How to Do Real Estate Digital Marketing

Digital marketing opens up endless possibilities for real estate lead generation. With over 90% of buyers initiating their home search online, it’s essential to implement digital marketing strategies that connect you with targeted and high-quality real estate leads.  

Digital marketing for real estate helps agents build a strong online presence, attract the required number of leads to fill their pipeline and enjoy incredible returns on their marketing investment. However, realtors can quickly become overwhelmed with so many platforms and tactics. 

This guide will help you figure out which strategies will best serve your real estate business so you can know exactly how to make digital marketing work for it. 

What is Digital Marketing in Real Estate?

Digital marketing in real estate involves leveraging online platforms to promote listings, generate and engage leads, and nurture relationships. Potential clients now browse listings on platforms like Zillow, scroll through Instagram feeds to find homes for sale, or search Google for “homes for sale in [your city].”

With the right digital strategies, you can connect with real estate leads where they spend their time, building relationships that will eventually convert into sales.

How to Generate Real Estate Leads

Digital marketing tactics are not created equal. The most effective platforms and strategies for real estate include:

• SEO and Content Marketing for Real Estate

You want to be the first name people see when they Google "homes for sale in [your market]” or anything related. Ranking high for relevant search terms on search engine results requires strategic content and a robust SEO strategy. 

Get a headstart by creating blog posts relevant to your audiences, neighborhood guides, and real estate material‒all optimized with local keywords.

• Social Media Advertising    

Your potential real estate leads are not only on social media but are using it to research local agents and listings in their desired neighborhoods. Invest in Facebook and YouTube ads to generate interest in your listing and services among your target audience. 

You can target specific homebuyers by interests, intent, age, income, and location. 

• Email Marketing for Real Estate   

Email marketing works best for following up with and nurturing real estate leads. Keep potential clients engaged with tailored and personalized email newsletters featuring market updates, new listings in markets they’re interested in, and helpful real estate tips. You can segment your mailing list based on preferences and the buyer’s stage in the sales funnel.

A well-executed email strategy can improve your engagement rate, leading to a significant boost in conversion.

• Paid-Per-Click Advertising 

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the way to go if you're looking to quickly generate targeted real estate leads. 

Google Ads for real estate lets you bid for the chance to display your ads in the most valuable part of a search engine results page for keywords and search terms like "buy a house in [city]" or "real estate agent near me.” You only pay when a user clicks on your ad.

Make sure you use a real estate landing page that is optimized for conversions. Your landing page should be clear, focused, and have one clear and concise call to action.

Benefits of Real Estate Digital Marketing

Digital marketing for real estate is all about strategically positioning yourself in front of the right audience, engaging them with valuable content, and converting their interest into sales. It takes time, effort, and a bit of trial and error. But when done right, digital marketing can unlock a consistent flow of qualified real estate leads.

Let's explore some key benefits of digital marketing for real estate:

• Reach a Wide Audience  

Digital marketing lets you reach more people than traditional marketing. You can target more potential buyers than by papering a neighborhood with flyers. Digital marketing lets you create more impressions and generate more real estate leads.

• Cost-Effective Marketing    

Recent data shows that digital marketing is 100x more cost-effective than traditional marketing. You can also drive more results per dollar spent.

• Highly Targeted Advertising    

With digital marketing, you can quickly zero in on your ideal client. Google Ads targeting features are especially adept at allowing you to select who can see your ads based on age, income, location, keywords, intent and interests. Your Google Ad for real estate could only appear to potential real estate leads who are ready to buy in your area.

• Better Engagement with Real Estate Leads   

Social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn, are direct engagement channels for your real estate audience. Interact with them here frequently to build relationships and turn cold leads into warm prospects. You can hold Ask Me Anything sessions, address their comments on listings, or share your content.

• Real-Time Analytics and Performance Tracking    

One of the most potent things about digital marketing for real estate is the ability to monitor your performance in real-time. You can see how many people click on a link on your website or open an email. 

With instant analytics, you can optimize your campaigns and make sure your marketing dollars are continuously working as efficiently as possible.

Digital marketing is cost-effective and measurable and provides the flexibility and reach you need in today’s fast-evolving industry.

High-Performing Website for Real Estate Agents

Your website is the heart of your digital presence. For your website to be as effective as possible, you must provide an outstanding user experience. Here’s how:

Compelling Design and Intuitive User Experience

Your website shapes over 90% of your audience’s impression of your business. The importance of following best practices for design and user experience cannot be overstated. 

To create a long-lasting impression, make sure your site:

• Loads quickly on all devices 
• Is clutter-free
• Uses eye-catching visuals
• Offers relevant content
• Display intuitive navigation links

Has a clear call to action

Real Estate Lead Nurturing with Helpful Content

Besides property listing, use your website to provide your audience with more valuable content. 

