Digital marketing in real estate is always evolving and is as trendy as the latest face masks. To help, I’ve laid out the top five digital marketing trends every real estate professional and business owner should factor into his or her business plan.
Google My Business
Chances are you’ve heard us mention Google My Business or GMB. Why is it important? Google My Business is the foundation of your business identity. Having a complete GMB profile is similar to being included in the yellow pages back in the day.
GMB is today’s online directory for all businesses and service providers at a very local and targeted level which means that when you search, Google will deliver results for those entities that are most relevant and nearest to you.
Remember, 89% of transactions begin with a Google search. If you can’t be found on a search, you don’t exist.
Video / Vlogs
As a real estate professional, you should already be using video for marketing. Whether you use it to promote your business or a listing, video content is highly consumable and drives performance. In fact, video content consumption is increasing more than ever especially with mobile devices and connected tv.
As with the content on your website, you need to optimize your video for search results. Be sure to clear titles and thorough descriptions that provide information such as detailed specs on the home for sale, a link to the listing, and a link to your website.
You can also copy the vlog embed code and place it into a new blog page on your website. Make sure the header describes the vlog and that there’s also a description of it on the page. Have this video live on your website and use that page link to share on all of your social media networks.
Content
If you want to keep driving traffic to your website and help increase your rankings on search engines, you need to focus on developing content. Informative, verifiable, interesting, and relevant content is going to be the lifeline of your website.
Be creative, show some humor and personality. Don’t make it about yourself, but personalize the content so that the reader or viewer feels as if you’re speaking directly to them.
Paid Digital Media
Using organic tactics to rank at the top of the search engine results is free but it can take time. To get better results faster, you can invest in paid search ads, or pay-per-click (PPC). This will allow you to bid on keywords to show your ad to get the attention of your target audience. But remember, PPC ads is a bidding process (a.k.a. an auction), which means someone with a bigger budget, may outbid you and your ads won’t be displayed.
Paid digital also includes paid social media advertising which can be very targeted and very effective. When creating paid social media ads, you can define the exact audience you want to see the ads and you can also elect to have them show on Instagram. Both Facebook and Google require you to acknowledge that you’re displaying a housing ad.
Pro tip: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see an immediate influx of leads. While you’re learning and refining your campaigns and tactics, you’re still investing in amplifying your brand online.
Social Media Etiquette
Your audience is watching you. What you say or do online, especially in social media reflects on the values of your business. With 64% citing shared values are the primary reason for the relationship with a brand, your social media etiquette matters. This is all the more reason to make sure the content you share is verifiable, of interest, relevant to your target audience, and can provide the opportunity for a two-way conversation to help capture the prospect.
With recent concerns over privacy and increased protections being implemented, having a professional, engaging, and informative social media presence will help your audience be more comfortable reaching out to you.
What now?
Are you ready to make sure you exist digitally? Are you ready to become a leading source of real estate information in your market? Remember it’s not as difficult as it seems. To be successful you need to stay focused and consistent. Create fresh content. Keep your website updated. Share links to your blogs and vlogs as well as reviews on your social media. And, stay relevant!
