113% increase in Resi Sales Income in 9 months (and 65% in lettings income)

money laundering in uk property

Content is King .. what the hell does that really mean?

Its all a load of cr*p some people would say. Probably is.

Most agents, be they estate agents or letting agents scratch their heads and ask how is it done, where do I start and most importantly, what is it really all about. Estate and letting agents have always been in the business of attracting customers (sellers with a property to sell and landlords with properties to let) with a service proposition wrapped in a nice box and presented in something called a brand, but a brand has to have something to say. In order to do that, a brand has to have meaningful content. Seems rather obvious, when you think about it.
Admittedly though, brands have taken it up a level when it comes to the content they deliver. What constitutes “content” has gotten much richer over time. Back in the day, a business card touting your services or an A5 leaflet listing the features of your firm was content at its best (ARLA registered, No sale no fee, no let no fee, professional etc etc). Then along came websites, allowing letting agents and estate agents to go beyond just providing information about the services they provide. Suddenly, we had the method and the space to talk about the way of life that goes along with our services, not just the product itself. That’s when content marketing as we call it today got its start.

Content marketing is more about giving landlords and sellers what they need, than it is about pushing products. It’s through engaging content that we build the brand and an emotional connection with current and future landlords and property sellers.
Start by thinking about what your landlords / vendors want in their lives, and how that can match up with what you can uniquely deliver. Think through what you can give your landlords that will help them live their lives, help them to get things done, and most importantly help them. If as a letting agent you start by putting your landlord’s needs first, and determine the kind of content you can create that could satisfy those needs.
All good marketing starts with knowing your landlords, what makes them tick, and what they need to accomplish their goals. The only two thing’s that turns on a landlord and house seller is …

How much is my house worth?
Where is the next one I want to buy?

If you really know your landlords and potential house sellers , and answer this questions with answers, then you can figure out how to give them what they need to keep them happy and engaged — and how to keep them coming back to you in the process. If you adopt a step by step approach to capture the attention of landlords and vendors, 99.999% who use an opposing agent, then get and build their interest using great content, so they will eventually want to come and talk to you.That’s content marketing for your letting agency or estate agency, for your landlords and house sellers.

Does it work? This agent uses content market .. and in 9 months increased his well established letting agency income by 65% in nine months and rest sales income by 113% in nine months

He calls, his content marketing ‘landlord farming’ .. watch this 6 min video (and his blog is below the video)

This is his blog .. http://southockendonproperty.blogspot.co.uk

These are the sort of newsletters  (click on the picture for both sides) he did …

Screenshot 2016-01-16 11.32.12

and here is another example .. (again click on the picture to read the full edition .. all four sides)

Screenshot 2016-01-12 08.17.08

here is one from Northampton … (again click on the picture to download the full newsletter)

Screenshot 2016-01-20 10.27.56

and from the North West (again .. click on the picture to download the full newsletter)

Screenshot 2016-01-20 10.30.28

and Newspaper Editors love them as well ……

Screenshot 2016-01-20 10.34.56

 

You have three choices …

  1. Do nothing and let your competitors start writing articles like this, meaning they get more properties and you dont
  2. Start writing themselves yourselves
  3. Love them, but couldn’t write articles like this every week .. no stress .. we are a group of four Ghostwriters .. we write all these articles and we can write them for you  … look me up on Linkedin or email me christopher@christopherwatkin.co.uk

Christopher Watkin

I teach, guide, support, mentor, consult, counsel, partner many hundreds of UK Estate and Letting Agents in their quest to grow their estate and lettings agencies business. Old school techniques of touting, landlords wanted leaflets, ring us for a free valuation, we have sold this in your street leaflets don't work anymore. There are too many competitor agents .. meaning cheap fees are epidemic, overvaluing is almost a norm to get the stock and don’t even mention about the online/hybrid threat. So a few years ago, I set about looking around the UK and spotted that certain agents (not many mind you) in certain towns were still seen as the ‘go to person on property’, the person the newspaper editor rang up every week for a comment and I looked at what they did and they were doing some thing quite remarkable…. Only one thing but they were doing it so well .. and reaping the reward in terms of decent listings and decent fees, happy staff, decent sales pipeline and exchange income, managed lettings portfolios in the many hundreds .. but more importantly, they really enjoyed the job… they enjoyed getting up in the morning and people looked up to them Over 400 agents around the UK are on a mission to change the way our Estate and Lettings agency profession is perceived and looked upon, doing it town by town, city by city. I guide these 400 agents, teach them, mentor them and support them to be seen in a different light, to be seen as the ‘go to person for property’, actually be the ‘local property expert’ and prove it. Christopher Watkin 07950 147 572 christopher@christopherwatkin.co.uk

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

What does latent defects insurance cover?

When a building is insured during the construction phase, coverage doesn’t necessarily end once the final brick has been laid. Failures and problems with design and workmanship can go unnoticed for several months or even years, leading to larger issues while someone occupies the building. Fixing such large structural defects can be extremely costly, so…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News – 24/04/24

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Smart Spaces delivers the world’s first implementation of HID’s mobile credentials in Google Wallet at Workspace Mobile access control integration makes entry to The Light Bulb building effortless for customers London, April 23, 2024 – Smart Spaces announces today that it has partnered with trusted identity provider,…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

An average rate of 6% for the first time since November – Rightmove’s weekly mortgage tracker

Headlines The average 5-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.89%, up from 4.45% a year ago The average 2-year fixed mortgage rate is now 5.29%, up from 4.75% a year ago The average 85% LTV 5-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.82%, up from 4.42% a year ago The average 60% LTV 5-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.36%, up from 4.15% a year ago The average monthly mortgage payment on…
Read More
Property for sale
Estate Agent Talk

Understanding Property Valuation: A Simple Guide

Ever asked your self, “How a amazing deal is my house simply simply well worth?” Whether you’re thinking of promoting, thinking of searching for, or just simple curious, identifying a property’s rate can experience like navigating a maze without a map. Yet, do not agonize. This sincere guide will stroll you via the necessities of…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Aberdeen is cheapest city to be a first-time buyer

New analysis reveals that Aberdeen is the cheapest city to be a first-time buyer with an average asking price of £102,602: The average monthly mortgage payment for a first-time buyer in Aberdeen is £406 per month, assuming the buyer has a 20% deposit, and a mortgage term of 35 years Data from UK Finance shows…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News – 23/04/24

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Agents urged to review AML policies following recent HMRC fines Recent substantial fines issued by HMRC are a harsh reminder to agents to ensure that their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies are up to date, and they have control testing in place. This is according…
Read More