Online marketing is growing in popularity for a reason. It helps you grow your brand, expand your lead databases and boost your bottom lines. The numbers about online engagement show just how meaningful online marketing is to your revenue stream.
We know it’s not easy to identify all ideal avenues you can take with your online marketing efforts. To help you out, we developed a major list of places you can (and should) be promoting yourself online.
Arguably the most obvious promotional opportunity, your homepage is the best place to share pertinent business information, including an intro to who you are and how you can help clients and prospective clients.
Be more specific about your goals, certifications, history, past successes and other important facets of your business on your bio page. This is your chance to let your personality shine.
Use landing pages, which can help convert visitors into leads, to show exactly what your business offers buyers and sellers, like the types of homes you sell and info on your local market.
The main point to get across here is simple: Tell your audience how they can get in touch with you … with a call-to-action promoting your services included, of course.
Creating a quality site that Google will crawl and assign SEO value to is of the utmost importance (assuming you want to get found online, that is), so take the time to optimize your website for SEO.
On-page is just one side of the SEO coin, though. Off-page SEO tactics include answering user questions on forums and guest posting tip-top content, like how-to articles.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is important as well, so develop keyword-rich PPC ad campaign that improve your ROI and brand awareness. This requires some of your marketing budget, but it can bring in numerous leads.
The more you post about current events and trends in real estate, the more credibility you gain, so find out what’s going on in your industry and share your opinions on the latest happenings.
Write regularly about secondary real estate information, like providing a unique take on the latest NAR study or discussing the ramifications of a recent jobs report. This info can be found by following real estate blogs and reading industry resources.
Evergreen content is simply content that isn’t time-sensitive. So you could write educational posts (how-tos) or list articles (like top-10 pieces) that will still be relevant and useful years down the line.
More blog content, you say? Darn right. Consider talking to industry experts, fellow agents and brokers, and perhaps even those in the mortgage and home renovation/construction business to create unique posts.
From your homepage to your blog, you’re going to want to include social share buttons so your visitors can share your wonderful content on Facebook, Twitter and the like.
Yes, press releases are still a thing. In fact, when published properly — meaning on your site and reputable online publications — they can bring a fair amount of traffic and generate company interest.
Setting up Authorship gives you an edge in the search optimization game, as it gets your photo included in search engine results pages (SERPs). When people are searching for help with their homebuying quest, your photo — along with your Google+ following and information — next to your content could help gain their trust.
Google uses your site map to learn about all of your website’s info and pages. When Google knows about all of your sites, they’ll become searchable.
Long-form content like e-books perform well, and are great resources for your clients. Here, you can dive deeper into subjects like guiding buyers through the homebuying process.
If you want to get even fancier, put your design skills to the test and create a graphic that showcases interesting stats and noteworthy trends. Hire a vendor to take on projects like this if you’re not up to the task or simply don’t have the time.
Whether it’s repurposed e-book and infographics content or a brand new kind of visual treat, SlideShare allows you to be simultaneously informative and creative.
Similar to SlideShare, this magazine-esque content type provides a unique reading experience for your audience. This is a great way to show company news or feature articles in a visually appealing way.
If you want to go all out, set aside some research time and put together a study, report or survey to provide prospective buyers and those interested in the real estate market some original insights and perspectives.
And if you don’t want to put together your own report, put out a feeler to industry journalists, experts and pros who may be working on ones of their own for which you could contribute your two cents.
In addition to business blogs, many real estate agents have personal ones they also attend to from time to time. Every once in a while, mention your work to inform those who may not realize what it is you do.
Know of some great real estate or business minds you’d like to feature on your blog? Ask them if they’d like to contribute an original post, such as an op-ed.
For your own content, ask the same experts if they don’t mind throwing in a quote for your blog post or ebook. Many professionals jump at the chance to get their names in others’ content, so a simple email to these folks is all you need to pique their interest.
