Boost Your Local SEO and Google Business Profile with This Simple Hack

What's the Hack?

Local SEO is crucial for small businesses (e.g. real estate agents, teams, and firms) aiming to attract customers in their immediate vicinity.

One simple but often overlooked strategy is adding your business location to your website's title tag. For example, if you're a REALTOR® based in Nashville, your full title tag might read something like “<title>Jane Doe Realty - Nashville, TN</title>.”

How to Do It

The good news is that implementing this tip is easier than you might think. You don't have to be a coding expert to make this change. Simply navigate to your website's settings and look for the SEO section. From there, you can update the title tag to include your business location.

And by “title tag,” I simply mean the title you see at the top of your web browser when you visit a website. Don't let the term “tag” confuse you—it's really just your website's title!

Why It's Important

By incorporating your location into the title tag, you're giving Google more context about your business. Google's algorithms use this information to rank your Google Business Profile in local searches.

So, when someone Googles "Best Realtor in Nashville," your business is more likely to appear in the coveted "map pack" at the top of the search results. For those unfamiliar, the map pack is that small boxed area featuring a map and local business listings, a prime spot for local visibility.

The Bottom Line

This small change to your website's title tag can have a significant impact on your local SEO strategy and, by extension, your Google Business Profile.

The “Why” Behind What You Post: Going Beyond Checkbox Marketing

In the hustle and bustle of running a business, it's easy to get caught in what I like to call "checkbox marketing."

You know the drill: Post a video on Monday, an article on Wednesday, and maybe throw in some Instagram stories throughout the week. You're ticking-off the tasks, but is your passion really in it?

The fact is, if your content doesn't excite you, it probably won't excite your audience either.

So try this… Instead of asking yourself, "What do I need to get posted today?" try shifting the question to, "What does my audience need to hear from me today?"

This simple switch in perspective can make all the difference. It moves you from a self-focused mindset to an audience-centric one.

Three Quick Tips:

• Before crafting your next piece of content, pause and identify the core message you want to convey.

• Consider the problems or questions your audience has (or is likely facing in the marketplace) and address those.

• Test and measure the response, and then refine your approach based on real-world feedback.

So, for example, don't just post a home tour because it's on your to-do list. Share a tour that dives into what your audience really wants to know, whether that's insights into lifestyle choices, market trends, or the buying and selling process.

By focusing on what your audience needs to hear, you're not just checking boxes—you're building a brand that relates and resonates.

Every Video Counts: Are You Building a Brand or Just Filling Space?

The pressure to produce video content is real. Whether you're diving into TikTok, YouTube, or Reels, you're faced with a crucial choice: Will your next video enhance or erode your brand?

Why You're Here: Purpose Over Pressure

Before you even think about hitting "Publish," ask yourself: "What's the purpose of this video?" Your content should align with your brand's mission and values, not just fill space.

The Impact of Different Video Types: It's Not Just About Format

• Reels, Shorts, & TikToks: With shorter viewership time, every second counts. Be purposeful in your messaging to prime viewers for deeper engagement. Otherwise, those views are fleeting and won't contribute to meaningful brand-building.

• Long-Form YouTube (On Demand): Here's where you can go in-depth. Leverage SEO to align your content with the queries and intent of viewers who are actively searching. This isn't just about views; it's about meeting a need and establishing your brand as a go-to resource.

By understanding the nuances of different video types, you can better strategize how each piece of content serves your brand's larger mission. Make every frame count. 🎥

Your Tactical Takeaways

• Plan, Don't Panic: A well-thought-out content schedule is a helpful sidekick.

• Quality, Not Quantity: A few great videos beat a flood of forgettable ones.

• Consistency Without Compromise: Stick to a posting schedule, but never at the expense of quality.

So, what are you building? A towering brand or a forgettable facade? Each video is a chance to build something lasting. Make it count.

Why Squeaky Wheels Don't Deserve the Grease: A Lesson in Focused Energy

You're standing at the crossroads of your day, armed with goals, dreams, and a to-do list that's brimming with potential. The question isn't just what you aim to accomplish, but WHO or WHAT you'll let divert your path.

Think about it: are you going to spend your precious time arguing with someone who never sees your point of view, or will you engage with mentors, friends, and projects that enrich your life and push you closer to your goals?

