Whether you are a seasoned real estate professional or a beginner, your online presence is crucial to the success of your business. Without a strong online presence, you may not be able to generate new leads and attract customers to your business.
Regardless of the size of your real estate business, building and maintaining a strong and focused online presence is essential.
Online Presence Steps
Your online presence is nothing but the sum of your interactions online that determine how your existing and potential customers perceive you and evaluate your services.
Here are the eight most effective ways of growing a Realtor’s online presence and attracting new customers:
#1. Blogging
Creating good-quality and relevant blog posts for your real estate business is one of the proven strategies to drive more traffic to your website, which will result in more leads and new customers. Blogs provide your online campaigns with a strong pillar to attract new customers. By posting useful and detailed blogs, you can show off your expertise and become a thought leader in your area and stand out from competitors.
Always remember, your potential customers may not necessarily be looking for discounts or freebies. Most of the time, new customers are looking for a reliable real estate agent who can help them find their dream home. Your blogs and online content will help you establish your reputation as a knowledgeable agent.
#2. Paid advertisements
Facebook, the most popular social network in the world, is a gold mine for real estate agents looking to attract more customers. Facebook allows you to run local ads that will appear in the newsfeed of your target audience. You can plan an ad campaign targeting a particular customer segment and create a message that resonates with your target audience.
#3. Google Adwords
Considering the current search engine environment, most potential customers tend to click one of the top four search results, which are usually occupied by Google Adwords ads. Google Adwords is Google’s key advertising platform that allows users to promote their businesses in front of a highly targeted audience based on keyword search. With the right Adwords knowledge, you can reach hundreds of potential customers every day.
#4. Online customer reviews
When it comes to attracting more customers for your real estate business and establishing your online presence, you are as good as your online reviews. Regardless of how fancy your office is or how tech-savvy you are, if your competitors have better online reviews, they will be more successful in attracting new customers. Online reviews are one of the important factors that potential customers consider before choosing to do business with you. If your real estate business is getting a handful of five-star reviews from satisfied customers, you will soon become the most trusted Realtor in your area.
#5. Responsive website
In 2017, your potential customers expect your business website to load quickly and display flawlessly regardless of the customer’s device, browser or operating system. If you do not have a responsive website yet, you must take steps to improve the speed and performance of your website. This is because your website’s speed and user-friendliness are an integral part of the ranking algorithm of popular search engines. If your website is not customer-friendly, new customers will simply go somewhere else.
#6. Social media presence
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are a huge opportunity for Realtors to grow their online presence. However, it is critical to have a user-friendly and engaging web presence. It is important to have someone monitor and lead your social media profiles for negative reviews. Even the best Realtors get an occasional negative review online. While it is possible to prevent or minimize negative reviews with outstanding customer service, the way you handle negative comments will tell your potential customers that you are taking their concerns seriously.
#7. Online local directories
In order to show up in local online searches for your area, it is important to get your real estate business listed in online directories. Online directories can improve the reputation and web presence of your real estate business. Joining an online directory can take your business to the next level. The majority of potential customers will find your practice through online directories such as Google My Business and Yelp. The key feature in an online directory is a profile page where information about your business, such as name, contact details and a link to your business, is displayed.
#8. Answer customer queries
There are dozens of websites where you can connect with potential customers by simply answering their questions. For beginners, there are various City-Data.com forums, where potential customers ask questions about locations worldwide, with specific forums for each state in the US. There are also question-and-answer forums like Quora that allow searchers to ask questions about all topics, including home buying and selling. In addition, there are advice sections on websites like Zillow and Trulia, specific groups on a social network like Facebook and LinkedIn, and discussion forums on other networks. All you have to do is find and join the relevant groups or forums where you expect your potential customers to discuss their real estate needs. You can start by setting aside an hour each day for checking and replying to customer comments and questions on these groups.
Conclusion
In order to manage and improve realtors’ online presence, they need to discover what platforms their customers are accessing to discuss business. Usually, customers use popular platforms such as Facebook and Yelp to share their personal experiences with brands and services. The majority of potential customers turn to a search engine to look for online reviews. This makes it critical for you to monitor search engine results for your real estate business on a regular basis in order to understand what potential customers find when they look online for your business.
These online real estate marketing strategies will not only help you establish an online presence but will also help you promote your business online. These strategies will help you maintain a positive relationship with your customers and ensure sustained growth of your business. Make sure you consider the evolving nature of the social media networks and