If you see some posts or news content you really enjoyed reading and found enlightening, curate a post around the content. Just be sure to put your spin on the topic and avoid including too much of the original content in your post.
When people fill out a form with their personal info to sign up for something like a newsletter, reward them for their efforts with a free piece of premium content, like an in-depth ebook. Speaking of forms …
Whether it’s to receive specific info on a listing or sign up for an email newsletter, forms can promote your services and get you new leads. The key is offering a reason for visitors to fill out these forms.
If you haven’t already done this, just know it’s a surefire way to connect with your audience. After all, nine in 10 Realtors use the site for a reason: Buyers head to the network to scope out listings all the time.
As with your personal blog, you may want to be more subtle with promotion of your business here. Many friends and family you’re connected with likely don’t want to be sold on new listings hitting the market (at least not all the time).
That new blog post on single-family home construction rising or that ebook on the small-scale renovation projects homeowners can undertake? Toss links to them on the site to spread your knowledge.
Same goes with listings on your IDX: Post info on local homes you can find, and include clear and enticing images of the properties as well.
Want to get local real estate agents and brokers together to discuss the latest industry goings-on (or simply get together for drinks or dinner once a month)? Start a Facebook Group. Who knows? This could bring about your next closed deal.
You’d be surprised how many people connect by simply through Facebook’s like button. After reading a great article or noticing an astute comment, use the feature to let the person in question know you’re a fan of their content or views.
The social network offers businesses small and large lots of assistance with setting up ads, so getting yours up and running is pretty easy. Measure the performance of Facebook ads, which can give you a clear idea of which ones work and which need adjusting.
On to Twitter, where you can chirp ’til your heart’s content. Tweet out your content, then tweet it some more … and more … and even more. One of the great things about the social media outlet: You can re-share over and over and not seem repetitive.
Just like you would when you find great Facebook content, share others’ content on Twitter who offer unique takes or make interesting quips and comments. Tweet lifespans are pretty short, but do this often enough and you’ll get noticed.
Most commonly used for when you really enjoy a tweet and want to use it as a potential resource down the line. Another benefit, however, is the same as liking on Facebook: You pop up on the radar of the person who tweeted.
When you follow someone on Twitter and they follow you back, converse with them in private messages. So when you find someone who you think may be interested in a real estate purchase, engage them to get more info.
One of the more intriguing and valuable ways to utilize Twitter. You can promote a distinct hashtag to use for the Q&A well prior to the event and get queries from a wide variety of people — some of whom may end up in your CRM database after it’s completed.
To get a good feel for how these sessions go, you can be the one who asks questions and find others involved in the digital convo to gauge their purpose for joining.
LinkedIn is often deemed the professional’s social network, and while you may think you’ll only find other agents and brokers there, you can also use the site to keep in touch with (and even research) leads.
You’ll find there are numerous niche groups on the site that have ongoing, thoughtful conversations. Join in on the fun to promote your brand and share your observations and wisdom.
Similar to Facebook Groups, consider beginning your own small community on LinkedIn. For example, if you want to find Realtors in your region, search for them on the site and invite them to the group. They could end up being valuable connections.
Post away with your in-depth blog posts on your LinkedIn Company Page, and be sure to track analytics of those posts with the social platform’s handy-dandy Insights tool.
A considerable amount of people use this social network, so if you’re profile isn’t set up, it’s advised you get it going soon. Similar posting features to Facebook and LinkedIn allow for further spreading of your range of content.
Hangouts allow for you to invite a small group of people to join in on a video chat. A great example of using this expert tool: Providing educational info and advice to qualified leads on the lookout for an agent to help out with their home search.
Create a circle solely to include real estate pros like yourself and one for leads so you can easily organize your connections. Maybe even your family circle will lead to … well … leads.
Listings, neighborhoods, home interiors and exteriors, interesting amenities, local hot spots for food — the world is your oyster with Instagram and what you can post to the site.
Another visual social medium that allows for some creative posts, such as text overlay covering images of properties you’ve sold to show off your work. Re-pinning others’ content can also attract those who enjoy looking at incredible real estate photography.
