Real estate marketing trends can run the gamut from completely useless to utterly priceless. Put simply, not all real estate marketing trends are created equal, and it’s up to you to sift through everything and make informed decisions. On top of that, what works for someone else may hold no weight with your particular business plan. It is worth noting, however, that there is one universal marketing plan that has proven invaluable to every successful real estate investor: a website capable of converting leads into deals. Investors that listen to today’s real estate marketing trends centered around boosting their website’s performance should become the beneficiaries of increased exposure and more deals.
Marketing successfully in today’s market isn’t about knowing every single strategy under the sun, but rather executing the right strategy in a way that increases brand awareness. Through no fault of their own, far too many entrepreneurs are blind to the fact that marketing (at least as it relates to today’s real estate landscape) is no longer relegated to a single funnel. In fact, today’s most prolific real estate investors utilize several different marketing funnels to ensure their lead generation strategy is optimized for a fast-paced competitive marketplace. It’s not uncommon for a truly great real estate investor to exercise more than a few marketing strategies, not the least of which include an effective online presence. If for nothing else, a converting website is one of the single, most important real estate marketing trends today’s investors can take full advantage of.
A fully optimized website is capable of reaching more people than you could ever imagine, but I digress. It’s not enough to simply develop a website and hope the leads start pouring in. No — you have to implement some integral real estate marketing trends that have withstood the test of time. In other words, if you want to turn your website into one of your most valuable marketing assets, you must implement the following real estate marketing trends sooner rather than later.
Real estate marketing trends are about as varied as they are important. In other words, there is more than one way to put your name out there. As it turns out, however, there is one thing every successful real estate investor has done in recent history (and contuse to do): own and operate a website capable of generating dependable leads. With a properly running website in your corner, there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to count on what we in the industry call organic leads. So if you intend to find yourself as the beneficiary of one of today’s best real estate marketing trends, may I recommend taking the following steps to increase your own website’s performance.
Think Locally
While it’s entirely possible to invest on a national level with a high degree of success, most investors will find their particular “sphere of influence” to reside on a local scale. Perhaps even more specifically, new investors are more inclined to work within the confines of their own neighborhood because of their familiarity with the surrounding area — and for good reason. I maintain that most new investor should start on a local level, and their website is certainly no exception.
When optimizing your website to generate more leads, place an emphasis on local terms. Otherwise known as geo-targeting, paying special considerations to those words and phrases that have become synonymous with your own community will help you twofold: For starters, it will clearly identify your area of expertise. But, perhaps even more importantly, it will help your website rank for the terms most relevant to your business. If you work in San San Diego, for example, few things will be more valuable to your website than ranking high on Google searches for, well, San Diego real estate investing.
As a real estate investor, there is a good chance you are looking to buy and sell in a specific area. Consequently, those people looking to buy and sell are typically inclined to include their area in web search queries. As a result, it’s in your best interest to match the verbiage of your website with what people in your area are most likely to be searching for. Few things are more vital to online exposure. If Google can draw a parallel between what people are searching for near you and your website, you stand a better chance of ranking high on search queries.
When creating content for your website, in the form of a blog for example, be sure to include keywords and phrases that you think your audience will be searching for. Be careful, however, as keyword “stuffing” could actually hurt your status. Use keywords, but use them strategically and sparingly.
Quality Is King
It’s no longer enough to continuously publish subpar content; you have to put your best foot forward. If for nothing else, the powers that be at Google will always favor high-quality content over that which is generic and otherwise unoriginal. As a real estate investor looking to ride the wake of today’s best real estate marketing trends, you must understand that the quality of your website is of the utmost importance. It’s worth noting, however, that quality can refer to numerous facets of your real estate website. For starters, the efficiency in which your site operates is very important. A quality website will be fast and easy to navigate, for both web crawlers and visitors.
Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, is the quality of the content you offer your target audience. Your blog, for example, needs to exceed expectations — that is, if you want it to rank well for Google searches. It’s not enough to simply regurgitate content you read online. Google will recognize similar content and dock you “search points” for reiterating on something that already exists. That said, it’s in your best interest to come up with original content that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s up to you to offer your visitors something unique and worth their while. In doing so, you will find it a lot easier to rank for search queries. It might be a good idea to hire a dedicated writer for your site if it’s in your budget, as their expertise could go a long way in boosting both traffic and leads. Consider it an investment in your business. While a good writer will come at a cost, their work will drive in leads organically. How many real estate marketing trends can compete with that?
It should be known that poor content can hurt your website’s performance just as much as great content can help it. You would be wise to remember that when coming up with your own content strategy. So before you decide to go the “quantity over quality” route, think again. In fact, there is only place you need to concern yourself with quantity: word count. Quality content, at least in Google’s eyes, consists of more than 1,000 words. Brief posts, those in the 500 word range, don’t really do much to help your site rankings.
Craft Great Headlines
In following the real estate marketing trends designed to make your website rank better, most entrepreneurs feel the need to appease Google, and only Google. While looking good in the eyes of today’s most important search engine is incredibly important, real estate investors need to realize that they are writing for both people and machines. That said, not everything you do to optimize your website is for the artificial intelligence based out of Google. Instead of simply trying to mind what today’s algorithms are telling us to do, consider what your audience wants to hear. Remember, you real audience is going to be the people that make it to your website; the least you can do is give them something they want to read. And the best way to catch their attention, at least aha I am aware of, is to complement each blog with an equally catchy title. In adhering to your standard SEO practices, proceed to craft a title that is, for all intents and purposes, “catchy.”
You need to give people a reason to want to read you posts. In fact, some would argue that you should spend just as much time coming up with a good title as you would writing a piece altogether. If for nothing else, the title is what will take them to the page. A good one means a click. A bad one, on the other hand, could send prospective clients running for the hills. So if you want to give your website a real boost, consider spending a little more time on creative titles for your blog posts. They really can make all the differences between a good website and a great one.
Optimize For Mobile Devices
For any online real estate marketing trends to gain traction, you must be certain that your website is optimized for mobile devices. It’s not enough to simply have a website that people can view on their personal computers; it has to be just as easy to view and navigate from mobile devices. Quite simply, a truly great deal estate website must be visible and functional on both personal computers and mobile devices. In today’s fast-paced market, you can’t just cover one corner. No matter how good your website looks on a computer, you are essentially “shooting yourself in the foot” if you neglect to optimize it for mobile devices.
Far too many people are using their phones and tablets to conduct ordinary, everyday searches to ignore one simple fact: more people than ever are turning to their mobile devices to browse the internet. In fact, data suggests the majority of online searches are seeming from mobile devices. So, in essence, if you aren’t optimizing your website for use on mobile devices, you are missing out on the majority of your audience.
Those real estate marketing trends that can boost your website’s performance will go a long way in building your business. At the very least, a properly built website can automate leads from organic traffic, effectively doing your job for you. At it’s pinnacle, a good website is capable of delivering you valuable leads at a dependable rate. So take it from me and use these strategies to boost your online presence.