The real estate industry is saturated with numerous new and old agents competing to secure clients. The unfortunate truth is that some agents have no choice other than to leave the industry due to low or no profits. Digital marketing is certainly one of the strategies that, if done well, can make you stand out from the others.
This industry is all about making good connections and keeping up with the constant industry demands for growing your customer base, increasing referrals, increasing your profits, and learning from the competition.
Having a strong online presence is simply not enough. It is vital to find ways to engage with the customers as well. Good engagement means maximum interaction including comments, likes, shares, tags, replays and retweets.
It’s no secret that there is a lot of competition in the industry. But how can you stand out from the others? How can you be confident that customers will choose you as their realtor? This is where audience engagement comes into play. Make a strong connection with your customers based on trust, credibility, and reliability. When clients believe that your word is true and your services are genuine, they will not turn away. Not only that, clients of other agents (who perhaps are not as satisfied) will also be attracted to your services.
Online presence does not only refer to social media platforms, but your website plays a crucial part as well. It should be functional, aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly, and organized. Customers who are impressed by the website tend to trust the business more. They willingly invest more time, effort, and trust in your services.
Word of mouth is also a fantastic way of growing your business. Be it a referral from a previous client, or someone who has seen your social media content, advertisement or website. Good referrals will automatically increase the chances of people choosing your services over competitors. Keep in mind that you should keep and make previous clients a part of your currently engaged audience as well. Excellent ratings, reviews, and comments will increase your reputation and presence. You can post pictures with your client after a successful business deal, screenshots of their 5-star review, etc. This will give visual proof to potential customers that you are true to your word and capable of delivering the expected results.
Of course, the most important aspect is to give quality services. A happy customer is more likely to put in a good word for you, which will travel from one person to the next and grow your network of clients.
As a real estate agent, you should be leveraging digital tools to increase your online presence and grow your business. But what do you need to do that? Let us go through our digital marketing checklist for realtors:
1. Content Checklist
Your choice of content is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. It represents you, your brand and company on various platforms. It also plays a critical role in search engine optimization (SEO) as it can help your website rank higher in online searches. Your content will add to the credibility, reliability, and reputation of your brand. Articles, reviews, and testimonials have a big impact on the minds of potential customers. There are many categories for you to focus on for your content, some of which are given below:
1.1 Written Content
- Website
- Brochures
- Blog Articles
- Email Subscriptions
- Business Cards
- Social Media Posts
- News Updates
- SEO Headlines
1.2 Photo Content
- New Listings
- Coming Soon
- Sold
- Individual or Team Photos
- Community or Neighborhood
- Volunteering
- Local Attraction and Tourist Spots
- Successful Clients
1.3 Video Content
- Introduction to You
- Team Introduction
- Hosted Webinars
- FAQ Responses
- Listing Walkthrough
- Neighborhood and Community
- Local Festivals, Events, and Funfairs
- Real Estate Drone Videography
1.4 Infographics
- Market Trends in the Real Estate Industry
- Real Estate Over the Years
- Customer Poll Results
- Social Media Insights
- Over/Under Asking Statistics
- Successful Sales
1.5 Social Media Content
- Post Descriptions
- Engaging in Others’ Content
- Image and Video Captions
- Marketing Campaign Content
- Use SEO Keywords
- Hashtags
2. Website Checklist
No digital marketing campaign is complete without a functional website. Would you buy a car from a dealership without doing your online research before? Likely no, and it is the same for your real estate services. Customers seek out the company’s website first to verify its credibility as well as its services. Having good visual aesthetics is important, but it is even more important to make it user-friendly or else you risk losing potential customers. Adding reviews and testimonies of previous clients will also boost your reputation. People will trust you more and invest in your company.
Building a website is not easy, so don’t worry if you don’t have the required programming skills to build it yourself. There are plenty of tools and platforms you can use to set up a website by yourself in no time.
2.1 Add a Photo and Video Gallery
- Post Team Photos
- Create a Gallery For Each Property
- Photos of Happy Clients
- A Video Introduction of You And Your Team
- Property Videos
2.2 FAQ Content
- Post Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers
- Searchable FAQs
- A Video Message Addressing Common Questions
2.3 Website Insights
- Track Visitors to The Website
- Monitor Peak Times and Maximum Traffic on The Website
- Analysis on Clickable Items
2.4 Contact Information
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Office Location
- Use Google Maps to Pinpoint Your Office Location and Property Locations
2.5 Plugins and Extensions
- Live Chat
- Social Sharing Options
- Pop-ups
- Live Analytics
- Mortgage Calculator
2.6 Important Pages to Add to The Website
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Services
- Testimonials/Reviews
- Community
- Resources Page for Buyers And Sellers
- Sold Listings
- Deals, Promotions, and Discounts
3. Social Media
Nowadays most people are browsing social media platforms, so having a presence can increase your likelihood of success. The increasing popularity of apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tik Tok, Youtube and Snapchat have a very strong influence on those that browse them. As a result, there are numerous platforms that you can utilize to grow your real estate business.
The greatest benefit of social media is how easily it allows customers to interact directly with a business. Post pictures and videos of the real estate you are representing so that it sparks the interest of your clients.
Reviews, testimonials, comments, tags, likes, and shares are very important statistics in the world of social media. Run smart and lucrative marketing campaigns to catch the public eye and even get them to engage further with your content. Make them inclined to visit your website, and make them believe that you are worth their time and trust, because you are!