You can better connect with real estate leads when you’re the go-to source of helpful real estate and market-specific content. Use blog posts, neighborhood guides, and market insights to position yourself as a local expert.

• Providing Useful Functionalities

Besides helpful content, you can add more value to your website’s user experience with mortgage calculators, interactive maps, and virtual staging, or 3D tours, of your listings. Useful functionalities like these enrich your user experience, increasing engagement and the likelihood of conversion.

Landing Pages for Real Estate that Convert

Landing pages are mainly designed to capture real estate leads. A good landing page grabs attention, builds trust, and guides visitors to take action—whether scheduling a viewing, requesting more info, or signing up for property alerts. 

To create an outstanding landing page that maximizes conversions, keep the following real estate tips in mind:

• Use Clear Copy and Video Content to Showcase Your Local Expertise   

Great content builds trust. Think of real estate content that’ll engage your audience the most. Cater to their interest with data on average home prices or interesting real estate trends. 

Landing pages are ideal for listings. Ensure you highlight each property's features, the listing price, the lifestyle of the neighborhood and proximity to amenities. Don’t forget to include a lead capture form at the top of the page where users can submit their contact information to become a lead. 

• Use Time-Sensitive Offers    

Scarcity and urgency motivate people to act. Add a sense of urgency with time-sensitive offers like “Limited time: Schedule a viewing by [date].” Use a countdown to prompt visitors to act quickly.

• Add Social Proof

Social proof like testimonials adds weight to your credibility. Avoid generic testimonials that are easy to forget. Instead, use recent client testimonials that focus on relevant, measurable results. 

• Specific Call-to-Actions (CTA)    

Don’t settle for a bland “Contact Us” button. Personalize your CTAs based on the visitor's interest. For first-time homebuyers, try “Find My Dream Starter Home” or “Get My First-Time Buyer Guide.” 

SEO for Real Estate Best Practices

Your website is at the core of your search engine marketing. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of guidelines that ensure your website’s performance is at a level that will convince Google to index and rank pages.

Well-optimized web pages make your listings appear when users search for listings and realtors in your area. 

To excel in SEO for real estate, you need to:

• Build your Google Business Profile
• Secure listings in many local directories
• Build backlinks from reputable sites
• Incorporate local keywords across your site

SEO for real estate is critical to putting your landing pages before potential buyers. 

These real estate tips can help you enjoy high rankings and visibility on search engines:

• Optimize for "Near Me" Searches    

“Near me” searches have exploded with the rise of mobile search. Optimize your landing pages for ‘near me’ searches by using localized keywords like ‘homes near me’ or, as an example, ‘real estate agents near Lincoln County, Kentucky.” Place these local keywords in headings, meta descriptions, and footers and where possible in copy. 

• Build Backlinks with Hyper-Local Partners    

Quality backlinks drive traffic to your offers and build your credibility with Google. Hyper-local links can boost your SEO. They show search engines that you are a trusted and relevant source in your local market and, therefore, worthy of a higher ranking.

• Regularly Update Your Content    

Regularly refreshing your content can help your real estate landing pages catch the attention of search engines. Google loves fresh content. If market conditions change or you have new listings, reflecting that on your landing pages signals to search engines that your website is active, relevant, and worthy of higher rankings.

These landing page strategies will give your real estate digital marketing a significant edge. Optimizing search engines, creating urgency, and personalizing CTAs will allow you to attract more real estate leads and convert them into clients.

Google Ads for Real Estate

Google Ads is a robust tool for driving high-quality traffic to your website via ads on the sponsored portion of a Google search. The platform’s filters allow you to laser-target your audience. 

The following tips will help you make the most of your Google Ad for real estate campaigns:

• Adjust The Filters Properly

Set your target location to specific cities, neighborhoods, or zip codes. Use negative keywords to filter out users who are tire kickers, out of your market or looking for something you’re not offering like mobile homes for sale. 

• Explore Ad Extensions    

Google Ads extensions allow you to add additional information to your ads, such as phone numbers, addresses, and links. 

The call extension lets potential clients contact you. Also, structured snippet extensions enable you to highlight specific aspects of your real estate services, like neighborhoods you specialize in or property types. The call extension allows potential real estate leads to contact you directly through your ad, while the lead form extension makes it easy to capture potential buyer information directly from the search results page.

• Create Separate Campaigns for Specific Interests

Set up separate campaigns for specific groups based on interests or demographics – first-time home buyers, investment buyers, etc.

• Optimize Landing Pages for Conversions    

To tie back to the earlier section on landing pages for real estate, you need conversion-ready landing pages to turn ad viewers into leads. Ensure your ad landing pages load quickly, are mobile-friendly, and include a well-crafted CTA.