Digital marketing for estate agents

Digital Marketing For Estate Agents

• Responsive web design• SEO• Social media• Content marketing• Facebook app• Branded emails

Introductions

Mike Smithson – MD – The Property Jungle

32 years in and around Estate Agency

Founded The Property Jungle in 2002

Building Web Sites for 17 years

Built over 1,000 web sites

IT Career since 1992

Introductions

Dave Colgate – SEO Specialist – Vertical Leap

Strong web development background

SEO, Design & Build of Property Sites

Ecommerce Systems

Subject - Maintenance & SEO

Content Management Systems

Introductions

Simon Jenkins– Head of Social Media– Red Rocket Media

4 years in social media marketing

Regular speaker within the social media industry

Heads up strategy and planning for social media

Subject – Social Media – more than a listing

Expert defining digital marketing success measures

Introductions

David Howells – Brand Journalist – Red Rocket Media

Strong professional background in writing

Regularly presents on brand journalism & content

Subject – Content that attracts buyers and sellers

Magazines and Web Sites

Not the golfer and also known as Dai

Introductions

Stephen Phillips – Founder – Growth Track

Provides innovative technology tools

25 years in Estate Agency

Subject – Leveraging Facebook & the Power of Email

Successful consultant to a number of agencies

Built and sold award winning Estate Agency

Responsive Web Design

What is it?

Where has it come from?

How does it work?

What’s the point?

What should I do next?

RWD – What is it?

Responsive Web Design – not Rear Wheel Drive

A design technique to allow for the creation of one set of content that has the minimum amount of panning, zooming or scrolling, irrespective of the device being used to view it.

“One content fits all sizes”

RWD – Where has it come from?

The Web Design Challenge in 1996

• 800 x 600 the new max screen size

• IE, Netscape, AOL & Opera browsers

• Google Didn’t Exist

• Only 100,000 web sites in the world

• Dial up connections max 33.6Kbs

Simpler times, simpler targets, Simple technology“Designed for the screen”

RWD – Where has it come from?

The Web Design Challenge in 2013

• Desktop, Laptop & Mac between 1024 x 768 and 2560 x 1440• Nexus 7” & 10” Android Tablet• Kindle Fire HD• Windows Phone• iPad Mini• iPad 2+• iPhone 3, 4, 5• HTC Android• Blackberry• Nexus 4• Xbox• PS3• Smart TV• Wii• Microsoft Surface

• Chrome, IE, Firefox, Webkit, Safari, Opera

• Landscape, Portrait & Widescreen variants

• Google dominance (67% at 13billion pm)

• 785,293,473 sites (18 million more pm)

• Circa 1/3 Rightmove visits by mobile device

• Peak 82% mobile Rightmove visits in evening

“Designed for the device”

RWD – Where has it come from?

The Web Design Challenge in 2014+

• Wearable Devices• Galaxy Gear, Google Glass, Google Watch…

• Pervasive Computing• “Things that think”

• Augmented Reality• User controlled interaction with the point of view

• Smart TV • Extension to “couch commerce” – “on-demand”

“Design for any display”

RWD – Where has it come from?

Responsive Web Design stops us from designing for a target screen or device and obliges us to design for any display –future-tolerant.

• Design for the screen

• Design for the device

• Design for any display

RWD – How do we do it?

Here’s a few things we can do using media queries:

1. Test for portrait or landscape orientation.2. Hide or show content dependent on size of screen.3. Move and resize content for optimal viewing on a variety of

screen sizes.

In essence a responsive web design “responds” to our devices and adapts to create an enjoyable user experience. This happens in real time as you turn your device or resize your browser window.

Media Queries – how big is the screen and which way round is it?

RWD – So What’s the point?

1. EASE OF MAINTENANCEOne set of content and only one place to maintain it.

2. IMPROVED USER EXPERIENCEConsistent information, no synchronisation issues

3. GOOGLE PREFERREDMore efficient for Google to crawl, index, and organize content with just one URL – ranking implications

4. GREATER PERFORMANCE VISIBILITYConsolidate analytics and reporting – whole body view of all traffic across all devices

Introduces major opportunities for business improvement

RWD – So what should you do next?

• Adoption rates – Sample of 200,000,000 sites – 0.55% adoption today*

• Foxtons have it already. • We resisted it while standards evolved – now ready and need is present.

* Source MeanPath

• Your existing sites still work• Expect 15%+ of agency sites to be RWD in 2014• Expect 50%+ of agency sites to be RWD in 2015• Expect 50%+ of all traffic from mobile devices in 2015

• RWD requires more planning. Can’t just start.• RWD can take slightly more time to build.• RWD can be less flexible on design.

