10 Best Ways to Use Content Marketing to Advertise a House for Sale Online

The real estate market has seen a big shift over the last few years. Home buyers don’t simply look at printed advertisements or word of mouth when doing their real estate shopping. Today, the digital realm has overtaken the traditional methods, making online advertising crucial for property sales.

This means doing content marketing — and doing it well.

The ultimate goal when advertising a house for sale is to make the sale. But customers engage differently with digital media. Instead of pitching to potential real estate customers directly, content marketing gives information that educates, entertains, or inspires people to take action.

You can even think of it as forming a relationship. The focus is on creating, publishing and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent written content that helps attract and retain an audience.

It’s not crucial for sellers to generate all this content by themselves. In fact, there are key benefits to bringing in outside authorities to leverage their content marketing skills. This can take many shapes.

Property guest writing, often called guest blogging or guest posting in the real estate sector, involves getting people outside the organization to write and provide content for another company’s website.

Usually, these guest writers are industry experts seeking to share their insights and knowledge about property, real estate trends, housing market analysis or related topics on a platform that has an established audience in the field. In exchange for their content, guest writers might gain exposure for their own brand, a platform to establish their authority in the sector or a link back to their own website.

1. What Is Property Guest Writing?

Now, let’s break things down a bit. Whereas content marketing focuses on creating and disseminating relevant content to capture a target audience, property guest writing brings in experts from well-established real estate platforms or related blogs so that agents and sellers can reach an audience that’s already interested in real estate but may not be directly visiting their website. These guest posts not only inform and entertain but also build a bridge of trust with potential buyers, making them more receptive to the properties being advertised.

Over 44% of home buyers start their search online. That’s a huge potential market to produce content for! And given that content needs to stay relevant and address ongoing trends, it’s often very valuable to include content in the form of property guest writing from prominent platforms. The result is that sellers are able to market to a large audience while also validating their credibility through association with sites that people recognize and trust.

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2. Creating a Compelling Property Description

Every home has a story, and the job of content marketing is to tell it in the most compelling way possible. This begins with a well-crafted property description. This isn’t just about stating facts, but painting a picture. Use vivid language that transports the reader to the property.

For the sake of contrast, let’s look at a couple of examples of good and bad property descriptions.

Example 1: Rural house for sale. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. Has a garden.

Why It’s Bad: This description is very brief, lacks any engaging details and fails to evoke any feelings or visuals about the property. It gives no unique selling points or features that might attract potential buyers.

Example 2: Step into a dreamy countryside retreat, nestled amid rolling hills and whispering willows. This enchanting two-bedroom cottage boasts beautifully crafted wooden beams, an inviting stone fireplace for those cozy winter nights and French doors that open to a garden, inviting nature right into your living room. While its rustic charm transports you to the past, rest assured, every modern convenience has been thought of. Explore, dream and find your forever in this countryside haven.

Why It’s Better: This description paints a vivid picture and tells a story. It uses emotive language and brings in elements that help the reader visualize and feel the ambiance of the property. Unique features are highlighted, and the description sets the property apart.

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3. Visual Content: Photos and Virtual Tours

Let’s say you’re flipping through a property magazine. What catches your eye first? The pictures, of course! High-quality images should be considered non-negotiable for content advertising real estate. For those who are equipped for it, virtual tours are becoming indispensable. They provide a 360-degree view of the property, giving potential buyers a virtual walkthrough.

When virtual tours aren’t an option, other video content can really enhance property listings. Even a basic video can offer a dynamic view, capturing the essence of what it’s like to be in a home.

For those who are equipped, drone footage is another good idea to provide a unique perspective, showing the property’s exterior and the surrounding neighborhood.

4. Educational Blog Posts and Articles

Content marketing isn’t just about showing off properties for sale. It’s also about establishing authority in the real estate domain. The opportunities here are vast.

When potential homebuyers or sellers are looking for realtors or agencies, they’re not just looking for someone to ring up a transaction. They’re looking for real experts who can figure out the nuances of the market and can provide insights beyond square footage or property prices. Establishing this authority is where content marketing shines.

