How To Attract Love By Practicing Self-Love

 As I write this post I have the musical movie playing in the background called, LALA LAND. If you have yet to see this musical I would highly recommend it. It's a love story.

I wanted to write about LOVE in this post. For most people, the word love can conjure many feelings. I am a father of three daughters and have shared many thoughts on love with them. We've talked about how humans can love things. A sunset, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, art, music, writing, children, parents, and even a partner or spouse. Love is definitely a deep subject to discuss.

When I was a child my mother would read children's books to me at bedtime before I went to sleep. I remember her doing that for me and I mostly remember how I felt when she would read to me. I felt special and important and I never wanted it to end. I would fall asleep with a fulfilled feeling and I couldn't wait until the next time she would read to me.

What a thing to love! Do you have a special memory like that as a child?

I remember all three of my daughters being born. If you have children perhaps you can remember the day your own children were born. It is a day most parents never forget. Seeing a human being you created to come into the world is such an amazing experience. Allow me to speak from my own experience for a moment. Obviously, I couldn't have the very special experience of growing a child inside a womb and I believe that is a special time for a woman while being pregnant. That is a time when a woman begins to fall in love with a child. Feeling it grow, move, and even have hiccups in the womb is powerful. I know this because I have talked to women about the experience. How beautiful it is!

For me, as a man, it happened the moment my children were born. Of course, I loved them before they were born, I just think it may be more special for a woman because of what they feel. I heard their little cry, saw their beautiful face, and instantly I was in love when they were born. It truly is love at first sight and an experience I will remember all the days of my life.

Feeling emotional yet?

Where are you at this time in your life? What feelings of love can you recall right now? Maybe you took a trip somewhere and felt a love for what you saw, the strangers you talked to. Yes, for me it is possible to feel a sense of love for a complete stranger. Love for them as a human. Not because I am in love with them but because of empathy, sympathy, or compassion.

Now let me mention being in love with a partner or a spouse. What a great thing to feel. You know the feeling. If you don't know what it feels like then you have yet to experience something you'll never forget. If you have experienced it then you will agree it is also an incredible experience you will no doubt carry with you until death. Being in love is beautiful! No matter how many times it happens.

Now I want to carry on to what I am really writing about here. It is about self-love. Let me just say you are worthy of love. No matter what you are currently thinking at this time or what you are going through, you are worthy of love.

You deserve all the best love in the world you can get no matter where it comes from. It could come from a pet, a friend, a child, a parent, or a lover. You deserve love because you are human with real human feelings that have something to contribute to this life of yours.

In my humble opinion you can never truly love another completely until you fall in love with yourself. Who are you? Do you know? This is an important question you must answer. If you don't know for sure let me as a few more questions. What do you love? What music do you like to listen to? What do you like and dislike? Do you prefer people to be honest with you or do you like to know people at a distance? There are many more questions you can ask yourself to get a better idea of who you are. Once you begin to answer some of the basic questions of who you are you begin to know yourself better. This is just the beginning.

Spend time alone with yourself. Do you struggle with thoughts when you are alone? If you do then this could be a good sign you really need to learn yourself more. If your thoughts are uncomfortable thoughts when you are alone and you don't like them I would like to encourage you to face them. Acknowledge them. It is ok for the thoughts to not be pleasant. By recognizing them and accepting they are normal human thoughts you allow them to just be. They could be thoughts about experiences you have had. Maybe they may be thoughts about things you worry will happen. Your thoughts can even rest on the present moment. No matter the thought just acknowledge them. They are real and valid. Accept it as an experience you need to have.

After you allow your thoughts to just be, then you can move on.

Now let us mention creativity. You have the power to create thoughts, right? Think about some of the thoughts on your past experiences and on things you love. Maybe in your mind, you added extra thoughts to those thoughts. For example, if you have a good memory you love you might think about how other things could've happened to make that memory better. You do this all the time if you think about it. Just recognize it. be aware of what is and what you create.

Now that we have mentioned creating thoughts it is important to mention that this is a big part of falling in love with yourself.

Begin to think about the qualities you love about yourself. Maybe you love your name. If you don't, you should. It was given to you and that's who you are. If you don't love your given name and you've changed it, then love the name you have given yourself. You get the idea though. Just give yourself some thought time. You are worthy of the time you invest in your thoughts about yourself.

