Online Marketing Tips for Real Estate Agents
Online marketing is an imperative part of the real estate world. Most home buyers have begun their journey online and are well underway in their process before contacting a real estate agent. Sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Houzz, Pinterest, social media, local real estate websites, and Craigslist enable the buyer to start perusing options very early in the homebuying process.
When it comes time to actually purchase a home, however, a majority of home buyers still contact real estate agents. The process is long, arduous and at times complex, leaving buyers more comfortable seeking a professional to finalize the deal. Home buyers need the expertise and specialization which a real estate agent brings to the table. Additionally, this provides both the buyer and seller some sense of security.
That’s where you come in. The question is, how do you get chosen as a real estate agent above the others? Nuzu Marketing has some tips on how to become the best positioned real estate agent to represent those home buyers who are ready to sign the deed.
#1. Get listed on Zillow
A majority of home buyers shop at sites like Zillow. Becoming a premier agent at Zillow is imperative and this is typically done by being the most frequent listing property agent in your zip code. The more people rate and review you positively, which increases your placing, the more likely you’ll have access to a broader buyer base. On Zillow, you’ll want to create an agent profile, which is free, and it’s here that you can provide your personal information, get your reviews started, and demonstrate your stellar sales history. Most importantly, linked to your free agent profile are all your current listings. In addition to Zillow, you have their sister company Trulia, as well as Realtor.com and Redfin.
#2. Develop an accessible, easy, mobile responsive website
One of the most important tools you will ever have in today’s real estate world is your website. Buyers want to feel confident that you are established, experienced, and knowledgeable. The way to convey this to your customer is through your website, which will most likely be their first stop. This is your opportunity for a positive first impression so it is important to share the necessary information such as your contact information, where you sell, your specialties, and most importantly, your current listings.
Other vital components are testimonials from clients, your picture, easy to navigate search functions, and great images of the properties. This should be professional, simple, clear, and available on any browser (especially mobile phones). It’s a smart idea to contact a professional website designer, such as Nuzu Net Media for your site, or get a template from such a company to ensure your site is navigable and professional.
#3. Build your real estate online reputation
Now that you have a stellar website, it’s important to build your online reputation through real estate reviews. You have a plethora of sites on which to be rated, from Google, to Yelp, Facebook, Zillow, Top Rated Local, Redfin, etc. Consumers look to ratings to help them sift through the huge number of realtor options, all of whom offer relatively similar services. What you need are the reviews leading to an online reputation, which will set you apart from the masses.
You will have to pursue your satisfied customers and have them leave reviews. The most effective reviews are those which specifically state why the client liked working with you and what sets you apart from the rest of the real estate world. Things like your personality, responsiveness, timeliness, and accessibility all will make you stand out as a great option for the next buyer who is looking at hundreds of real estate agents with high ratings. Another way to do this is through formalized review sites such as Upnest or Top Agents Get Ranked.
#4. Create a real estate marketing video
Embedded in your website on your homepage should be a marketing video. This is a very successful way to create a visual ad for yourself while simultaneously optimizing searches on YouTube. You can also use the video on Facebook. In the video you can demonstrate samples of the neighborhoods, houses, apartment complexes which you sell. This provides your potential customers a visual of you and your listings while boosting online search results.
#5. Social media marketing for real estate agents
Along with your website, sharing your video and other pertinent information on social media is crucial. In today’s society much of the consumer world is on social media. Make sure you stay at the top of your game by accessing the vast array of potential customers on social media. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. are an easy way to share new listings and provide updates on your properties. A quick visual shown across media platforms is a sure fire method to get clients in the door. Linking the social media updates to your website is also a good idea, so that anyone who visits one platform has access to the other. Having satisfied buyers like your pages and provide positive reviews will definitely spread the word that you are the agent to visit. Additionally, you have immediate updates and new listings shown at the click of a button.
#6. Real estate information resource
If you are the major information resource people come to about anything related to buying or selling in your area, you automatically have more traffic through your website and agency. The average buyer or seller out there has so many questions and concerns to which they don’t know the answers. Furthermore, it does them no good to review generic informational pages on real estate, as each state and area differs greatly. What consumers need is an expert to guide them through the nuances of buying or selling in your specific area. So become that expert for them! Provide blogs, videos, social media articles and infographs answering the common questions that arise in your area. Mentioning landmarks, school, and other such locations in your area is a fantastic idea. Including SEO content in these platforms will result in more searches and hits on your pages, so researching what keywords and topics people usually search for in your area is imperative. Using Answer the Public is beneficial for this element. Become the expert who people seek out to find answers to their many questions.
#7. Real estate specialization
Besides being the real estate go-to for questions and answers in your area, having a specialty can set you apart from the other real estate agents in your area. Your potential clients need a reason to choose you over the plethora of other options. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this, from becoming an expert in one area, in one price range or house-size/type. Offering free property management consultation in your area of specialty is a way to reach more potential buyers/sellers. Becoming a specialist makes you stand out in the crowd.
#8. Use CRM software for real estate agents
Being closely aware of your clients and potential clients, what they’re looking for, what you have shown them or discussed, and where they are in the cycle of homebuying is a key element to your success. This is especially true if your agency has several realtors potentially communicating with the same client. A really effective way to do this is with CRM software which enables you to track all the aforementioned information. Your clients will feel the customer satisfaction and security they should that everyone is on the same page and that your entire agency knows exactly where they are in the process. Reviewing the trends through CRM software and becoming aware of what elements are leading to the closing of deals is priceless for your agency.
#9. Marketing software for real estate agents
The key to success in the real estate industry is to work with the professionals, such as Nuzu Net Media, on marketing. Marketing software such as what we provide allows you to track it all! This enables you to see exactly how well your marketing is working, which platforms bring you the most success, what campaigns are not effective, what your clients respond to, and what brings in new potential customers. We will demo the software for you and provide full support on using the software to make sure it is easy and comprehensible. Utilizing an efficient marketing team such as Nuzu Net Media provides you with the full knowledge of experienced and effective marketers. We walk through every step of your marketing plan with you and develop a plan and real estate website which is affordable, easy to use, and extremely effective for closing deals. Let us work with you to ensure your real estate agency remains a success!
#10. Search marketing for real estate agents
A huge way to pull in potential clients is through searches on Google, Bing, or other search engines. This is right where most homebuyers or sellers begin their search for a real estate agent. This means it is imperative for you to be at the top of the list when they search which is accomplished through pay-per-click (PPC) and SEO (organic) campaigns.
Another key element to this is being set up on Google My Business so that local searches result in your information. Setting up your service area and linking with Google maps is imperative for your customers and your ranking will increase with descriptive keywords and customer reviews.
With PPC advertising, you are bidding on position and direct response which means you’ll want to get those potential clients who are likely to convert immediately. This is done by finding the consumer who is at the point where they’re ready to hire a real estate agent. The most effective way to find these customers is using PPC for the most competitive keywords and phrases. When you come up, linking the ad to your landing page with a call to action is key.
SEO is more effective with those buyers or sellers who aren’t sure what their options are yet. They are still in the research mode and will gravitate to those sites which offer expertise, information, and experience. The content here is the crucial element because the longer keyword phrases will hit and the more content you have, the higher your website will rank.
A few last tips: work on outranking the big names like Yelp or Zillow to get a leg up on the competition. Also, use retargeting, where you reach those potential customers who have already visited your site or social media through banner ads.
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