A successful Realtor needs to market in many different places.
There is social media. Email. Search engines. Online advertising. Open houses. Networking. Referrals. Direct mail. Text messaging. Video. And, of course, personal relationships.
With so many marketing channels available, it can be easy for a Realtor’s marketing strategy to become fragmented.
One post goes on Facebook. Another goes on LinkedIn. An email is sent from one system. Leads are stored somewhere else. Property searches happen on another website. A blog is updated occasionally. And the Realtor tries to keep track of everything.
There is a better way to think about digital marketing.
Your website should be the center of your real estate marketing strategy.
Social media, email, search engines, advertising, and other marketing channels should help bring people back to your website, where they can learn about you, search for properties, and begin a relationship with your business.
Your Website Is the One Digital Asset You Control
Realtors use many third-party platforms.
Social networks can change their algorithms.
Advertising costs can change.
Portals can change their rules.
Search engines can change how they rank websites.
But your own website is different.
It is your branded digital destination.
Your domain name belongs to your business. Your website represents your brand. You decide what information consumers see about you, your services, your market, and your expertise.
That makes your website particularly important.
The objective shouldn’t be to make social media your entire online presence.
Social media should help drive people toward your digital home.
What Should a Realtor Website Accomplish?
A modern Realtor website should do much more than display a photograph and telephone number.
It should answer questions.
It should provide useful information.
It should allow consumers to search for properties.
It should capture leads.
It should provide a way for prospects to communicate with the Realtor.
It should reinforce the Realtor’s personal brand.
And ideally, it should continue working even when the Realtor is busy.
DPI Showcase Websites combines IDX property search with a built-in CRM, automated marketing, development information, blogging, social-media posting, and other functions. The company describes its platform as a hybrid system that can be customized around an agent’s branding and content.
That integrated approach can make the website the foundation of a Realtor’s marketing system.
Start With Property Search
One of the easiest ways to give consumers a reason to visit your website is to provide property search.
IDX allows eligible MLS listings to be displayed on a participating Realtor’s website.
This means consumers can search for homes without leaving the agent’s website.
That matters because consumers aren’t necessarily visiting a Realtor’s website because they want to read a biography.
They are often looking for real estate.
An IDX search gives them a practical reason to visit.
DPI’s websites are connected to MLS/IDX systems so clients can search for homes, condos, rentals, and commercial properties in supported markets.
Make the Website Useful Even Before Someone Is Ready to Buy
A Realtor’s website should also serve people who aren’t ready to transact today.
Someone might be researching a neighborhood.
Another person may be wondering how much their home is worth.
Someone else might be considering a move six months from now.
A potential investor might be researching properties.
A homeowner might simply be watching the market.
These people shouldn’t be ignored simply because they’re not ready to sign a contract today.
Useful content gives them a reason to stay connected.
That is why blogging can be valuable.
Content Gives Search Engines Something to Find
Search engines need content to understand what a website is about.
A Realtor who consistently publishes useful local real estate content has more opportunities to be discovered for relevant searches.
Articles can address questions such as:
- What are the best neighborhoods in a particular city?
- How much does it cost to live in the area?
- What should buyers know about a specific neighborhood?
- What are the advantages of buying a condo?
- How does the local market compare with last year?
- What should homeowners do before selling?
- What are the advantages of new construction?
- What should buyers know about a particular development?
The goal isn’t to stuff articles with keywords.
The goal is to answer questions real people have.
DPI automatically publishes real estate blog content to client websites and can automatically distribute those articles through connected social-media accounts.
That gives Realtors a way to maintain an active content presence without having to manually write and publish an article every day.
Turn Blog Articles Into Social-Media Content
A common marketing mistake is treating every marketing channel as a separate project.
A better strategy is to repurpose content.
For example, one real estate article can become:
- A website blog post
- A Facebook post
- A LinkedIn post
- An email newsletter topic
- A conversation starter with clients
- A resource to send to prospects
DPI’s system automates part of this process by posting blog content to Facebook and LinkedIn and linking the posts back to the Realtor’s website.
This is important because social-media content should ideally lead somewhere.
A Facebook post that disappears into a news feed has limited long-term value.
A Facebook post that sends someone to an article on your website creates another opportunity to introduce that person to your business.
Your CRM Should Connect to Your Website
The next step is connecting marketing activity to your database.
