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Geelong Real Estate Agents: 9 Content Marketing Ideas in 2023

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Like potential buyers and vendors, you probably have your own views about what lies ahead for the Geelong property market this year. Will the Reserve Bank increase rates further? Can inflation come back under control, and will supply chain issues finally be resolved?

Realistically, none of this is in your control. But you can show up, add value, educate and deliver for your prospects by taking the time to reflect on how to maximise content for your marketing plan.

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Why content marketing matters for real estate agents

 

SEMrush’s The State of Content Marketing report identified that the top content for real estate agents was a video (61%), blog posts, success stories/testimonials (39%) and how-to guides (39%).

Video continues to dominate content marketing by allowing you to showcase your personality and actively engage with prospects. Of course, agents can use video to list a property, but it can also show your personality and let people in behind the scenes. 

Show you’re a local expert

One of the most compelling reasons to have a clear inbound content marketing strategy is to help convey your expertise before the prospect converts to a client.

As you know, the sales cycle for many prospects is lengthy, so by educating and guiding them through content marketing, you position yourself as an authority, earning their trust.

Build real, genuine relationships with prospects

When you nurture your prospects effectively, you continue to build your leads for future business. 

Of course, with content marketing, you are reaching a much larger audience than you would with traditional methods. Whilst the power of increased paid or organic reach may be enticing, you must attract and connect with the right prospects.

Importantly, any content marketing you produce should include a call to action. It can be as simple as signing up for your newsletter or reaching out for an appraisal. 

Increase your personal brand

You know you can’t control what happens in the market, industry or the broader economy. But what you can do is, cultivate a personal brand when a prospect is thinking of selling, buying or renting, you come to mind.

When you have a strong content marketing plan, you build your personal brand. So when people think of which real estate agent can help them, they will remember you’re the local expert.

Get found easier in search

Similarly to this article, we are writing for you. You can rank higher in search engines by creating and publishing high-quality content that educates and helps your target audience. 

Maintain relationships with past clients

You can maintain relationships with past clients by regularly publishing insightful and topical content. Many of your past clients will be interested in the Geelong property market, so providing informative content will help you stay top of mind.

So how do you maximise your content marketing?

Well, in this article, we’ll share proven strategies, tactics, and trends to be rewarded for your marketing efforts in 2023.

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But wait, isn’t real estate marketing all relationships and referrals

Successful real estate marketing is built on exceptional customer service and referrals from past clients. Connecting with people and building relationships is the core aspect of marketing yourself as an agent. 

So you may think content marketing is to get more clients today.

But you should take a longer-term view of content marketing and building a solid personal brand. 

That way, when prospects find you on social media or land on your website, they can see valuable content, read testimonials and understand more about you as an individual and how you work.

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How to get started with content marketing

 

Understand your target audience (prospects)

The first step to creating a thriving content marketing strategy is to be aware of your ideal customer or prospect. 

Who are you trying to reach? 

As they say, if you market to everyone, you reach no one, so take some time to reflect on who is your ideal prospect.

You should consider both demographics and psychographics. Things such as their age, life stage, and income levels but, more broadly, their goals, beliefs and values.

One of the easiest ways to find this information is deep diving into any existing customer information you hold, reading online forums, Facebook or LinkedIn Groups. 

And you can also look at what your competitors and peers are doing. For example, is it clear in their content marketing who they are targeting? Can you identify their audience and read comments on their content to see what is on the mind of your audience?

 

Goals are essential but developing a strategy with tactics is vital

Are you targeting buyers and vendors? If so, you will need a mix of content that addresses their particular needs. 

But no matter what you choose, your content needs to align with the audience you serve. And where your target audience hangs out. 

If you’re focused on first-home buyers, they are more likely to be Gen-Z or Millennials so it could be TikTok or Instagram. But if you want to concentrate on empty nesters and downsizers, then Facebook is a better fit. 

And B2B marketing is preferable on LinkedIn to YouTube if you’re in commercial real estate.

