It is nearly impossible to have a successful real estate business– or any business, for that matter– in our modern world without some level of digital marketing. Like so many other industries today, home buying is incorporating more digital elements every year. In fact, 90 percent of home buyers searched online at some point during their home buying process, and 52 percent began their home search online.
According to a marketing expert from mortgage lender https://onqfinancial.com/: “Even if your business is already thriving, you may be missing out on an untold number of leads, partners, clients and dollars if you are not properly utilizing some simple digital marketing techniques”.
While you may not have the level of expertise of professional digital advertisers, you do not need several years’ worth of knowledge and experience to make substantial gains by marketing your real estate or mortgage business online. The following are some basic steps that can help you grow your web presence and grow your business with digital marketing.
First Steps
Any successful marketing plan begins with some realistic goals and a strategy to achieve those goals. If you are unsure about where to start with your marketing strategy, there are a few key questions you should ask.
- Who is my target audience?
- How much will I invest in digital marketing?
- What metrics and indicators will determine success?
- How often should my efforts produce results?
- What is my expected return on investment (ROI)?
Real Estate Website
The importance of an appealing, functional, well-designed website for real estate agents and mortgage professionals cannot be overstated. Before anyone ever shakes your hand or hears your voice, you will have already made an impression on them with your site.
Building a website is easier than ever, and there are countless free and paid resources available to help you do so. If you are unsure where to start, ask around your professional network for recommendations or simply look at the bottom of one of your favorite entrepreneurs’ sites and use the same host. The initial goal will be to get something up that is attractive, effective and accurately represents your brand. A few tips to follow include:
- Choose a developer that specializes in real estate and mortgages.
- Choose a domain name that is unique, clever, identifiable and easily searchable.
- Integrate local IDX systems.
- Research keywords and content relevant to home buyers in your area, focusing specifically on your key demographics.
- Fill your website with content that is engaging, informative and relevant.
- Add call-to-actions (CTAs) to grow your client database.
Email Campaigns
Once you have an appealing and efficient website, it’s time to start drawing people to it. While social media and other platforms are growing in importance, email marketing is still the most effective form of digital marketing. Email campaigns are free, and they instantly provide a direct link between you and your clients.
Your emails should be creative, personal, entertaining and informative. They may not even ask for readers to use your services directly– although there should always be a CTA and link to your site. If you do not have time to personally construct email campaigns, there are many automated services that specialize in effective email marketing.
Social Media
Every real estate agent, mortgage professional and small business in the modern era should take advantage of social media marketing. Social media allows you to directly communicate with current clients, potential clients and industry colleagues while promoting your own brand and values.
While there are many platforms available, none can hold a candle to the juggernaut that is Facebook in terms of marketing potential. Facebook allows you to reach millions of potential clients with your own style and technique. You are probably already familiar with the basics of using Facebook anyway, and using it for professional purposes is not all that different.
LinkedIn also provides some great opportunities by giving you a platform to reach others in the realty and mortgage industries. Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and others also provide some great opportunities to connect and build relationships with your clients and partners.