When it comes to real estate marketing, often, the things that are the most amount of work are the same that make the biggest impact and get the best results. So, while most agents simply ignore doing those things, the agents that are really crushing it take time out to do them.
Here’s what the agents that are really succeeding online are doing, and doing well:
They Have a Robust Blog
For most agents, having a blog is seen as a real pain, and it’s obvious if you just look through any of their posts. A lot of agents have their most recent post as of a few years ago, while some have blogs have no content at all.
While blogging is certainly not easy, and takes time, the results of posting consistently are massive.
If you look at most of the websites of real estate agents that are successful online, chances are they have a robust, up-to-date blog with long-form, informative articles, and that’s not just a coincidence, by any means.
There are a lot of great reasons to have a blog: a) it gives you more opportunity to show up in search results for relevant keywords, b) it allows you to connect with your target audience about things they care about, c) it positions you as a “thought leader” in your market and to your audience, d) it gives you content to post on your social, newsletter, and elsewhere.
A lot of agents ask: how often should I blog? And the answer is: as often as you can. If you can write a blog post every day, do it. An investment in the time it takes to write informative blog posts is an investment in building the online strength of your business.
They Have a lot of Online Reviews
It’s amazing to see how many real estate agents have very few reviews online, or even worse, negative reviews that they haven’t addressed. Having a large amount of positive reviews can make a huge impact on the online presence of your business.
Online reviews are pivotal for 2 reasons: 1) they give you better exposure in search results, 2) they help when people are researching you before they’ve even reached out to you.
Want to learn more? I’ve written a post about why you need an online review strategy that you can read right here.
They Have a Great Lead Nurturing Plan
As an agent, you’re going to get hot leads, you’re going to get warm leads, and you’re going to get cold leads.
The point is, they’re all leads. While a lot of agents will just say that a cold lead isn’t really a lead, the successful agents have a large, and often complex, lead-nurturing plan in place to make sure that they keep in touch with those colder leads, and that when they are ready to make a decision about who to work with, they think of them.
They Have Well-Though-Out Procedures and Processes
A lot of the agents that are crushing it have very thought-out processes, which makes sense. As an agent, especially one with multiple years of experience, you should have documented processes built based on your experience, and you should be constantly tweaking it to make it better.
You should have processes built up around everything. What happens end-to-end when someone becomes a buyer; what happens end-to-end when someone becomes a seller; what happens end-to-end when someone becomes a lead; etc.
Not only does this provide your clients with a consistent service that you know they’ll be happy with, but it also makes it a lot easier as you grow your team. If you add more people, it’s much easier to hand them a document that tells them exactly what to do, and when to do it, when someone does become a client, rather than fumbling through an undocumented process that you think you remember most of.
Great agents run their businesses like clockwork. They know exactly where people are in their process, and they know what steps come next.
They Have an Up to Date CRM that They Actually Use
A lot of agents don’t have a CRM, or if they do, it’s in their head. Believe it or not, that’s true. But it’s not a very effective way to run a business.
While a CRM is often seen as a pain to update or to get people on your team to use, it’s absolutely pivotal in knowing the entire history of working with your clients and for onboarding new team members easily.
Most of the top agents have a CRM that they use effectively and consistently, and they have detailed records around everything their clients, and leads, have ever done with them.
They Work With Professionals
Smart, successful agents know what they’re good at, and more importantly, what they’re not good at. They know what they need to outsource and what they can do themselves. Every single thing that an agent puts out via their marketing is a direct representation of their brand, and it can make or break whether or not they get that next lead, referral, and deal. They also know that while working with a professional company isn’t an inexpensive option, it pays itself back if the work is done correctly and in line with what really resonates with their target audience.
It’s Work, But It’s Worth It
If everything above seems like a lot of work, that’s because it is. But doing so is absolutely worth it if you want to move your business forward.
Want to know more about what it’s like to work with the Artifakt Digital team? Download our ROI eBook and see how we’ve positively impacted both the businesses and bottom lines of some of North America’s top-producing real estate agents.