Personally, one of my guiding principles in both life and business is to focus my energy where it's most effective. I've encountered situations where it would be easy to get sidetracked by demands or expectations that don't align with my business or goals.

Instead of diverting my course to fit square pegs into round holes, these instances serve as reminders. They prompt me to apply even more “grease” to the good wheels—i.e., those relationships and endeavors that create mutual value.

Instead of diverting my course, however (trying to force a square peg into a round hole, so to speak), these instances serve as a reminder to apply even more "grease" to the good wheels—i.e., those relationships and endeavors that are mutually beneficial to me, my business, and all parties involved.

So my advice is simple but transformative: Pour your energy into the wheels that move you forward, not the squeaky ones begging for grease.

Don't waste your emotional and intellectual bandwidth on tasks or people that drain your spirit. Instead, allocate your resources to relationships and endeavors that not only make the journey worthwhile but also accelerate your progress.

Remember, it's not the squeaky wheels that need your attention—it's the wheels that actually get you to where you want to go.

Reclaiming Confidence: The Power of Positive Feedback

Doubt is the greatest enemy of every true professional. It undermines your drive, clouds your vision, and dilutes the integrity of your mission. 

Would it help if you knew about a powerful tool to shatter self-doubt? Because you have one: It's called positive feedback.

If and when you find yourself lacking in confidence, revisit your past customer reviews to reclaim your resolve and to be reminded that the work you do matters!

And don’t stop there: go the extra step and contact the folks behind those words. After all, feedback is a two-way street.

Then… Wait and see what happens next...

Your Network, Your Net Worth: The Power of Your Network

👉 66% of Americans own homes.

👉 Approx. 8.5% move annually.

👉 More than 91% use an agent to buy/sell.

👉 The average person knows about 150 people.

So the potential of a 500-person database is…

500 (Your database)


x 150 (Dunbar's Number)


x 0.66 (Homeowners)


x 0.085 (Annual movers)


x 0.91 (Those using an agent)

Result:

≈ 3,500 sales per year.

Roughly 1/2 of buyers and 2/3 of sellers find an agent through repeat business or referrals. In real estate, you might say your network equals your net worth! MARKETING IS MATH: your database is an untapped goldmine.

But don't assume you're the only contender. You're either the agent-of-choice or an agent-of-chance — and chance rarely deals the winning hand.

Consider this a thought exercise. These numbers are a theoretical maximum, but they underscore the immense potential that’s within your reach.

Now’s the time to make every connection count!

F1 Marketing Formula: Accelerating Your Marketing Performance with Repetition, Saturation, and Familiarity

Marketing is a never-ending race; winning takes more than just one perfect lap. You’ve gotta keep hitting the track, lap after lap 🔂 – repeating the process because the RESULTS are in the REPETITION. Here's why repetition is vital in marketing:

• FREQUENCY: The more often people see and hear from you, the more likely they are to remember you. For example, the Rule of 7 suggests that a potential customer needs to encounter a marketing message at least seven times before taking action or making a purchase decision. One video, postcard, or email won’t suffice; but a bunch of ‘em will put you in front of the competition.

• SATURATION: "I see you everywhere!" That's the magic phrase of marketing because it signifies that you've captured the majority share of your target audience's attention. When your business taps into this "I see you everywhere!" effect, it generates word-of-mouth and establishes you as the clear front-runner in the marketplace. Settling for mere slivers of awareness means missing out on the concentrated impact and buzz that comes from reaching your entire audience.

• FAMILIARITY: "Frequency leads to awareness, awareness to familiarity, and familiarity to trust. And trust, almost without exception, leads to profit." (Seth Godin) With trust, you become unstoppable, but without it, you're unsellable. So instead of solely focusing on pursuing leads who are actively in the market, consider the bigger picture. Aim to build your business and brand with the entire market, not just those seeking an immediate transaction. By doing so, you position yourself as the pacesetter and front-runner when the time comes to buy, sell, invest, or refer.

With these elements in place—repetition, saturation, and familiarity—your marketing will become an irresistible force, driving you past your competitors and across the finish line.

Easy Script to Set Customer Expectations for Google Reviews Before Officially Asking

In today's business landscape, customer reviews are mission-critical – they're effectively the proof that your services are worth hiring. And when it comes to online reviews, Google reviews are the kingpin.

