Consistency is key when it comes to maintaining your brokerage’s online presence. Content marketing is a great way to increase web traffic, and it caters to a broad audience—which means it gives your brokerage more exposure to prospects and clients. And according to the 2021 DNA of #CRE survey report, 76.8% of CRE marketers used content to maintain their brokerage’s online presence.
Here are the types of content they swear by.
Blogs have always been one of the main content assets in any marketing plan. According to the DNA of #CRE, 82.2% of CRE marketers used blogs for a stronger web presence—and for good reason. With blogs, you can share knowledgeable posts, insights, or even add links to other industry-related blogs and websites to demonstrate a high level of expertise in the CRE industry. A good SEO strategy also helps with generating more leads and building your brand.
That means, with every blog you publish, you can dive deep into a relevant keyword and make optimizations to rank for that keyword. In turn, your blog will appear in tons of searches that your target audience makes—at various stages in their journey. You can also let your brand personality shine through with a well-written blog to increase your brokerage’s reputation.
Pro tip: Write in a consistent brand voice. It will improve your writing and also help you become recognizable within your niche.
Newsletters are an effective way to maintain an online presence—and they’re cost-effective, too. So, it’s probably no surprise that 69.9% of CRE marketers used newsletters in the past year. Newsletters contain important news, industry insights, and information about the services you offer. You can also use your newsletter to promote your blogs—establishing yourself as a strong industry leader and building expertise, while maximizing credibility and confidence in your brand.
A newsletter is also a great way to take your brand marketing to the next level, as it can give your audience a broader picture of who you are and the services you offer. The key to more engagement is to have an eye-catching design and keep the copy catchy but straightforward. And be consistent. Sending newsletters at regular intervals is essential so you maintain strong relationships with clients by establishing and meeting expectations.
Pro tip: Keep a balance between imagery and text. A newsletter composed of too many images and GIFs can be challenging for readers to navigate.
As we mentioned in our previous blog, video reigns supreme. Whether they’re promoting listings or giving the brand a voice, videos have become a mainstay in CRE marketing strategies. In fact, 57.5% of CRE marketers used videos to maintain their brokerage’s online presence.
While written content has its place, video content represents your brand in a dynamic, highly digestible way—requiring less effort from your audience than a blog post or report. But you don’t have to make videos that focus exclusively on your brand. Producing CRE ‘How-to’ videos can help you establish your brand’s authority as a knowledge source. Clients will reward your efforts with their appreciation and trust.
The bottom line: Featuring a video on your website boosts your brand’s voice and improves conversion rates.
Pro tip: Hook your audience quickly. You only have three seconds before you lose their interest.
The 2021 DNA of #CRE survey report showed that 52.1% of CRE marketers used infographics. That’s likely because they allow your audience to view important data without the fluff. Infographics are also visually appealing and make complex information bite-sized and easy to read and digest.
You can even put a fresh twist on existing content assets that you have. For example, you can choose some of your older text-heavy blog posts and convert the points into an infographic. It’s a great way to develop fresh, interesting content—without a heavy investment of time and resources.
Since infographics are a great way to present complex ideas, it’s also a good idea to weave small infographics into your blog posts to improve engagement metrics and boost SEO value.
Pro tip: Minimalism works best. If you find you have too much information for one infographic, break it into multiple infographics—you’ll get more content out of the same effort.
Only 35.6% of CRE marketers used whitepapers to maintain their brand’s online presence. But they’re still crucial for several marketing functions—generating leads, increasing your brokerage’s profile as a thought leader, and having your brand stand out from the crowd. Whitepapers are one of the best possible methods for demonstrating your brokerage’s industry expertise, conveying that you know your stuff and can be trusted.
Unlike newsletters, whitepapers need to cover industry insights and solutions, rather than promote your brand. But it’s important to let people know who’s providing these solutions, so subtly mention your brokerage and what you do—just don’t go overboard. The key to a good whitepaper is not to sell but to provide genuine information, and if it’s good enough, people might come back to you when they’re in the buying process of their journey.
Best practice: Be descriptive and professional. A whitepaper is not the same as a blog—you’ll need to use a business writing style.
Maintaining your brokerage’s online presence is essential now more than ever to stand out from the crowd and establish your brand as an industry leader. In the 2021 DNA of #CRE survey report, 67.1% of CRE marketers noticed increased web traffic to their website after launching new content—these content assets are proven to work. All you have to do is add these assets to your marketing strategy—if you haven’t already—and keep the momentum going.
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To learn how Buildout can help you increase your brokerage’s online presence, generate more leads, and win more deals, get in touch with our team.
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