If you want to get more traffic to your real estate website in 2020, you should invest in a content marketing strategy. This is because websites with a content marketing strategy are expected to have conversion rates that are nearly several times higher than websites without a content marketing strategy.
If you had the opportunity to drive thousands of qualified leads to your website for free, would it be something you would be interested in?
If someone were to ask if you wanted a million dollars, your answer would likely be yes. Who wouldn’t want a million dollars?
Each real estate agent has the potential to bring thousands of interested prospects to their website at no cost.
How can that be possible? And if it is, what is the downside?
Bring in Tons of New Web Traffic with Content Marketing
First and foremost, content creation does have a cost even though it can be done cheaply or even for free. The primary cost of a content marketing strategy is time. To be successful, you must be willing, able, and disciplined to produce quality content on a regular basis.
But does content marketing work?
Do content marketing strategies work? Yes, most successful agents have a content marketing strategy.
Active content strategies on agents’ websites result in more traffic and leads than those without a content strategy. This is because the real estate process is complex and clients often turn to Google with their questions.
The goal of this content is to understand the types of questions that buyers and sellers often have so that relevant and helpful answers can be provided.
The text can be rewritten so that it is more likely to be chosen by a search engine such as Google. This will make it more likely that the text will answer the questions of buyers and sellers.
If you solve your customer’s problem, you will prove your expertise in real estate and they are more likely to come to you with future questions. When they need real estate services, they will be more likely to come to you instead of someone else.
Content marketing is important because it helps you deliver information to potential customers who are interested in what you have to say. In order to create content that is effective, you need to understand your audience and what they want to hear. You also need to determine the best way to deliver that content so that it is easily accessible and easy to digest.
What’s the Content Creation Process?
The content creation process has 3 main steps:
- Find and target a problem that lots of home buyers and sellers have.
- Create a piece of content that provides a solution to those problems
- Get this piece of content in front of those home buyers and/or sellers
It’s really that straightforward. Everything else just details.
What Problems Do Buyers and Sellers Want To Solve?
Specifically, homeowners want to know how to:
- Increase their home’s value
- How to sell their home faster
- How to choose the right real estate agent
- Make the right decisions as a homeowner
Home sellers want to know how to:
- Get the best price for a home
- Get a mortgage with the best possible terms
- Choose the right real estate agent
- Decide on whether to buy or rent a home
Both buyers and sellers usually have questions related to their finances, homeownership, and lifestyle.
Choose the Right Topic
How has working with homeowners during the listing process been difficult for you? Write down your thoughts on a pad of paper.
After that, consider your unique selling proposition. What is it about you that makes you the best real estate agent for your clients? What is your real estate niche? What makes you the best real estate agent for your clients?
If you are unsure about what to write about, we have many articles with ideas for blogging topics.
What Content Is Best For Real Estate?
New content types are constantly emerging.
But 3 of the most effective ones for real estate are:
- Blogs/Articles
- Infographics
- Videos
1. Blogs/Articles
There are a lot of blog posts and articles being created every month. WordPress reports that 70 million new blog posts are created each month on WordPress alone.
While this number may seem intimidating and make you feel that you have ZERO chance of getting your content read, here are some reassuring facts:
The internet requires a constant stream of content to satisfy its users. While there is a large supply of content, the demand is even greater.
Second, most of the new content is not well written and is not optimized well for search engines. The worst part is that most of the content does not offer enough value to keep the reader coming back for more.
This means that it is definitely possible for your content to be seen by others, especially if it is tailored to a certain group of people in a specific location.
Best Practices For Blogs/Articles
One of the quickest ways to improve your writing skills is to study the work of other writers and imitate their style. This doesn’t mean you should plagiarize their work, but rather take note of how they organize their thoughts.
Here’s the process to use:
- Create an outline for your article – Before you even write a single paragraph, figure out the main arguments you wish to make. What do you want your readers to take away from your article? Then, arrange your arguments into a logical order, and fit them into your blog format.
- Use a time-tested template for your articles – Remember the 5 paragraph essay from high school? There’s a reason why our English teachers insisted on teaching us how to write a 5 paragraph essay. This format is very efficient and effective in presenting compelling arguments that answer a single question. Do you want to prove why it’s better in the long-run to choose an adjustable-rate mortgage over a fixed one? Introduce the problem in the first paragraph, present three arguments in paragraphs 2, 3, and 4, and summarize your arguments in paragraph 5.
- Do your research – Find facts and quotes from experts and authoritative figures that back up your arguments.
- Write your article’s first draft – Remember that your first draft is just that, a first draft. It’s something that you will work on and polish as you go along.
- Once your first draft is done, go back to it, and polish your article – Break up the text blocks. Never write more than 5 sentences in a single paragraph when publishing online. Further, break up the article by using images, videos and charts that supplement your arguments.
- Sleep on the article – Re-read it after stepping away for a day or two. Make changes as necessary.
- Before you publish your article – Ask a friend or co-worker to read over your article, and give you their 2 cents on it. Take their suggestions, and use them to put together your final draft.
- Publish your final draft – Track your article’s success, and use what you learned to improve your future articles.
2. Infographics
Infographics are an excellent type of content to share on social media, as they can be easily embedded in your articles and drive traffic to your website.
