According to Forbes,
the real estate market continues to make strides this year. There has been a
38% surge on new home sales since last year, and as of June, sales hit a
five-year high. While the market continues to recover this year, real estate
agents are seeking out new ways to market their homes and attract new business.
Below are some tips for agents to consider as they coordinate their marketing
strategies heading into 2014.
Get mobile friendly
Recent studies have concluded that SEO is going to take on
big changes in the coming months, the biggest of which will include mobile
searching. If your website is not already optimized for mobile searches, this should
be your first priority. In this day and age, nearly everyone has a smartphone,
and it is estimated that over 50%
of web users are searching with that device. Moreover, 61% of those mobile
searchers who land on non-optimized sites will immediately leave the page and
return to Google. In turn, this means
that Google will begin prioritizing mobile-optimized sites in search results.
It also means that sites that may have otherwise ranked highly for keywords or
inbound links will actually get demoted for not having mobile-friendly
compatibility.
Utilize Social Media
Most businesses have
jumped on board with social media because they acknowledge these outlets as
effective and efficient tools. Having both the ability to reach a wide audience
and be cost-effective, social media serves as a platform to increase your
audience and market your business. With so many social media sites available,
it’s important that you focus on the ones that will gain you the most
ground. If you’re looking to connect
with other agents or business professionals, LinkedIn would be a good option
for you. There are over one billion monthly active users on Facebook
and Twitter
alone, so you will likely find it easy to reach your clientele there. And if you’re looking to show off your
listings using social media, perhaps your best option would be Pinterest.
The primary purpose for Pinterest is the sharing of images, so its unique
appeal may be best suited for real estate agents.
Whatever stage you take to in the social media world, it is
imperative that you increase your presence there. Social media is expected to take
on more of a role in SEO. According to studies, Facebook and Twitter, among
other social media sites, are already influencing SEO results.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Perhaps the greatest
benefit of pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements is that you can get your site in
front of home buyers at the exact moment they’re searching for listings. Unlike
organic search results, these PPC ads give you more control over when and how
your ads show up. Because you tell the search engine what keywords to use,
which geographic areas to target, and what your ads will say, you are
essentially paying for the specific type of traffic that you want.
Videos
Statistics
show that 90% of home buyers begin their search for a new home on the Internet,
and as a result of these Internet home searches, 62% of these people walk
through a home that they viewed online. With such a heavy emphasis on Internet
real estate searches, real estate agents who want to convert those interested
parties into real home buyers need to improve their online presence. Videos are
a great way to do that. It has become increasingly popular to provide virtual
tours of your homes as it allows potential buyers to search for their dream
home without having to physically be there. This, of course, benefits you as
the agent as well for that very same reason.
Most Effective Marketing Strategies
Over the years, real estate agents have used a multitude of
tactics to build their business and market their listings. With the rapid
changes in SEO and the increasing usage of Internet searches, agents will have
to continue to adapt. Heading into 2014, real estate agents should focus on
making their website mobile-friendly, increasing their presence on social
media, utilizing pay-per-click advertisements when necessary, and providing
videos/virtual tours of their market listings.
If you have any questions about how you can improve your
marketing strategies in this growing real estate market, Paveya can help. We
have a team of experts in web design and development, SEO, social media, and
mobile marketing who understand the real estate industry and have been helping
real estate businesses large and small take their business to the next level. Call
us at 855-372-8392.
We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.
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