Even if you hit it off with a prospect at an open house, they're still likely to Google you at the first opportunity. That's why setting the expectation upfront about the importance of customer reviews is crucial. It not only demonstrates your commitment to providing top-quality service, but by setting the expectation upfront, you effectively prime the customer to make good on their implied commitment when you formally ask for a review. Don't leave your business’s reputation to chance.

So set the stage for customer reviews ⭐️ from the get-go! Plant the seed of expectation with opening scripts like: 

“I’m honored you chose me as your agent and am committed to delivering top-quality service, worthy of a 5-star (Google) review!”

The Non-Negotiable Tasks for Achieving Business Success

Certain tasks are simply non-negotiable when it comes to achieving success in this business.

You know the drill:  work your leads, crank out the videos, answer the phone, keep in touch with your clients/contacts, post engaging content, ask for those all-important reviews, send out value-packed emails, and follow-up relentlessly – WASH🧼// RINSE🚿// REPEAT🔂

It’s a lot to do… But if success was a cakewalk, everyone would be eating cake at the top. Sadly, though, not everyone’s living the “sweet life” of a top producer.

Emerson put it best:  "Do the thing(s), and you shall have the power.” The question is, are you ready and willing to do thething(s)? If yes, then get after it!—do the work and reap the rewards, because the RESULTS are in the REPETITION.

The Science of Logic & Emotion in Marketing: Why It Matters and How to Use Both

It's important to remember that your Sales and Marketing must appeal to both the EMOTIONS and the LOGIC of your customers. No exceptions! Research has shown that customers make decisions based on a combination of both.

Having said that, studies have found that emotional campaigns outperform rational campaigns by almost 2 to 1 and that emotional factors also play a significant role in driving customer loyalty and recommendations. However, it's also important to note that customers who make purchases based solely on emotions are far more likely to be disappointed later on. So… It's essential to strike a balance between emotional appeals and logical factors in your messaging.

And the idea isn’t to use logic and emotion as separate tools. Like once you satisfy some made-up, minimum requirement of logic, it’s all emotions from there on out. Nope, to the contrary, the objective is to seamlessly integrate both throughout your efforts in a natural and authentic way.

Using only logic in your messaging, for instance, can come across as cold and unfeeling, while relying solely on emotions can be seen as manipulative and lacking substance. For example, a market update video that focuses solely on presenting facts and stats is less likely to prompt action compared to one that incorporates a bit of emotion.

Remember, it's never just one or the other - it's gotta be both!

From Novice to Expert: Embracing the “I Don't Know” Moments in Real Estate

What do you sell?

If you’re familiar with my content, you’ve heard me ask that question over-and-again. Most agents say they sell houses or themselves, but those answers won’t do. Customers hire you, ultimately, on the basis of your expertise—that is, their perception of your ability to get the job done satisfactorily.

You know today’s marketplace demands high levels of creativity, persistence, and passion to help buyers/sellers succeed. They know it too!—and so they’ll look/listen to the “knowledge broker.”

With that said, you may hesitate to share your insights or opinions (on video, or elsewhere) due to the fear of being wrong. But consider that true experts are often those who faced and embraced the most “I don't know” moments. Through perseverance, seeking answers, and learning from mistakes, they became leading authorities.

Novices just do nothing:  nondescript, neutral, nonproductive. It’s like Zig Ziglar said: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."

Unleashing the Power of Text Messages for Real Estate Marketing

You know that effective marketing is all about sparking conversations that ultimately lead to appointments. And so… it’s only logical (🖖) to utilize communication channels that naturally incite dialogue. Like text messages! Text messages garner unparalleled read and response rates!

Whether following up with leads, reaching out to personal contacts, or sending market info to prospects, texting has become a ubiquitous and effective channel to connect with customers.

Notwithstanding… When texts go unanswered, the lack of response can be louder than words. If that’s you, try adding a question mark at the end of a text message. A recent EZ Texting reported that texts with a “?” at the end garner an increased response rate of 171%.

P.S. It's important to be mindful of any/all regulations that impact SMS marketing. Just throwing that out there :D

Mastering Real Estate Marketing: The Ultimate Acid Test

Let’s say you’re on the phone with a sphere-of-influence contact or you casually cross-paths one day—who brings up real estate? Is it you or them? If you ask me, that’s the ultimate acid-test 🧫 of your marketing and brand-building efforts. If done correctly, your marketing and branding should keep your contacts “warm” so that they think of you first for all-matters real estate.