To go deeper, be sure to check out this detailed article on developing a content strategy from HubSpot. 

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Consistency

How easy is it to stay consistent? 

Will you post three Instagram Reels and Tiktok videos daily? 

You will probably find creating what makes you happy or enjoy doing it, and you will stick with it. 

If you enjoy creating short-form videos, doubling down on Reels and TikTok is the way to go. But if you prefer writing, writing articles for your agency’s blog, LinkedIn or Medium, that may suit you better.

Alternatively, you may enjoy deep diving into data and trends, so sharing insights as infographics on Twitter or Instagram might be more appealing. 

Either way, identifying your strengths and enjoyment will help you stay consistent. 

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Types of content marketing for real estate agents

 

1. Get started with video marketing 

Video content marketing will continue its upward trend. Video engages your prospects in a way photos and blogs can’t. It captures their attention and emotion with rich visual storytelling. 

You have known for years, from shows like Better Homes and Garden to Selling Houses Australia, that Aussies love shows about real estate. 

With vertical video here to stay, producing short-form videos is crucial to your content marketing strategy. Consider how you get to create simple, relatable and helpful videos with just your phone…you don’t need to invest in fancy post-production software (though we can help you with that).

You can use the in-built tools in Instagram, YouTube or TikTok to create compelling content in a matter of minutes.

Videos with great engagement on TikTok may receive extra attention on LinkedIn.

 

Here are a couple of topics and ideas to get started with video:

• Answer FAQs or common objections 
• Local neighbourhood guides
• Suburb market updates
• Regional property news 
• BTS at an auction (what do you need to know)
• Interviews or Q&A with prospects about the process
• Lifestyle guides about regional facilities 
• Locals sharing what they love about their suburb or town

Many outstanding agents created long-form videos on YouTube during lockdown such as walkthroughs of their listings. 

 

2. Create hyperlocal neighbourhood guides

Publishing neighbourhood guides that include videos and photos can go a long way to helping buyers who are new to the Geelong region. You can find inspiration on sites like Compass, a US-based agency. 

3. Stay on top of social media

We could hardly write an article about content marketing without mentioning social media…and it’s likely this is one you’re doing…at least some of the time. 

But for many busy agents finding the time to keep up with planning and posting can be challenging without help. 

You can use many free tools to help schedule your content, and Influencer Marketing Hub has compiled its top 8 to get you started. And instead of posting your new listings, focus on tips about buying property, the neighbourhoods you operate in or other ways that educate your audience. 

4. Write blogs and long-form articles

You’re familiar with blogging or creating rich educational content on your website. But, if you still need to start, consider what potential vendors and buyers often ask you. 

A first-home buyer will undoubtedly be interested in educational content around the home-buying experience, whereas a subsequent buyer may be looking for information about property investment. 

One quick and free way is to use Google Search Console to see what queries people are typing into the search bar that results in Google serving your website as the answer (known as an Impression). 

This can help you better understand your ideal client’s intent and what keywords could be worth exploring for content. 

 

Another way to find content ideas is using Google.

 

For example, let’s say your prospect, a first home buyer wants to know how to calculate stamp duty. You can use Google to see what other questions people are asking by using the auto-suggest feature (see below).

Not only that, but once you select a search on the results page, you will find a section called People Also Asked. It is a great place to see more content you can answer as Google is telling you what people are searching.

Another way to source questions people are asking is by using tools like Keywords Everywhere, Ubersuggest or SEMRush. Many offer a free trial or freemium model where you can quickly identify relevant keywords that your prospects are searching for. 

But here’s the thing, you need to ensure your blog or articles are optimised to drive traffic. 