Imagine someone visits your website and becomes a prospect.
What happens next?
If their information goes nowhere, the opportunity can be lost.
A CRM provides a place to organize contacts and manage follow-up.
DPI’s CRM.AI is integrated into its website platform. According to DPI, the system can automatically add clients, send saved-search emails, send weekly eNewsletters, send nurturing emails, alert Realtors when clients are searching, and provide follow-up reminders.
This is where a website becomes more than a marketing brochure.
It becomes part of the sales process.
Automated Email Keeps Your Name in Front of Clients
Real estate transactions may take weeks or months.
Relationships can last for years.
A person who isn’t ready to buy today may become a client next year.
A homeowner who isn’t ready to sell today may eventually need a listing agent.
Past clients may eventually refer friends.
This is why consistent communication is so important.
But “staying in touch” doesn’t mean sending a sales pitch every week.
Useful information can be much more effective.
DPI automatically sends weekly eNewsletters containing headlines from recent blog articles, providing another channel for driving clients back to the Realtor’s website.
That creates a simple recurring communication system.
Property Alerts Add Another Layer of Engagement
Suppose a buyer is looking for a three-bedroom home in a particular neighborhood.
They may not want a phone call every day.
They may, however, want to know when a property matching their criteria comes onto the market.
Automated saved-search emails can solve that problem.
DPI’s CRM can create daily saved-search emails and listing alerts based on client searches.
The Realtor doesn’t have to manually search the MLS and send every qualifying property.
The technology can handle the repetitive part.
The Realtor can focus on the human part: discussing properties, arranging showings, negotiating offers, and helping the client make decisions.
New Construction Can Make Your Website More Valuable
Realtors who specialize in new construction have another opportunity.
Consumers looking at a development often want more than an MLS listing.
They may want:
- Floor plans
- Building information
- Amenities
- Development details
- Unit information
- Location information
- Resale information
DPI maintains information on new and existing developments, including floor plans, and connects development pages with MLS/IDX information for resales.
This can turn a Realtor’s website into a resource for buyers researching a particular building or community.
Don’t Forget Sellers
A marketing strategy centered on the website should also appeal to homeowners.
Seller prospects may search for information about home values, market conditions, comparable properties, and selling strategies.
They may also investigate Realtors before deciding whom to interview.
A professional website can help demonstrate expertise before the first conversation.
DPI also offers Leads.AI, which is specifically positioned around identifying homeowners who may be preparing to sell. The company says its system uses property-tax-roll information and online activity to identify potential seller prospects and can automatically import them into the DPI CRM for nurturing.
This complements the website-centered strategy.
The website helps establish credibility.
The CRM helps nurture relationships.
The lead system can help identify prospects.
The Realtor provides the personal relationship.
Think of Your Website as Your Digital Office
A useful way to think about your website is as your online office.
Your physical office has your name on the door.
Your website should do the same thing digitally.
Your office provides information.
Your website should do the same.
Your office allows clients to meet with you.
Your website should make it easy to contact you.
Your office contains resources.
Your website should provide property search and useful information.
Your office represents your brand.
Your website should represent your brand.
And just as an office is more useful when it is organized, a website should connect the various parts of your business.
The Goal Is Integration
The future of Realtor marketing isn’t necessarily about adding more apps.
It may actually be about reducing the number of disconnected systems.
If your website, IDX, CRM, email marketing, blogging, social media, and lead generation all work together, there are fewer gaps between marketing and sales.
A visitor can become a lead.
A lead can become a database contact.
A database contact can receive automated information.
A buyer can receive property alerts.
A prospect can receive market information.
A website visitor can read an article and return later.
Each activity reinforces the others.
Final Thoughts
A Realtor’s website shouldn’t be the last item on a marketing checklist.
It should be the center of the checklist.
Social media can attract attention.
Search engines can generate discovery.
Email can bring people back.
IDX can provide property search.
Blogging can provide useful information.
CRM automation can maintain relationships.
Lead-generation technology can identify potential opportunities.
The website can connect all of these activities.
That’s why the best Realtor website isn’t simply the one that looks good.
It is the one that works as part of the Realtor’s business.
When your website becomes a place where consumers search for properties, read useful information, receive alerts, connect with you, and remain engaged over time, it stops being a digital business card.
It becomes your digital office—and one of the most important pieces of your real estate marketing strategy.