What’s more, it can be challenging to steer your 1:1 conversations towards real estate. “Oh, before I let you go Bob, are you or is anyone you know planning a real estate move any time soon?” Bob’s internal voice is like, “Oh, now I see the real reason why you called.” 😑

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there’s never a time to be direct or ask for the business. However, effective sales is about earning the right to make a recommendation, as Phil M. Jones puts it. So, how do you earn that right? Well, what if that became the strategic goal of all your marketing efforts: to earn (and exercise) the right!

Picture this: every post, every email, every video—packed with value and delivered with expertise. You're no longer just another agent, you're the trusted advisor. And the best part? When the time comes, they'll bring it up themselves, without needing a push or prod from you. It’s what Jay Abraham describes as the potent power of preeminence!

A Cautionary Tale: How You Can Avoid Losing Your Most Important Social Media Accounts (YouTube, Google Business, etc.)

Heads-up real estate agent friends! It's important to use your most reliable/permanent email address when setting up logins for any of your online profiles:  e.g. Google Business, YouTube, et al… Ideally an email that’s attached to your own domain:  e.g. username @ yourdomain . com.

If you use an email address that you might lose access to, you could get locked out of your profiles and pages or those accounts could be altogether deleted. Like if you switched brokerages, for instance, and had been using your company-provided email address.

All the hard work you've put into building your profiles - your posts, your followers, your reviews - could disappear in an instant.

To avoid this scenario, make sure to use a permanent email address as your primary login. This is an email address that you own and control, and that you're unlikely to lose access to in the future.

But what if it's already too late? Don't worry - there are steps you can take to regain access to your profiles:

• Contact the support team for the platform in question.

• Provide proof that you own the profiles in question.

• Work with the support team to establish a new login using a permanent email address.

• Update your login information for any other profiles to avoid this problem in the future.

Your online presence is crucial to your success in real estate, so it's important to protect it by using a reliable email address for your logins. And if you've already encountered this issue, don't panic - just take action to regain control of your profiles.

Gauging the Impact of Your Real Estate Marketing Beyond Metrics

“It's easy to focus in on quantitative measures to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing. But in relationship-based businesses like #realestate, there's more to it than that. What are the qualitative signals that demonstrate what you're doing is working?”

Don’t get overly caught up in the numbers when it comes to gauging the effectiveness of your marketing. Sure, it’s important to pay attention to things like website traffic, engagement ratios, and follower-count… However, in relationship-based businesses like real estate, there's more to marketing success than just numbers.

Qualitative signals are, I’d wager, equally as important, if not more so, in demonstrating the effectiveness of your marketing. With that in mind, here are some subtle indicators to suggest you’re doing something right!

1. Your database is engaged: If you’re in contact with past-clients and sphere-of-influence contacts who ask you about the market or your business, this is a telling sign that they’re engaged with your brand and bought-in to your message.

2. You have a high level of name recognition: If people frequently mention that they, quote-unquote, “see you everywhere," this is a definite sign that your brand is becoming well-known in your market.

3. Your marketing materials are getting shared: If folks are sharing your social media content, emails, or even postcards with others, it signifies that your audience is onboard with your brand and confident sharing your content with their network.

4. You receive positive feedback from your audience: If you regularly receive positive feedback from your audience, like comments on your social media posts or positive reviews on your Google Business Profile, it’s a clear indication that your marketing and brand-building efforts are resonating with your target audience.

5. You are being referred by your customers: Word-of-mouth referrals are one of the most valuable forms of marketing for any business. If you are receiving referrals from your customers, this is a sign that they trust you and are confident in recommending you to their friends and family.

6. Customers make references to your content during appointments: If prospective clients mention your latest blog post or video during a meeting, it's a sign that they are actively engaging with your content and find it valuable.

7. Peers are extra curious about what you're up to: If you notice that your peers in the industry seem to be taking a keen interest in your marketing efforts, it's a good sign that they see you as a thought-leader in your field.

8. Long-lost contacts w/ whom you've lost touch suddenly resurface: If old contacts suddenly start engaging with your social media posts, it could indicate that they’ve been following your journey and are invested in your brand.

9. Increased website traffic and engagement: Though this is on the “quantitative” side of measurement, the insight of it is more qualitative in nature—so bear with me. If you're seeing activity like longer page views on your website, prolonged watch-times on your videos, or even an increased number of conversions, it's a sign that your marketing efforts are attracting and retaining the attention of your target audience. 