Creating great real estate videos is an art form. Learn from the experts how to develop top-tier videos and create basic ones to start, like how-to clips buyers will find informative.
In addition to educational videos, show off the properties in your area. These can include still photos in a video slideshow or recorded clips of homes’ interiors and exteriors.
With some creative juices, you can make an explanatory video detailing market news and conditions into a captivating one that gets you countless views.
An excellent way to get new business? Allow old business to promote you for you. Put a camera on satisfied clients and let them explain how great you are.
Blog posts, infographics and other written content doesn’t have to stay that way. Create graphics around this content. Even 60-second clips summing them up can be helpful.
Take advantage of the visual social network’s video-sharing feature, including Stories, to attract more followers and garner more engagement for your account.
Not many real estate agents realize this site can showcase awesome photos of properties. Just be sure to tag your photos accordingly to make them easier for users to locate.
Lots of great business and marketing content can be found here. The site features unfiltered posts from professionals in several industries and is gaining more readership all the time. If your post gets enough clicks, you could end up on top of the homepage, making you visible to many, many people.
The converse of Medium, in numerous respects. However, the website gets millions of views each week (if not daily), so get a post to go viral and you could win in a big way (and if you can involve cats in your post, all the better).
Organize a meetup with fellow agents and brokers to discuss Realtor rule changes or other business matters or with community members to go over local housing conditions.
Consider becoming a fully certified Realtor and enjoy the array of benefits the National Association of Realtors has to offer, including ways to broaden your business.
Several oft-used webinar hosting sites make conducting one a cinch. Spread the word you’re holding one weeks in advance to get the biggest audience possible.
Similarly, listen in on webinars from other pros, organizations and brands to learn new sales and marketing techniques and a whole range of other useful info.
If you have some free time each week, create a podcast. Many real estate pros use these to discuss the latest industry happenings, like mortgage rate news and changes that may affect prospective buyers and sellers. Discuss whatever you’re passionate about.
Seek out fellow real estate agents who run regular podcasts and ask if you can join one soon. Prepare accordingly for the subject(s) to be discussed, though.
Email marketing is very much alive and kicking. Emailing your lead lists can move them through the sales funnel with ease. Just be sure to follow email marketing best practices to avoid ending up in recipients’ SPAM folders.
Think of any major real estate news and information site you visit often: It probably allows for comments, right? Chime in on topics you consider yourself extremely knowledgeable about and help others with any dilemmas they may have.
Many real estate agents and brokers think when they join a group they’re obligated to attend all meetings and events or join in on all webinars and screencasts. Wrong. Simply sign up for some and determine if they can offer you anything of value, like day-to-day business advice.
This may scare the bejeezus out of agents and brokers, but if you’ve got plenty of happy clients, see if they’d be willing to help transform you into a five-star business.
Okay, this is technically cheating on our part, but remember that attendees of events and conferences tend to tweet/post what speakers have to say. In essence, they spread the word about you to their networks.
Similar to message boards, but people with specific questions tend to come to these groups looking for specific answers. Be the one to enlighten them.
Some of your leads may be far away and can’t meet in person often (or at all). Use Skype, Google+ Hangouts or a similar service to speak with prospects who you want to learn more about.
Not the first place many agents go to promote themselves, but millions of people use the site to buy products and services each year — and that includes real estate (believe it or not).
Google, Yahoo and Bing all have local directories on which you can list your business, so take advantage of the search engines’ services and add your work info. Update the listings when needed so the details never become dated.
It can’t be said enough that responsive design is important for agents’ websites. Consumers vastly prefer responsive sites they can view with ease on their smartphones and tablets — and even ditch visiting sites that aren’t responsive.
Sometimes, the best way to promote yourself is to simply be active with audience engagement. If someone emails you, get back to them quickly. If they ask a question on social media, respond to it right away. These personal touches go a long way in building client trust.
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