How to Grow your Estate Agency Online
Believe it or not, many younger professionals now working in estate agency were born into the world of both the internet and social media… Those buying, selling and renting will also likely to have arrived in the era of the internet and some will have grown up with Youtube, Instagram and Facebook. Those born between 1997 and 2012 are sometimes referenced at Generation Z (Gen Z).
Online has been an integral part of estate and letting agency for more than two decades now with social media not too far behind it. Though access to has always costed us, once online we find that the usage of the internet and social media was completely free with optional costs only. Many online website creation companies allow you to register and even build and host your own websites (with co-branding) and of course, all social media platforms allow for free registration so it has never been easier to get yourself online.
With this in mind, let us take a look at options for estate and letting agents to grow online and via social media:
Create Content! Be it via blogging, vlogging, photographing or podcasting, people engage with relevant and interesting content online so there is no better way to attract others to you than by sharing content.
If you regularly share content online it will not only increase the potential for growing your influence, readers, web traffic, enquiries, followers and more, it will give you / your business added SEO for improved ranking on search engines. If Google thinks you are a good source of information then Google will rank you accordingly.
Reviews / Testimonials: Many people who search for property will also likely study the reputation of any agency they are likely to do business with. How do they treat landlords or how do their fees compare or how do they handle maintenance and more are questions that need answering and reviews / testimonials online are the best and most genuine ways to get the feedback required.
Improve visual quality of your listings: Providing extra marketing options for property listings can set yourself apart from competition. Not only can you impress clients on valuations so to get those listings, for those searching online you can offer convenience by showcasing the most detail in the best visual ways. Examples are added virtuals / audio tours / 360 tours / video tours / drone footage. This dedication, though time consuming, can really elevate your chances of securing new valuations and also, importantly, build your reputation as those looking to sell / rent out their property will likely chose the agency who offer the best presentation of property.
Share out your Listings: Of course, you can share your listings on your own website and the property portal(s) you use, but also think about sharing listings onto social media too – There are some great estate agency TikTok accounts with agencies sharing video tours of property and the best ones are getting millions of views (all free of charge!).
Build your own communities: Another great way to attract attention to your estate / letting agency is to build groups on social media. You can easily set up groups on Facebook / LinkedIn, and these should be themed not on your agency brand (you should already have pages set up for you business), but on a relevant subject for example: Property for sale and rent in Essex or Landlord and Tenant discussions London or Creative Interior Design Tips for modern day apartments etc, etc…