When most people think about starting their career as a Realtor, they think about the various opportunities to work alongside people and assist them in making some of the biggest transactions of their lifetime – purchasing or selling their homes. Oh, and let’s not forget… that commission is also important. However, actually getting the commission is where things can get tricky and а little bit harder to do than one might think. That being said, there is only one thing missing from the “success formula” and you guessed it – professional copywriting services.
How the Industry Works
When working in this industry, you realize that you only get paid (for the most part) when you complete a transaction with a client – whether it is buying, selling, or renting. Ok, this sounds simple, right? Not exactly. The effort that you have to put forth with most brokerages is actually obtaining the clients yourself and competing against other agents in the industry.
As of July 2018, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported 1.3 Million active real estate agents in the United States.
Most brokerages don’t just hand over leads because truth be told – they are not easy to get in the first place. The whole point of this industry is not just to help potential buyers and sellers but also to earn the trust of those people in order to do help them.
How to Win the Client
There is no guide on exactly what tactics will work and what will not because every client is different. However, as an agent, there are some basics that you should keep in mind that can help you in your business. Since most agents are working for themselves, it is important to attract leads through different channels. Whether it be online or in person. Currently, most people search online not just for agents or listings but for everything. Developing an online presence by establishing your individual brand and staying connected can help set you apart from the other agents.
I have found that having unique, relatable, accurate, and knowledgeable content is one of the most important steps to getting your potential clients interested. Whether you rely on an SEO copywriting service or can write it on your own, it is also crucial to keep in mind that taking the time to consistently write the content yourself can be stressful and take a lot of time away from doing the other work that is on your plate.
Your website is crucial, but to be even more to the point – the “About Us” page is one of the most important ones. This is where you have the biggest opportunity to “win the client” because the potential home buyers or sellers get the chance to learn about you as an agent. That is – if you can keep them interested in reading.
Fact: The “About Us” page is the 2nd most viewed page on a website.
Not everyone has a creative writing style, knows exactly what to say, or what to include. When you choose to use a professional SEO copywriting service, they will be able to formulate the ideal website that includes all the main points about your business in a creative and unique way. This can be your chance to have content that sticks out compared to the rest of the real estate agents in the market and keeps the potential home buyer or seller interested in what you have to say.
This is the opportunity to tell your story to the people in order to gain leads. Those who are looking for an agent want to work with someone they can believe in and fully trust. Whether you are new to the industry or not, the choice is up to you on how you want to sound on your website – like you have what it takes or not.
The Competition in the Industry
Real estate agents have been around for many years and we are continuing to grow in the numbers. The requirements are slim in order to become a real estate agent – minimum of 18 or 19 years depending on the state, being a legal U.S. citizen, passing prelicensing education and the final exam, which it makes this career option a desirable one and the competition greater. However, with so many competing agents, it gets harder and harder to find clients or for a client to choose you over another agent. This means that you have to constantly prove yourself to those potential clients in order to win them over.
Recent statistics show that 51% of buyers found their new home on the Internet and only 30% through real estate agents.
Even though a larger chunk of buyers found their properties through the internet and not with an agent, this does not mean that they did not turn to an agent in order to complete that transaction. In fact, in most cases, those properties were not “for sale by owner” which means they would need an agent to represent them. While people are searching the Internet for potential homes, this means they can also find agents within that search. This is where a professional SEO copywriting service can come in handy because they will be able to make your webpage stand out from the rest. With a website that is well-written and includes highlights of your listings, you will be able to attract more potential clients to your page. This can also increase your chances of getting leads because it will mean more traffic to your website – in other words, the key to your success as a real estate agent.
While there are tons of agents, there are many different agencies or brokerages that they work with as well. Between the agents and the agencies competing against each other for the most business, there are laws that everyone must abide by in order to ensure a fair transaction. However, this does not mean that each agent gets a fair share of clients or leads.
The Key is Research
Knowing your market, client base, areas which you serve, as well as how to properly formulate the content of your site is important for you as a realtor because it helps keep you on top of your business. When researching the market, you will be able to see trends that you cannot notice by just looking at a property. One of the most ideal ways to secure a client is to impress them or in other words, prove to them that you know what you are talking about as far as the industry goes. For example, local trends in their area and what you can do for them as an agent aside from posting their home in a database or aiding in the transaction.
Most of today’s agents go prepared to the initial meeting with the client with examples of how they can help. They are ready to show them their website, they have contracts or buyer/seller-agency agreements ready to be signed just in case, and they likely have statistics on the area that potential client is interested in. However, your goal in this scenario is to prove yourself as well as impress the potential client so you can’t show them mediocre information. They will look through your website both during the meeting and once you leave so you want to ensure that the information there looks good and accurately represents who you are as an agent. As far as the research goes for the client – they can do a comparative market analysis (CMA) for the area on their own; however, the point is for you to do it too and show them something they couldn’t find without your help.
95% of potential homebuyers have used online websites as their initial information source when searching for a new home or selling their existing one.