• It is a more intelligent build approach – device capable and future tolerant.

• Business benefits in customer experience, search engine ranking,

content maintenance, traffic and performance measurement.

• Plan for your next generation of web content to be RWD.

thankssss

RWD – So what should you do next?

QUESTIONS

Site maintenance

and what you

should be doing

to help SEO

#property

@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

SITE MAINTENANCE AND WHAT YOU

SHOULD BE DOING TO HELP SEO

Actions you can perform now

Create a channel through the fog

Positive actions on your website with consistency

Website maintenance is the foundation of

good SEO

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS?

What do I mean by dependency?

Like a child is dependent

on their parents?

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

DEPENDENCIES WITHIN YOUR SITE ADMIN

What do I mean by dependency?

Kind of …

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

DEPENDENCIES WITHIN YOUR SITE ADMIN

What do I mean by dependency?

You make a change.

And that impacts or

changes something else

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

DEPENDENCIES WITHIN YOUR SITE ADMIN

It depends on your website software …

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

DEPENDENCIES WITHIN YOUR SITE ADMIN

What is a title tag?

• Title of the page

• Every page on a site has one

• Seen in the browser tabs

• Sits in some code on your page

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

TITLES & DESCRIPTIONS

What is a meta

description?

• Every page on a site has one

• User doesn’t usually see this

• Sits in some code on your page

• Seen in search results

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

TITLES & DESCRIPTIONS

Title Tags

Meta Description

• No more than 65 characters (incl. spaces)

• No need for brand mention on every single page

• Be descriptive about the page

• Use as much of character limit as possible

• Make each one unique

• No more than 160 characters (incl. spaces)

• Remove keywords repetition

• Describe the page, why should I click?

• Entice them to click through to the page

• Make each one unique

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

TITLES & DESCRIPTIONS

If you’re a plus size girl and want a plus size prom dress, we have a lot

of plus size prom dresses. We have blue plus size prom dresses, black

plus size prom dresses, yellow plus size prom dresses, green plus size

prom dresses, white plus size prom dresses, aqua plus size prom

dresses, mint green plus size prom dresses and many more plus size

prom dresses for plus size girls. This particular plus size prom dress is

sleeveless and has a pretty sash in the back.

If you’re a young lady who needs a dress a little bigger than what you

can usually find, we’ve got a great selection for you! From blue to

black, green, yellow and every colour in between our plus size prom

dresses are made just for you. This specific dress which is ideal for a

prom night is sleeveless and features a stunning sash on the back.

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

KEYWORDS

Duplicating content is bad

practice for SEO =

Internally duplicated

on multiple pages

Google’s notice that there’s duplication

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

CONTENT DUPLICATION

Make sure everything is unique

=

Avoid ‘boiler plating’ copy

Tailor the copy on each page

to the targeted reader#property

@SEODave@RedRocketMedia

CONTENT DUPLICATION

Whenever you delete ... Re-direct

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

REMOVING PAGES & RE-DIRECTING

Really important to both optimising for search

engines and providing a good user experience.

Here’s a good example of how your error page

shouldn’t look …

“Page not found” = page users see when the page

they’re trying to find doesn’t exist

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

PAGE NOT FOUND

Page not found

What you need for a great error page:

• Branded page – same template as your website

• Title tag – “Page Not Found – Error 404”

• Content – Why and How

• Link to the home page, sitemap

• Search functionality

• Make it interesting or

entertaining

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

PAGE NOT FOUND

Alternate text or “ALT” text

Optimised for size(Less than 100kb)

Filename

Title

Tag

Resolution

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

IMAGES WITHIN ARTICLES

The ‘local pack’

A ‘local’ search which includes a location returns local results

Google also knows where you are

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

LOCAL SEARCH PRESENCE

If you’re not

already – get your

brand on Google+

Create a local

business listing

Include locations in

your page titles and

page content

Business directories

and government directories local to you

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

LOCAL SEARCH PRESENCE

Hugely important aspect of site maintenance and

consistent SEO

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

INTER-OFFICE TRAINING

Many, many more things you

can do

Keep content up to date

Don’t remove pages without

redirecting

Don’t go overboard with

keywords

#property@SEODave

@RedRocketMedia

TO FINISH OFF

Social Media…

More than just a listing of properties

#property

@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

It’s only natural…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

It’s totally natural for a brand to link to their own products across Social Media.

