Content is the fuel that will propel your business objectives forward – whether you need to boost search rankings, nurture prospects, generate new leads or enhance your brand – all avenues lead back to having high-quality content as a real estate agent.

Now that's all well and good, you might be saying to yourself, but good content marketing doesn't just fall from the sky. Everyone from small businesses to the enterprise level is all-in on content marketing because it's a sustainable way to invigorate your business.

What Is Content Marketing for Real Estate Agents?

You've heard it a million times, and it's more than just a buzzword – but what is it really?

Content marketing is the creation of material—in the form of blogs, whitepapers, webinars, videos, social media posts or infographics—that doesn't explicitly promote a brand or service, but is content that a defined audience will find valuable and relevant – and will drive their action. For example, you could create a blog on the "Top 10 trends in real estate for 2018," and then use that to create graphics for your email marketing and publish that blog on your LinkedIn page – that's the power of content marketing for agents.

Every single piece of your real estate content needs to pass the "Why Should I Care?" test. Once you can answer that question on behalf of your audience, everything should pass through that portal.

Create > Distribute > Measure > Optimize

Content marketing for real estate professionals provides a wealth of opportunities, especially when you have a sustainable content creation process in place. If you're creating a blog, a podcast or an eBook, and you distribute it through a variety of mediums, you now analyze and interpret your feedback and responses in order to optimize it in the future. And you can follow this cyclical pattern when creating or tweaking existing content.

That's the content marketing blueprint: create / distribute / measure / optimize.

The Future Is Defined by Automation

If you aren't taking advantage of marketing automation opportunities, you may be losing valuable time. Automated nurture emails are a secret weapon for top producing real estate professionals in their marketing arsenal. The power of content marketing is compounded by the magic of automation.

Take this in; if you're manually typing out emails to keep in touch with your contacts, you're spending a lot of valuable time drafting those messages, whereas automated nurture emails can be the secret weapon for top producing real estate professionals. Everything from task reminders, to notes during a meeting, even drafting e-Newsletters can all be automated to streamline your efficiency. Automation is like lighter fluid to accelerate your marketing practices.

5 Content Creation Reminders for Real Estate Marketing

Let's face it – real estate is a very hot topic. It can be a volatile, hyperactive and well-documented space that has many pundits and columnists salivating at its constant changes – and you're on the front lines every day. Real estate always has been and always will be a monumental industry that defines our economy.

Now what kind of a story do you want to tell within your marketing that relates to this space?

1. Be Original

Originality means producing engaging and thought provoking content that stems from your own beliefs. Think of it this way—whether you're a seasoned vet or still earning your stripes, you're accumulating a lot of information and unique viewpoints on the industry. Content marketing is your way of taking that knowledge and sharing it with your network in a creative way to help you stand out from a saturated pack.

Going back to the earlier point, the harsh reality of creating content is answering 'why someone should care.' If you're creating content just because you think it's what Google's web crawlers want to see – you're never going to get anywhere with it. Is your content memorable? Does it leave a lasting impression? Is it entertaining? Does it provide value? Does it capture attention in the opening few lines?

For example: creating something that is relevant and timely not only will attach your wagon to a trending topic but will help differentiate yourself by putting your own personal spin on it.

Toronto's housing market has garnered international coverage with incredible demand lately, so what if you did something like: "Sorry to burst your Toronto housing bubble – but it's not going to happen." You're lending your name to a popular topic and goes a long way with helping your PR efforts.

2. Reuse and Recycle

A major misnomer about content marketing is that it's a one and done fit. Content marketing is the practice of using existing components of content in multiple ways to squeeze every ounce of its potential. You don't just wear one piece of clothing and then throw it out, do you? You reuse it in many different ways for an amplified impact – same with your real estate content.

You can even add to older blogs and add content to bring it up to speed. For example, say you drafted an article about where housing prices were headed in San Francisco, and then a year later you could help boost its SEO efforts by adding to it and discussing your predictions. Not to mention how Google craves high quality content and rewards you in the race for better rankings.

3. Build Trust Before Sales

Sales should be an afterthought here. Obviously the end goal is to drive repeat business and enhance your bottom line, but real estate content marketing is about building a prosperous brand for the long-haul and leveraging your content as a powerful driver.

But in order to build trust, you best be sure that your marketing is backed by proven stats and sources from reputable links – otherwise, it will have a damaging digital effect on your brand.

4. Share Your Stories

Stories make a personal connection with our audience and can serve as powerful emotional drivers. And seeing as the whole point of marketing is to elicit an emotional response from your audience, and prompting them to act on it – stories are a good way to pack your marketing punch. Many studies have shown that our brains are far more engaged by storytelling than facts.

Why not create a podcast twice a month where you share tales of your professional journey so far? You could develop thought leadership pieces offering advice to up and coming agents or target a niche audience like Millennial homeowners?

5. Hit em' With a Headline

Did you know that 80 percent of people will read your headlines – but only 20 percent of those people will read the rest of your content? Make them want to read past the headline and opening introduction.

Something like: "5 mistakes that are making your property value plummet," really stands out because no homeowner in their right mind would ever want to lose value on their property. Capture them immediately with a hook – and the line and sinker will follow as you back up your statement.

6. Leave Them Wanting More

Now what?

No matter how creative you get with splicing up your content – all roads lead back to having a high-powered CRM to help you launch a campaign and measure its effectiveness. Think of it as your home base for your content marketing to live, and all arteries stem out from there. Without having this technology serving as your core nucleus, you run the risk of being scattered and unorganized in your real estate marketing.

To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.