Now a story about something you may not like about yourself and how to change it.

I use to hate my name. Anytime I would hear my name it would give me a terrible feeling. For many years I experienced this. I think maybe it was because I had issues with my father. He was out of my life at an early age. I held this against him in my mind. I'm over that now. His name is also Robert. I didn't even like seeing my name in writing or writing my name. It was not a good feeling. I would always tell myself that I hated my name. and wished it was different.

I heard once from a speaker that I could change the way I felt about something by telling myself a lie. I thought the speaker was being absurd. I began to put the speaker's words into practice by applying his advice to my name. I was tired of feeling the way I did about my name. I started by telling myself a lie. I told myself that I loved my name. When I said it I felt like I was lying for sure. I hated my name and saying I loved it just didn't feel right to me. I kept on saying it though.

When I would write my name I hated seeing it on paper. I just told myself I loved my name. When someone said my name I hated hearing it. I kept on telling myself I loved my name. I kept lying to myself in spite of how bad it felt.

When I would meet another Robert their name seemed foreign to me like it wasn't my own. I wouldn't let myself not like their name even if it was the same as mine. Robert for me was not a good name. I didn't want to personally not like the name Robert for someone else but I still didn't like it for me. What I would do was start to add to the lie I was telling myself by borrowing the positive thought about someone else named Robert. I would tell another Robert I met that they have such a cool name and we are cool because we share the same name. We were part of a special Robert club.

 Sound a little silly? It gets more interesting.

After about thirty days of telling myself the lie that I loved my name, something incredible happened. When I heard my name, wrote my name, spoke my name, and saw my name somewhere I didn't feel negative about my name. The lie I had been telling myself turned into the truth. The uncomfortable feeling of the lie was gone. I realized I loved my name. I enjoyed hearing someone say it. I enjoyed writing it. I liked seeing it written down. I was glad to have the name, Robert. I'm not talking about conceit here. I am talking about completely changing the way I felt. I did it by telling myself a lie until the lie became the truth to me.

This is an example of creativity through your own thoughts. If you can think about it, you can change it. Pure and simple.

You have the creative ability within you to change everything. You must begin where you are at. Recognize where you are in your own thoughts. Start by writing them down no matter how negative they are. This will help you by concretely being aware of what you are habitually thinking about yourself. You must know what to change before you can actually change it.

If you don't feel worthy of love, write it down. Start to tell yourself you are worthy of love. If it feels like a lie, keep on saying it. Repeat it all the time. I know you are worthy but that doesn't matter. You must know you are worthy of love. Tell yourself you love yourself. Look in the mirror and say I LOVE YOU! If it feels like a lie, keep on saying it. You will start to notice your feelings change about loving yourself.

I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you think here. The important thing is you must begin to love yourself first and foremost. Go on a walk and notice the things you love on the walk. Listen to uplifting music. What do you love most about the music? Eat some of your favorite foods. What do you love about those foods? The goal here is to get you into the habit of treating yourself and speaking those good words to yourself. Pretend yourself is a separate person. Would you say unkind things to a person you care about? Of course not. 

If you don't completely love yourself, people will find it difficult to completely love you. Think about how attractive it is when someone is confident or you can tell they practice self-love. You want to be attractive right? Good! Now get to work on yourself and start loving.

Start today. Tell yourself you are worthy of love first by loving yourself completely. You work on this and you will find something or someone to love and receive love in return.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe

 

These cookies are the bomb!

If you are looking to fulfill that chocolate craving then you have to try the homemade recipe I’m sharing in this post.

So my daughter Zoe is such an amazing baker. A few years ago she asked if she could do some baking. As a parent, the first thought at a question like that from your teenage daughter might be, “Ok, but this is going to take a lot of time and supervision.” This was not the case with my daughter.

I showed her a few things about the oven and then she politely showed me from the kitchen. I’d go back every now and then to check up on her but she always seemed to be doing fine at the job.

Baking is a great hobby for kids. I believe as a parent it’s important to cultivate our children’s interests.

When she started baking the oven was a little out of date and didn’t work the greatest. I did a little searching online at the Facebook Marketplace but didn’t find what I was looking for. As the old saying goes, “Seek and you will find” I happen to scroll to a post that was made by a friend who had a used oven for sale. It was a good deal.

