I work a lot with those in the real estate market and I interact with people that work locally one on one with customers. But there are just as many that use online marketing successfully. Being able to combine both business aspects today is critical since working online is where business is being developed, due to higher increases of mobile access than ever.
I often get asked by real estate professionals who have traditionally done most of their marketing locally, using the age old contact list and one on one touches, how to move their small business online. Many are nervous, having never used online marketing before.
Not just for those in real estate but any small business, here are some starting tools that you will need to concentrate on and develop.
1. Website - Critical for any interaction and a strong development piece of your marketing plan. There are e-commerce sites that work on templates, like Shopify, so they are easy to create and will help you to customize, develop, and operate your site. Wordpress is also a great choice. Note to Real estate professionals- even if you have a page on your company website, you should have your own site. Critical for the future and to use the rest of these tips.
2. Search Engine Optimization - Mini e-commerce sites and WordPress style websites offer easy additional plug-ins that will help you create content that is imperative for your marketing online. Local keywords is especially important for real estate and local brick-and-mortar stores. Check out our additional tips on SEO for more on developing this key piece to your content.
3. Social Media Tools and Management - Interacting with your customers is important and social media will give you the ability to share content, interact, and develop leads in business. There are helpful tools, like Hootsuite, that allow you to automate of some of your posts but time should be allotted for personal interaction. Also tracking all of that engagement is important too!
4. Email Marketing - Having an email list so important, especially when it comes to online business. Choose an email list software to help. Some are even free to start, like MailChimp. Even if you are using email marketing software through your company, make sure that you are able to always have access to your own leads. This is another great use for your website. Easy to collect leads.
5. Customer Management Software - Having tools to track customer engagement or where you are in the marketing process can really help you know where you are in terms of marketing, contacts, sales, etc.
6. Cloud Storage for Documents - This makes it easy to access documents you wrote in the office but need in the field. Or to be able to keep images on file for whenever you need them on the go. Also makes it easy to have multiple team member’s access, create, and store documents, etcetera.
7. Content Marketing Plan -Having all of these tools means really nothing if there is not a plan and the content created to reach out and touch those that will become a client or customer. Plus solidifying and improving engagement for current customers is imperative too. Set aside time each week to create the content and spread it out during the week. Load your email messages too!
Moving your business online today is smart. You can have a developed small business that is both online and off-line successfully. Start with a plan of action and take steps to start developing your online marketing using the seven tips.