Real estate is about relationships. No matter where you are in your real estate career, digital marketing can help you find the right customers to move your business forward. As Millennials and Generation Z take center stage in the housing market, they are going online to find the right agent for them.

The vast majority of your future clients will hear about you online long before they meet you in person, so it is essential to be where they’re looking. Content marketing is the key, the foundation of a humane and compelling brand. In short, it helps you build trust before you sit down across the table.

But most real estate agents don’t have time to research, write, and promote their own online content, especially when they’re first setting out. Add in social media management and email marketing and it can seem like an impossible challenge, one that will sap hours from your already busy weeks.

Luckily, you don’t have to do it all alone. Instead, you can leverage the power of your brokerage.

What Is Content Marketing and Why Are Brokerages “All In” on It?

Content marketing refers to regularly publishing useful, informative materials on your website. Content most often takes the form of a written blog or video storytelling. Its goal is to help your target audience answer a question or solve a problem so they can make informed decisions in the real estate market.

By creating content, you preview the value you can offer to your future customers. This enables you to position yourself as a trusted advisor and a local expert – the kind of person future clients can rely on, no matter if you specialize in working with buyers or sellers.

Brokerages understand that there’s only so much online traffic to go around, and much of it will come from searches for “homes for sale in [x].” So, all of today’s most successful state, regional, and national brokerages are doing some form of content marketing to attract that traffic.

Content marketing not only helps people but enables search engines to understand what your website is about and for. When brokerages capture this traffic, they have the opportunity to convert visitors into leads that are ultimately shared with their team of agents.

In the long run, most agents decide to start content marketing campaigns under their own brand. In the meantime, you can build your reputation by making the most of the content marketing your brokerage already does – strengthening yourself and the brokerage at the same time.

How You Can Start Using Your Brokerage’s Content Marketing Today

When was the last time you journeyed through your brokerage website the way a customer might? Take some time to look at it with fresh eyes. Poke around until you locate the blog, the social media accounts, and any email marketing list the brand offers. Then, try out these simple methods:

1. Reshare Brokerage Blog Posts to Your Online Following

If you’re not on social media as a real estate agent, you’re invisible. Instagram is the #1 network for real estate agents thanks to its visual focus, while LinkedIn can be great for luxury properties. And although Facebook has seen better days, it is still a good way to build a community of your former clients.

Whenever the brokerage puts up a new blog, you can share it with your social following to start the conversation. Keep track of responses to the blogs and follow up with those who seem interested.

2. Use Brokerage Content to Follow Up with Your Leads

Success as a real estate agent means finding ways to stay “top of mind” throughout the weeks or even months it takes for potential customers to make their move. If you’re already following up regularly by email and text, your brokerage’s content gives you even more value to share.

Text message marketing is becoming more popular in real estate by the day. Reading rate and response rate are higher than traditional email. When you notice brokerage content that fits in a lead’s interests, dash off a quick text to give them the link and let them know you’re in their corner.

To get more responses, end your text messages with a question.

3. Make Sure Your Contacts Are on the Mailing List

An email marketing list is still one of the most important resources you have. Email subscribers are more responsive than those who only follow on social media. Make sure your current contacts are subscribed to the brokerage email list. If you need to check on the status of a subscriber you haven’t heard from recently, sharing a relevant blog post is a terrific way to break the ice.

To grow your email list, make sure you’re capturing contact details from people who register for open houses and other events. Even if they ultimately don’t attend, you can still make a positive impression by sharing a video of the event, directing them to similar listings, and – yes – sharing brokerage blogs.

Brokerages often automate email marketing, using list segmentation to break up the list into smaller segments with particular themes – usually one for buying a home, one for selling, and one for home ownership. Request that subscribers you recruit get customized emails with your name and info.

Broker Not Doing Content Marketing Yet? Call New York Ave for Help

Agents don’t want to end up high and dry by starting their own digital marketing, only to discover it takes longer than they’d like to get results. It’s easier and more efficient when the brokerage uses its size and scale to pull in targeted traffic for everyone.

If that’s not happening, you have three options:

1. You could try to do it yourself. Of all the professionals active online today, real estate agents are the ones in the best position to turn content into real business opportunities, especially when social media becomes a big part of their strategy. But the process is time-consuming and dead ends are frustrating.

2 You could try to convince the broker. Relative to the commissions from just a handful of transactions per month, digital marketing costs pennies. But since there’s nobody in charge of content marketing, it’s a hard sell. That creates a catch-22 situation that’s hard to break out of.

3. You can talk to New York Ave. Our team understands brokers and agents. We help brokerages get going with digital marketing and see value fast. That includes professional blog writing and consistent promotion through social networks where buyers and sellers are waiting.

You know your future customers are already out there browsing homes. Content marketing is how you get them to stand up and take notice of you. Content lets you deepen the relationship for as long as it takes, even if your visitor is weeks or months away from actually diving in.

No other marketing asset has the same power.

Contact us today to find out more or get started.