Why Realtors Need to Market to Professional Referral Sources
Harsh title to this blog huh? Sorry about that but it had to be done. Every day I meet with Northern Viginia and Washington DC Real Estate agents and help them with their Real Estate Marketing. All facets of their marketing not just the technology side, but in the end it always come back to their HUB…their Real Estate website. This is when the questions start coming out as to HOW to do this…WHY doesn’t this happen…WHAT can I do here…and so on as it pertains to their website. In the end they feel defeated because the local Real Estate agent doesn’t know WHAT to do with their website and no one has showed them HOW to do it. This leads into the 5 reasons why Realtors don’t get found online in their Real Estate Marketing. Don’t worry…answers to these 5 reasons will be included.
Reason #1
They DON’T own their website and have very little control over it. If you pay another company $29.95, $100, 0r even $200 a month for your Real Estate website OR your company gave you a FREE site…I’m sorry to say that you don’t own your website. The problem is that your website is probably a template…so a copy of a copy and to add effective “content” you must reach out to someone else and have them add it to your site. If that is the case…how do you know if it is optimized correctly? It is one thing to have content on your site but if it isn’t optimized correctly it doesn’t do a lot of good. You need to be in control of your site be able to add content, blogs, and videos anytime you wish.
Cure: Own your own Real Estate website and full control over the content you add to it. Learn to optimize your content so that it can be found in a Google search by your “ideal client.” Get a WordPress website because it is easy to use and Google Loves WordPress.
Reason #2
They don’t have “time” to add the content necessary to get found online. I hear this ALL the time from Realtors….”this is great Wade, but when do I have time to do this?” When I meet with Realtors my goal is to make them smarter. Teach them skills that they never had previously. Not Real Estate skills…because in 2013 it isn’t about who is the best Realtor…its about WHO is the best marketer. If you ARE where people are looking and they find engaging and educational content…you will have business.
Cure: I don’t ask Realtors to do their traditional marketing AND create the online content, I tell them to replace what isn’t working with what does. So unload the marketing techniques that are outdated and what consumers don’t respond to and insert the methods that consumers DO respond to. This creates the time you need to learn the NEW way of marketing and get “found online” by the thousands of people each day looking for information about buying or selling a home in your area.
Reason #3
No Adaptation. Ever hear the phrase “adapt or die” or “survival of the fittest?” It very much applies to Real Estate Marketing. Majority of Realtors are still stuck in the past doing what they have always known to work for them in regards to their marketing. As we know, it doesn’t matter what profession you are in…change is the only constant. 1 year ago I didn’t have this website or know how to create effective content for the web and optimize it. Now I do…my role has changed so I must with it, or risk becoming a non-valuable person in my field.
Cure: Get educated. It doesn’t matter if it is Me, Brian Buffini, or Tom Ferry…they all will say the same thing. Take classes, watch videos, read blogs (like this one) and learn as much as you can. When you know better…you will do better. Motion creates emotion.
Reason #4
Their online content isn’t optimized correctly. Just having content on your website isn’ t the the whole thing…you have to optimize it correctly. I make the joke to my Realtor clients that writing the blog or adding a video is the easy part. There is an entire other process that happens AFTER I’m done to make sure that the information is optimized to the search engines correctly. Some Realtors add content to their website and stop there, but a small number of agents know what to do with that content afterwards so Google, Yahoo, and Bing can find it.
Cure: Begin with the end in mind. Know what key word or phrase you are trying to be found for then work backwards. Have a keyword strategy. Make sure you have the keywords and tag words in your blog/content. Add a photo and name it accordingly. Add a strong “meta-description” with your main keyword so everything lines up. If you are adding Video you have to do the same thing on YouTube then link it to your blog. Ask me for an appointment…I will teach you.
Reason #5
No one to teach them: This should be reason #1. They learn by falling forward so many times that they get frustrated and quit. Which is a normal response when people become super frustrated. Realtors get a lot of instruction on lead generation and how to touch their sphere, but not on “how to get found online” by people looking for homes for sale in their marketing area. They never get the proper training or instruction so their company website or custom website just sits there inactive. Content on your website is like gas to your car…without it…doesn’t work.
Cure: If you are not getting the training or information you need…CALL ME! I cost you absolutely no money and will sit down 1 on 1 and walk you through what you need to know to get started. I had help getting started…I had a TON of questions! This help made my learning curve small and now I feel comfortable in what I’m doing as it pertains to my website. I can help you as well.
Need Help?
My name is Wade Vander Molen and I am the Director of Sales and Marketing for Stewart Title. If you need help with ANY facet of your Real Estate Marketing please fill out the form below and tell me how I can help you. I will be in contact with you shortly!
DCTitleGuy
Director of Sales/Marketing at Stewart Title
My name is Wade Vander Molen and I am the Director of Sales and Marketing for Stewart Title in Northern Virginia/Washington DC.I work with Real Estate agents and Mortgage Lenders helping them grow their business with Outbound and Inbound marketing strategies. If you wish to meet and set up an appointment call me at 480-203-6452 or email at wvander@stewart.com
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