You keep hearing that you need to optimize your web presence, take stunning photographs, write brilliantly entertaining listings, and create regular blog posts to generate leads. The problem is that you are a busy professional who is expert is selling real estate, but not necessarily a web programmer, videographer, or a professional writer. You need to spend time with your clients rather than fiddling with HTML encoding and photo editing software. Hiring contractors for specialized marketing activities allows you to create a high-quality web presence while focusing your time on what you do best, working with your clients. Follow these tips to use contractors or freelance experts to create more effective marketing.
Create a viral humor video. You don’t need to be a famous actor, hilariously funny, or a skilled videographer. Reach out to a YouTuber who specializes in funny viral videos for help. Fun viral videos include spoofs on homes that are missing a few key elements in their descriptions, like the angry grizzly bear occupying the hot tub or the home with the scenic view of a neighbor’s garage. Create titles like “10 Worst Home Selling Fails” or “How to Scare Off Home Buyers.” Include links to your site and let the likes and shares drive clients to you.
Write listings that sell. Hire a talented writer to create listings that tell a story and appeal to the emotional side of your buyer. It’s not just pictures that sell a home and not everyone is visual. A good writer can generate listings optimized for search engines, using just the right words to generate clicks. As an added bonus, a professional writer will proofread carefully, so you won’t have that sinking experience of spotting a typo or grammatical error just after the listing goes live.
Sign up for Zillow. With over 135 million visits every month, this is a great way to establish an online presence. According to the National Association of Realtors, Zillow is viewed by over 90% of buyers. Sign up with their Premier Agent service to generate higher commissions.
Maintain a regular blog. Regularly posted original content improves the page ranking of your site. Hire writers to create insightful weekly blog posts about new neighborhoods, master-planned communities and home sale or purchasing tips.
Help with a how-to video. Buyers and sellers always look for advice on how to handle real estate transactions. Don’t let them leave your site to find answers. Hire a video pro to create informative shorts on topics such as home staging, pricing, and mortgages.
Hack Google Adwords. Google Adwords can lead potential clients to your site but if you don’t make the right choices you won’t get the best return for your marketing dollar. Hire a specialist who can analyze relevant data and help you choose keywords that get results.
Find clients with Facebook. Over ten percent of the time people spend online is spent on Facebook. Use a social media expert to coordinate a Facebook advertising campaign with a well-constructed Facebook page to reach potential clients in your area.
Produce a buzz-worthy email newsletter. A regular newsletter with informative and engaging content and click-worthy subject lines can keep you in the thoughts of colleagues and clients. A contractor can write, format, and distribute your newsletter for you, including new property listings, recent sales, area events, and useful resources. Let your contractor know of any special elements you want included in an issue or if you are very busy, just sit back and have someone else do the work for you.
Start a drip campaign. A drip marketing email campaign is pre-formatted to help build a relationship with your potential buyers and sellers. Have a professional create a set of templates which you can modify as needed so you can set your campaign on auto-pilot.
Every task you can outsource to a contractor means more time to focus on your core business. Keep your eye on this space for more tips about how to find, hire, and set pay rates for freelancers for your marketing needs.
