GOING BIG: MARKETING & LEAD GENERATION
BECOME AN EXPERT
REPLYTO COMMENTS It's the easiest and often most overlooked part of content marketing: engage with people. It reinforces your brand and pro- vides feedback on your content. Replying to comments also improves your engagement rate on social media and can even boost the SEO value of your blog if you're responding to comments on your site. Don’t outsource this! Every comment you reply to should be by you and in your own words and push to move the conver- sation offline to a phone call or in-person meeting. This is where you’ll win big! What’s the secret to doing this? Time blocking. Take 15 minutes in the morn- ing, 30 minutes in the afternoon and an- other 30 minutes in the evening to reply to your comments and create conversa- tions with other influencers in your space. DON’T FORGETABOUT YOUR CONTENT While commercials last 30 seconds and newspapers get recycled, your blog post will still be there. Set a reminder to check on it every month. When you do, ask yourself, "Is this worth reposting?" If not, maybe it's time to archive it. Whatever you decide to do with it, don't forget about it. Following these six simple content pillars will ensure that your content is targeting the right audience, optimized by channel, engaging with consumers and remaining managed in the future. While new strategies and tactics are always evolving, the basic rules will re- main the same, and are sure to establish a new set of leads for your real estate business. Just don't break them! •
Content Builds Expertise and Generates Leads THE SIX PILLARS OF CONTENT STRATEGY.
you need to know how to reach them and which channel to engage them on.
Oh, but wait – I can hear you saying: “But Abhi, this takes far too much time out of my day!” Think of it as an invest- ment in your business.
TESTYOUR CONTENT OFTEN It’s not just about what you're saying, but how you're saying it and in what format creates impact. For example, do you know how long your blogs should be? Do blogs with photos perform better than those with illustrations? What about slideshows? What about a video or embedded audio? Content is much more than just text, and it's vital that you know what kind your audience wants. Try different formats and measure their effectiveness to learn what works, and, just as importantly, what doesn't. What’s really worked well for me the past few months in the real estate industry is a blog with ~1,500 words, embedded video, infographics and a piece of audio content from a podcast on which I was interviewed by the host. This deliverable demonstrates my industry knowledge and authority with the reader.
ALIGNYOUR CHANNELS Aligning your channels to your content is probably the hardest commandment to follow, but it could have the most significant impact on the effectiveness of your content. As I mentioned earlier in the article, once you know your audience and what content they want, you need to find out where they want to consume it. For example, does video perform better on Facebook or Twitter? Is Instagram the best place for photos or is Pinterest better for your content and audience? Again, the only way to find out is by testing, measur- ing and adjusting. As a real estate agent, consider taking advantage of Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. As a real estate broker or lender, look at LinkedIn and Twitter. As an investor, I enjoy LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
by Abhi Golhar
A
comprehensive content strategy is critical for the success of any
So, if you don't have a content marketing initiative, then you really should. With all that in mind, here are the six pillars of content strategy you must follow if you're marketing your content online to become an influencer in your industry. THE OBJECTIVE MATTERS A crystal-clear definition of your objec- tive is crucial to winning the influencer game. You should strive to establish your funnels and understand exactly what the piece of content created will do for you. Will it help you create more buzz and add
motivated sellers to your email list? Or build an investor-buyer list as a wholesal- er? To find your objective, start with the end in mind, then work backward. KNOWYOURAUDIENCE This is an important pillar of advertising in general and especially so for content mar- keting. Yellow letters might still be success- ful in the wrong part of town if you’re look- ing for motivated sellers, but a blog about retirement planning promoted on Snapchat doesn't have a chance. It's not enough to know what your audience wants to read;
content marketing initiative, especially for real estate investors, agents and en- trepreneurs to showcase their expertise in their field. Most importantly, content marketing is absolutely essential for lead generation—one of the most critical aspects of success in real estate investing. To achieve success in this industry, you need a consistent source of new leads, whether they be for deals, buyers or new funding opportunities. According to Hubspot, companies that blog receive 67 percent more leads than those that don't.
Abhi Golhar is a full-time real estate investor, Think Realty coach and host of Think Realty Radio. Connect with Abhi at BookWithAbhi.com.
36 | think realty magazine :: january / february 2019
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