There are a lot of questions coming our way about what brokers can be doing to evolve their marketing strategy during this time of uncertainty as COVID-19 continues to impact our lives. The post below is part of a four-part series that covers our recommendations for brokers during the COVID era. Check back daily for more insights on what you can be doing to update your marketing strategy.. 

Part 1: You Have Answers

One of the most difficult aspects of our current situation is the mixed messaging: information is often not available, not easily accessible, not easily understood, and/or not conclusive.

Your clients want information and you are uniquely positioned to provide it. We recommend shifting your marketing strategy to put consumer education first. 

By adding more value to their lives now, your clients will remember you when they need some of the services you offer, whether buying, selling, renting, managing their property, etc. And since trust is one of the strongest emotions, thinking about the COVID era as one in which trust building becomes your marketing strategy will help ensure your brand not only survives but thrives in this time of uncertainty and constant change.

Next Steps

Content, including online ads, emails, and your website, should be educational first while providing clear calls to action to members of your community to connect with you. Add value through content you create and look for ways to provide additional value. 

Examples include:

  • Help home buyers and sellers navigate through their immediate vs. longer term needs by advertising services you offer and adding additional services.  This could include offering a webinar for clients who have recently become unemployed and are weighing options like refinancing, selling/downsizing, etc., or prospective clients interested in relocating to your community or investing in a second property.
  • Create a landing page of COVID FAQs for your service area, related to real estate, but also including information on how to support small businesses, employees (ex. information on the Paycheck Protection Program and other local, state and federal government services) and individuals. Pages should include answers to common questions with links to verified sources, such as the U.S. Treasury or Center for Disease Control.
  • Make sure to reference other professionals (with links to their websites) who can help your clients navigate COVID issues and ask them to do the same for you. Financial planners, lenders, attorneys, accountants, recruiters, and others are providing important services, as are you, and many are offering them for free or very reduced rates. Help promote your network, improve your SEO, and connect clients with the services they need all in one place.
  • Create longer-form landing pages that focus on specific topics such as buying, selling, renting, financial assistance, individual protections, small business assistance, investments, etc. (ex. “How to Sell Your Home During COVID”, “Financial Assistance Available During COVID”, “How to Manage Your Investments During COVID”, etc.)
  • Support COVID relief efforts in any way you can and share what others can do to either join you or contribute in other ways.

For extra points with Google, ensure your content is search engine optimized to maximize its impact. Question searches (ex. “can I afford a mortgage now?”) are now more important than ever. Page structure, navigation, word/phrase choice, linking, header usage, graphics, length, accessibility, page speed, and tagging are all incredibly important.  Please contact us if you need help with this geeky stuff.

Examples include:

  • Vary question types and lengths to maximize their effectiveness on Google. Direct answer questions that typically start with “What”, “Which”, “Where”, “Who”, “When”, and “Why” are often displayed as featured snippets or text above the search results on Google’s search results page. Questions like “what are the current interest rates for a 30-year mortgage?” and “what can I do to support small businesses near me?” would fall into this category. Short answer questions typically start with “Why” or “Can”. “Can I afford to buy a house now?” would be an example.
  • Long answer questions are typically “How” questions and include multiple steps or pieces of information, such as “How can I get financial assistance during COVID?”. Keep in mind the importance of providing search engine optimized content that incorporates these types of questions and provides relevant, local information as answers.
  • When thinking about what to share, we suggest focusing more on topics you’re hearing are important to your clients, friends, family, and community, or reaching out to others in the industry to collaborate on content ideas. 

We know this can all be a little overwhelming, which is why we’re here to help. Whether you have questions about the strategies outlined above or need help making updates to your website or advertising strategy during this time of uncertainty, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team via phone, email, or video call. 

Read Part 2: Recognizing the Everyday Influencer Effect