In a previous post on our Real Estate Marketing blog we covered a few very simple tips to follow in order to successfully integrate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns into your real estate marketing strategy.
If you are new to the concept of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the article will provide you with an excellent foundation for a great way to drive traffic to your website.
One of the newest features in our SPS Real Estate Marketing system is our enhanced SEO features. You now have the ability to customize the main Meta Title and Meta Description tags for each of your sites.
This allows you to set custom meta tags which you can link up with your Google Webmaster account in order to track and analyze the keywords people are using to find your site!
It’s a great way to target the exact people you want to reach, and enables you to change the meta content and experiment with different variations until you find the winning combination for your site.
Click here to learn about all of our new features and see how you can bring your real estate marketing strategy to the next level.
SPS already lets you create unique showcase single property websites for your seller’s properties, but our new FreeView™ feature lets you show the seller the site BEFORE the listing presentation, perhaps before you even meet them!
It’s completely free to use, and all you need is a FREE SPS account (no credit card required). We even include a site builder wizard so that you don’t need to have any type of technical background in order to create a fantastic single property site.
After the listing site is created, simply use the FreeView™ icon and send your SELLER an email with a special Link that allows them to view the single property site you created!
The FreeView™ will last 7 days. You can constantly renew the FreeView™ as many times as you like.
FreeView™ is designed to be your main weapon in your Listing Presentation arsenal. Not only is it entirely free – but its a great way for you to differentiate your services and to really impress sellers, to ensure that you never lose a listing.
Put your sellers Home front-and-center in your marketing plan and show sellers you are different!
Blogs are nothing new when it comes to effective real estate marketing strategies, yet many real estate professionals still aren’t using them as they should. For some, it’s because they can’t think of what to write on a consistent basis, or else they feel like nobody will read their blogs.
Whatever the reasons for lacking a blog, “content marketing” is essential to add to your site to set you apart from your competitors.
The following are 4 reasons you need to incorporate content marketing in your real estate marketing strategy:
1) It builds TRUST
It’s hard for potential home buyers to go an entire day without being bombarded with some type of advertisement to buy a new home. This has caused potential buyers to always have their guard up, wondering, “What’s the catch?” Providing consumers with helpful content shows that you are genuinely interested in helping them, and also allows them to find your content when THEY want it. If you write content based on what you know and what you are good at, the consumers will be able to see that you are a trusted resource instead of some greasy salesperson with malicious intentions.
2) Content Marketing is FREE
Not only is blogging a great real estate marketing technique, it also requires no monetary investment on your part. The only thing it will cost you is the time it takes you to research your desired topic and type it out. What’s better than effective marketing? FREE effective marketing.
3) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Blogging isn’t just a platform for you to get your opinions in front of potnetial buyers, it’s a way to boost your website’s search ranking as well. If you have already begun a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program, incorporate your target keywords into your blog posts at least a few times. Not only does this show the search engines what your article is about, it also helps you keep your content on-topic and relevant for your target market.
4) People like to share good content
By adding social media buttons to your blog posts, you allow people to share your content with their social networks as well. WordPress and many other blogging platforms automatically include these buttons in your blog posts in order to make it as easy as possible for others to share your quality content. A well written blog piece can take on a life of its own after people begin to share it!
When it all comes down to it, the best rule of thumb to remember in your new content marketing is to write about things that people want to hear, and stay focused on your target market. If you are a Real Estate Agent, writing articles on video games will likely fall on deaf ears. Keep the content interesting, unique, and beneficial, and you will see great results for your real estate marketing!
As a Real Estate Marketing professional you live your business life constantly on the go. That’s why it’s essential to utilize your mobile device whenever you have to be out of the office, to make sure potential buyers are finding your listings. Which are the most common mobile apps that potential buyers are using to find homes?
We have compiled the following list of 5 essential FREE apps that real estate professionals need to consider:
1) Zillow
Zillow is a leader in mobile real estate, providing data for all homes in the U.S. on the Zillow network. Making sure your listings are on Zillow will give you a huge advantage, making it easy for buyers to find your listings wherever they are. Buyers can look up rent estimates, home values, homes for sale/rent, and more.
