In many ways, smart realtors have it easy. In a field full of generalists, positioning yourself as an expert in a specific region or knowledge base will help put you head and shoulders above the crowd.
Below are some of the ways I would advise my real estate friends to position their blog content in order to drive more leads.
1) Get local with your content
Being a local expert is one of the best ways you can differentiate yourself in a sea of competitors.
If you live in a major city, you’re lucky because there are plenty of areas in the city that you can focus on profitably.
When deciding on a local area, ensure you have a big enough market to work with. I would suggest a population of at least 75,000+ in order to make it worth your while. The area should have it’s own local events, businesses, schools and neighbourhoods.
Once you have an area of specialization, blog about it! Blog about all of the upcoming events, news, businesses and, of course, the prices of properties on sale and recently sold.
There are a few noteworthy benefits of writing content for your local market:
- People who are looking to buy and sell in the area will see that you specialize in the area, and therefore you’re an authority on their most important life investment (their home).
- You can create content that people will want to subscribe to and share. For example, if you feature a local business every week or month as part of your blog strategy, that business is likely to share your blog post on social media and possibly link to it on their website, giving you more traffic and improve your SEO. Pro tip: be sure to ask them to do both! Interviewing is a great way to create quick content, or if you’re in a rush, send them a 10-point Q&A and ask them to return it written in an email and add images, if applicable. There is no reason not to do this!
- It’s great for SEO when people look up something like, “Best Real Estate Agent in [Insert Region Name]”. You’re the expert and Google will identify it eventually.
- If your content is good, you can share it with people as you meet them or correspond by email. It’s your way of offering value to the local community and people considering moving into the area.
When someone needs real estate advice in your area, there will be no hesitation to choose you. Who can afford to risk his or her biggest investment with someone who isn’t the most knowledgeable option?
2) Blog about a niche area of expertise
Being niche makes you stand out. Whether you specialize in lofts, upscale properties, farm properties, vacant land, historic preservation or otherwise, it can give you a major advantage if you write some content on a handful of specific topics.
If you live in a small town, you probably have no other choice than to be the local expert. It’s still important to create content about the local area, for the reasons listed above in point #1, but you may wish to point your focus to your niche specializations to help separate you from the herd.
3) Add legitimate value
As with any content creation, create something that adds value.
Adding value means giving something people want and can benefit from.
Adding value does not mean writing salesy blog posts or promoting yourself.
It means the selfless act of bestowing tangible value to your readers. Whether in the form of useful information, advice, tools, or simply entertainment and inspiration, if it’s not valuable, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Mostly your own.
4) Know your customer
Knowing your customer should actually be number 1. Everything is easier when you know your target and speak to them directly.
By knowing whom you are speaking to, you can get specific (see tip #1 and #2), add real value (see tip #3), and not waste time with unimportant fluff or details (see tip #2).
You can do this in many ways, such as:
- Answer common questions from your clients in the form of blog posts.
- Identify your ideal client. Think, “Which of my clients would I choose to have more of if I could?” Speak to that ideal client directly in all your marketing efforts.
If you’re a realtor going after first-time home buyers in a small section of a big city, you should discuss not only the local and niche areas of expertise, but also things that interest your readers in general–with a loose tie to your services.
Some examples are:
- How to Save BIG on Taxes When You Buy Your First Home
- How to Avoid the Mortgage Traps with Things They May Not Always Be Aware Of
- Household Tips and Ways to Make Affordable Improvements
It doesn’t always need to be directly about real estate. But is should be relevant to your business in some way. The key is to add value in any way that you can. They’ll thank you for it with their business later on.
5) Don’t be “salesy”
Nobody likes to be sold, and blogging isn’t an opportunity to sell.
If you believe that what you give, so shall you reap, then blogging is the strategy for you.
The longer people engage with your content, the more likely they are to trust and make a purchase from you in the future. Don’t ruin it by being too selfish, salesy or promotional.
It’s all about the clients after all. You’re just there to serve!
In closing…
There are lots of things you can blog about. You’re not limited to any specific region or topics, but there should be an underlying thread to help associate you with your differentiating expertise. You want people to think of you when they think of the areas you focus on and the niche knowledge you posses. Whatever you do, keep a blog!