‘Content is king’ – of what?

Last month, in this column we talked about content marketing and why it matters to your estate agency business. We explained how content marketing is one of the best ways of raising awareness of your brand, generating leads, and converting them into loyal customers. This month we take a high-level look at the types of content at your disposal in 2022 and talk about how you might use them.

1 Organic content

By this we mean all the free content you create and share – so your blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts … anything that your potential customers can find on your website, via Google, or by scrolling your social media feeds. For this content to be seen and to resonate with your audience, it needs to be high quality, optimised for search engines and answering the questions your target clients are asking – what does a new landlord need to know, how do I prepare my home for a quick sale, for example.

2 Paid content

Organic content is vital to building your brand and giving it credibility, but it’s a long-term investment, meaning it might take time before you see an impact. In the meantime, you can use paid search advertising to get quicker and measurable results (paid search ads are the ones you see at the top of a Google search page).

3 Retargeting

Retargeting is a form of paid advertising that works by reminding potential customers about you, once they have already visited your website. It does this by placing small pieces of code, or cookies, on your pages. These cookies mean you can then follow the customer, showing them your banner or display ads elsewhere on the web or social media. Retargeting is a great tool for converting mildly-interested prospects into loyal customers.

It is crucial that you think ‘mobile first’ when devising content.

4 Email marketing

In the days of so many social channels, email marketing may feel a bit of a dated concept, but it is still the most effective way of reaching your key audiences. Newsletters mailed directly to a prospect’s inbox are a much more precise way of communicating with them than any other tools we know. Be careful to segment your audience to direct the right messages to the right people, with content that addresses their unique concerns and pain points, whether you’re looking to reach new landlords, second-step sellers or someone else. Email marketing is also very measurable, meaning you can carefully monitor what is and what isn’t working for you.

5 Social media marketing

You can use social media in a variety of ways, to showcase your properties, create brand awareness, build loyalty, enhance your reputation and direct customers to your website content. There are plenty of channels that work in real estate, including LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest – the trick is using the right one for the right purpose. You can use social channels organically to have conversations with customers and build your profile locally. Facebook advertising, however, is a really effective way of targeting well-defined audiences.

6 Link building

Encouraging good, credible websites to link back to your site will help your content rank on Google and increase your reach. Link building is about generating the interesting and original content that will make other sites want to reference yours – reports or research studies that don’t exist elsewhere, for example.

7 Podcasting

The popularity of podcasts has grown immensely over the past few years, as consumers listen to content on their smartphones during their commute, while cooking or wherever they need a distraction. If you haven’t thought of podcasting before, it’s an area to explore. Creating valuable audio that delves into niche subject matter could enhance your reputation as a thought leader.

8 Events

Whether physical events, such as a presence at trade shows and conferences, or virtual ones such as webinars and lunch and learns, events are great for building your reputation and brand. Online events are also the sort of valuable content you can offer in exchange for email sign-ups to help grow your newsletter list.

9 Mobile-friendly content

In a trend that cuts across channels, most property searches now start on smartphones and tablets, so it is crucial that you think ‘mobile first’ when devising content. This could mean using less text, more visuals and plenty of clickable buttons.

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