Now after a couple of years, Zoe has been enjoying a newfound hobby that really makes it difficult for me to watch my weight. I find myself watching her incredible baking creations instead.

What a great kid!

I myself am not a great baker. I love cooking on top of the cook stove. When I would cook I would show Zoe how I go about it and how I take recipes, add my own twist, and make them my own. I really cook for the flavor, and cook how I would want the food to taste. I think cooking is so much fun and there’s nothing more rewarding than cooking something for someone. When somebody eats my cooking and they say it tastes really good, it gives me a great feeling.

Zoe took what I taught her about cooking on top of the stove and applied it to her baking. She does her research of course but makes it all her own using time-tested baking techniques.

Now after some time, as I mentioned, her baking skills have most certainly impressed friends and family.

I would take baking goods that Zoe created to my work and share them. The compliments are all positive and Zoe loves to hear what my friends say about her baking.

Recently Zoe asked me if I could help her sell her baking. I know we have a local farmers market so I inquired about getting set up. I already have a table and chairs we could use but now I’m searching for a canopy to cover our setup. They can be purchased at Sam’s Discount Club but to help save money I would like to purchase a used one.

I have set a goal to make this happen for Zoe. I think it will be a great experience for her to bake and interact with the public in an enterprising way. It can also teach her a lot about business.

Do you think teaching children about business is a good way to parent?

I am hoping she will do well with this and will do everything in my means to make it happen. Hopefully, she will make enough money to purchase something as a reward for herself. She’s a bookworm so I know she will buy plenty of books to add to her library.

I will be sharing more about my journey with Zoe and her baking business in future posts.

Ok, as promised, here is a great baking recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!

Please leave a comment, like, and share! I appreciate you for taking the time to read my post.

Until next time!

-Rob :)

 Visit here >>>> Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, recipe by Sally’s Baking Addiction 

#baking #chocolatecrinklecookies #recipe

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg And My Update

 

I hope this post finds you well. I am finally in a space to focus on a few things and share with you what is going on with me.

The past several years have been challenging, to say the least. The year 2020 was no doubt a challenge for all of us around the world. I hope that you have recovered from quarantine and are finally back on track to the life you deserve to live.

A few years ago I went to real estate school in Springfield, Missouri. It was a great experience. I made some new friends and found a love for the real estate market. I'm embarrassed to say I had to take the test about five times. For those who don't know, the test is split into two parts. One part is the state portion comprised of fifty questions. The second part is the National part and has a total of one hundred questions. I passed the State portion first, which is supposed to be the hardest. I didn't have to retake the State test but had to go back to pass the National portion.

I was extremely interested in recruiting Realtors for eXp Realty. Unfortunately, I had to put my real estate practice on hold and seek employment outside the home. I took a job at a company called Armstrong World Industries based in Southwest Missouri. I began in the finishing department and then after some time was promoted to a CNC Operator position. I really love working there and have made great friends I hope to enjoy for the rest of my life.

Next to my full-time job, I am currently working on three different projects.

My first project is a niche website focused on homesteading, prepping, and survival. I have been working on my social media following for the past year for this site. All my followers have been organically obtained and spent no advertising dollars at all. I plan to invest in some advertising to obtain more followers in the future. My niche site is called PrepLeak and you can visit if you like and follow the social media accounts to always stay updated. www.PrepLeak.com

The second project is this blog of course. It's a more personal update on me that serves those who care to follow. I have a lot of updating to do as you can tell. Be sure to follow me on my social media links here on this site.

My third project is my creative writing. I am working on a screenplay that has been with me in my mind for many years. It is a true story love triangle drama that took place in North Carolina shortly after the Civil War. I believe you will enjoy this story and I will be sharing more about this screenplay in future posts. Hopefully, I can get it complete or at least a full unedited draft by the end of this year.

I am always reading at least five books at one time. If you saw my table where I sit you would actually see about ten books with post-it notes for bookmarks.

My daughter Zoe is an aspiring writer and shared with me a great book called Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. She wants me to read this book and naturally, I have added it to my pile of books. I will do my best to focus on this book and give you an update on what I have gained from it.

This is all I have on an update right now. I hope you have enjoyed this post and please leave a comment below if you have anything to add. I would love to hear from you.

Until my next post. have a great day and be blessed!

