Seven Ways Content Marketing Drives More Sales for Your Agency
Given the current financial climate and the challenges estate agents face, you might be tempted to cut your content marketing budget to save some cash.
Some already are.
I think that’s a big mistake.
And I’ll explain why.
Remember the first month of lockdown? I do – I sh!7 myself, thinking everything was over.
But then we saw the opportunity, and it’s an opportunity that has raised its hand again in this current financial climate.
We saw many agents put their content marketing on hold during lockdown.
But we saw it as an enormous chance to create MORE content for our members to fill the space left by their rivals losing their bottle (understandably, to be fair, but remember, downturns are all part of almost predictable cycles).
By stepping in and up when others were stepping out, you stand out far more than you would normally.
When the world entered the recession of the late 1980s, Nike played second fiddle to Reebok, which had a much more significant market share than the Just Do It crew.
To cut a long story short, Reebok slashed its marketing. On the other hand, Nike upped their marketing spend using something they’ve gone on to call the ‘Play to Win’ strategy.
Nike thought this was just a cycle, and by grabbing people’s attention during this tough period, they would be far better positioned to sell sports stuff when the good times rolled again. And they did – they now dwarf Reebok in terms of market share, brand recognition and stock market value.
The same happened to many agents who continued to market their services during lockdown and let people know they were still active and available. They, too, were playing to win.
Now don’t get me wrong, if your agency is in a position where it can’t survive the next three to six months due to cash flow and pipeline issues, do ALL you can to manage costs.
But if you have a longer-term vision for your agency, I suggest you ‘play to win’.
Here are seven reasons you should think very carefully before pulling the plug on your content marketing – even if it’s only in the short term.
Content marketing helps build brand awareness.
Content marketing is essential for building brand awareness in today’s digital age. By creating helpful, informative and trustworthy content, such as blog posts, social media updates and videos, you can establish yourself as the expert in your area and win the trust of your audience. This can lead to increased brand recognition, more referral business, and, ultimately, more sales.
Content marketing helps attract more leads.
Creating content that answers your target audience’s questions and concerns can help you attract more leads to your website and raise your social media profile. When people find your content helpful and informative, they are more likely to contact you when they are ready to buy, sell, rent or let a property.
Content marketing is cost-effective.
Content marketing is inexpensive compared to traditional advertising methods such as print ads, radio spots and billboards. It can also have a longer-lasting impact, as your content will remain online and accessible to potential customers for months or even years after publication. This means you can get more punch for your pound with content marketing than traditional advertising.
Content marketing can improve your website’s SEO.
Search engines love fresh content. So by consistently publishing informative content on your agency’s website, you can improve your site’s search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic. This can help you get more leads and, ultimately, more sales.
Content marketing helps you stay front of mind with your audience.
Remember the Nike v Reebok story and the experience and successes of the active agents during lockdown? This point is critical.
By regularly sharing helpful and informative content, you can keep your agency in front of your audience and remind them of your services. This can help you stay competitive and relevant in a crowded market and ensure potential customers think of you when they are ready to move.
Content marketing establishes you as a local property expert
Creating consistently educational and entertaining content helps you establish yourself as an expert. By sharing your knowledge and expertise, you position yourself as a thought leader and can gain the respect of your audience if you are doing it to help them make better decisions about selling or renting.
Content marketing can help you build a relationship with your audience.
One of the best things about content marketing is it allows you to build a relationship with your audience. By regularly (twice to three times a week) sharing valuable information and insights, you can build trust and rapport with your potential customers, resulting in more leads.
Yes, I’m biased because we’re a content marketing company. But we’ve learned that the way to deal with times like these is to keep showing up, being valuable and riding the wave until the economic cycle changes – just like Nike did.
Thanks for reading.
Jerry
PS: Fancy a free month’s trial of the Estate Agent Content Club and have all your agency’s content sorted each week? Send me an email with the postcodes you serve and a link to your agency’s website, and we’ll see if your areas are available for membership (we only work with non-competing agents).