Digital Marketing for Real Estate Agents

The real estate industry has experienced a significant shift over the past decade. Clients are starting to buy or rent properties differently, often by conducting online research and having a clear vision of their future home.

Whether your real estate company is a developer, broker or property manager, you know the importance of getting the word out about your properties. It doesn’t matter that you can offer a great property if potential clients can’t find it. All companies in the real estate industry know that marketing plays a significant role in capturing the attention of potential clients.

But now that clients are partially influenced by online research, your real estate company needs to show its brand to potential clients searching for properties differently if you want to attract quality leads and sell more properties. This is achievable not through traditional marketing but through an effective digital marketing strategy.

How estate agents can benefit from digital marketing

Using digital marketing for any product or service has become essential to a company’s growth strategy. Digitalisation has opened up many opportunities from which the real estate industry has benefited greatly.

In particular, digital marketing has changed the way real estate companies operate. It has made buying and renting a property quite convenient and accessible by enabling potential clients to find the appropriate information, take virtual tours and apply for the necessary documents.

According to a National Association of Realtors study, 92% of potential clients use the internet to begin their buying journey. With real estate apps, review sites and marketplaces like Idealista and Fotocasa; most potential clients flock to these sites hoping to find their future home. That being said, it’s vital that your real estate company uses digital marketing to create a solid online presence and connect with potential clients.

Here are some results that your company will get:

• Create brand awareness and credibility.
• Get your brand in front of your target audience at a lower cost
• Engage and create better relationships
• Develop a stronger reputation
• Identify new target markets

6 digital marketing strategies for real estate agents

1. Content marketing & Email marketing

Since 57% of the buying process is researched and completed by the customer, content marketing is a great way to help you connect and build a relationship with your target audience. It also allows you to build trust and improve your online presence by creating valuable content that answers your target audience’s most important real estate questions.

For example, content that describes why a specific area of a city is “a great place to live or work” can help you guide your reader through the customer journey. By having informative blogs, virtual tours, videos or webinars that assist, educate and advise your target audience, you’ll create a positive online reputation and make it easier for your team to convert more sales.

Finally, email marketing campaigns are valuable for nurturing new leads and staying relevant to past clients. With email marketing, you’ll keep your target audience updated with helpful content based on their interests and needs. Sending a newsletter once or twice a quarter will keep your target audience up to date on what’s happening in your business and the real estate industry.

2. Web design

How often have you visited a website only to leave because it didn’t load fast enough or wasn’t mobile-friendly? With too many photos and links, real estate company websites can sometimes be a nightmare. That’s why it’s crucial to have an SEO-friendly website and know what potential clients are looking for to get them to choose your company.

Make sure to include a list of all your new properties, content designed to help them through the buying process, and links to relevant services they may need, such as property inspectors, cleaners, removal services, gardeners, etc.

3. Search Engine Optimisation & Local SEO

SEO is huge in real estate marketing because most clients looking to buy, sell or rent a property will start their research with a Google search. SEO increases your website’s ranking on search engine results pages for keywords related to your services.

Since the first thing many people do when they want to move is to Google, for example, “house for sale in [city]”, optimising your content for local SEO should be a high priority for your business. Statistics show that almost 70% of first-time home buyers search for a specific location. Having your real estate content for local SEO searchers can make it much easier for potential clients to find information about the neighbourhoods you are selling in.

SEO is necessary and worth investing in if you want to be found by potential clients. Earning a consistent position on the first page of search results, it’s one of the best ways to grow your real estate business.

4. Social Media

Social media has proven to be one of the best ways for real estate companies to connect with potential clients and grow their business online. Social media is a great channel to share valuable information about your properties and businesses with your followers to create a positive image for your brand. According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are the top channels for real estate agents to connect with and deliver leads to their real estate companies.

Another benefit of social media for the real estate industry is highlighting success stories to connect with clients. Since potential clients have many choices when finding a real estate agent or company, social media is a great channel to showcase your satisfied clients.

5. Pay-per-click (PPC) & Retargeting ads

PPC ads are paid marketing that can appear on search engines, social media platforms and other digital channels. PPC is one of the most effective forms of advertising that allows you to pay a fee each time someone clicks on one of your ads. The main benefit of PPC is that you can trigger ads that are more likely to target clients looking for the properties you offer. Instead of marketing to everyone, you can use digital ads cost-effectively to reach a relevant target audience.

Since your target audience may take time to convert, you can use retargeting ads to reach out to potential clients who have interacted with your business but have yet to convert. The data you’ve collected allows you to reach them again by displaying tailored ads that meet their criteria to get them to contact your company.

6. Marketing automation + CRM

Marketing automation is software that automates marketing efforts, such as emails, social media posts and other online activities while tracking and measuring programs to improve ROI. When used correctly, marketing automation helps you manage your company’s communications and marketing efforts and ensures that quality leads are properly targeted through the sales funnel. It also enables messages to get to the right people at the right time.

By using marketing automation, you create a standard operating procedure for essential tasks. This frees you from performing monotonous marketing tasks and allows you to focus on more profitable activities.