Facebook Strategies To Capture Real Estate Leads

 

It is important to post client testimonials and listings but you want to optimize your Facebook business page to help you generate more qualified real estate leads.

In this blog post, I will be going over a good amount of information that will give you the tools you need to use Facebook for real estate agents, including:

-Why you should invest time marketing on Facebook

-How to start getting leads today

-How to create posts that create follower engagement

-How to get higher conversions with landing pages

I would like to begin by focusing on why Facebook is one of the best platforms for you to use when capturing real estate leads.

Great Reasons Why You Should Use Facebook For Real Estate Lead Acquisition

If you are already a part of an agency chances are that you already have your real estate website and the agency maintains the site for you. A website alone shouldn’t be the only way to stay in the lead generation game. If you look at some of the top-performing Realtors you will notice they are very active on Facebook. Here are some things they understand.

Facebook is very easy and visual, which will work perfectly to get the attention of prospective clients. Most everyone is familiar with how Facebook is designed to encourage users to share posts. This simple and viral activity has become a favorite pastime for millions of Facebook users.

Prospective clients are on Facebook

The most popular social media platform for today is Facebook.

Think about these facts:

-Around 70% of adults are active users of Facebook

-The average user spends almost 40 minutes a day on Facebook

-50% of people view a home online before walking through it

After seeing facts like that it just makes sense for your real estate business to be using Facebook to market. Facebook provides you with analytical data of other users who see your content. The audience insights will give you plenty of information about your business page like, like how often your followers log onto Facebook. Your regular Facebook profile does not offer those statistics. The information provided will allow you to focus on key demographics that will help you run targeted ads that will get you the best result. Now that you can see why it’s very important to have a Facebook page as a Realtor, we can cover the best ways to use this information to your advantage.

5 Strategies to Win More Real Estate Leads on Facebook

Follow these steps and your calendar will be full very soon:

1. Build A Strong Facebook Business Page

When I say build a strong Facebook Business Page I mean to fill every information section that you possibly can. The more content you have the easier it will be for potential clients to find you in search.

Many Realtors will use their personal Facebook accounts to help them get business from their friend list. Technically this goes against the Facebook Terms of Service policy. The policy dictates users having a Facebook business page to make marketing posts.

 

It’s best to use your personal Facebook account to engage with family, friends, and new people you add. You can invite your contacts to like your business Facebook page and then market to them from your Facebook business page once they follow you.

 

2. Publish High-Quality Content

You should post content that brings value and interest to your followers. You always want to be selling yourself and your service through listings or testimonials, but you must make room for posts that give without asking for something in return.

 

The informative and entertaining posts you make will build rapport with your followers and strengthen your business brand that will keep followers coming back for more.

 

After your followers have been following your posts and they start looking for a home, they will think of you because of the high-quality content they are used to seeing. Your followers won’t feel “sold to” because you have built a rapport with them already. It is a win/win.

 

So how do you get started?

 

Begin with the 80/20 rule

80% of your Facebook business page posts should be useful, relevant content, and the other 20% should be for listings and other real estate information.

 

Make different kinds of posts and not just the picture real estate listings. Ask yourself if your posts relate to your followers and what they may be interested in because so many others are competing for their attention.

 

Focus on sharing content that other top real estate agents share, like:

-Area real estate news updates

-Real estate blog posts regarding selling and buying a home, relocating, or real estate value

-DIY and How-to’s like flipping your home, spotting good investment property, and home staging

-Checklists, and infographics

 

Your focus should be on building relationships and positioning yourself as an expert in your followers’ area. Keep your posts short and attention-grabbing. You must think long-term and not the short sell.

 

Incorporate more videos

Videos are very powerful because it provides your prospective buyers an easier way to visualize a space. You have heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, well a video is worth a thousand pictures.

 

A top Australian real estate group used listings with videos and their prospects' interest rates went over 400% more than listings without videos. Over 70% of homeowners who were asked said they are more likely to list their home with a real estate agent who uses video marketing, but only an estimated 12% of realtors use YouTube to provide this video service.

 

Begin by creating more videos, uploading them to your YouTube account. You can share them to your Facebook account but it will help you more if you upload the same video to your Facebook business page as well.

