Nov 21, 2017 by - ethan beute

What Makes Real Estate Content Compelling? 7 Experts Explain

A presentation you don’t often see. A challenge I was privileged to meet.

The topic: compelling Real Estate content. How to use words, images, and videos more effectively in websites, blogs, email, and social media to grow a Real Estate business.

The kind people at West and WFG National Title invited me to deliver on this at their WFG REfresh event series this fall and winter. And though I’ve published hundreds of blog posts, thousands of photos and videos and dozens of webinars and presentations, I sought to give maximum value to today’s Real Estate agent.

So, I reached out to 20 friends in and around the Real Estate community to contribute. Seventeen of them provided their unique perspectives on the definition of compelling content and tips for someone just getting started.

Watch the short video below, then hear from seven experts to improve the words, images and videos you use to connect with people and convert opportunities.

2 Questions for 17 Real Estate Industry Experts

The details below were either sent directly to me in a typed-out email or sent to me in a video email and turned into notes and quotes. Enjoy!

1. Travis Robertson – Robertson Coaching International | travisrobertson.com

Only having one of these elements, your content will get lost. Having two of the three, you can have great stuff.

  • Valuable or interesting information.
  • A dynamic or relatable messenger.
  • A unique perspective.
  • It must be relevant or interesting to the homeowner/buyer.

The person providing the info should be someone they can connect or relate with.And the person should have a unique perspective on the information.

There’s nothing new under the sun, but how we explain what’s under the sun is unique to us.

2. Chris Smith – Curaytor | curaytor.com

Content has to be hyper local or it’s a waste of time. An agent’s “sweet spot” has to be in their market. Sites like Zillow can do the curating from all over, but agents should stay local.

Listings can be super compelling when positioned properly.

Examples:

  • 8 Pool Homes for Under $450K
  • 12 Homes with Breathtaking Mountain Views
  • Homes You Should Buy If You Win the Powerball

Jimmy Mackin – Curaytor

Three components of great content that sells:

  1. Is the content establishing you as a trusted authority in the space?
  2. Is it content you can sent not only to people who don’t know who you are but also to people who do know who you are (past clients, sphere of influence, network)?
  3. Does it actually directly sell your services?

If you can overlap on all 3 – create a thought leadership piece that you can send to your
database and helps you sell to new customers – you have the trifecta of what I consider great content.

It’s expensive to sell to strangers and expensive to market to people who don’t know who you are. So, “you need to take into consideration the relevancy of your content to your existing database” because you have a much higher chance of having the content “land” with them than with cold prospects

“The best types of content marketing have a point of view – a way in which they see the world.” Think about Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” – your “why” manifests and drives your vision and execution of everything.

More practically: “What is your point of view? How do you see the world?”

This unique perspective is “what attracts people to you.”

Compelling content positions you as a trusted authority, can be sent to people who know you, and can be used to sell your services – with a point of view that makes it special, unique, or different.

Absent the point of view, you’ve got “generic, unoriginal, inauthentic content that isn’t going to be compelling at all.”

4. Andrew Fogliato – Just Sell Homes | justsellhomes.com

For me, compelling content revolves around putting consumers first in what you’re doing. Figure out what’s most important to them, what pain points they have that you can solve, how to make their life better with your content.

Example: Create long form content for your listings – longer videos and longer write-ups. Most websites just scrape the MLS, so they’re all the same. But people are buying the neighborhood, school, local businesses, lifestyle, etc. So go in depth! Serious buyers will consume it.

5. Marc Davison -1000watt | 1000watt.net

For me, compelling content regards information that I, as the reader, will benefit from reading and knowing. Something new that opens up my mind to what I did not know, something that confirms my beliefs with new detail, or something that answers a question, concern or nagging problem. Finally, compelling content offers valuable details or takeaways that enable the reader to execute on the information provided.

How you recognize it when you see it:

If a writer or brand is known for creating compelling content, their logo alone will indicate the compelling nature of the content. This pertains to articles, posts, etc.

Also, headlines matter. A great, compelling headline will get more readers and viewers than a boring one.

6. Kelvin Krupiak -Easy Agent Pro | easyagentpro.com

First, compelling Real Estate content has broad local appeal – and it doesn’t have to be solely related to Real Estate. For example, here in New Mexico, I know hatch green chili is a big deal and could create a piece of content centered around that somehow.

I’ve had clients who focused solely on pumping out things like market updates every week and they were seeing minimal traction. While on the other end of the spectrum I’ve had clients who write blogs on the top 10 cafes in the area or the 10 best pet-friendly parks and their posts go “viral” within their local communities. Strike a healthy balance between those market updates and other locally driven information that people enjoy seeing on their newsfeed.

Next, I would also say compelling Real Estate content appeals to the biggest pain points of the prospect. For example, creating a blog or video that’s titled “It’s a Hot Seller’s Market” communicates a useful piece of information but doesn’t touch on the pain point for the seller. Yes, it could be a good time to sell but what are they worried about? Probably receiving the right type of offer! “Sell Your Home For The Price You And Your Family Deserve During This Hot Seller’s Market.” Now we’ve touched on resolving that specific pain point immediately and captured the attention of who we want.

7. Jared James – Jared James Enterprises | jaredjamestoday.com

Very simply, compelling content is whatever matters to your local consumers that they can’t get from Siri with one sentence. In other words, “What are the current mortgage rates?” is not compelling Real Estate content. On the other hand, “Why are Westville Heights homes selling so quickly and should you invest or not?” is hyper local and peaks the curiosity of the targeted reader.

Real Estate content should be local, and even when it’s not local, it should be made local. For example, nationwide there has been a shortage of homes for sale for years now but writing about the national market isn’t intriguing to someone in your local school district. They want to know how it affects them personally. If you begin with that thought in mind, you’re off to a good start.

Want More Content Advice? Here It Is!

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