Why your investment in Yell, Adwords, P.P.C and S.E.O is not helping your marketing goals:

April 26, 2016
,

Fifteen years ago when I launched my first online business, I was really excited about the promise of Internet riches. For you as an estate agent launching your new website and investing in digital marketing may have raised your expectations that new technology equals more vendors or landlords.

Alas, after many failed attempts you wonder what the hell is going on? All that investment and still no growth? Tech disruption increased competition and made home owners more powerful. The result is a steady decline in stock levels and a power shift to property portals.

The Problem

The real problem, I believe, is understanding what the Internet revolution meant and how it fundamentally changed peoples’ attitudes. A subtle shift needed to be made by brains still wired for 20th century business to succeed in the knowledge economy.

A shift many haven’t made. We want to sell because that is what businesses do. And it’s really hard to shift out of this mind-set. Re configuring our minds and businesses for the knowledge economy is important to grow despite the challenges we face.

Making the shift

In the past, you expected the media to help get exposure. Now you have to do it yourself by making the necessary investment. The key to success is to understand these two fundamental principles that guide peoples’ use of the Internet.

  1.  Like most web users, home-owners do not come online to get sold. Rather to look for friendly advice and information.
  2.  They act on recommendations from a trusted source.

There is a third which has started to form within the last couple of years and that is, 3. the web is full of noise. People need help to make sense of it.

Conclusion

Becoming a trusted source of information for your clients is your number one priority. Only then could you expect them to act on your recommendations. Without this fundamental shift no amount of paid traffic will help reverse the decline in your stock levels.
For a free consultation on how to secure a competitive advantage or implement a strategy which will see you become the authority in your market place contact me.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Overseas Property

The most in-demand holiday home destinations

Alicante is the ideal place in the sun when it comes to Brit foreign property dreams Province on Spain’s Eastern coast is the most popular destination for Brits in TV foreign property series Almeria and the Costa Del Sol are in the top three based on analysis of 1,000 episodes of A Place In The…
Read More →
Breaking News

Two Weeks to Go for First Phase of Renters’ Rights Act

With just two weeks until the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect, letting agents across England are being urged to ensure they are fully prepared for the significant operational and compliance changes ahead. From 1 May 2026, the new legislation will introduce wide-ranging reforms to tenancy structures, possession processes and rent…
Read More →
Breaking News

Housing Insight Report: February 2026

The housing market shows steady activity, ongoing challenges with sales agreed rising slightly and stock levels stable, while affordability pressures and longer transaction times continue to strain buyers and sellers. Demand is strong in the rental sector, with significant competition among tenants despite only a modest increase in available properties. Rents have remained relatively stable…
Read More →
Breaking News

London boasts biggest property market gap

UK’s property price gaps exposed: London tops with £838k difference between top and bottom of the market The latest research from eXp UK has revealed the scale of the price divide between the most and least expensive property markets across each region of the UK, with three areas seeing average house price gaps of more…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

Questions raised over tenant-agent trust gap

New research from Propoly has found that while over half of tenants describe their letting agent as professional, quick to respond to queries, and efficient in handling maintenance issues, issues still exist, particularly a widespread suspicion that agents are not working in the tenants’ favour. Propoly commissioned a survey of 1,000 UK tenants* to understand…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

29 is the age house sharing becomes ‘embarrassing’

but 11% still do it, according to new Nationwide research That equates to 27 million admitting they have felt embarrassed about their living situation With 69% saying living alone is unaffordable, it’s no surprise the average age of those in house shares is 35 From moving home (12%) to living with an ex (10%), as…
Read More →