 

You will need more video content ideas. Here are some ideas that Realtors are having great results with on Facebook:

-DIY home fails

-Renovation videos of before and after

-Drone video of areas you specialize in

-360-degree walkthrough videos

Make one to three posts daily and ramp up to around five posts. Be sure to test the engagement rates often to get an understanding of the best times to post. The stats are on your Facebook business page back office. Try not to focus too much on how many likes, comments, or shares you are seeing. Those are NOT true leads. The whole objective is to showcase the value you are providing to your followers.

 

Discover from your audience the optimal post times

You can create the highest quality content but if you are not posting at the optimal viewing times, your posts will be missed.

 

The best time of day to post on Facebook is between 1-3 p.m. and the timezone should match the same timezone as your target audience. Thursdays and Fridays are also some of the best days to post on as well. Internet research shows that 80% of Americans live in the Central and Eastern time zones. As far as best engagement times, Saturday and Sunday will bring the most engagement rates on Facebook.

That gives you a good idea of when you need to get started with your Facebook posting.

 

Do some thinking about the best time of the day for your audience to be browsing on Facebook. Are they super-busy parents who are juggling school and work schedules, or a retired couple shopping for a new beachfront property?

 

Free content is great for your followers but gated content is wonderful for both you and your followers.

3. Grow Client Base With Gated Content

You will provide value to your follower base with the content you post each day. Gated content will grow your contact list that will convert to new real estate leads.

 

Gated content works much like a “lead magnet” because it attracts leads but gated content has more detailed information. Visitors to your site or landing page simply trade their contact information to receive gated content from you.

 

Here are some examples of gated content for Realtors which include, eBooks, PDF’s and whitepapers on topics like:

-Purchasing a home

-Selling a home

-Relocating to your city

-Guide to living in your city

-Area and neighborhood reports from schools, crime, traffic, etc.

 

You can use gated content as a regular post if you like or create a Facebook ad with it. Either way, gated content is strong.

 

4. Going The Next Level With Real Estate Facebook Ads

Let me make a very bold statement. Every Realtor in the country should be utilizing Facebook ads to target and reach their potential clients.

 

After you have a good practice of what I’ve mentioned so far, keep the following tips in mind:

Use the Carousel ad format so your followers can scroll through several different photos and listings in the same ad.

 

There are slow times in the real estate industry but be sure to invest most during the peak months of the year. A good example of this is a home in San Francisco may net over $15,000 more if it is marketed during mid-late April.

 

After saving money during the slower times of the year, you can invest more in Facebook Ads to get yourself in front of the potential buyers and sellers during the most important peak times to reach a wider audience.

 

Target a custom audience and market

Facebook will target your ads when you upload a CSV file. They focus specifically based on your contacts’ information.

This will keep you connected with clients who you have worked with in the past and just might work with you again in the future. They may even refer your services to another Facebook contact.

Use a lookalike audience to test

Once you have uploaded your client contact list, Facebook will be able to create a “lookalike audience” that will be very similar to your real target audience.

Facebook sorts through your contacts and will make comparisons to users in the Facebook database with the same age, locations, and incomes.

Once Facebook gets similar connections in the “lookalike audience”, your ads will be sent to them. This allows you to market outside your typical audience and get more contacts because of the similar connections with your current customers.

Target newly married or engaged couples

New young married or engaged couples are a great demographic to target as buyers. They are in a major life-changing time and looking to invest in a new home together or upgrade their home.

It is a fact that almost 40% of married couples purchased their very first home before they were married two years, according to a study by Coldwell Banker.

On the other side of the coin, you can target relationship statuses that will pull up divorcees. This demographic fits into seller leads and will collect in the grouping because their relationship status shows separated or divorced.

Target by behavior

Facebook will use its data and even a third-party source to collect information on people who are likely to move. Those potential movers just might need real estate agent services. They will be listed under a new mover or likely to move.

You can add on more demographic data

You can laser focus demographic data like age, income, and zip codes that you want to work in to target potential buyers and sellers. In the search, you can go to Locations, Age, and Detailed Targeting.

Install Facebook Pixel

Have you ever browsed online and then a short time saw a Facebook ad that featured the same product or service you searched for? It can evoke a strange feeling but rest assured it’s not voodoo or even someone stalking you. It’s the power of pixels.

When someone takes a specific action online, a piece of JavaScript code tracks the action. A pixel is a piece of JavaScript code and they are used to target ads based on those specific actions online.

