Most people start their move online even before they’ve chosen a real estate agent. The internet allows homebuyers and sellers the luxury of hiding behind their computer screens and dipping their toes in before diving head first.
So if potential clients are searching the internet, should agents be visible online?
Yes. But the opportunity is not as straightforward as you might think.
When you’re leveraging Google to increase your business, some strategies work and others fall flat.
Below, we’ve broken down the three steps to take before embarking on a Google advertising campaign, along with three Google advertising venues to consider as you launch.
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3 items to weigh before advertising on Google
1. The destination
Too many agents jump on the Google bandwagon and sign up for advertising before considering where those ads will send people.
If your website isn’t set up to engage with leads, there’s no point in running the ads in the first place.
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You most likely put a lot of thought into which properties you’ll show clients before dragging them all over town. How are your website interactions any different?
2. Value in cyber-space
Just like you match clients’ specific needs with their most ideal property, consider your website users’ needs.
Provide value through your website before even getting your clients in the car.
If you have unique expertise in a specific market niche, offer this specialized advice online. Give your site users the kind of knowledge they can’t find on Zillow, Trulia and the like.
3. Softening your sales pitch
When re-tooling your website, refrain from putting up a “lead gate” — such as showing users three listings and then blocking them from getting any more information until they fill out a form.
Employ softer approaches to capturing leads, such as offering market newsletter sign-ups, then layering harder asks on top of that.
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Now that you’ve gotten your site in order, it’s time to think about showing it off. You’ve put a lot of time, effort and possibly money into making it useful to real estate searchers in your area. Why not use the power of digital marketing to bring new clients and opportunities your way?
With the invention of Google AdWords, advertisers have more control over who sees their online ad — and when they see it.
After writing their ad, advertisers may choose the search terms (called keywords) that will make their ad appear next to the related Google search results.
After setting a budget, which helps determine the campaign’s reach and staying power, advertisers can set a bid, which determines how often the ad appears next to the related search results to help secure the top position.
The best part is that you only pay for the ad when the internet searcher clicks on it.
It sounds simple, but there are many ways to maximize results and ensure that unqualified clicks are not eating up your Google AdWords budget. Here are some of the few Google components real estate agents especially should know about.
3 ways to advertise with Google
1. Google display network
This option matches your Google AdWords campaign with a variety of websites that are relevant to what you’re selling. An agent’s ad would ideally be matched to sites attracting those interested in the real estate market.
You can get creative by incorporating text, image, video or click-to-call technology.
2. Emailed sponsor promos
If you use Gmail, you’ve seen Gmail ads, which appear at the top of the promotions tab. This is a great opportunity to encourage users to sign up for a newsletter or visit your site.
3. Dynamic search ads
This option can help you fill in the blanks for keywords you might have missed manually. It targets specific searchers automatically through generating ads and keywords based on the content of your landing page.
It can help you get in front of searches concerning multiple cities, neighborhoods or ZIP codes, acting as a catch-all without you needing to input a lot of manual information to reach every area.
The real estate buying and selling process has integrated into online platforms. To optimize business and handle new media, follow these tips and consider leveraging your position with a thoughtful Google campaign.
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Agents now have the ability and resources to adapt to the online marketplace; the trick is crafting the right campaign to reach the right audience.
Logan Bennett is vice president of search for Logical Position, an Inc. 500, Premier Google Partner with offices in Oregon, Illinois, Nevada and Texas. The agency was founded in 2010 and offers full-service PPC Management, SEO and Website Design solutions for businesses large and small.
