Monday, December 17, 2012

What is Hyperlocal Marketing for Real Estate?

If you have attended any real estate webinars lately or sat in on any classes in your office, I'm sure you have heard this term a lot.  But what exactly does it mean?  Obviously Real Estate is a very local business. 

So how can you make it more local? Think about a map search on Google.  Here is a map of your service area.  Now zoom in to a neighborhood or area.  What "key words" can you use to describe just the area you see on the map?  Think about every detail.  What businesses serve that area, schools, style of homes, size of homes, size of yards, lifestyle, parks, restaurants, hotels, and so on.  Spend some time researching and taking your own pictures and video.
        
OK, now that you have that concept.  What do you do with all that information? This is where the Internet is your best friend.  Gone are the old days of farming; spending money on postcards that hit the circular file before they even get read.  Instead of blanketing an area with information to everyone who may or may not be immediately interested in your services, the Internet allows you to put information out there to people who are SPECIFICALLY interested in the "key words" you are marketing about that area.  Think of it as Internet Farming or eFarming.

For example, say someone is interested in "4 bedroom homes near downtown Apex" and they type that into a Google search.  This would be considered a "long tail key word phrase."  If you write a Blog or create a page on your website, well optimized with that exact key word phrase, guaranteed your post or page will rise to the top. You can write lifestyle blogs too.  This will keep your website, Facebook page, Tweets and blog more interesting.  Try a post on the "10 best restaurants in downtown Apex" or "Best parks for a birthday party near downtown Apex".

Sounds easy doesn't it?  Well, it is and it isn't.  It takes time and a little know how.   Searching keyword phrases and composing the post or page in such a way that the search engines will rank is key to the success.   Incorporating relevant information, appropriate links, video and pictures (named and tagged with corresponding key words), and adding relevant IDX searches (links) to homes also is important. Always have a call to action in each post too.   Once the post or page is out there, the next step is marketing it virally though Social Media.  Get the link out there to as many places as possible and ask people to like and share. You could even do paid advertising on Google or Facebook if you have the budget.  Cheaper than postcards!

Stay tuned for an upcoming webinar we will be hosting with guest speaker Jake Bentz , IDX Pro with Wolfnet Technologies. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to hear about upcoming webinars and learn more great real estate technology tips.  Contact Us today if you would like us to handle your Hyper Local Marketing and get you on the first page of Google.

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