Content marketing is the current buzzword bouncing off the walls of conference rooms and being discussed by business coaches around the country. However, most agents are still confused and overwhelmed about what they need to do to make a start in this fast-paced digital world of marketing. Data expert Nathan Krisanski explains.
The phrase ‘content marketing’ gets used to describe strategies for everything from blogs, vlogs and podcasts to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, messenger bots and other forms of content delivery.
Yes, there are a lot of ways to share your content, but this isn’t content marketing.
Content marketing is the idea of providing real value to your potential client before they have a requirement for your service, so when the time comes they already know you and your brand and may not even consider other options.
Content marketing in real estate is about being the local market expert for your area by sharing truly valuable information with your clients so they trust you to provide them with the
right advice.
If you don’t believe me that being the local market expert in the digital space will grow your business, then just stop reading now.
I have nothing more to say to you.
Good, you’re still here. Let me share with you my tips for being effective in this space without being bogged down in arguments about Pinterest vs Instagram.
REAL ESTATE CONTENT MARKETING 101
1. WRITE A LITTLE
If you don’t have a full-time content writer, like most of us, then you will be the one writing content. But make life easy for yourself and use the tools and content already available to you.
Your property data subscription will include tools for building suburb reports or suburb statistics. You don’t need to be an economist; just pick a suburb each week, find a statistic and write a paragraph explaining it. Attach the full report or video to the post and you’re done.
Did you just get a new testimonial from your last sale? That is a piece of content worth sharing. Include a link to the ‘sold’ page on your website.
2. CONTENT FOR CHANNEL
The different channels you use determine the type of content you want to share and the tone of the content.
Facebook is great for photos and videos. PDF reports and text-based content don’t work as well here. Clients will see your posts between photos of babies and their friends doing fun things, so make your posts fun and light-hearted.
If you have video content, post it to YouTube as well. YouTube is the second most-used search portal in the world and Australians now watch over three hours of video content each day. Hint: if you’re not creating video content, start.
Your website is where your clients go when they want more detailed information, so longer posts and PDF reports can work well here.
3. CRM
Your CRM needs to be the central place for all your contacts. Ensure all of your external touch points (open homes, direct emails, social media conversations) end up here.
Set a rule with yourself or your office to link every contact with a property, either owned or rented, or a suburb. Having this basic information will allow you to customise your content to make it more relevant, and therefore more valuable to the client.
4. MEASURE!
Keep in mind your goal is to be the local market expert. I recommend the metrics below as they have a direct correlation to the ROI for your content marketing efforts. Avoid ‘vanity’ metrics like
Facebook post likes or YouTube views. These may make you feel good, but they are difficult to relate directly to business growth.
Measure your success by:
Database growth – the number of people in your CRM with a contact phone number and email address, and linked to a property (owned or rented) or suburb.
This indicates you are reaching new potential customers who will become real customers in time.
Email open rate or click rate – the percentage of clients who open emails from you and click on links to download a report, watch a video or contact you directly. This indicates whether the content you are sending out is being seen as valuable by your clients.
Terms to know:
Content or post – anything you write or share. Includes text, photos, videos, reports.
Channel – where you put your content. Examples include social media pages (Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram), your website, emailing your database.
CRM (Customer relationship management) – the single place where you keep all your contacts, past, present and future, so you can communicate efficiently with them.
