Ultra-Local Real Estate Leads, Branding, Presence and SEO

Do you realize that the game for ultra-local real estate leads leans heavily in favor of YOU over Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com and the rest? Did you know that you can beat them out in the competition for top SEO placement for some of the highest-return keywords?

We work with brokers, agents and companies around the US to drive stronger real estate leads and online marketing. The discussion we have daily with clients is all about owning the ultra-local marketing strategy over the broad blanket strategy. Bottom line is, if you are serious about being a leader in your market, you have to lead out in the ultra-local marketing game.

Since real estate leads and the marketing competition is all focused ultra-local, you know that if you can refine your marketing strategy around identifying, being recognized as the source for and being the source for sharing local information, you'll find increased lead quantity and quality.

If you are looking to own your market locally, and you are committed to doing it online, here are some keys you can't miss:

1. Social is a Key Direct and Indirect Real Estate Lead Driver

Social media is this thing that we have all been talking about for years, but a big question remains for many real estate professionals on how to really leverage social in a way that drives ROI. When social media is leveraged with a strong ultra-local lean, it becomes a powerful source of interaction and connection for locals that are in your sphere of influence.

For example, if you have 200 Facebook friends and you can share a bit of information or experience about the local market, you are likely to get some response, likes, or engagement (think of each like as exposure to 100-200 more people, since each person's like will be automatically be shared with all of their Facebook friends).

If you can, come up with a competition or event or reason that people want to engage with you in an even stronger way. This will leverage the social relationships, and get some additional engagement. Something like a competition for movie/game tickets, or a drawing, can work well at little cost.

2. To Be Ultra-Local, You Have to Have Ultra-Local Knowledge

How do you attract the right people that have been doing market research online, and get them to pay attention and become YOUR lead? The answer is all-in VISIBILITY and ULTRA-LOCAL APPEAL. Basically, once you are seen by someone, you have only seconds to demonstrate that you know what you are doing in their local market.

This can and should be done with correct and interesting blogging, the way your IDX/RETS connection is setup on your website, and with how communities and neighborhoods are presented.

If you are weak in any of these items, you need to make these your strengths. Truly, the core of ultra-local marketing is generating the appeal to the right group of people.

3. Local Saturation vs. a Toe in the Water

Many people begin their online marketing efforts by thinking about the entirety of their market. They think about every neighborhood of every city and just how far they could reach in order to get the most leads. One of the tricks of successful ultra-local marketing is to make sure that you get deep saturation in fewer local markets from an online visibility standpoint, and then grow that out as much as possible.

If you have been online for years, and have a decently strong URL (in SEO terms), then you may be able to take more areas more quickly. Even so, a very strong ultra-local presence in a viable neighborhood can produce a lot of business.

To view the original article, visit the Inside Real Estate blog.