Having online presence is no longer optional today. Without visibility on the digital realm, a business is at risk of missing out on valuable opportunities. As more tech-savvy homebuyers (particularly millennials) emerge, real estate companies must adopt digital marketing solutions to improve their reach in this market segment. This article talks about the various strategies you can use to grow your real estate business in the digital age.
People have increasingly used search engines, particularly Google, to make their lives easier. These platforms provide easy access to tons of information — from an unknown term’s definition to the nearest fast-food restaurant. It’s no surprise that consumers now rely heavily on them to look for products and services and decide which ones to buy.
This major shift in customer behavior is largely driven by the millennial population, which has taken over as the largest group of consumers today. As a tech-savvy generation, millennials expect businesses to be present online. Absence here means absence from the list of options of millennials and other customers, which could hurt a business’s bottom line.
Many real estate companies have realized the value of being present online and have switched from traditional to digital marketing. By doing so, they have improved their chances of being discovered by younger and more involved buyers and renters.
How Digital Marketing Strengthens Your Online Presence
Digital marketing for real estate leverages technology, improving access to information and enhancing communication channels for better engagement. You can reach more potential buyers and renters online and engage them in ways that traditional marketing may not be able to achieve.
With consumers using digital devices for everything — from shopping and entertainment to working and banking — it is only a matter of time before they get into the habit of using these devices to search for homes or sell their current one. Digital marketing ensures your real estate firm’s visibility and accessibility to your potential clients when they are ready to do that search.
Making the switch to digital – that is the first step. But to make the most of your digital marketing endeavor, you need to adopt the right strategies.
How to Use Digital Marketing for Real Estate Agents
Digital marketing is a wide spectrum of online and offline strategies that connect businesses with the right audience. It uses different channels, such as search engines and social media, to better understand consumers and their behavior. It entails creating digital marketing campaigns that you can customize to a specific demographic, making it easier to interact with them and close deals.
Making the switch to digital – that is the first step. But to make the most of digital marketing, you need to adopt the right strategies.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO is one of the most common strategies in digital marketing. It’s a process used by digital marketers to optimize your website pages to make them rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). The purpose of ranking high on SERPs is to make sure your website will be one of the first sites potential clients will see.
There are two types of search engine optimization strategies:
On-Page SEO
This type of SEO focuses on content that is on your website. It includes your homepage text and images, product and service descriptions, brand story, blog articles, infographics, videos, and other images and descriptions you have. On-page SEO can improve your credibility online and establish you as an authority in the real estate industry. Both will enhance your audience’s perception of your company.
Off-Page SEO
This SEO strategy focuses on content published outside of your website that aims to bring visitors to your site. Its purpose is to create inbound links, also known as backlinks, from those content pieces. When your content is published on other websites, other publishers can link back to your website through your content. Depending on the level of authority these publishers have, your presence in their websites can help you strengthen your online presence.
Local SEO
This type of SEO for real estate is a strategy to localize digital marketing, targeting potential clients looking for homes in the locations you cover. It utilizes geo-location tags to make sure you show up in relevant searches. With the popularity of “near me” searches on mobile devices or searches specific to a place, local SEO is an indispensable strategy for real estate businesses. Learn more about it in this article.
Website Design
Your website’s design affects how your clients perceive your business. As your digital storefront, your site should give a similar feeling to visiting your physical store or office. Good website design includes the following:
- organization and structure
- simple navigation
- original and relevant content
- exceptional design
- fast loading time
- clean and validated code
- user-friendly and device-compatible interface
- search engine optimized pages
All these create a seamless and engaging experience for visitors, encouraging them to browse your other pages and complete valuable actions (e.g., signing up for your newsletter or booking an appointment).
Pay-per-Click Advertising
Widely known as PPC, this is a cost-effective online advertising model. Considered as the billboard’s digital counterpart, PPC ads allow you to market your real estate firm to a targeted audience. As the name suggests, you only pay for the service every time someone clicks on your ads. This digital marketing strategy can be used across different platforms, including SERPs and social media platforms. Here are the three most common PPC ad spaces.
Google Ads
With Google Ads, you can bid on search terms and queries that are relevant to your firm, and create ads focused on these terms. You may assign these ads to different areas of SERPs for people to see and click.
Facebook Ads
Facebook allows you to customize your ads based on your clients’ demographics. Once you’ve done it, your ads will be published on the newsfeeds of users who meet your specifications. This is ideal for promoting a special event or launching a promo.
Twitter Ads
Like Facebook, Twitter lets you specify which users will see your ads. The difference between the two channels is that you can align your Twitter ads with business goals, making it easier to reach users with specific intent.
Social Media
This digital marketing strategy is an effective tool in increasing awareness about your company, driving traffic to your website, and generating valuable leads. The following are available for you to use in your marketing campaign:
- Snapchat
- TikTok
Digital marketers suggest that you choose only the channels that fit your company’s brand image. This is to make sure you reach your target audience, narrowing your reach to the people who will likely hire you. Otherwise, you risk creating accounts in channels that provide zero value to your firm.
Using Digital Marketing to Grow Your Real Estate Business
Once you’ve figured out how to do digital marketing for real estate, you can start leveraging your online presence for better business performance.
The digital landscape is an immeasurable space with tough competition. The right digital marketing strategies help you stand out.
Enhance Discoverability
SEO marketing for real estate agents improves your chances of being discovered and accessed online. As your website climbs the ranks in SERPs, you become more visible to your target audience.
Example: When a user looks up “two-story house in Aspen,” your localized web page can be one of the first results they see. They can then click on the link, directing them to your website. If they like what they see, they can book an appointment with one of your agents for viewing.
Optimize Audience Reach
The digital landscape is an immeasurable space with tough competition. Failing to customize your campaign to your audience can lead to a wide reach with minimal engagement. The right digital marketing strategies help you stand out.
Example: When you link your social media accounts to your website or specific web pages, you capture an audience that interacts with you on social media. You narrow your reach. Most of the time, these visitors already know what they want, but they are more likely to complete valuable actions on your website.
Promote Listings and Services
The PPC advertising model provides real estate firms a cost-effective solution to actively promote listings and services. With the right PPC strategy, your ads can drive high-value traffic to your website.
Example: When a user looks up “apartment for rent in Aspen,” your ads for these properties will show up in their SERPs. If they click on it, they are directed to a landing page on your site where they can fill out a form or schedule a call with one of your agents.
Build Meaningful Relationships
Social media marketing can be optimized to increase your engagement with existing and potential clients. Utilize the chat and comment features to talk with different users. Doing so adds a human element to digital interactions, leading to more meaningful connections.
Example: When a user leaves a comment on a post, you can use it to start a conversation. An experienced digital marketer will take advantage of this opportunity to encourage the user to visit the website for more information.
Improve Customer Service
Social media marketing is also a valuable tool for improving customer service. Social media channels provide you with information on how your clients perceive your business, listings, services, or agents, and the opportunity to influence or correct this perception.
Example: When a user leaves a negative review on one of your social media channels, you can reach out to them to address the issue. It creates real-time resolutions that improve their perception of your company and agents.
Even at the speed at which technology evolves, consumers are clearly keeping up. Implementing digital marketing as part of your long-term business strategy also gives you a way to keep up with changes and maintain profitability. Although there is a lot to learn, you can easily close the knowledge gap with the right help.
Learn more about future-proofing your real estate business with digital marketing solutions. Fill out the form to talk to one of our digital marketing specialists or explore our SEO services today.
