Right now, buyers and sellers in your local area are searching the interwebs for things like, “What to do before moving home?”, “How to negotiate in real estate?”, and ”First-time homebuyer mortgage”.
They’re expecting to find relevant, tailored content immediately… and they are. Local buyers and sellers are getting answers from real estate agents, just like you.
Welcome to the Age of Assistance!
It used to be the case that we’d only research big-ticket items online: cars, loans, where to send the kids to high school… that sort of thing. Smaller purchases were largely driven by brand loyalty or impulse. But then came mobile technology.
Consumers now have a wealth of information at their fingertips, and are increasingly relying on what they find in micromoments to help them decide what to do next. They seek information, direction and utility.
To win business in the Age of Assistance, you have to become a source of information. Here’s how.
Be seen
Think about where you would head if you were thinking of buying or selling, and put your agency’s stumps down there. Here are a few ideas.
- Join local Facebook groups and get involved in conversations happening within those groups.
- Create a Pinterest board for your current listings. You could even create an area-specific board, filled with local parks, trendy bars, or places to eat. This will help you appear in searches for your local area. Be sure to link your website in your bio to drive even more traffic to your page.
- Engage with hashtags on Instagram. Use hashtags that home buyers and sellers commonly browse in the comments of your posts.
- Set up your Google My Business page with photos, opening hours and contact details.
Be smart
Homeowners want someone who can guide them through the sales process, and assist them when needed.
So, to attract more vendors, put a customer-centric, cross-channel engagement strategy into place. Put their needs at the centre of everything you do, and interact with them across different platforms using a consistent marketing message.
After engaging with your content, your audience should feel like they’ve learnt something.
Some ideas for content are:
- Facebook videos with advice on staging a home
- A Facebook Live to answer common questions about buying or selling
- A map of school catchment areas (using a tool such as Canva)
- A list of removalists in your area, along with your tips for moving home
Be speedy
When buyers and sellers are navigating your website, they have something to achieve.
So, they want to find the information they came for – fast. That means you have to be speedy, and so does your website.
Keep an eye on industry news and emerging trends, so you can be the first to push out relevant content. Monitor your social media channels and reply to messages quickly.
You should also optimise your website for speed – 40 per cent of people wait no more than three seconds for a webpage to load before giving up, and 29 per cent of users immediately switch to another site if they can’t easily find the information they need. Your website provider will be able to help with this.
The Age of Assistance is upon us, and with it comes an opportunity to grow your real estate brand and win business. The question is, are you ready to be an adviser brand?
