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SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING FOR REALTORS Flipbook PDF

This article mainly focuses on the use of Search Engine Marketing strategy for the growth of real estate business over t

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WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING (SEM)? Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a form of Internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through paid advertising. SEM may incorporate search engine optimization (SEO), which adjusts or rewrites website content and site architecture to achieve a higher ranking in search engine results pages to enhance pay per click (PPC) listings.

Ways that real estate marketing with a special focus on search engine marketing (SEM) can benefit you – for the real estate professional. Real estate agents and brokers have sometimes been unfairly painted as being indifferent to new technologies and business methodologies such as SEM. While it’s true that much of your business relies on personal connections and face-to-face communication, real estate agents — like all business savvy professionals know that personal connections only get you so far. And in today’s increasingly competitive market, you need to go very far. SEM can help you expand your reach by promoting your business and expanding your sales pipeline across the Internet. Using search engines has become one of the most popular activities on the Internet, second only to email. But with millions of websites and billions of web pages, potential homebuyers need a tool that can sift through this clutter to find the realtor websites relevant to their search. Thanks mostly to the techniques pioneered by Google, search engines have become remarkably effective at providing results that are highly relevant to the term or phrase the user searches on. But to be relevant, you have to be found. The importance of being found You may have a great inventory, a fantastic local clientele, and a snazzy new website, but if your business website doesn’t show up on the first two pages of Google (or Yahoo, MSN, or Ask Jeeves), you’re not getting the exposure you need to remain competitive. Studies have proven what most Internet users know already – people generally do not look past the first two pages of search results. And with over 71% of homebuyers initiating their home search on the Internet (according to the National Association of Realtors), you can’t afford to miss out on all of those active buyers. SEM is a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes search engine optimization (SEO) and sponsored listings. Purchasing sponsored listings is a surefire way to get your website to the top of the results page quickly – without waiting for the results of a comprehensive SEO campaign.

Identifying the right keywords is crucial for the success of SEO / SEM campaigns. But using the major search engines is just a part of an effective SEM strategy. A lead tracking system lets you make more money off of your website with far less work, and an email marketing campaign keeps your prospects and clients up-to-date while positively setting you apart from your competition.

Sponsored (Paid) Listings Sponsored Listing is paid advertisement in the form of a hypertext link that shows up on search results pages. The ads are typically for products and services that are generally or very specifically related to the keywords in the search query. Sponsored, or paid listings are a great way to get fast visibility on the major search engines. Also called pay-per-click, (PPC) sponsored listings are those that show up at the top and bottom of search engines such as Google. These results are clearly labelled “Ad” as shown below.

The more popular the keyword, the more paid listings come up. Google AdWords is by far the most popular sponsored listings program, mainly because the Google network is used by 80% of all Internet users. The AdWord program allows you to create your ads based upon the keywords most relevant to your business. You can also choose to have Google write the ad for you for an extra fee. And not only do you can choose for your ads to show up on the Google results page, but they will also show up on sites in the Google Network, such as AOL, Blogger, and HowStuffWorks. When someone clicks on your ad, you pay Google a predetermined fee. Here’s how AdWords and other programs like it work: 1. You determine what keywords are most relevant to your business (eg, “Brentwood real estate” “Full-service mortgage brokerage” “Buy and Hold properties”). 2. Decide how much you can spend on the campaign. Once your budget is used up, the campaign will end, or you will increase your budget.

3. Your ads start running within minutes after you submit your billing information. You can easily keep track of your ad performance online to see how certain words are performing against others. ● BidVertiser is one of the best alternatives to Google Adword on Sponsored Listing. While sponsored listings are the best way to get high rankings quickly, they are no substitute for a thorough SEO campaign. Lead Tracking Lead Tracking is the process of documenting and categorizing prospective customers based on individual actions and sales rep touches Lead tracking provides data on individual prospects’ likelihood to close and the volume of leads at each stage of sales development. By tracking leads from initial touch to close, you’ll come to a better understanding of your campaigns, your funnel, and your sales and marketing process as a whole While most real estate agents have a website, not all are making money off of them. Sponsored listings and SEO can help attract leads, but to truly get the most out of SEM, you will want to develop a lead tracking system to target the customers and prospects most likely to be interested in your services. Lead tracking can help your real estate business become stronger by attracting quality leads. Lead tracking brings both short- and long-term benefits to your company – giving you instant access to information about each sales prospect while also helping to streamline and manage the sales process. Lead tracking will help you gain a critical edge on the competition by: 1.Providing better service to prospects and existing customers 2.Improving time management 3.Providing valuable marketing information that improves strategic planning Lead tracking not only helps you attract more customers, but it also tracks your return on investment, so you know exactly how much each lead is worth, how many leads convert into transactions, and your overall return on investment in your advertising dollars. ● PIPEDRIVE converts website visitors into leads and helps to manage and track all leads generated.

Email Marketing Email marketing is the act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. It involves using email to send advertisements, request business, or solicit sales or donations. The term usually refers to sending email messages with the purpose of enhancing a merchant's relationship with current or previous customers, encouraging customer loyalty and repeat business, acquiring new customers or convincing current customers to purchase something immediately, and sharing third-party ads. So now you have high rankings on the search engines and lead tracking is bringing in numerous high-quality prospects. Now what? Email marketing is the icing on the SEM cake – it impresses your prospects by allowing you to send them valuable information on the market and it helps you to stay fresh in their minds. Maybe your prospect is an old client, a walk-in from your last open house, or someone who found your website through an Internet search. No matter who they are, you can increase your chances of selling to them if you occasionally send up-to-the-minute real estate news, buying or selling strategies, or developing trends in the market. ● For everything email marketing, GetResponse is the best tool for this strategy.

Gathered tools to help you grow your business BidVertiser Place your ad on thousands of sites with BidVertiser. Get $20 in FREE traffic.

Pipedrive Pipedrive is full of features that help you prioritize deals, track performance and predict revenue. The sales tool you can rely on to grow more revenue.

GetResponse A powerful, simplified tool to send emails, create pages and automate your marketing.

Ecwid Promote your products to grow faster. Create, manage, and track advertisements, all from your Ecwid dashboard.

Some of these tools have everything that has been discussed here under the SEM strategy. Brand name of the provided tool is clickable.

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