On the 390th episode of Mail Right Show, Jonathan Denwood, and Robert Newman provides tips to be a hyper-local real estate agent in 2023. Robert Newman, the founder, and CEO of the inbound marketing agency Inbound REM, has had tremendous experience in the real estate search engine optimization field for over a decade. On the other hand, Jonathan Denwood is a co-founder of Mail-Right, which builds beautiful websites on WordPress and combines a variety of digital tools into one convenient, user-friendly package. This episode highlights what realtors can do to maximize their resources, use local knowledge for their clients digitally, and find quality listings to help them stand out in the competitive market.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is widely impactful for an average residential real estate agent or broker. Search engine optimization (SEO) covers four quadrants: image library, traditional search, video (YouTube), and hyperlocal.
With the growing amount of influence and popularity, Google plays a role in determining your discoverability through searches such as “Realtor Near Me” or “Best Realtor in [city name].” A distinct search results section appears whenever you mention your profession and location. This unique set of search results is known as a hyper-local search pack containing relevant information about the person. Regardless of the market’s size, those who manage to secure a spot within the top three listings can expect a substantial boost in their business. But besides that, as a real estate agent, you also want listing calls, but how do you do that? Here are some tips for you to get listing calls and be a hyper-local real estate agent in 2023.
1. Local knowledge marketing using Social Media and Websites. Social media or websites is one way to become a hyper-local real estate agent in 2023. It serves as a platform to demonstrate one’s expertise in the field. When it comes to your website, you don’t need to update your webpage every month. You can wait for six months before making changes. A good example is creating a really good video and putting a section on your website that gets info from your page.
But you should remember that the emphasis should be placed on the real estate branding itself. Focusing on hyper-local marketing and showcasing expertise within the local market proves to be a more effective branding strategy than relying solely on flashy business cards or a coordinated website. Branding generally involves multiple aspects. First, it consists of building connections with individuals who interact with both you as an individual and your company’s business track record. Second, you make your agents capture appealing photographs.
2. Effective Utilization of Social Media. Keep your social media strategy simple. You want to keep everything in low time constraints but as impactful as possible. Use the same images across all platforms – use the same photos for Google My Business and videos. Ensure these videos conform to the specific platform’s size, length, and format.
A recommended strategy that connects to hyperlocal is a brief neighborhood tour lasting 10 minutes. This 10-minute video can be shared on YouTube, while a three-minute version can be posted on Instagram. Similarly, the same three-minute snippet can be featured on your Google My Business profile. The process only involves creating a single video, having one individual edit it into two distinct versions, and then uploading them onto different platforms.
3. Get credit for the video you post. Use the same email address for your YouTube and Google My Business channels. This way, you’ll automatically get credit on your hyperlocal profile for the videos you post, especially those geo-tagged. You can also post those videos to a community page and get the credit. This credit applies to your website, YouTube page, and hyperlocal signals sent to your Google My Business profile.
Why is this important? Google is a large company that gathers and tracks information. They keep track of your location, interests, and how people interact with your content. If they see you as an expert in your field and notice people engaging with your content, whether pictures or videos, there’s a strong chance your content will rank higher for specific keywords in certain locations. Google knows that you’re discussing particular locations, lifestyles, or real estate, and people are showing interest.
What does this mean for you? It contributes to your expertise, which can lead to higher rankings. This is particularly true for more established content, as part of the EEAT acronym that Google is operating its entire algorithm in 2023.
4. Use videos and podcasts to show your local knowledge and marketing position. To demonstrate your expertise in your local area, you can achieve this by connecting with influential people in your community or participating in various events, but digitally. Videos and podcasts have become popular in real estate, and podcasting is one of the newer and relevant methods of communicating with many people worldwide.
One effective approach to showing your local knowledge is to host a podcast inviting important people from your locality to discuss current events and matters relevant to your area. Engaging in these conversations can build your network and showcase your understanding of the community. Additionally, you can convey your familiarity with the local market and events through video content, further establishing your role as a knowledgeable local market.
Furthermore, if you’re already living in a house or property and want to tell others about it, you should consider it. Share with others why you love it so much! This is where podcasting allows you to connect to hyper-focused people.
5. Email Marketing and Postcards. Creating and sending a nice weekly or monthly newsletter is a great idea. You can include information about properties, stories of individuals you’ve helped, and updates about the community you’re focusing on. Whether it’s a large region, a particular property, or the type of buyer/seller, tailor your newsletter accordingly. Furthermore, as you build your email list, consider using it on platforms like Facebook and Instagram for targeted advertising. This can bring substantial benefits through focused marketing efforts.
Using postcards is also a creative idea. If you’re using postcard marketing, include your website address. Provide a simple way for people to sign up, clearly explaining that they’ll receive a list of upcoming events. You can also send postcards that strongly excitingly promote a YouTube video. You write down the video’s web address or a unique web address that takes people to the video, and then you tell a story through the video.
Combining physical and digital methods effectively is also a reliable approach to reaching an older audience. For example, if you want to connect with a community where most people are retired, how do you get into that community? You can follow the same steps you would in other places, but you need to come up with creative strategies. If you have a plan for YouTube, send a message on the postcard that discusses something valuable to that community, like topics related to retirement or growing older. This way, you can engage with them using postcards.
