As a real estate pro, we know that content is king and providing buyers and sellers with helpful information is critical to engaging with them and building relationships. The challenge is determining what subject matter piques their interest and prompts them to interact with you in some way. Thankfully, a new eBook by Homes.com and For Rent Media Solutions, “Rise to the Top: Be the Local Expert,” unearths some best practices and ideas for creating good content with video, social and mobile marketing tactics. This week, we’ll focus on mastering the art of good content.
Establish Your Local Presence with Content
In one of the critical chapters in the guide, it’s explained why mastering content is so valuable for a real estate agent and his or her chance at success. This is a great way to establish your voice and reinforce your niche or specialty area in real estate.
When you share local content—whether it’s restaurant reviews, community profiles or just listings of events in the area—you’re showing you are an expert in that field and will put a buyer or seller more at ease with working with you.
As marketing consultant Jay Baer says in the guide, “It’s not about creating content, it’s about improving your business through content.” In other words, think quality over quantity when deciding what you’re going to be posting and sharing.
A CMO Council study revealed that 87 percent of buyers listed online content as having a major or moderate impact on which business they will choose to work with. Boring, stale posts and photos aren’t going to work. An agent needs to think creatively with the way he or she uses text, photos and videos.
A strong piece of advice from the guide: “Start out by identifying exactly what your audience is looking for, spend time doing the research and create content that includes the answers to all of their questions. Once they realize that you’re a reliable source of information, it will help position you as the local expert.”
Ideas for Content
Homes.com and For Rent Media Solutions both offer great tips on creating content and better connecting with the community.
Homes.com offers Local Market Index Reports, which are designed to help a real estate pro see how one market compares to the rest of the nation. This valuable insight can then be shared in email campaigns, social posts and included on blogs to let clients and prospects know you have the pulse of the neighborhood.
Here are some tips for content:
1: Show videos of former clients singing your praises and post testimonials from those who have had success working with you. Once people see familiar faces of the community have already had great experiences with you, they will keep you top of mind if and when it’s time for them to move or upgrade to another house.
2. Post informative articles or videos for do-it-yourself projects, such as how to install a new faucet, how to start a garden or even advice for painting your house. Great ideas can be found on Homes.com’s Idea Gallery and ForRent.com’s Apartment Living Blog. Content like this will keep people interested and coming back for more.
3. Highlight the neighborhood’s businesses and entertainment venues. When you provide information about one’s life away from their home—such as local shops, restaurants, walking trails or anything else that would draw renters and buyers to that area—people will be more inclined to think of the house as a place they can live. Plus, by promoting other businesses, you can establish relationships that may help you get referrals down the line.
4. Provide content about fun activities, such as summer cookouts, sporting events in the area, or local bands playing at neighborhood coffee houses. Let people see there’s some fun things to do in the area. Additionally, appeal to their entertainment interests and share ideas about summer cookout activities, how to prepare their home for the changing seasons or even quick and easy recipes that are sure to be a big hit with their guests.
5. Become the newscaster for the community. In other words, share content about any newsworthy things happening in the area. Did a local high school team just win a big football game? Did that fourth grader make it to the National Spelling Bee? Did a restaurant get named tops for the state in a poll? All of these things will show your connection to the community and make you seem like an expert.
For real estate professionals who want to learn even more about this topic—and win a valuable prize in the process—enter Homes.com’s sweepstakes for a chance to win $500 and receive a free copy of “Rise to the Top: Be the Local Expert” guide. Click here for full details.
For more information, visit www.connect.homes.com.
