Coming up with a practical and impactful digital marketing campaign can be a fantastic tool to help real estate agents get an advantage over their competition.
But the market had also taken a different turn due to the widespread disruption wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, making it more challenging for digital marketers to develop relevant and compelling topics that would resonate with the audience.
The phenomenal rise of social media
Let’s look at Facebook.
With more people staying at home – including work-, precautionary health measures have limited outdoor and social activities. The need for people to connect with others physically has shifted to remote and virtual environments.
Social media, which has a reported user base of three billion and counting, has become the go-to platform for people to socialise and reconnect with their friends, community, and professional linkages.
But there’s a downside to this because according to marketing studies, one in four internet users block ads as it shows up. In a market environment full of overwhelming content, it’s not surprising for people to shrug off any content material they see that are not relevant or suits their needs.
This is what makes content development a struggle for real estate marketers.
Don’t be afraid to try
No matter how challenging this new market environment may be, there are ways to take advantage of this as long as you know how to plan and develop the right strategies to get ahead of your competition.
Never underestimate the value of planning
It all starts with the right mindset and planning how you want to achieve your real estate business goals. Remember that when you fail to plan, it is a sure-fire formula of planning to fail.
Having a strong content marketing strategy is key to unlocking your real estate business’ secrets and becomes a formula for success.
Content is not a “shoot all, hit all” process but a technical one that requires a bit of effort to identify and know your market- their wants and needs.
Your strategy can revolve around targeting and identifying your audience and find content that valuable and useful for them.
Try asking yourself the following questions when planning your strategy.
Are you developing content to find buyers or sellers?
Are you planning to present content to help nurture relationships?
Do you aim to generate leads?
Are you promoting or campaigning for an event?
Once you have determined your purpose and objectives, you will narrow down your audience and focus your attention on their content preferences and topic relevance.
This can then be followed by strategising your call to action (CTA) by taking advantage of the engagement generated by your content and find out how you can take the next steps in providing your solutions to your clients.
For instance, if you want to nurture relationships, your CTA will follow you on social media. When looking for a vendor, your CTA is to register for a property appraisal, or if you wish to promote an open house inspection, your CTA is for people to note for it.
Now that you have established your purpose and expected outcomes, you can now categorise and select your target groups from your database.
Look for content that resonates with your target
No matter the size of your database, expect various clients at different stages of their journey into real estate.
Please note that not everyone on your network is on the same level, such as those on property mode, so sending out your listings to them will not be sufficient, which can be why you are not getting enough engagement.
Turn to your database and analyse your next steps based on your business data. For instance, after posting a blog on preparing properties for sale, indeed, those who respond to your CTA are those who have the intent of getting into the market. Those who are in your database who have not shown any interest are likely on property mode.
Just remember to make your presence felt every step of the way, from prospecting to deciding to close a sale. Encourage your audience to engage in your content, anticipate updates on property deals, tips, and upcoming events.
Stay on top of everything by advancing ahead
It is always a good idea to be a few steps ahead of your audience to maintain the trust and confidence that they have in your expertise and services as a real estate agent.
Therefore, it is always best to ensure that you plan, create, and curate content way ahead, so you know how to guide your audience in their real estate journey.
Plan events and other pertinent real estate activities ahead and find the best times to do so. This can also take the monotony out of your content and marketing activities.
Always anticipate possible hurdles and issues that your clients may experience and prepare solutions that you can share with them to keep you on top of mind and become the go-to professional on anything about real estate.
Having a well-planned and robust content marketing strategy can help you make the most out of your digital marketing campaigns and help you get closer to your business goals.