2) Realtor.com Real Estate Search
Realtor.com has a huge amount of listings that are constantly being updated. It has a ton of great features including map search, saved searches and listings synchronized with the website, private ratings and notes, and the ability to share listings with your friends, agent and social network.
3) Trulia
This is another great app for potential buyers to find local homes and apartments for sale or rent. Buyers can also use the Trulia app to search for local real estate professionals and Agents in their area.
4) HotPads
This app is geared towards renters looking for information on apartments, houses for rent, real estate, vacation rentals and hotels.
5) Craigslist
It’s obvious that Craigslist plays a huge part in how people find home and apartments for sale or rent. The app let’s them see all your Craigslist property listings including all your beautiful property images and contact information directly on their mobile device.
What are some of your favorite real estate apps?
We have finished a complete overhaul of our Craigslist property listings to make it faster, more robust, and more tolerant of common Craigslist connection and posting issues.
We also now offer a variety of new and improved property site templates, all of which include customizable call to action back links.
Our new Craigslist posting system also comes with a multi-posting status tracker. This shows you the status of all your Craigslist posts, including when you last made a post and when you should post another one.
This allows you to get maximum exposure for your Craigslist property listings at a much quicker rate, saving you time and effort.
Click here to see our full list of features.
The SPS Real Estate Marketing Solution has been updated with a new property import feature! You can now import property data (including photos) of any properties that are listed on your MLS.
A complete property website can be imported and set up as a showcase property website with an integrated slideshow virtual tour in about 40 seconds. Photos and data fields will be imported and correctly set up within the property website.
You can even choose the Listing Agent so that the property website is literally ready to go once the import is complete.
Your benefit:
This new feature allows for a very data setup time, which in turn means more properties can be set up with less effort. This means that you need less staff and admin hours to run the SPS listing marketing program.
To import a property site simply click the “Add New Listing Site” button (shown to the left) and choose the option to import. Your listing needs to have been submitted to your MLS for a couple of days so that our data partners have it indexed.
For Real Estate Agents and other real estate marketing professionals, LinkedIn has become a great place to showcase your talents and expertise. LinkedIn profiles are more professional than Facebook profiles, and allow you to include much more in-depth information than a Twitter page.
Whether you are looking to network with fellow Agents or are looking for potential buyers, follow these 5 simple steps to make your LinkedIn profile more marketable and help you to grow your business.
1) Determine your business goals.
This is the very first thing you should do before you fill out your LinkedIn profile. Are you a Real Estate Agent looking to network with other Agents, or are you using LinkedIn in your own real estate marketing strategy? Think about who you are trying to target on LinkedIn and do your best to make sure the content you include reflects that goal. Try not to make it sound TOO much like a resume (unless of course you are looking for work).
2) Optimize with keywords
After you determine your goals and define your target market, think about the types of keywords they are searching for. Insert these keywords throughout your profile. It is the same basic principle behind optimizing your website. Decide what your main keyword or phrase is going to be based upon the searches of your target market. The profile headline section plays a very big role in determining where you show up in search results, so make sure this contains your most important keyword(s). Then make sure you insert your keywords throughout the rest of your profile including your job descriptions and summaries.
3) Make it relevant
Chances are you’ve had jobs in the past that are totally unrelated to what you want to accomplish with your current goals (see tip #1 above). It might be better to simply take these off of your profile. If a potential buyer is searching LinkedIn for local Real Estate Agents, your previous job as a restaurateur likely won’t factor into their decision making process.
4) Word of mouth is huge
One of the great things about LinkedIn is the ability for your current and past colleagues to recommend your work. As a real estate professional, you undoubtedly know how useful testimonials and client recommendations can be in gaining new business. LinkedIn has a great feature that allows you to ask your current connections to help you out and post a recommendation on your page. A great way to receive recommendations is to give them to your connections first, and then ask them for one in return.
5) Show your best side
At the end of the day, one of the best aspects of any social profile is that it allows you to show who you are and allows you to set yourself apart from the many other real estate marketing professionals out there. So make sure your page shows some of your unique personality by adding a quality profile photo (try and keep it professional!) and write your content with words and phrases that you naturally use. You want potential customers to view you as not only approachable, but real as well.
Are you using LinkedIn in your real estate marketing strategy? Please comment with your own advice on how it has helped you succeed.
