Are you struggling to reach your target audience with your current content marketing strategy? If that is the case, you are not alone. The sheer amount of content you are competing with is staggering. However, you can succeed if you keep the critical digital marketing techniques shared here in mind. But first, let’s take a look at the overall environment and then explore how you can master digital content development. We will look at some of the various channels in detail, exploring both the why and how of each.
By: John Seroka
On average, more than 150,000 new videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, adding up to around 330,000 hours of video content based on an average video length of 2.2 minutes. And according to Zippio, more than six million blog posts will be published daily in 2023. Also, in 2020, 300.4 billion emails were sent and received each day. (Source: Prosperity Media)
That’s staggering. The statistics mean in order to break through, the quality and quantity of your content marketing matter now more than ever. And their importance will only continue to increase as automation enables easier deployment and the volume continues to grow. It will be challenging to thrive in the mortgage industry or as a real estate broker without plenty of great content, given what you’re up against competitively today.
Are you already worried? Don’t be. We can help you implement an effective content marketing strategy. Check out these proven techniques that can help your content truly stand out in the saturated, online world we’re all operating in.
Blog Content
Having a blog is only the beginning, and the mere mention of it is almost trite. The key is turbocharging your blog with content that engages, entertains, and educates your audience. We’re talking quality over quantity. And consistency matters too. Make sure you post regularly and optimize the posts for SEO visibility — we can help you get started in creating great content.
- A blog can help improve your company’s SEO.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). A company blog can help to improve your SEO in a number of ways. First, by publishing high-quality, keyword-rich content, you can attract more visitors to your website. Additionally, by frequently updating your blog and linking to other websites, you can show search engines that your website is active and relevant, which can help improve your rankings. - A blog can help build relationships with your clients.
Your clients are the people who buy your products or services. Therefore, it’s important to build strong relationships with them. A company blog can be a great way to do this. By providing helpful information and engaging with your readers, you can show them that you care about their needs and you’re invested in helping them solve their problems. Additionally, a blog can be a great platform for customer feedback, which can help you improve your products or services. - A blog can help establish your company as an industry thought leader.
If you want your company to be seen as an authority in your industry, then you need to position yourself as a thought leader. A company blog is an excellent platform for doing this. By sharing your expert knowledge and insights on your blog, you can show others that you’re an authority on the subject. This will make people more likely to trust your brand and recommend your products or services to others.
While it can be challenging to uncover blog post ideas, competitor research will show you what content and keywords are bringing them traffic. Ideally, you want to show up on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) any time your competitor also shows.
Video Content
You must think well beyond the blog to get your content to break through. Videos are one of the most effective ways to deliver content, It’s an extremely popular format that is consumed quickly and easily.
- Video content on YouTube
Did you know that the number two search engine in the U.S. is YouTube? YouTube has become a primary “How do I” or “Why should I” information source. Your YouTube channel is as important as your social media properties or any other platform you are using in your marketing. Your YouTube channel deserves relevant content that gives your customers and prospects a better understanding of who you are and what you do. Why should you consider investing in YouTube content? - Increase your brand awareness
YouTube videos can help increase brand awareness for a company. When potential clients see a company’s videos, they will become more familiar with the business and its products or services.
For companies in the mortgage and real estate industry, this can lead to increased opportunities as clients are more likely to work with firms they are familiar with. - Helps you connect with clients
YouTube videos can also help companies to connect with their clients. Clients can leave comments on videos, and companies, in turn, can respond to these comments. This interaction can help to build relationships with clients, which can lead to increased sales and client loyalty. - Showcase your products and services
YouTube videos provide an excellent way for companies to showcase their products and services. Clients can get an up-close look at what a business has to offer, which can help increase new business opportunities. Additionally, if a client has a question about a product or service, they can often find the answer in a company’s YouTube video. - Generating leads
YouTube videos can also be used to generate leads for a company. For example, if a potential client is interested in learning more about a product or service, they can be directed to a company’s website through a link in the video description. Once on the website, the potential client can then be converted into a paying client. - Increase your website traffic
In addition to generating leads, YouTube videos can help increase website traffic. When potential clients watch a company’s YouTube video, they may be directed to its website through a link in the video description. This increased traffic can increase sales as more potential clients are exposed to the company’s products or services. - Improve your search engine optimization
Finally, YouTube videos can also help improve search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of optimizing a website so that it appears higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). When potential clients search for keywords related to your industry, having high-quality YouTube videos that contain those keywords will increase the chances that your website will appear in the search results.
Taking it a step further, consider live video, messenger conversations, and dynamic content. And, if you happen to be a Realtor® or real estate developer, augmented reality will become more popular as the decade progresses.
Your ability to deploy high-quality content to guide your target audiences toward a desired outcome quickly and efficiently, at the right time and in the right places, is also now critical to scaling your business.
Of course, all of these ideas require topic ideas. The best content ideas are ones that meet the needs of some client or prospect cohort. While it goes without saying that your content must address the needs of existing clients, it should also help you get more leads and, ultimately, more clients. In the paragraphs above we looked at the “Why.” Here are some content ideas that can help you with the “How”.
How-to guides
How-to videos are always popular on YouTube, as people are constantly looking for new ways to do things. Whether it’s a how-to video on using a service you provide or how to use a product to save time and money in the homebuying or search process, there’s always an audience for these types of videos.
