Arthur: Cindy Bishop, Business Development Coach and Veteran Real Estate Agent
The real estate industry has seen some serious ups and downs over the past few years. Unfortunately it’s been more downs than ups until recently, and as things begins to stabilize a bit, some markets are seeing improvement especially with those using content marketing.
But if you’re a real estate agent, the upswing in the market doesn’t necessarily translate to an increase in your business or the lead generation you are able to get. People are starting to buy and sell, but do they know why they should work with you?
Selling is a real estate agents job, but as it turns out, many haven’t quite figured out how to sell themselves or build relationships to achieve lead generation using non-traditional marketing and advertising. Yet statistics show how crucial the internet is to the real estate process. And when we look at real estate and content marketing stats together, it becomes clear that a content marketing plan can take real estate agents from struggling to successful.
A solid blog is crucial.
Real estate stat: Google searches for real estate-related terms have increased 253% over the past four years.
Content marketing stat: Blogs give websites 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links.
People are using the internet to guide them in the real estate process. A blog can seriously increase your chances of being helpful to potential buyers and sellers—on the internet, and eventually in real life, too. But they need to find your first. The more indexed pages and links you have, the better your chances of increasing your lead generation and income.
A strong web presence can increase conversions.
Real estate stat: 74% of REALTORS® currently report that their website generates less than 10% of their business.
Content marketing stat: Website conversion rate is nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters than non-adopters.
As a whole, real estate agents are not doing a good job of getting the most out of their web presence, but content marketing can help generate a whole lot of interest. And since we know the vast majority of people are using the internet for help with their real estate needs, it just makes sense for all real estate agents to have a web presence that sets them apart and drives leads.
Building relationships pays off in the short and long term.
Real estate stat: 39% of clients are first-time buyers. The vast majority of buyers (84%) say they would use the same real estate agent again.
Content marketing stat: 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site.
39% of new buyers are currently unaffiliated with any other real estate agent. And if they become your client, it’s incredibly likely that they’ll remain loyal to you through their next buying/selling experience. So how can you attract these new buyers—and keep them? Content marketing. The stats show that when potential clients read the content you’ve developed, they’ll start feeling good about you. A relationship begins forming before you’ve even had that initial conversation.
Nothing matters more than honesty and credibility.
Real estate stat: According to a recent poll by Trulia, the most important factor in choosing a real estate agent is honesty and credibility.
Content marketing stat: 90% of consumers find custom content useful, 78% believe the organizations behind the content are interested in building good relationships.
When you create custom content, your potential clients feel like you’re being helpful and that you have an interest in establishing a relationship with them. These are the first steps towards establishing the honesty and credibility that people want to feel from a real estate agent.
SEO cannot be ignored.
Real estate stat: 90% of homebuyers use the internet to find information during their house hunt.
Content marketing stat: Content creation ranked as the single most effective SEO tactic by 53%.
Most people are using the internet to get information, and content marketing is the single most effective SEO tactic—meaning that by implementing a content marketing plan, you’ve done the one thing that most increases your chances of getting found by 90% of those people.
As the real estate market re-establishes itself on solid ground, real estate agents are in the perfect position to be off and running.
And if a little extra marketing cost scares you, keep this in mind: the average real estate agent makes approximately $35,000 per year and spends only $1,070 on marketing. But the most successful real estate agents spend 5-10 times as much on marketing and advertising—and earn more than $100,000 per year.
Like a new home, content marketing is a great investment.