Content Marketing – Advice for Estate Agents
Content Marketing is a very broad term and there is no one formula which will suit all types of business. Content which is suitable for a business to business relationship, for instance, is very different to content which is better for a business to customer relationship.
As content marketing professionals we have to adapt what we do to suit different industries, and for this blog post, we are focussing on Content Marketing for Estate Agents.
Estate Agency has gone through a huge transformation over the past 15 years, since Rightmove first took to the internet, and consequently, estate agents have had no choice but to shift their focus online. This has opened the door to a new type of ‘virtual’ estate agent, offering a DIY service for, in most cases, significantly less money. So how can real-world estate agents compete with the lure of the lower prices of a DIY sale? A great website is important, but one estate agent website is very like another and it is not enough on its own. In an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace and online space, effective content marketing can help estate agents get themselves heard, rise above the competition and demonstrate the value and quality of their expertise and experience in the local market. So, what kind of content should your estate agent business be producing?
Spoiler Alert… it’s not about you!
It’s great that you have been in business since 1990, that you support local charities by cycling across Britain, that you have a modern, friendly office and have won industry awards, but as a content strategy, this will only take you so far. Content needs to be written with user intent in mind.
Content Marketing as defined by the Content Marketing Institute is:
“a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action”.
So, when looking at your content strategy we have to think about what is valuable and relevant to prospective clients, what information are potential sellers and buyers looking for online? Think, local property guides, local property market information, advice on selling your house quickly, articles on how to create kerb appeal, which home improvements increase the value of your house, how not to present your house for sale. As Estate agents, you have an advantage in that your ‘clearly defined audience’ is uniquely interested in property and there is no shortage of interesting material to write about!
The object of this kind of marketing is to inform, answer common questions, entertain and engage your website visitors and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in your field. This builds trust in your business and helps keep people on your website longer. Quality content which is written with your customers in mind should be naturally keyword optimised and is great for your website SEO.
The other key takeaway from our content marketing definition above is ‘consistent’. An effective content marketing strategy means keeping your content fresh. Regularly adding content to your website is very SEO positive and shows your business is active, engaged and proactive. On the other hand, a blog which was last updated 6 months ago does not look very impressive, neither does out of date information.
Good quality content takes time to produce, but it is time worth spending and can be a great way to raise your voice above that of the competition. If you don’t have the time or the resources to produce this kind of content in-house consider outsourcing your content.
Written by Karen Hutchings – karen.hutchings@puresystems.co.uk
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