Point is… By focusing on both quantitative and qualitative metrics, you'll be able to get a more complete picture of the success of your marketing efforts. When you put extra focus on earning trust, improving customer satisfaction, and building brand awareness, you can gain a well-rounded understanding of the impact of your marketing strategies and make informed decisions about how to improve your efforts in the future.

Don't Get Distracted by Vanity Metrics: How to Build a Strong Agent-Brand in Real Estate

When it comes to social media, it's easy to get caught up in numbers:

• How many followers do you have?

• How many views on your latest video? 

But don't let a lack of followers or video-views discourage your social-media video efforts. Building a reputable agent-brand and making an impact with your clients matters way, way more!

After all, the chances are strong that your database contacts—i.e., your past clients and sphere-of-influence—are likely the folks following you anyway. So even if your follower count isn't as high as you'd like, you're still reaching the people who matter most to your business.

Now, I’m not saying that metrics like reach and engagement don’t matter. They do… they signal whether your content is or isn’t performing optimally. But they’re by no means the “be all, end all.”

Here are a few reasons why:

• Building your brand: By consistently posting high-quality content that aligns with your brand, you'll attract clients who are a good fit for you. They'll be more likely to work with you and refer you to others.

• Making an impact with your clients: By providing valuable information and insights, you'll be able to build trust with your clients. They'll see you as an expert in your field and be more likely to work with you.

• It's a know-you, like-you, trust-you type of business: In real estate, relationships are key. By building your brand and making an impact with your clients, you'll be able to deepen those valuable relationships.

Social media is a phenomenal medium to spread your brand’s message. Especially by way of video because it allows you to showcase your personality and expertise in a way that image or text formats simply can't. So long as your content marketing efforts align with your brand, you're on the right track.

For all intents and purposes, your brand is:

• Your voice 🗣️

• Your mind 🧠

• Your heart ❤️

• Your face 😇

Nobody does you better than you -- and no marketing medium in existence showcases YOU quite like video!

23 Marketing Channels to Boost Your Business in 2023

As you consider your marketing strategy for the new year, it's important to think about the various marketing channels that can help you reach your customers and clients. From cross-platform video and social media to email marketing, local SEO, and voicemail-drops, there are many options to choose from. Here is a list of 23 marketing channels to consider incorporating into your strategy for 2023.

1. Cross-platform VIDEO + CONTENT + SOCIAL: Create and share video-first content across various platforms and social media sites. It's important to consider the specific preferences and behaviors of your target audience when determining which platforms to use:  e.g. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and so on. Focus on creating content that is relevant and useful to your local community.

2. Email marketing: Send targeted and personalized emails to your subscribers in order to nurture leads, contacts and, ultimately, to promote your services. Always include a clear call-to-action and segment your email list to send relevant content to specific groups.

3. Cold/warm calls and/or voicemail-drops: Reach out to potential customers or clients via phone calls or voicemail-drops. Use this channel to personally connect with people and to follow-up on leads.

4. Texting and/or DMs: Use text-messages and/or social media messages (e.g. Instagram Direct, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, et al.) to quickly reach out to people and/or send targeted promotions or updates. Monitor the rules to do so in compliance. Consider testing chatbots (e.g. ManyChat) to lead-capture or automate routine customer conversations, FAQs, or questionnaires.

5. Events + parties: Host or participate in events or parties to connect with people in-person and build-up brand awareness. This could include hosting a party for clients, happy-hour get-togethers, or for instance, a block-party in your geographic farm area.

6. Open Houses: Conduct open houses regularly to meet prospective buyers and/or sellers. The lead-generating faculties of open houses are often overlooked. Don’t make that mistake. Promote them to build-up your brand, personally invite the neighbors to attend (some may become future sellers), and ready yourself for some mega follow-up. Most leads aren’t ready when you meet them, so be prepared to keep in touch. 

7. Google Business Profile: Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile as well as actively manage and respond to customer reviews. Your Google Business Profile is of considerable importance. If you wanna leverage it for all it’s worth, check out my roughly 3-hour, on-demand training:  GOOGLE BUSINESS BOSS😎. Click HERE to learn more.