3.1 Post Promotional Content
- Posters/Flyers
- Video Messages
- Deals, Discounts and Special Offers
- Contests
- Holiday Greetings and Discounts
- Short Promotional Videos
- Estate Videos
- Share Success Stories
- Share Previous Listings
- Use Hashtags
- Customer Polls
- Request for Reviews, Ratings and Testimonials
3.2 Brand Theme and Create Brand Awareness
- Colour Theme
- Logo
- Slogans
- Cover Photos and Thumbnail Icons (That Match Your Brand Theme)
- All Social Networks Have a Consistent Theme
4. Local SEO
Local search engine optimization refers to the process of optimizing your website, personal blog, or any social media profile for local search. Real estate agents can use local SEO to promote their services in a particular region. This is typically done by ranking high on a popular search engine like google. If your website is shown on the second page, there is a significantly lower chance that your audience will see it. How often do you click “page 2” on your google search?
4.1 SEO Content on Your Website and Social Media Posts
- Meta Descriptions
- Titles
- Headings and Subheadings
- Optimized Headlines
- Captions
- Structured Data Markup (Schema Markup)
- Keywords and Key Phrases
4.2 Marketing Campaigns
- Google AdWords
- Facebook Ad
- Instagram Ad
- Boosted Post
- Social Media Posts with Relevant Keywords Used as Hashtags
4.3 Customer Feedback
- Reviews
- Ratings
- Testimonials
- Suggestions and Feedback
- Surveys and Polls
4.4 Use Short URLs
- Shorten URLs Using Services Such as Bitly Instead of Using Long URLs That Are Usually Considered Spam
5. Pay-Per-Click
PPC stands for pay-per-click. It is an advertising model that is primarily used to divert traffic to a website. The ad is displayed on the website by the publisher and each time a user clicks on that ad, the advertiser must pay the publisher. This strategy is commonly used by many websites and social media platforms today, including search engines like Google and Bing.
PPC is becoming increasingly popular and used by all kinds of businesses today to increase their website traffic. Advertisers can set certain keywords for their websites so when users search for any combination of those keywords, the advertiser’s website will appear as a top choice on the search engine. Realtors can make use of this technique to increase website traffic, promote ongoing marketing campaigns and attract potential customers.
5.1 Instagram Ad, Facebook Ad and Google Adwords Campaigns
- Ongoing Marketing Campaigns
- Special Deals and Offers
- Photos of Properties
- New Listings
- Client Success Stories
- Awards and Milestones
- Website Content
- Educational Information
- Partnership Campaigns
6. Email Marketing
Email marketing is more exclusive, as it gives you control over what you share and with whom. With other social media platforms, it is not always clear who might see your post and when. With emails, there is more certainty that your content will be seen, and you can set a fixed time for your emails to be sent to your customers.
Keep in mind that there are anti-spam laws in Canada, CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation), that prevent you from emailing or spamming a prospect that has not consented to the information.
6.1 Automated Email Marketing
- A Welcome Email for New Subscribers
- Auto Reply: “Thank You For Contacting Us And We Will Get In Touch With You Soon”
- A “Thank You” Card for Clients After A Successful Deal
- Promotions, Deals, and Discounts
- Property of The Week
6.2 Find Ways to Engage Regularly
- Weekly Newsletter
- Images and Videos of New Properties
- Invitation for A Virtual Tour
- Surveys and Polls
- Real Estate News
- New Listings
- Exclusive Content Before Posting on Any Other Platform
7. Reputation
Reputation is very important as it directly reflects you as a professional and the brand to the public eye. Realtors must be careful about sharing any inaccurate or inappropriate information on the internet as it may tarnish their reputation.
Recovering from a tarnished reputation is not easy to do. The public opinion of your business and service will play a crucial role in whether you gain or lose customers. Most clients will look up the business online and read reviews and comments. To make a good impact on new clients, make sure to include professional and positive reviews/testimonials on your website and social media.
7.1 Brand Awareness
- Determine your Target Audience
- Have a Brand Theme
- Consistent Content Style
- High-Quality Pictures and Videos
- Optimized Headlines
7.2 Share Noteworthy Events
- Awards and Achievements
- Milestones
- Photos of Successful Deals and Happy Clients
- Interviews
- Upcoming Events (Webinar, Open-House, etc.)
- Special Mentions in Articles, Forums, Blogs, or Other Social Media Platforms
7.3 Keep an Eye on Customer Feedback
- Reviews
- Ratings
- Testimonials
- Poll Results
7.4 Social Media
- Monitor What People Are Saying About You on Social Media
- Optimize Keywords
- Engaging Caption
- Use Hashtags
- Professionally Handle Criticisms
8. Analytics, Reporting & Testing
It is important to keep an eye on statistics and analytics. Perform detailed analysis on your business, competitors, market trends, and customer demands. This will give you good insight to create an even stronger strategy for lead generation, social media management, advertisements, etc.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that can be used to observe performance. Along with analytics, testing and optimizing are also crucial aspects of digital marketing campaigns.
8.1 Use Google Analytics with Your Website
- Monitor Website Traffic and Peak Times
- Monitor Visitors
- Audience Response to Various Posts and New Listings
- Time Spent Browsing the Site
- Frequently Visited Pages on The Website
8.2 Split Testing (A/B Test)
- Optimized Headline
- Navigation Bar
- Form Fields
- Time Period for Free Trial
- Time-Sensitive Offers
- Photos and Videos On Your Landing Page
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. We hope this checklist shed light on some areas that are vital pieces that contribute to your digital marketing strategy. A checklist is only part of the battle. Putting yourself out there and doing the work is the hardest part. We hope the checklist helps you stay organized and avoid missing any important steps. Feel free to add more points of your own to this checklist!