Traditional estate agent marketing consisted of mainly outbound (push) techniques, think direct mail and email shots, agency boards, telemarketing and traditional advertising,
whether in print, on TV or radio. These traditional forms of advertising take the product to the customer - whether they want to see it or not and can be seen in a negative light.
Forward thinking agencies are now looking more towards inbound (pull) techniques for their marketing spend, incorporating social media, online blogs and articles, white papers, online guides, videos and e-books - all of which are ways of bringing the customer to you.
Q: How does having a blog on your website help to bring customers through the door?
A: By answering their questions.
As much as 75% of a buying journey is now carried out online, before you even have the opportunity to speak to a potential client. In the specific case of estate agency this may mean potential buyers and sellers initially looking for advice online on a whole host of subjects connecting to buying and selling houses. From a seller’s perspective: When is the best time to sell, what should you look for in an agent, what puts potential buyers off, how long will it take, what do buyers want? From a buyer’s perspective: Advice for first time buyers, what is the process for buying a house, how to choose a conveyancer, local area guides - you get the idea…
If you can use your website content to answer questions when potential customers are still in their research phase, you can start a relationship with them, start to build trust and demonstrate your expertise. Having useful, authoritative content on your website which answers people’s questions will help to increase website visitors and regularly adding fresh content helps to make sure your site is regularly indexed by google, which is great for SEO. A well written blog which is created with search intent in mind will be naturally keyword rich and can be a great way of incorporating more specific, longer tail key words and phrases into your website.
A blog is a great vehicle for this and can be the perfect way to demonstrate the character and ethos of your business and demonstrate your expertise in a way which is designed to advise, inform and entertain visitors. Your blog content can also be used to fuel your social media channels.
So, what are the 5 best reasons your estate agency business needs a blog?
- Your blog can Bring leads to you (inbound rather than outbound)
- Answers potential customer’s questions when they want them answered (research phase)
- Positions your brand as an authoritative voice in your field (inspire confidence and start building trust)
- Improves your sites SEO (fresh content gives more indexed pages and is naturally keyword optimised)
- Provides useful, shareable online content (for both you and your followers)
This is by no means an exhaustive list but these are 5 of the most compelling reasons why we think Estate Agency businesses should consider writing a blog as part of their marketing strategy.
For more information on digital marketing for estate agents visit www.puresystems.co.uk/estate-agents and download our free, digital marketing guide for estate agents. To discuss how we can help you set up and maintain an effective blog - get in touch