If someone likes your infographics, you will receive more website traffic and visibility. This is because they can share your infographics, link to them, or insert them into a blog post or webpage.
Best Practices For Infographics
Infographics are essentially a mix of quick facts, edutainment, and statistics. It’s important to focus on the following:
- Beautiful Design – It’s all about presentation. A good and appealing design will draw more attention and will encourage your audience to share it.
- Valuable and Meaningful Statistics – Infographics can display a large amount of valuable information in a condensed package. Make sure you quote your statistics from authoritative sites, and you present them in an interesting way.
- Branding – Make it clear that your real estate company was the one that created the infographic.
This guide provides information on infographics and how to get great quality photos.
Where To Share Your Infographics
Infographics are powerful tools because they are easy to share. When deciding which social media platform to share an infographic on, consider which site will give the most exposure to your target audience.
- Pinterest– Pinterest is all about image sharing. That’s why it’s the perfect place to share your infographics.
- Facebook – Though its appeal continues to wane, Facebook is still the king of social media, especially among Gen-Xers and older social media users.
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn is geared towards business relationships. But if you have an informative infographic that is well researched and has a formal-ish tone, it’s perfectly fine to share it on LinkedIn.
- Instagram – Instagram is quite popular among millennials and younger demographics. If they are part of your target demographic, it’s a good idea to share your infographics there.
3. Videos
Video is a format that combines visuals and audio in a way that writing cannot compete with.
People today are busier than ever and want content that is easy and quick to consume. This is why you see so many “one secret” and “quick fix” type ads. People want things to be fast, so take advantage of that by making short, punchy videos.
Best Practices For Videos
Many newcomers to video production mistakenly believe that making a video with high production values will make it better.
The content of a video is the most important aspect for it to be successful. Marketing experts such as Neil Patel, Gary V., and Tom Ferry utilize the uncomplicated format of “a guy talking in front of a camera” which is very effective. You don’t need a movie studio to do this, all you need is your smartphone and a good script.
As long as you continue to offer a lot of value to your viewers, they will remain interested and will come back for more.
If you’re able to financially invest in top-notch production values, go for it! Keep in mind that video is primarily a visual experience for your audience, so high-quality visuals make for a stronger overall video.
Creating content that is interesting and relevant can help your real estate career. By writing articles, blog posts, or other forms of content, you can show potential clients that you are an expert in your field. This can help you attract more business and make more sales.
The most important thing for online success is creating good content. This will make people interested in your story, and is a key part of successful social media and email marketing. It’s more important than mediums like newspapers and TV. Instagram influencers make a lot of money from content because people want it and it’s free.
Being a real estate agent is tough enough as it is, so being able to take some of the marketing load off of your shoulders by learning to produce your own content is a huge asset. As social distancing becomes more common in society, there is an increasing need for agents to market their services through content. This is relatively inexpensive to do and does not require a lot of experience. With some minor editing skills, you can create content that will resonate with your audience. Being a real estate agent is tough, so being able to produce your own marketing content can be a big help.
Creating Content as a Real Estate Agent
As a real estate agent, you need to tell your story so that people will get to know your brand. You can do this by posting content that will engage your followers and start a two-way conversation between you and them.
Different types of content require different skills and time commitments. For example, a social post might only take five seconds to write, while an ebook could take a month. After reading this piece, you will understand:
- Level of Difficulty per Content Style
- What Skills are Needed to Create
- How to Create the Piece
- How to Share the Piece
Becoming an expert in content marketing takes time and patience. However, the most difficult part is committing to this effective marketing strategy. Once you learn what you need to do, you will be able to tell your brand’s story and propel your career to the next level.
Social Media Post
A social media post is a statement that a person makes on their own social media feed. It is usually seen by their friends and followers and allows for a simple form of back-and-forth communication. All you need to create a post is the following:
- Social Media Account
- Phone or Computer
First, you need to create a social media account for your business. If you don’t know how to do this, you can search for “How to create a business social media account for (name of social media platform)” online. Once you create the account and gain followers, you’ll be able to post whenever you want.
To create a post on social media, you type a message in the area that says something like “Create Post” or “Share Your Thoughts.” The process is different on every social media platform but, for the most part, it’s pretty intuitive where to create a post.
Before posting, review these notes for optimal performance:
- What am I trying to say with this post?
- How am I positioning my brand?
- Am I offending anyone?
- Have I spell checked this?
You should use your common sense when writing so that you do not come across as a buffoon. This will make you appear more intelligent and knowledgeable about the industry.
Do not only post about real estate and your business. Talk about other things too, like your favorite sports teams or restaurants in town. It is okay to create weekly content that is not related to your career. People want to see the real you; after the houses, you’re the product they will be most interested in learning about.
Make sure you interact with your audience by responding to their comments and posts. This is a great way to get your “touches” in, create new partnerships with local businesses, and show your audience that you’re just as engaged as they are.
Memes
A meme is a picture, video, phrase, or some combination of a visual along with bolded, capitalized text that is virally shared across social media networks and blogs. They usually make fun of popular culture references and are one of the most shared content types on the planet.
Making memes can be relatively simple and done using sites like Meme Generator or Imgflip. Meme content pieces require the following:
- Popular culture image
- Witty headline playing off said image
- Adobe skills or meme generator