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5. The Power of Holistic Content

Put yourself in the shoes of a first-time home buyer. You’re not just interested in a home, but the life you can lead in it. These buyers want to know about the local schools, the community, nearby amenities, parks and cultural events. They’re buying into a lifestyle, not just bricks and mortar.

By crafting content that goes into these topics, sellers can show off their deep-rooted understanding of the community they operate in.

There’s also a huge technical advantage to this approach. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is pivotal in driving organic traffic to a website. When potential buyers or sellers turn to search engines, they’re more likely to land on the pages of sellers who have content that covers these topics.

Informative, well-structured and relevant blog posts get indexed by search engines and, over time, can rank higher in search results. This not only builds increased web traffic but also attracts a more targeted audience.

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6. Social Media Platforms

Social media is the modern word of mouth. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are treasure troves for real estate advertising. For instance, Instagram’s visually driven platform is perfect for showcasing property photos and videos.

Let’s delve into the pros and cons of leveraging these platforms and establish an optimal content cadence.

A. Pros of Using Social Media for Real Estate

• Visual showcase: Platforms like Instagram, with its photo and video-centric design, are perfect for displaying properties in all their glory. High-resolution images, video tours and even drone shots can provide potential buyers a comprehensive view.
• Wide reach: With billions of users combined, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest can help real estate agents tap into a vast audience pool, spanning various demographics and geographies.
• Targeted advertising: Social media platforms offer sophisticated advertising tools. Real estate agents can target ads based on location, interests, behaviors and more, ensuring they reach the most relevant audience.
• Engagement and feedback: Real estate agents can engage with their audience in real time, answer queries, take feedback and even run polls or quizzes. This two-way communication fosters trust and builds relationships.
• Community building: Social media allows real estate agents to cultivate a community. Sharing local news and community events or highlighting local businesses can position them as integral community members, not just salespeople.

B. Cons of using social media for real estate

• Time-consuming: Managing social media profiles, creating content and engaging with the audience requires significant time and effort.
• Algorithmic challenges: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram often change their algorithms, which can affect content visibility and reach.
• Oversaturation: The sheer number of real estate agents on social media can lead to content saturation, making it challenging to stand out.
• Potential for negative feedback: Social media opens the door to public feedback, both positive and negative. Managing and responding to negative comments can be challenging.
• Consistency is key: To keep the audience engaged, consistent posting is essential. A dormant profile can reflect poorly on the real estate agent’s brand.
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7. Establishing a Good Content Cadence

• Frequency: Posting too often can overwhelm followers, while posting too sporadically can lead to loss of engagement. For platforms like Instagram, three to four times a week is optimal. For Pinterest, which values volume, pinning multiple times a day can be beneficial.
• Diversity: Ensure a mix of content types — property showcases, client testimonials, behind-the-scenes looks, community spotlights and educational content about the buying and selling process.
• Engage: It’s called “social” media for a reason. Engage with followers by responding to comments, asking questions and encouraging sharing.
• Scheduling: Using social media scheduling tools can help in maintaining consistency, allowing real estate agents to plan and automate posts.
• Analyze and adapt: Regularly review analytics to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Adapt content strategy based on insights gathered.

8. Interactive Content for Engagement

Engagement is the key to online success. Interactive content, like quizzes or infographics, can be powerful tools. They provide value while also being entertaining. For instance, a quiz titled “Which Neighborhood is Right for You?” can provide insights while capturing user interest.

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9. User-Generated Content (UGC)

There’s a reason why testimonials are so powerful: They build trust. Encouraging past clients to share their experiences can be a game-changer. Over 90% of consumers say UGC influences their purchasing decisions. That’s a nearly universal agreement.

Don’t believe it? Compare these two statements and see which one feels more impactful:

Without testimonial: Our agency prides itself on offering top-notch service to our clients.

With testimonial: “Working with this agency was a dream come true. They made the entire process seamless and ensured we found the perfect home.” – Sarah and John Thompson

10. SEO Optimization for Content

Lastly, what’s the point of creating content if it’s not discoverable? SEO optimization helps your content rank highly on search engines, thereby attracting organic traffic. Utilizing relevant keywords and location-specific terms is essential.

Wrap-Up

In the digital age, content marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for real estate professionals. By providing valuable content through descriptions, photos and blogs, you can attract potential buyers and also establish a trustworthy brand.

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