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Looking to go fully-optimize your Google Business Profile to attract more business in 2023 (from sellers, especially)? Then check out my new course, GOOGLE BUSINESS BOSS 😎:  More "come-list-me" calls from your Google Business Profile.

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8. Google Ads galore: Use Google Search campaigns to capture leads and Display Network ads targeting (or retargeting) your audience(s) on other sites and apps across the web. Local businesses should also consider Local Services ads. Search campaigns target specific keywords and appear in search results, while Display Network campaigns target specific audiences and appear on various websites and apps.

9. Alternate PPC: In addition to Google Ads, there are other PPC (pay-per-click) platforms such as Bing Ads and DuckDuckGo Ads.

10. YouTube ads: YouTube is the largest video sharing platform, and it offers various types of ads including in-stream ads (which play before, during, or after a video) and in-feed ads (which appear in the suggested videos column). They’re massively underutilized and capable of reaching a wide audience…. So get after it!

11. Social ads: Use social media advertising on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to reach specific audiences and promote your business. For instance, use these ads to promote your organic content to an audience of your choosing, to drive traffic to your website, or to generate leads.

12. Print/Postage: Use print materials such as flyers, brochures, or postcards to create consideration for your business.

13. Blogging: Use a business blog to share expertise, industry updates, and company news with customers. Consider repurposing your social media content—each post becoming its own blog.

14. Podcasting: Host or appear as a guest on a podcast to share your expertise to cultivate an engaged audience.

15. Signage/outdoor-advertising: Use physical signs or advertisements in outdoor spaces to promote your business. This could include storefront signage, billboard ads, or event banners. Mind your budget, of course.

16. Sponsorships: Sponsor events or organizations to build brand awareness and show support for your local community. This could include sponsoring festivals, sports teams, schools, or other events or organizations. You may even sponsor a local podcast, for instance.

17. Online profiles: Create and optimize profiles on review or directory sites such as Yelp, Zillow, Realtor.com, and so on to showcase your business and manage your online reputation. Sites like these have tremendous SEO—so don’t neglect their importance.

18. Agent directory sites: Run a Google search for the “best REALTOR…” in your marketplace and see who’s running ads. Odds are it’ll be agent-referral sites like Homelight, UpNest, Dwellful, MyAgentFinder, and so on. The ones paying for ads are likely the ones most worth ensuring your profile is properly set up and optimized in order to reach inquiring customers.

19. TV commercials: Consider using TV commercials to reach a wide audience, but be mindful of your target audience and budget. You may also look into media purchases with streaming services like Amazon Prime or HULU.

20. Radio ads and/or radio show: Explore radio advertising to reach a local audience, or host or be a guest on a radio show to share your expertise and build your personal brand.

21. Local publications: Consider advertising in local newspapers, magazines, or other publications to reach a targeted audience in your area.

22. Door knocks/drops: This channel involves physically going to people's homes or businesses and promoting your products or services. Door-drops refer to leaving promotional materials at people's homes or businesses.

23. Online groups/communities: Join and participate in online groups or communities on platforms such as Facebook Groups or Nextdoor to connect with and promote your business to a hyperlocal audience. Follow the guidelines and rules of each group and be respectful of the community.

With so many marketing channels available, it can be overwhelming to determine the best ones for your business. It's important to test and measure the effectiveness of each channel, and to continually review and adapt your strategy as needed. By staying up-to-date on the latest marketing trends and technologies, and by staying true to your brand and target audience, you can set yourself up for a successful 2023.

Home-Valuation Seller Lead Generation Campaigns for Realtors in 2023

About two weeks ago I participated in a MEGA listing-agent mastermind hosted by Tom Ferry. We’re talking about agents/teams listing-and-selling hundreds of homes a year.

Each member of the mastermind shared their top tactics for generating seller business and, to my surprise, home-valuation styled campaigns are paying-out dividends right now.

I know, I know… you’re thinking… “Weren’t those overplayed like four years ago⁉️” That’s what I thought too.

However, as real estate headlines fear-monger about the future of housing ad-nauseam, consequently, many homeowners are wondering about A.) the value of their home and B.) the timing of their next move.

Tools like HomeBot, NAR’s REALTOR® Property Resource (RPR), CloudCMA, or HomeValueLeads, for instance, equip agents and/or teams with websites that capture seller contact info when performing an automated/aggregated range of value to inquiring homeowners. Just like always, though:  the money’s in the follow-up. 📲

At a super high level, there are a couple different ways to deploy a campaign like this:

• PAY-PER-CLICK:  Setup search campaigns across Google, YouTube, Bing, and DuckDuckGo that link to your home-valuation landing page.