Facebook provides this pixel code and you can add it to your website code on a specific page or landing page. For example, when one of your visitors fills out a contact form on your website where the pixel is placed, Facebook will target your ads to the engaged potential client.

When the ad is targeted to the best match it performs better for your conversions than an ad targeted towards someone who is not familiar with you.

Another great way to increase conversion rates is by driving traffic to unique landing pages.

5. Build a Unique Real Estate Landing Page Experience

Your conversions will suffer if every ad or gated content sends your followers to your website. The reason for this is most websites are very busy with a lot of information to take in at once. There’s information like your business, rental openings, homes for sale, links to make appointments, and many other things.

Individual landing pages make things much more focused and simple.

Landing pages are one page with one goal

When someone gets to your landing page, there should be a very clear message of what visitors are supposed to do.

The landing page uses in real estate include:

-Facebook Ad traffic. Traffic from your ads will help you have higher conversions and a better (ROI) return on investment if your traffic is directed to landing pages that are specific to your marketing campaign.

-Content that is gated. When you direct your followers to a landing page, they will need to provide their specific contact information before they can receive free content.

-Add subscribers to your list. Your landing page can be used to get followers to sign up for email blasts, a regular newsletter, or mass text alerts. Your followers will appreciate hearing about updates and new properties as soon as they are available.

-Property landing page. Every single property listing you have should showcase its landing page. A single landing page will keep followers focused and informed on each listing.

-Home appraisals. When you target people who are thinking about moving or selling their home with landing pages, they will give you their contact information to receive a free home evaluation. They want to know the value of their home on the current market.

Do you have experience setting up a landing page? Maybe you are wondering how to make our current landing page better?

If you decide to set up a landing page or optimize your current landing page, here are a few things to remember:

-Use just one call to action and one goal in mind. Don’t give your visitors too many choices. Keep your landing page simple and clean. For example, if you want your visitors to book a showing, the only link you should have is one that will allow them to do exactly that. Too many links or multiple options will overwhelm your visitor and could keep them from taking any action.

-Entice your audience with the right images and words. What is your audience looking for the most? Use the images and words that match what your target audience is looking for.

Remember the lead capture form

Keep the lead capture form as minimal as possible. You will capture the most leads by requiring the least amount of information. For example, a first name, last name, email, and phone number are very effective. You can add that information to your CRM and nurture it accordingly.

Remember the highest converting landing pages are the simplest. If you are not creating your landing pages, we can help you with this. We create laser-focused and responsive, high-converting landing pages that will get you results.

Use Facebook to Get More Real Estate Leads

Now is a good time to put all I’ve covered with you to good use. Be sure to create a Facebook business page if you have not already. Think of some great content ideas you can post to your real estate business page that will act as magnets for attracting some leads. Remember to drive every potential lead to a unique landing page.

 

Follow all of these steps I’ve mentioned to help you get results. If you are looking for some help in putting a system like this in place be sure to contact me for a free marketing consultation.

The sooner you get a laser-focused landing page campaign running the better for your real estate business.

How To Use Internet Marketing To Increase Your Real Estate Lead Generation

 

Generating Real Estate Leads

It’s important to mention if you are a real estate professional that wants more leads, then reinvesting earned commissions into marketing is imperative. You won’t experience much success though without a solid marketing plan.

All real estate agents experienced and new, know that competition for clients can be difficult. In the U.S. alone there are over 400,000 real estate agents. That is a ton of competition!

Some of those agents are part-time agents, but what if you are included in the part-time group?

This blog post is intended to help all agents generate more real estate leads through Internet marketing, no matter your experience in regards to marketing.

I would like to encourage you to not give up as a real estate agent who is trying to market online. I hope that you hang on with me so you can gain a few tips to help you succeed in your target area.

Real Estate Internet Marketing Challenges

When talking about Internet marketing, the real estate industry has some very unique challenges. The challenges can be subject to time, more competitive, and very localized, compared to other industries.

Chances are you compete with the same agents in the same areas. Your fellow agents are either learning Internet marketing better or hiring marketing specialists like me to help them get a competitive edge.

Your Internet marketing strategy must get your prospective clients' attention, and that is what this blog post is all about.

How To Generate Real Estate Leads Online

Ways to get your prospects' attention.