Product reviews
Product reviews are also popular on YouTube, as people like to see what others think of a product before they buy it. Consider reviewing one of your products and comparing its features and benefits to others in the marketplace.
PRO TIP: A careful and objective comparison of your product with a competitor’s product is a way to pick up search traffic looking for the competitive product! Or, compare your product or service to “the old way.” You can be sure that plenty of people will be interested in watching your video.
Tutorials or training videos
Tutorials are another type of video that is always popular on YouTube. People love learning new skills, and tutorials provide an easy way for them to do so. Whether it’s a tutorial on using a product or a product feature, there’s bound to be an audience for your tutorial video. Good online training content may also reduce your client support costs.
Collaborations or group discussions
Collaboration videos are also popular on YouTube as they allow viewers to see different people discussing an idea or issue. These videos can be particularly effective as each participant has their own viewpoints, so the viewer may learn ideas that they never thought of before. The video can also take the form of a success story interview. This will give your product exposure and allow your prospects to meet one of your happy clients.
Social Media Content
Social media has become a powerful tool in mortgage and real estate industry marketing – no mater who you are trying to reach. With today’s constantly connected users, utilizing various platforms for effective brand promotion can be the difference between success and failure in the competitive digital landscape. B2B and B2C companies in mortgage and real estate leverage social media to expand their reach by developing engaging content strategies and creating meaningful connections with their target audiences. Many marketers have achieved notable results by mastering social networks.
As with all business activities, failing to plan is planning to fail. You will need a robust social media strategy. Your social media presence is a key part of your online visibility. Social media content marketing is a way to reach potential clients by addressing each of your buyer personas using various targeting criteria available or uploading a purchased list with pre-determined criteria.
One of the advantages of social media marketing is that social media platforms are geared for certain audiences – much moreso than typical websites. This enables you use specific platforms for targeting specific groups, such as LinkedIn for B2B connections and Facebook and others for B2C interactions. Another benefit is that you can use existing content from landing pages or blog posts on multiple social media platforms by respinning previously published content or using social media to promote content on other channels.
Marketing Automation
For those of you who may not be aware, let me take a moment to briefly explain.
Marketing automation allows you to schedule the automatic deployment of content via email, SMS text, direct mail, social posts and voicemail.
Triggers can be set up within the software so that follow-up content can be deployed to your target based upon an action taken (or not taken). For example, filling out a form, clicking a link, visiting a URL, opening an email, or not opening an email are all examples of triggers.
Automation saves marketers and salespeople a lot in time and labor costs. It allows them to follow up with a prospect more quickly and systematically in a way that is relevant depending on the action they take. It allows them to build their pipelines faster, while reducing the chances of losing a prospective client to a competitor due to a slow response…or lack of response.
Why is content marketing so incredibly important? Here are three primary reasons…
It builds trust
Crafting content that stands out can be a challenge in an era of information overload. But when done right, it pays off. Great content can give your company the edge by effectively establishing trust with your audiences and starting meaningful conversations amidst all the noise.
For that reason, you need to have a testing mindset. Even when you think you have the winning subject line, graphic or body copy, continue to test. It’s good to have an arsenal of high-performing pieces. As you create content, think about the needs of your audience members. It is a good idea to do a content audit. You may find that you are not addressing all points in your sales cycle.
Things you can test include subject lines, headlines, “from” name, time of day deployed, images and frequency of deployment, just to name a few. Also, be sure to test the medium you use to deliver various messages. Some people are more responsive to certain media and not so much to others. As you learn, you can better allocate your marketing dollars to those that produce better results.
Keep in mind that if you’re deploying content on a social media platform, you need to have a paid strategy through which you can leverage the ad platform. Without leveraging a paid strategy, you risk having your content seen by very few people – if any at all. Social media platforms favor paid content. Organic deployment has not been a viable strategy for quite some time.
It saves money
Content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing and drives three times as many leads per dollar as traditional marketing. In fact, it accomplishes so much more, you can’t help but understand its monetary value. Check out this infographic:
A Guide to Marketing Genius: Content Marketing
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The Customer Journey Is Longer and More Complex Than Ever.
It’s been many years since people have been influenced by a simple ad to purchase a product or service. With the volume and quality of information available on the internet, they conduct research, discover alternatives, conduct further research on the alternatives, and discuss their findings with friends, family, and peers. Then they may even go back to do further research. This is especially true in the mortgage and real estate industries where purchases are thoroughly and thoughtfully considered. Consumers have many questions as they entertain the process of buying a home or even refinancing. And businesses in the industry that provide or consume services or purchase technology also do their share of research. They engage in discussions with their peers at conferences and other gatherings in virtual environments to decide on their needs and future purchases. Creating plenty of valuable content and knowing how to deploy it in a systematic fashion that guides the prospect is essential if you want to be a part of the consideration set. Whether you’re a real estate broker, mortgage lender, investor, third-party originator, servicer, LOS or anyone else providing real estate or mortgage-related services or tech, look around at your top competitors. Or look at the companies that you consider to be industry leaders and check out their content. Go to their social media sites, blogs and conduct online keyword searches and see what comes up. Then you know what you must do to compete! Having enough content developed for each stage of the buyer path is critical to your mortgage or real estate industry business. It is difficult if not impossible to break through and do well without it.
If you need help with your overall content strategy, developing all the content you need, or developing content tracks for your marketing automation platform, reach out to us for a free consultation.