• DIRECT MAILERS:  Print and distribute a simple mailer that states the offer directly above a QR-code hyperlinked to your home-valuation landing page.

The part that was most astounding to me was the impressive rate of conversion these agents/teams have been achieving -- anywhere from 1.5% up to 10% of leads entering into signed listings w/in 30 days of initial lead-capture. In case it’s not self-evident:  WOW! 🤯

The Silver-Lining of Leads that AREN’T Ready to Transact When Generated

What’s your plan to EARN a prospective customer’s business?

Per Market Sherpa, 73% of leads (across all industries) AREN’T ready when generated. That’s no surprise—in fact, it’s somewhat of a relief. Especially in real estate… because, if your leads were ready as soon as you got ‘em, then—based on the data—your rate of conversion would absolutely tank. Lemme explain…

According to research from the National Association of REALTORS® the vast majority of home buyers and sellers opt to hire a real estate agent with whom they’ve worked in the past or by virtue of a referral. Here are those percentages over the past several years:

HOME SELLERS:

• 2017:  64%

• 2018:  63%

• 2019:  66%

• 2020:  67%

• 2021:  68%

• 2022:  63%

HOME BUYERS:

• 2017:  54%

• 2018:  53%

• 2019:  53%

• 2020:  53%

• 2021:  60%

• 2022:  50%

(Sidebar:  due to a severe lack of housing inventory in the first half of 2022, many buyers, likely frustrated with losing in multiple offer situations, resorted to contacting listing agents directly and/or inquiring about homes via yard-signs. What’s more, first-time-homebuyers—due to affordability issues, mostly—accounted for far fewer sales than in prior years. As the marketplace adjusts and “normalizes,” I’d wager REPEAT/REFERRAL percentages will reclaim lost standing.)

If you Google “Best Realtors in {CITY},” for instance, you’ll get a wide array of results:  Yelp, Google Reviews, agent-referral sites like MyAgentFinder, Zillow, and more. The tricky part, however, is that those sites hardly ever list any of the same real estate  agents, which begs the question:  can they be trusted?

Consequently, many consumers simply opt to work with a real estate agent they’ve used in the past or place their confidence in the recommendation of a trusted confidant. And herein lies your opportunity to move your leads from “friend-zone to end-zone,” professionally speaking.

With time, the intent of your leads will mature. That’s your window of opportunity to “win ‘em over”—to become the know-you, like-you, trust-you AGENT-OF-CHOICE.

Seller-Focused Marketing: “ Your Home Deserves the Spotlight”

During a coaching session last week one of my clients said he’d received three “come-list-me” calls from ON-MARKET SELLERS 🏡 who were looking to make a change in representation. Be warned… sellers aren’t waiting for listings to expire to replace ineffective listing agents (even if it isn’t the agent’s fault, per se).

They all said they’d looked him up online and got the sense that he prioritizes marketing — which is what they all cited as the likely culprit of their nonsuccess.

For instance, they Google-searched the “best realtor in____,” his Google Business Profile ranked, they perused his reviews, clicked and surfed his website, and even looked him up on Instagram.

Customers are doing WAY more than just Googling businesses these days. It’s a full forensic audit 🕵️ of your online presence. When customers look you up, will they say about you what they said of my client?

My advice:  show sellers what they’re missing in your marketing. (Constructively… don’t ⛔️ go off hating on other agents.)

For example, try out a tagline like this: “Your home 🏡 deserves the spotlight.” Integrate it across ALL your marketing channels:  videos, postcards, ads, billboards, emails, referenced in reviews, PDFs, website headings, you name it. Make it your own, standardized program for sellers. Why? Because sellers expect more... so show ‘em what they’re missing!

Just talking linguistics for a moment… In the book “BUILDING A STORYBRAND,” author Donald Miller discussed the difference in addressing external problems versus internal problems in your marketing communications.

• External Problem:  the property is sitting and needs to sell

• Internal Problem:  the agent should do whatever it takes

We could probably tweak the language of those problems, but I think the point conveys. Using words like “deserves” addresses an internal dissonance—that something isn’t as it could or should be. YOUR home DESERVES the spotlight.