-You need a professional website.

-Discover and utilize the most effective ways to reach your potential clients in your area.

-Drive your potential clients to your website and convert them to leads.

-Continue following up with your leads and provide them with the information they will see as valuable.

-...get paid!

You will succeed as an online marketing Realtor if you know how to do those things. I will go over each of the points for you.

Why focus on generating real estate leads with Internet marketing?

 

You might be asking if it is worth the time and effort to learn Internet marketing and the answer is always yes. It is at least a good idea to get a general understanding of online marketing and then if you wish you can hire a professional marketer like myself to help you.

In this blog post, I will give you a good overview.

Here are three main benefits of Internet marketing your services:

-How To Build Your Brand

Your brand in real estate can be taken with you no matter the industry you are connected with. If you build your brand right in real estate, just imagine the impact it can have in other areas.

-Get New Customers and Clients

Traditionally real estate agents market themselves offline through networking events, workshops, and mailers but there is a better way to generate leads for real estate.

It is more effective to connect with potential clients online first. Almost 48% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of online content before speaking with a sales representative according to an online survey.

This does not mean that potential clients don’t want to talk to an agent. It just means that potential clients are familiar with educating themselves more online today. It is not your fault, it is just what the Internet has conditioned people to do. People love getting instant information online. This conditioning can be used to your benefit.

-Connect With With Existing Clients

It was many months ago that you sold the property, and did you forget to follow up with that buyer? It’s a bad idea to miss the opportunity to stay in touch with your clients. The previous clients are just as important as your new ones.

 

The National Association of Realtors (NAR), reports that 64% of real estate agents' business comes directly from people they already know.

This is why using social media to network with others is good for real estate agents. You can easily stay in contact with clients. Your contacts will recommend you to their friends and family because you are staying in touch through social media.

The Future of Internet Marketing Real Estate

Technology is changing the world and it is also changing real estate marketing. This fact should convince you that marketing yourself online is worth your time and money. 

A survey recently showed that over 92% of home buyers use the Internet in their search activity. 

Can I Succeed In Internet Marketing?

Keep pushing on with learning Internet marketing. You only need three things to succeed with Internet marketing:

-A marketing plan (investing in tools)

-General marketing understanding

-Don’t quit attitude

With those three things, you can generate leads for real estate at a very low investment.

The 3rd one is completely up to you but if you need help and can’t do everything you can call on professionals like us to carry some of that technical load.

Keep reading and I will help you with some marketing knowledge that will equip you to start towards real estate Internet marketing success.

 

Internet Marketing Channels For Real Estate

Content Marketing

Content is the king on the Internet and this content can be designed to inform home buyers. Your buyers want to learn as much as they can.

Most people looking for a home are constantly searching for information on...

-How to buy a home in their chosen area

-Where to buy a home in their chosen area

-Who are the best real estate professionals in their chosen area

Most buyers and sellers are attracted to big real estate websites when searching. Great content that you or a marketing professional can create will help you stand out from the big real estate websites.

Great content will help you build your brand and stand out as a premier expert real estate provider in your area.

 

You need to begin by creating high-value content. What is high-value content?

High-value content is content that a specific group of people will find a large amount of value in because the content is information specific.

A good example would be, if one of your website visitors who did a search “how to buy a home in Houston, Texas,” and your content answers that question thoroughly, then your visitor will find your content to be very valuable. Your content specifically answers the questions they have. 

To finish up on content, I would like to share several ways you can Internet market your valuable content.

-You can create area guides and pages that target keywords in your city.

-Make a blog, infographics, podcasts, and webinars.

-All of the mentioned can be found on search engines by those who are looking for housing information.

 

Social Media Marketing

You can grow your brand awareness with a social media presence and best of all, it’s free! This is called “social selling.” When you are interacting with potential clients on social media that is called “social selling.” This form of selling is very effective. Feedback Systems put out a report in 2015 detailing 61% of businesses that implemented social selling recorded an increase in revenue.

As a real estate agent, you can use new social media tactics besides interacting with prospective clients. You can use panoramic images, online videos, and even 306-degree images.

You may be able to think of several online shows that feature a new video often and many even live stream their shows. This type of online show will further your brand and provide valuable content. It will also help you reach out to larger audiences of prospective clients.