 

We suggest you keep the following in mind when writing a blog:

 

• Include an image or video in your post. Clearly, nobody wants to read long chunks of text, so inserting photos or videos in your post will improve engagement and visual interest.
• Ensure you include internal links from your website to the content. If we are talking about real estate photography, we will link it to our service page. Links help Google more broadly understand your website and when it could assist someone searching for “Geelong Real Estate Agents”.
• Leveraging topic clusters around your pillar page. For example, you can build a pillar page called “Beginners Guide to Selling Your Home” and then, in that post, link out to other posts around topics that go deeper (e.g. How to choose a real estate agent or how much is the average sales commission for a Victorian agent).
• Pay attention to your meta title and descriptions; they should create curiosity and offer compelling reasons why someone searching should click on your content.
• Finally, publishing a blog post isn’t enough. To drive traffic, you must actively promote your content across social media and email lists.

 

5. Publish an ebook

You could publish an ebook that brings together articles or blogs about similar content. If you have been creating cluster topics around your pillar page, package this information into an easily downloaded ebook.

You can use many free tools to make an ebook, including Canva or create a simple PDF in Google Docs. 

Once you have created your ebook, you can use it as a lead magnet to help encourage opt-ins for your newsletter. And with an ebook, a parent can share it effortlessly with their child who may be interested in buying this first home…so be sure to include your contact information.

6. Build checklists, and how-to guides

Pre and post-inspection checklists are a fantastic way to offer a valuable tool. Many agents use a checklist to help buyers consider all the steps in purchasing a home. Things could include obtaining finance pre-approval, locating a conveyancer or arranging a building inspection. 

Other checklists we have seen include a property inspection checklist which helps the home buyer stay on track with what’s important to them in a property. You know it’s easy for a buyer to get overwhelmed during an inspection, but with a checklist, things that are crucial to them remain top of mind. 

And post-inspection, when deciding between properties, they can refer back to the checklist to remember each home’s different aspects, features and highlights. 

7. Infographics improve your content

You can use infographics to explain something with a single image that can be easily shared. Infographics are a visual and engaging way of communicating complex topics or data, so it’s understood. 

Infographics are a powerful way to illustrate steps in the home-buying process. For example, create an infographic that shows a checklist for inspecting a potential investment property.

You highlight things that an investor should consider as they inspect, and at the bottom, include your agency’s name and contact details.

8. Case studies show your value

Case studies can be helpful for property investment as they show real-world examples of past experiences. In addition, they can be powerful in building trust and how your service can help clients achieve their investment goals. 

9. Testimonials build trust with prospects

Both written and video testimonials help build your brand by showcasing your past success. In addition, a testimonial establishes your credibility and social proof making an emotional connection with prospects. They are vital to helping guide a prospect to engage with you and help address any niggling concerns they may have.

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Here’s how to maximise your content marketing efforts

You can maximise your marketing by repurposing your content, saving you time and costs whilst reaching a wider audience. 

This way, you can identify which works best for the audience you’re trying to reach.

Let’s say you have published a YouTube video about the current Geelong property market. This video can be repurposed as a:

• YouTube Short, TikTok or Instagram Reel, highlighting key moments
• Blog post using a video transcription service and optimised for SEO
• LinkedIn article or post
• Tweet for a key quote or as an image for Instagram or Facebook

 

Now that’s to get you started. If you want to go deeper, we recommend this article by Gary Vaynerchuk on creating 64 pieces of content.

 

Warning: Content Marketing Traps

Remember your goals for content marketing. It’s easy to think your efforts are productive by creating Instagram Reels and TikTok but failing to review your results means you may not be using the most effective method to reach prospects. 

We have found an excellent way to stay on track by asking ourselves whether this piece of content leads us closer to our goals. 

How does this Reel, blog or video help achieve your targets? 

Content marketing can be a powerful tool to attract and retain clients. By creating and distributing engaging and valuable content, you can build trust, improve your organic search results, generate leads and stay top-of-mind with past clients.

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Need video or photos for your content marketing?

We can help you with visuals for your content marketing, from headshots to lifestyle drone footage and video. 

To learn more about setting yourself up for success this year, call Kara or contact us.

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