Don’t believe blogs that tell you to NEVERpost self-promotional content.

One size fits all…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

The key is to get the right balance of ‘self-promotional content versus non-self-promotional content.

The ‘one theory fits all’ in Social Media shouldn’t exist.

This is particularly relevant when talking about Estate Agents.

The boring bit…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

Vs.

Low involvement High involvement

The boring bit…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

“Buy these Bananas – they’re good” “The benefits of the juicer include”

Notch on the bed post…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

Two years ago it was fine to say to a client, “we got you 25 new followers on Twitter…”

However, the industry has moved on…

So what do we do…?

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

It’s unrealistic to think we can track a Social conversion that has purchased a house directly…

Listing of properties…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

Think about the consumer journey… What do consumers consider when buying a house

Local Schools

Travel links

Local business

Things to do

Pubs

Restaurants

Local authorities

It’s a bull ring…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

It’s a fiercely competitive market. Brand awareness can by the key differentiator

HOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSE

Listing house after house will not get you noticed

HOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSEHOUSE

It may surprise you…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

One of my Estate Agent clients hasn’t linked (publically)

to one of their properties in 8 months

Instead… it’s simple!

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

We follow local businesses: from start-up’s to shops;from barbers to baby-care centres

We engage with these people about the local area… i.e. what’s going on? Future developments etc.

They converse with us, often piggy-backing our sentiment and increase our reach to a targeted / relevant audience

What did we do…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

The main objective of this campaign was to raisethe brand awareness of the agency

We did this by creating a list of potential local Influencers that we could engage with…

…alongside them boosting the reach of our content:News > Blogs > Infographics

The results are in…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

Achieved a reach of 477k across Social

Achieved a 515% increase in Social referrals to their website

Increased returning visitors to the site by 47%

Without listing one single property

Increased the average time spent on site by 2mins 42secs

So what about…

#property@SimonJenkins09

@RedRocketMedia

Social platforms have become native playgrounds

You can’t trick people by occasionally dropping in sneaky link to a property

You need to build trust before offering them the product

People are increasingly using Social Media as a research tool

CREATING CONTENT THAT ATTRACTS

BUYERS AND SELLERS

#property

@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

ME

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

CONTENT MARKETING 101

Picture credit: Shutterstock

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

TWO ASPECTS

Identify a need

Research ShortlistSeek word of mouth

references

Find reviews online

Speak to a sales

personBuy

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

MODERN BUYING CYCLE

Writing for search engines

Creating keyword-rich content

Cramming in external links

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

Offer fresh perspectives

Regularly updated

Keep search engines happy

React fast to breaking developments

Infinite

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

SHORT FORM - NEWS

•Blogs

•Articles

•White papers

•Email content

> 300 words

Picture credit: mdhia.tripod.com

WHAT IS LONG-FORM CONTENT?

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

Picture credit: mdhia.tripod.com

SproutSocial

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

GOOGLE PRIORITISING LONG-FORM

Yield

Void period

Conveyancing

LTV

Completion

Stamp duty

Negative equity

Break clauses

Rack rent

Sold STC

Picture credit: businessinsider.com

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

Browsing

Shortlisting

Buying

What is...?

How does...?

How to...?

Benefits of...?

How much...?

Help with...?

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

HUMMINGBIRD FUNNEL

BROWSERS

• What are the benefits of renting?

• How do I let my house?

• How much does buying a house really cost?

• Is ‘location, location, location’ really the best maxim?

• How much rent can I afford?

• What is it like living in...?

SHORTLISTERS

• How to find the right estate agent

• What are the benefits of using a letting agent?

• How much rent should I charge?

• What is an EPC?

• What should you look for on a property viewing?

BUYERS

• What do I need to do to my property before letting it?

• What happens with problem tenants?

• What should a tenancy agreement cover?

• What paperwork does a landlord need?

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

FOR EXAMPLE

• Google Analytics – although more difficult

because of ‘not provided’ data

• FAQs

• Ask staff (they can contribute as well)

• Ask customers

• Update old content

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN TOPIC IDEAS

• “People buy people”

• Look for key differences

• Target your audience

Picture credit: wikimedia.org

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

BUILD A BRAND

1. Create a blog, FAQ or guide section on your websites

2. Promote this to new users and drive visits

3. Write a list of potential topic ideas

4. Create an editorial calendar

5. Re-purpose content

6. Remove or update outdated content

#property@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

#property

@DavidJHowells

@RedRocketMedia

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