If you are working as a seller’s agent, it is important for you to show the client that you can do more than list the home in a database because they can do this on their own. By holding open houses and marketing their home in more ways than just one, you increase the chances of selling that property faster than you think it can happen. In my experience, I have found that working with a professional SEO copywriting service to create a detailed page or section of your website that is dedicated to each one of your listings is one of the ideal ways to market a property online. Not only can you use keywords and localized content but you will also have the opportunity to reach more people who are searching the web for a new property.
By doing your research on the area or the market in a specific location, you will save more time than you think. The things that you discover for your client may be deal breakers and possibly something that you may not have known. For instance, the property close to train tracks can be loud for their newborn baby, or maybe a home with a new roof is just what they are looking for. This type of research is not only important to do as an agent but also important to use in descriptions when listing a property because it can help other agents and get the property sold faster.
On the buyer’s side – it can often be easier to complete the transaction, but finding the client is where it gets tough. Many potential home buyers believe that they can do the home-hunting on their own, which is why they search the web for new listings, open houses, and more to go see. However, when they do that search, wouldn’t it be better if you (as the agent) came up in a Google search to help them out? The answer is yes. Whether it is for a current listing that you have or the success stories that they read on your website, you must impress them, but in order to do so, they have to be able to find you as opposed to other agents. This is another instance where I believe that the content of your site is important. It can get you noticed.
The SEO copywriting service that you use will be able to look up keywords and create unique content in order to get you recognized on online searches. This way, when a potential client searches “homes for sale in Nashville” and you have a section on your website with current listings, descriptions, or even a blog about some recent properties, your site will have a better chance of showing up.
Staying up-to-date with the latest marketing trends, homes for sale in the area, local listing prices, and more can benefit you greatly as a real estate agent. Being an agent is one thing, but being a knowledgeable one is another.
Learning From Other Agents
Real estate leads from online searches increased from 2016 to 2017 by 65%.
This is one of the tools that I found to be the most interesting yet simple tactic within the real estate industry. While the other agents – whether they are in your office or not – are your competition, they all have different ways to gain clients, and you can benefit from this. If you are a new agent, chances are that you don’t come into this industry with a handful of clients that you are ready to work with. You must first learn the ropes and start small. In this industry, there are many agents that start early (18 years old is the earliest) and have gained tons of experience as well as those that have started at a later age that still don’t know as much as you might think – and vice versa of course.
Each agent has a different technique, and everyone learns from someone different. They may use a technique from a fellow agent and change it up in order to work best for them. It is important to keep your eyes and ears wide open when learning the business because you never know when you might learn something that will work for you. Getting leads is your main goal in this industry aside from completing the real estate transactions, but when you are new – where do you start?
In order to succeed in this industry and dive right in, try helping out some of the top performing agents in your office. Chances are that they have many listings and being only one person – they cannot hold an open house at each one every Saturday and Sunday. Yes, by holding an open house for a fellow agent, you can be helping them score a sale for that property. However, let’s not forget, there are many potential buyers that may show up at the home without a buyer’s agent and can be interested in seeing other homes. You can be that point of contact for them.
Use your personal website as a resource when holding open houses whether the client is yours or not. This is yet another area where SEO copywriting services can come in handy to write a description of the property while you do the research for the area and prepare for the open house. These writers can create searchable content that will be able to get you noticed as an agent and attract more of those potential homebuyers to the property.
How You Can Succeed
The real estate industry is a tough one, but the opportunities to succeed are endless. From my personal experience, even as a new agent, you may have the drive that those veteran agents don’t have – which is usually the case. This is where you have the biggest advantage in the industry, and this is the drive that you should not give up on. Some of the more experienced or even top-producing agents often think they are “too good” for a listing or maybe that client is a “waste of time”. On the contrary, whether you are new or not, you should take that listing or that client because each one is a new opportunity, new experience, and they all can open more doors for potential leads in the future. That client that is a “waste of time” that you are “too good” for oftentimes has friends, family, or other acquaintances that may be looking to buy or sell their home – and you can be the agent that they refer them to.
If you don’t know where to begin when looking for new leads in the real estate industry or how to jumpstart your career as an agent, start by developing an online presence. Speak with a professional SEO copywriting service to see what they can offer you and how they can help make your website stand out. Trying to do everything on your own can be difficult, but using your resources, asking questions, and getting help from those around you will put you ten steps ahead of the game.
A buyer who searches the Internet first spends on average 2.5 weeks working with an agent to find their home, whereas a regular one not using the Internet spends 6 weeks.
Using the online realm can help you maximize your business in more ways than one. Having better content can lead to more leads for you as an agent. Most of those online leads know what they want or have something specific in mind that you can help them with. With these clients, you can complete transactions sooner, which means more money in your pocket. There is a technique for every industry – master it.
There is no right or wrong way to tackle the real estate industry, you just have to find what works for you and run with it. Keep in mind, a certain way may work now, but it doesn’t mean it will work tomorrow. The industry is constantly changing, so remember to adjust to it.
