Why do you need to put some time, energy, and resources into creating top-quality real estate content? Because real estate professionals with a clearly defined content strategy drive significantly more traffic to their websites and generate more leads. The “why” behind this is simple: buying or selling a home is complex. It’s emotional. It can be confusing, frustrating, and stressful. It is certainly a time in which people have endless questions racing through their minds. They are looking for answers. They are looking for solutions. They don’t know it yet, but they are looking for you.
Mission Critical: Content Marketing for Real Estate Agents
Because the majority of home buyers (and home sellers) begin the process online, it is essential that you have a strong, authoritative presence. Offering relevant, informative, and helpful content establishes you as a trusted expert, as someone who can answer their questions, and as a professional in whom they can place their confidence.
Creating real estate content really boils down to this:
- Determine which problems or challenges your target audience have (e.g., increasing the value of a home, selling home faster, getting the best deal, obtaining financing, etc.).
- Develop content that gives them answers and solutions.
- Make sure your content is visible so prospects and clients can access when, where, and how they want.
Simple! And it really can be. Content marketing delivers remarkable “bang for your buck,” and since you are already an expert, all you need to do is capture your ideas and knowledge.
What Is Real Estate Content?
Now, what is content? It can take a variety of forms, including:
It is best to create a mix of different formats. You can even repurpose content in different ways. For example, if you write a kick-butt article on finding financing, you can put it in infographic form for the visual folks or film a short video in which you invite a local lender with whom you do business to speak about it. You can post about it on Facebook, and then drive people back to your website. The options are endless when it comes to real estate content!
Now one of the most difficult parts of content marketing for real estate agents is coming up with ideas for effective pieces. No worries; we have you covered.
10 Real Estate Content Ideas to Consider
- Housing Trends. How’s the market? What are interest rates doing? Are sales trending up? Is it a good time to buy? Sell?
- Local Expertise. A client wants to know that you have expertise in their specific area. It doesn’t do much good for a Jupiter house hunter to trust that you’re a great Houston real estate agent. You need to show that you understand Miami, inside and out. Create content around your locale: feature local businesses, highlight local events, and give neighborhood tours virtually. Give them an insider’s look into the neighborhood.
- Recreation. What’s there to do in Jupiter (or your target area)? What do people do for fun? Spotlight parks, trails, restaurants, clubs, museums, and other fun features.
- Amenities and Services. Likewise, highlighting amenities and services is incredibly useful for potential buyers. They need to know they’ll have access to transportation, jobs, schools, doctors, etc.
- Kids. Don’t forget the children! Create content around benefits of living in the area if you are raising a family (e.g., schools, recreational opportunities, safety, parks, etc.).
- Tips and How-Tos. This type of real estate content is gold, and the list of potential topics goes on and on. From what questions to ask a realtor when selling a house to how to get pre-approved for mortgage, you’ll have a deep well from which to draw ideas.
- Events. What have you been up to? Create content that captures open houses, tours, block parties, Q&As with industry experts, and more. Don't forget to include photos and videos!
- Testimonials. Consumers trust their peers more than they trust brands, at least at the beginning phases of their relationship. Having “social” proof from happy clients is essential - and it makes for great visual and/or written content!
- Success Stories. Maybe you had a client who never believed they could own their own home. Maybe you sold a house for a client who’d been on the market for too long. In any case, highlight their success (which, of course, is yours!).
- Partnership Content. Why not partner up with local businesses (e.g., restaurants, stores, etc.)? You can highlight them on your blog to establish your local expertise while creating great relationships (and the potential for referrals from those partners!).
Real estate content is powerful in that it delivers value to prospects, leads, and clients. It is also beneficial in that it helps create greater visibility for your brand in the search engine results pages. Anything that shines a spotlight on you can help drive traffic. To that end, contact a Homes & Land representative to inquire about a real estate agent profile. This is another type of content that can help you establish trust and authority while generating leads. Let’s get started.