5 Ways I See Realtors Fail at Content Marketing

CopyPress

July 18, 2013 (Updated: February 2, 2023)

Let me state that realtors may explain a lot of the things I am going to explain in person to clients, but I don’t see many of them doing it online via content.

When people are planning on buying a home they do their research and the person who offers them the most valuable information often creates enough trust. This trust often helps people consider using the person that provided them with info for services. All business need to create information that their website visitors and potential clients need and are looking for.

The primary goal should be to create trust with potential clients. You want them to trust you, you want them to know that you are qualified and you want them to believe that you actually care about what is best for them. Here are a few places where I see realtors go wrong.

They Blog About a New Listing, but Not the House

I understand that realtors get a new listing and it is there job to promote the home as much as possible so they blog about the listing with supporting details from an MLS. I suggest that realtors go beyond the basic data about the house and add in personal details and thoughts that will appeal to the right buyer.

For example, let’s say there is a really great 4-5 bedroom home that would be perfect for a large family. What are moms looking for? Closet and storage space? A kitchen with enough cabinets and storage? A play room? When you describe the listing explain all the great benefits.

Put your personal opinions in your content regarding the things you like the most about the house. Perhaps the bedrooms aren’t really that large, but there is a ton of storage, a large family room, huge fenced-yard and a massive kitchen. Break down point by point what you like about the positives aspects of the house. State what you feel and believe. If you believe it perhaps a potential buyer will believe it to.

Don’t just give the basic details; make the home real. Create a want or need.

They Don’t Explain What New People to the Area Need to Know

When people move to a new area they often don’t know the ins and outs of the local environment. They may think they want a beach home, for example, yet have no understanding of what it would take to maintain one, what the salt water does to the home itself, storm protection, insurance implications, etc. However as a Realtor you may know these things. Break them down into blog posts and articles.

Start creating lists of what people need to know based on the areas they want/need to live in, such as golf communities, ocean view homes with sea walls, desert home, homes on a lake etc. Assume that people know nothing at all and it is your job to explain everything they need to know. You could create articles that break down everything people need to know or have series of articles. You can also use this information in multiple ways.

One other thing I really love about some real estate websites (and it helps with rankings as well) is when they break down everything one needs to know about different neighborhoods. Some sites just have lists of neighborhoods, but I like it when I can discover the history of it, see pictures, get info on playgrounds, school district info, HOA info and more. I wish, before I bought my current home, that I had this data in hand before buying.

School Districts are Listed, but They Don’t Give Needed Extra Info

School district information is important information. Many realtors have areas of their site that pull in the data about schools, but if you gather additional data on a school you can great a blog post, article or page about that school and always add a link to different listings, “more about this school.”

Important things parents want to know are school ratings, local thoughts or reviews from parents (you can link to them), any specialties they offer to children, school features, sports offered, pictures, etc. Fill parents in on everything. I also recommend creating pages on private schools as well. Offer families as much information as you can.

They Create Lists of Merchants, but Don’t Elaborate

Many real estate websites break down lists of restaurants, stores and attractions. These are great to have, but I suggest that you create content that is a little more detailed.

Why is a “restaurant A” so great? Do you have a favorite dish there? When is the best time to go? The restaurant will appreciate it and so will your readers.
Do you like a particular mall over another? Why?
Why is “park F” better than “park G”?
Tips for parking at a particular restaurant that is always busy?

Give them more than just a name. Tell readers why they should go to particular merchants and why you recommend them.

Final Tip

Take all the information you gather for content and create videos and infographics. Use them all in marketing and social media. You can also create informational books that can be given at closing or mailed/emailed to new home buyers based on their location, school districts and needs.

Melissa Fach

Melissa Fach has been in the SEO industry since 2007. She created her own agency, was the Managing Editor at SEJ, worked as an editor for Moz with their community team, she worked at Pubcon as the Community Manager for 5 years, and is an editor for SEMrush US Blog.