Four Reasons Why Every Real Estate Agency Needs a Blog in 2020
With historically low interest rates in place, uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unemployment rate reaching a record high, real estate professionals are facing what National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun has described as “unprecedented times.”
Who wins in this new normal? Those who present the most compelling case for quality service where and when potential clients first show interest. That’s why it’s crucial to have a comprehensive online real estate marketing strategy with a high-quality blog as its backbone. If you’re crafting your marketing strategy for 2020, consider these four reasons to have a real estate agency blog.
Be ‘There’ From the Start
Simply put, a real estate blog helps put you at the front of the line in terms of who potential clients are most likely to turn first. According to a 2019 National Association of Realtors report, a website is the most popular information source home buyers turn to when starting their journey.
The importance of consumers’ internet searches in determining where their business goes cannot be underestimated. Understanding and having your content present during what’s known as “micro-moments” is essential for success.
A high-quality blog is a key factor in how popular search engines rank and present websites to potential clients who are showing interest in the services you provide. Content that is engaging, relevant, and consistent gets your information in front of consumers first. Without it, your web presence is background noise in a very loud marketing environment.
2. Give Meaning to Your Social Posts
You probably already know this, but just as a reminder: you need to be on social media. According to the same 2019 National Association of Realtors report, social media was listed as the top digital source for the highest quality leads.
Populating Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media feeds doesn’t have to be a burden if you have a blog. That same content that you’ve already written is easily repurposed for your social channels. In fact, the depth and quality of your repurposed blog posts will help you stand out in an environment that is often dominated by foofy statements, simple photos, and short videos.
3. Put some News in Your Newsletters
But here’s the icing on the proverbial cake, The Data & Marketing Association found that business-to-consumer emails have an average ROI of $38 for every $1 spent!
To put that into perspective, Google Ads and Facebook advertising generate an average of $2 for every $1 spent, and $4.50 for every $1 spent, respectively. A study by consulting giants, McKinsey & Company, also found that, when it comes to acquiring customers, email is nearly 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined.
A blog is also helpful when populating your marketing emails. Be sure to include links to your blog pieces in these emails as a way to show your expertise to prospective customers.
4. Become A Resource
As an experienced real estate professional, you already know many of the questions and concerns your clients will have before they even think to ask them. You can boost your insight further by using free Google resources, such as Google Trends and Google Search Console, to reveal the precise search terms your target marketing is using.
Crafting content around these specific queries makes for great blog posts that achieve several goals. First, these posts are time savers as they preemptively answer frequently asked questions. This saves time and demonstrates that you're an expert in your market. Clients will come to you with common questions resolved, allowing you and them to focus on the specifics of their needs. Second, answering these questions upfront demonstrates that you are an expert in your market. By anticipating client questions and issues and providing thorough, easy-to-understand answers, you’ve established yourself as a trustworthy brand.
Another way a blog builds the trust that lies behind every business transaction is by showcasing why you are an outstanding service provider. Blog posts can highlight your experience, additional training you’ve completed to stay up to date on market developments, and professional presentations you’ve created. By positioning yourself as a thought leader, you assure a potential client that they will be in the hands of a true professional.
Quick Tips to Make Your Blog Stand Out
Optimize Your Content
To achieve the best results, you need to optimize your blog posts. There are a number of key considerations that go into crafting content that will be presented as top search results and generate positive feelings about your brand.
When optimizing your blog posts, be sure to use keywords in your:
SEO Page Titles
Meta-Descriptions
Alternative (Alt) Text
First Paragraph
That said, avoid “keyword stuffing” your posts. A good rule of thumb: If you feel like you're being redundant, you probably are.
To further maximize the potential of your posts:
Write long-form content (800+ words)
Organize blog with tags and categories
Without being search-engine friendly, your blog content—no matter your depth of real estate knowledge—will fail to reach the greatest number of potential clients.
Post Consistently
You’ve got to commit to regular updates. Just like a well-crafted and presented blog will get you noticed for the right reasons, one that is outdated and fails to represent significant developments in the real estate market will get you noticed for the wrong reasons.
You don’t need to publish a new blog post every week, but you do need to post regularly. Imagine a customer visiting your website and seeing that your latest blog post is a year old or more. They may be left with the impression that you don’t have the attention span or capacity to keep up with your marketing, let alone serve clients well.
Similarly, a poorly written blog with spelling and grammar errors will likely turn away potential clients. Take your time with writing. Let the piece sit for a while before you go back to do a final review and revision. Recruit helpers who are strong proofreaders to take a look at the work before you post. Take a look at online spelling and grammar checkers, such as Grammarly. Remember, your professional reputation is on the line.
Think through several blog posts and do a brief outline before starting on the writing. Replenish your idea list as you complete and post new entries. This will help you produce a regular flow of quality posts and keep you from scrambling to keep your blog updated.
Quicken Loans’ blog, Zing, recently listed poorly written content and inconsistent posting among the top 10 marketing mistakes real estate professionals make.
Break Down The Buzzwords
Every profession has its own special jargon. This poses a special challenge when it comes to blogging. Although you and your co-workers know what MLS, CMA, PMI, and closing costs mean, many of your clients will not.
Avoid using specialized professional jargon in your blog. Remember your audience. Many of your clients will work with Realtors a handful of times in their lives. Take care to explain specialized terms and always use plain, basic language.
Remember to break your blog posts into small, easy-to-digest chunks. You don’t have to explain everything in one post. You can detail one concept or issue and go more in-depth on other topics in later posts, linking the posts to each other to make it easy for readers to learn more.
Let’s Get Blogging
Blogging can be one of the most effective tools you have for attracting potential clients as you navigate challenges in the real estate market. However, you can do as much damage as good if you fail to blog regularly, don’t incorporate search engine optimization strategies, and publish jargon and error-filled material.
The good news is that we’re here to help. Contact Ethos Copywriting for professional guidance on how to get your blog up and running with the quality content needed to attract new business.