebook pages
Facebook pages are a great way to drive traffic to your website. You should try to make your Facebook page look like the local authority when it comes to real estate. This will allow you to use your page to inform followers about new properties and will help you attract a more qualified audience who are searching for a new home.
Twitter is the perfect place to look for a new home because it is public. The real estate agent is responsible for monitoring conversations on Twitter and engaging when relevant.
Snapchat
Geofilters are a way to build local awareness for real estate agents who are bound to their location. For example, you could use Snapchat filters during local events. Your geofilter should have a short, catchy phrase that tells users what to do, like “Swipe up to learn more!” This phrase should be easy to read and understand, so make sure it’s clear and to the point. You make it easier for people to identify your company if you use a consistent branding strategy.
3. Online advertising
Do you want direct impact of your marketing activities? If that is the situation, then online advertising is the best option. You decide how much you want to spend and what you’re spending it on. If you want more people to see your ads, you need to increase your reach. Then you should advertise using the CPM method, which measures the cost per mile. CPC advertising is a type of online advertising where you pay a fee each time someone clicks on your ad. This is a good way to get traffic to your website if you are selling products or services online.
Advertising channels that allow you to pay for each potential home seeker on a CPL (Cost Per Lead) basis give you the option to pay for each potential home seeker.
It is your responsibility to choose where and how you want to advertise. The most suitable options are:
- Social media advertising (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc)
- Search Engine Advertising (Google, Bing, etc)
- Portal sites (Realo, Funda Zoopla, etc)
Facebook advertising
There are many options to choose from when advertising on Facebook. It might be appropriate to target real estate ads based on the viewer’s location, age, and interests. Let’s say you’re a real estate agent in Shoreline, WA. It may be interesting to you to advertise in locations throughout Washington with an interest in real estate and housing specifically for individuals between the ages of 25 and 50. You can spend your money more wisely on advertisements by targeting people who are more likely to buy a home in Shoreline.
It’s a good idea to set some money aside to test different targeting options on Facebook, since there are so many possibilities.
After you have decided who you would like to target with your ad, it is also important to consider what type of ad you would like to create. You can choose from:
- Carousel ads: create a picture of each room within the property.
- Video ads: create a quick walk-through of your latest property on your smart phone and use that as a way of advertising.
- Image ads: you’ve got a beautiful property where one image says it all? Go for the image ads! Because you only got one image, make sure it’s engaging enough to create an interest and allow click-through.
- Form ads: if you prefer to build your e-mail list of potential home seekers (or sellers), Facebook form ads are exactly what you’re looking for.
Google AdWords
Advertising on Google is done through a platform called Google AdWords. Instead of your ads being shown on Facebook, they are shown on SERPs. This means that someone is interested in the products or services that you have to offer.
You can use AdWords to target your ads to specific keywords, set a price per click, and decide whether or not to pay more for mobile users. You can be the first search result for someone looking up “Real estate in Shoredline” by using Google AdWords. If you’re advertising on AdWords, it’s advisable to use a different geo-targeting strategy than you would for Facebook advertising. You can use AdWords to target keywords to specific geographic locations. Example: “Real estate in Shoreline”. Someone is already interested in the location of this search query. In other words, you don’t need separate geo targeting. You would want someone who is moving from Seattle to Shoreline, for example, to see a specific ad. You don’t want to limit your ads to just Washington for example.
Measuring ROI
It is important to create an eye-catching advertisement and use good targeting, but that is not all that is important. However, none of that matters if you don’t have a system to track your return on investment.
Google Analytics is a free tool that is the most popular way to measure ROI. To set up Google Analytics only takes a few minutes, and I recommend that every real estate agent does this immediately to see which ads and websites are driving people to their site.
4. E-mail marketing
The best way to turn visitors into leads for your listings is through e-mail marketing to your database. Agents no longer need to go through their contacts one-by-one.
There are now tools available that will automatically generate e-mails based on which part of your website a person has subscribed to.
Let’s say you’ve got 4 specific pages on your site:
- House for sale in Shoreline
- House to rent in Shoreline
- Condo for sale in Shoreline
- Condo to rent in Shoreline
You can automate emailing from your website by setting it up to use RSS feeds. Whenever a new property is listed on your “House for sale in Shoreline” page, an e-mail notification will be sent to any subscribed users. Setting up an e-mail flow with Mailchimp only takes a few minutes and doesn’t require any special technical skills.
Yet the greatest advantage of e-mail must be relevance. Because someone is subscribed to a specific category, you know that person is interested in receiving more listings that match that category. To convert leads more effectively, include relevant content along with a clear call-to-action.
5. Virtual reality
Finally, we must mention virtual reality, which has been the biggest buzzword in recent years. There are already many companies experimenting with this technology. An example of a company that has implemented virtual reality is IKEA, who use it as part of their catalog. Virtual reality is perfect for real estate because it is all about experience.
Here’s two ways:
1. Virtual reality at home
Your prospects don’t actually have to leave their old home to look for a new one. They can just search for homes online without even having to step outside. imagines being able to see a Facebook 360 video, 3D tour, or 3d picture of a property on your website.
With these technologies, a website visitor can explore your listing as if they are walking through it in person. Your website is the first opportunity to make a good impression on potential customers.
A lead that an agent receives is more likely to be qualified.
2. In your office
Do you want to see how potential buyers will react to your product or service when they first encounter it? Give them a digital tour of your office right from where you are. It doesn’t even need to be expensive. You can have a great virtual reality experience with a Google Cardboard and a smartphone.
This technology is still new and hasn’t been perfected yet. Agents who experiment with this right now are bound to have a competitive edge.
6. Market Yourself on Instagram
If you’re a real estate agent, Instagram is a great way to share your listings and get exposure. According to a recent article, Instagram is becoming a powerful tool for real estate agents. The article claims that agents who are active on Instagram are able to reach a whole new audience and that the platform provides a great way to showcase properties.
There are now over one billion active users on the platform each month, so it’s the perfect time to join and view all the stunning pictures people are posting every day.
There is something for everyone on this site, whether you are showcasing properties or providing helpful content like tips for staging homes.
7. Partner with Other Real Estate Agents in Your Area
As the market becomes more competitive and the economy declines, collaborating with other professionals could be the difference between success and failure.
collaborate with other real estate agents and investors in your area to make the most of the market that you find yourself in.
The best way to become the leader in your market is to join forces with those who are already the leaders.
8. Listen to a Mindset-focused Podcast
Why would listening to a podcast help your online marketing?
Often, becoming the most successful real estate agent in your market is a matter of believing you can do it and that you are the best.
The mindset is a very powerful tool for building the business of your dreams and attracting more leads than you can manage. A podcast is a great way to regularly test and refine your mindset.
Here are some benefits of listening to podcasts:
- Your imagination kicks in.
- You learn new marketing tactics.
- Your multi-tasking skills will be enhanced.
- Your listening skills grow.
- You can know more about people and gain empathy to use as an agent.
9. Optimize Keywords on Your Website for Search Engines
The best way to control your market is to be the first thing that prospective customers see when they type relevant keywords into a search engine.
If you’re not present when people are talking about your product or service, you have a very small chance of being successful in your market.
An increasing number of people are using the internet to find a real estate agent to work with. In order to be visible to potential customers, it is essential to appear as high as possible in search engine results. To make your website more visible to search engines, you need to strategically place keywords throughout your site.
