As a real estate professional, you know people are shopping for homes differently. The ease of looking online for properties makes old-school marketing efforts inept. In fact, one report from 2013 found 90% of home buyers searched for houses online as a part of their process — 7 years ago!

In this digital world, consumers get information they want quickly. If your marketing efforts don’t keep up, you run the risk of losing potential clients. Without those leads, you naturally won’t sell as many homes.

You can generate new leads if you take advantage of evolving digital marketing techniques. It’s critical to build relationships with those interested in the housing market. To close more sales, boost your online presence with the right marketing tools.

Earn Your Place with SEO

Online marketers should familiarize themselves with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Simply put, Google and other search engines have specific algorithms in place that determine where your website will show up in a search.

Obviously, it should be your goal to rank high. But there are no participation trophies when it comes to SEO. If you want to appear in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), there are a few important steps to take first and uphold later.

You should have a user-friendly website. It’s crucial to make sure it’s optimized for mobile devices, too. It’s estimated that by 2025, 72% of people will access the Internet through mobile devices. The first step to an improved search ranking is having a website that is easy to navigate.

Content also remains king in the world of SEO. Having fresh and relevant content that focuses on the user experience will grab Google’s attention. That said, don’t count out the importance of keywords within that content.

Choose the keywords people search for, especially locally, to give your business a boost. Use tools like Google Analytics to help determine which keywords rank and where you can make adjustments.

The higher your website ranks, the more likely it is that people will see it. Obviously, the more people see it, the more people will see which homes you list. They’ll also find more about you in general. Don’t ignore the importance of SEO when it comes to getting the attention of potential homebuyers.

Connect With Social Media

As a real estate professional, you know the importance of connecting with people in order to form relationships and gain their trust. Social media provides a unique opportunity to form those relationships before even meeting someone face-to-face for a showing.

Either your real estate company should have various social media accounts, or you should have a professional one for your own endeavors. Social media allows you to be less formal, and shows people that you’re a real human with a personality, not just a “business.”

It gives you the opportunity to answer questions, respond to comments, and offer prospective buyers a behind-the-scenes look at what you do. More than that, social media is a great place to show off properties, too. You can take pictures of houses, share special features, and even do live streams of a walk-thru or open house.

One of the biggest social media trends for 2020 is location-specific pages, which is perfect for the real estate industry since you likely work in a specific area. You can advertise on social media using a select target audience within that location, so you’ll hone in solely on the people in your area who want to buy a home.

If you’re not already taking advantage of social media, you can create a profile on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Once you’re establish, start connecting with people in your area who are interested in homes.

Take Advantage of Video

Video marketing continues to grow. In fact, 87% of marketers use it regularly as a tool, and many believe it to deliver the best ROI.

As a real estate professional, use video marketing to your advantage. For starters, you can create a fun animated video that’s almost like a “trailer” for who you are and what you do. A scripted video about yourself will capture attention and give people the information they need to know all in one place.

Once people know more about you and what you do, you can share videos of the homes you have for sale. Walk through them with people via video and share special features. You can also do live question-and-answer videos via social media. Or, share regular video updates on home buying and selling trends in the area.

In Conclusion

When it comes to online marketing for real estate professionals, connect with people on every level. Real estate is about more than just selling houses — it’s about forming relationships with buyers and sellers. Those relationships aren’t going to change, but how you develop them can shift when you start to take advantage of online marketing.

Author Bio: Jori Hamilton is a writer from the Pacific Northwest who enjoys covering topics related to technology, AI/Machine Learning, VR/AR Technology, Data Analysis, Cybersecurity, sociopolitical topics, and more.