Another great feature and benefit of using social media to market your real estate services are your followers can refer you to friends and family very easily. You will agree that social media is not traditional marketing for real estate but it does work very well because referral to others is the number one strategy for generating real estate leads. Not to mention referrals will increase your social media following.

Social media marketing is one of the main marketing services we offer to help our clients get more leads. Set up a free consultation with us to see if our social media campaign is a good fit.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO helps online searchers find your website and connect with you. It is an important factor in your online marketing and we can help you with that. As a real estate professional, it is important to understand that search traffic volume isn’t the most important SEO factor. One of the most important things is getting relevant, local traffic to your site.

Relevant, local traffic will help build your branding and position you as your area expert. Your local traffic that is generated will more than likely be prospective clients. 

What other SEO factors are important for generating real estate leads?

CTR or click-through rate: You want a high click-through rate. A high click-through rate proves your content is relevant and engaging. Use Google Analytics to check your CTR. Google Analytics is also a great way to get data on who is visiting your website.

Engagement: The more engagement you can produce with your potential clients, the more referral traffic will come your way. 

Social Proof: Likes, comments, shares, and testimonials are social proof. These build your website’s authority and will help you rank higher in the search engines. Social proof can influence potential clients to decide to work with you. It is also important to mention that social proof is not meant to be actual leads, but as mentioned they are very important.

 

Now that I am mentioning search engines, what is the first search engine that comes to mind? That’s right! Google.

There are other search engines as you know, and SEO doesn’t just apply to Google. There’s Bing, Yahoo, and many others. Of all the search engines, Google makes up more than 65% of all online searches. It’s important to optimize your website for as many search engines as possible to maximize your traffic flow through search technology. 

You want to make sure your site is visible to your potential clients as well as search engines. We can help with this by giving you a free consultation. Contact us to help you generate more leads.

Website Design

The design of your website will play an important part in visitors converting into leads. If you want to generate leads from your website your site’s design must be professional and appealing. Potential clients are wanting to buy a beautiful home so you might as well have a nice looking website. Your website can reflect the desired feelings home buyers are looking for in a home. It’s a bit of a psychological idea but it does work.

You will also want your website to be optimized for mobile technology. In my opinion, you don’t have a choice on this. It is a must! Over 73% of home buyers use a mobile device when searching for a home, according to NAR’s 2016 home buyers and sellers report. 

Internet Marketing Automation

After implementing automation technology to your website, you will more than likely see an increase in engagement. Most businesses report positive results within six months of implementing automation. Bots are a good example of automation technology that can help your Internet marketing. Bots will engage with your site visitors as soon as they visit. Bots can also send targeted messages based on your visitors' browsing history. It’s a great technology that will immediately relate to your visitors.

Paid Advertising

Paid search advertising is not the least expensive option for Internet marketing, but it will most definitely generate high quality leads for real estate. Because of the exposure of paid search, your existing listing will get more exposure. You know how important that is.

When it comes to membership gatekeeping, real estate portal websites won't always get the exposure that is desired. To see the listing, visitors have to log in, which can hinder search technology. 

If you put up your advertisements, like social media ads or paid search ads, this can eliminate the inconvenience.

Knowing your target audience is key with paid advertisements and with social media ads, you will need to know the buying/selling process your visitors are in. 

A good example would be most of the people on LinkedIn. They are mostly young professionals that are shopping for their first home. Instagram is full of younger people browsing through homes for entertainment. Many of those are in the first stages of home buying.

While paid search is cheaper than print advertising, you shouldn’t rely on it only. The conversion rate for AdWords is almost 3% and the display network is around 0.89%. That’s about a 2:1 general return on your investment dollar. 

 

If you rely solely on paid ads only it can be very costly. Make sure you are using a large Internet marketing strategy to help you generate leads for real estate. There are many things you can do on your own to help.

Are You Ready to Generate More Leads?

Begin to create your Internet content to help drive organic traffic and leads. There are many strategies with Internet marketing that real estate agents can use to connect with prospects. The more methods you use the greater the odds. Connect with your clients by using what resonates with your target clients. 

If you are a Realtor who is fairly new to Internet marketing, then you will probably need some extra guidance. Feel free to contact us for a free consultation. Robert West Media Agency will help you with a sound marketing strategy for generating more real estate leads.

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Internet Marketing Agency For Realtors & Teams