Up until the late 2000s, finding (and buying) real estate was simple. Most of the time, buyers connected with the sellers or intermediaries through word-of-mouth referrals, advertisements, and common contacts.
But with digitization, the whole real estate industry turned upside down. With the rise of the internet and social media, it has become easier for people to search for property on their own. Nowadays, customers can gather all necessary information about any piece of real estate from the comfort of their homes, which is why there has been a steady decrease in the number of calls that realtors receive from prospective buyers.
The real estate industry has mostly been focused on reaching qualified buyers in the pool of people who are actively buying properties on their own. To stand out from the lot, it’s time to turn your attention to capturing the people who are looking for information or have a specific need that is only met by your product or service.
And this is where real estate content marketing comes in.
To reach these people who are looking for properties on their own, you must change your strategies and create content that reaches the target audience in new ways. If you’re able to provide potential customers with helpful information that answers their questions and addresses their concerns, you’ll be able to gain their trust and drive them further into your sales funnel.
With content marketing, you can produce bite-sized pieces of information that are valuable and shareable. You can even repurpose them and use them across various social media platforms.
Real estate content marketing, if used correctly, can help in growing reach, engaging with the audience, generating leads, and boosting sales – that too, without being pushy!
The key here is to reach out to customers in a non-salesy way. Your first order of business is to craft a message that grabs the attention of your target market without coming across as pushy or aggressive. It also needs to avoid any obvious marketing tactics that could give away your long-term goals.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day! Likewise, converting a prospect to a paying customer is a long-term process, more so when it comes to real estate.
So how do you build a real estate content marketing plan?
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5 Ways to Formulate Your Real Estate Content Marketing Strategy
Don’t think of real estate content marketing as a shortcut to generate sales. Instead, think of it as a powerful tool that can be used in many ways. It’s like the Swiss Army Knife of your real estate marketing strategy. With well-thought content, you’ll be able to guide your audience in every step of their buyer journey.
You can break down your real estate content marketing plan to match the R.A.C.E standard. This will help you create targeted content for all types of audience that visit your website, blog, and social media platforms.
- R = Reach – create content that your target audience is constantly searching for (use Google search trends, competitive analysis, etc., to find keywords and search terms)
- A= Attract – create persuasive content. Make sure to provide adequate information, but also see to it that you’re letting the readers know what the next course of action should be like
- C = Convert – create content for users who have started trusting you (your content). This is where you focus on bragging your USPs and benefits over competitors. But remember to keep bragging to a minimum
- E = Engage – create content to keep your audience engaged. You can do it for new customers, returning customers, as well as existing customers. Yes, you might have to make additional tweaks in your content marketing plan, but it surely pays off
That said, here are five points to remember before building your real estate content marketing strategy:
- Define your audience
- Determine your goals
- Create a content calendar
- Identify your content gaps
- Find the right balance between quality and quantity
Now that we have settled the fundamentals, here are five proven tactics to boost your real estate content marketing strategy to new heights.
Write Unique and Informative Content
While there are many different types of content marketing techniques, blogs are still one of the most popular ways for companies to share their expertise with potential customers.
Blogs provide readers with information about your company and its products in an informal way that makes them feel more connected. They also allow you to show off your brand personality, which can make readers more likely to buy from you in the future.
Utilize Video Marketing
Video marketing is a fantastic way to attract customers and increase your brand awareness. A video can be used to create a sense of urgency, demonstrate how your product works, or highlight the benefits of your product. It can also be used to increase awareness and interest in a new or existing product by promoting it as an exclusive item for a brief period.
Here are some tips for creating videos that will work well for you:
- Create a script that is concise and to the point
- Make sure the video is short (less than 2 minutes)
- Keep it simple with just one or two points
- Don’t use too many words in the video
- Speak clearly and succinctly
Create an Engaging Experience with Interactive Graphics
People are always looking for new ways to share their thoughts and ideas with others. One of the most popular ways is through an infographic design that tells a story through visuals rather than words alone.
This type of content is a terrific way to capture attention and keep people engaged. It can also be used to help tell a story in an engaging way. You can create infographics with free tools like Adobe Spark, Canva, Venngage, Piktochart, and more.
Besides, infographics are a great way to share complex topics with people in an easy-to-digest format. They’re a perfect way for you to showcase your expertise and provide useful information.
Monitor Analytics, Track Results, And Make Improvements
Knowing what your customers are looking for is the key to success.
Monitoring Analytics and Tracking Results is a wonderful way to learn from your efforts and make improvements in the future. You can find out which marketing campaigns are working best by analyzing the data you collect on them. This will help you figure out what works and what doesn’t work so that you can focus on the strategies that generate results.
Being able to track your data is also important because it helps you understand how well your real estate content marketing campaigns are performing, which in turn helps you improve them for better results in the future.
Promote Storytelling with the Power of Emotions
One of the most important things that a company can do is to tell a story. It doesn’t have to be about their products or services. But it does have to be about their customers and what they are looking for in life. People want to know how they can fit into the story, how they can make their lives better and how the company’s product or service will help them do that.
The best stories are told with emotion, not data points and numbers. The best stories are told by people who understand what it means to connect with customers on an emotional level.
Reasons Why Your Content is Not Catching Anyone’s Attention in the Real Estate Industry
If your content is not being seen by potential customers, then you are missing out on a huge opportunity to grow your business. Here are the most common reasons why your content may be falling on deaf ears:
- You are not using the correct channels for publishing your content
- You don’t have enough content to publish
- Your content isn’t engaging
- Your content is too promotional
But wait, you can solve these problems within no time. Just follow these hacks:
- Always start with a hook
- Keep it short and sweet
- Be specific and provide details
- Use visuals to make your content more engaging
- Provide value to your audience by providing helpful content that they can use
- Tell stories, create memes, and use humor
- Include a call to action or offer
- Be social media savvy
- Check for typos and grammatical errors before publishing
- Appreciate your followers (and show it from time to time)
Need a real estate content marketing strategy? Drop me a line.