I’ve touched on this subject in previous pieces, but I wanted to zero in on this one area of content marketing today for a few reasons. For starters, the information that follows applies if you’re a real estate agent or if your content marketing strategy revolves around young adult interests of any kind. If you haven’t tried real estate blogging, you might find that there’s a bigger audience for this kind of content than you think.
Now, I know that the agents already know this, so let me address marketers for just a moment:
Don’t buy into the idea that young people aren’t buying homes, can’t afford to, or don’t want to. Not all millennials and gen-Zers find themselves in the kind of dire straits that the media likes to suggest. This is a legitimate market that is looking to be taken seriously as buyers. There are plenty of people in their 20s and 30s who want — and are able — to buy. They also want to be educated and informed about the processes and considerations involved in purchasing a home.
This is where you come in.
As a responsible agent, agency, or marketer, your job is to educate while you entertain. Your blog content should be interesting, accurate, and relevant to your target audience. This is why I always start by reminding myreaders of several foundational considerations if they want to be successful.
Knowing who you want to address and what kinds of subjects you want to tackle in a blog are important to sort out before beginning to write. Being willing to shift focus based on engagement metrics is also a huge consideration.
Even if your blog doesn’t deal specifically with real estate, this could be an important subject to your readers if your target demo is within this age range. Now that my elevator pitch is done, I want to offer a few suggestions that will help you organize your real estate blogging efforts for success.
Cover All the Bases
Buyers, renters, and casual researchers are all viable targets in a real estate blog. Some younger readers might be engaging with their content because they’re looking for information and advice. Don’t push the sales aspect of things in your blog.
If you’re an agent, your readers already know that you want to sell them something. Focus on informing, educating, and punching pain points. One big pain point is, in fact, the anxiety over not knowing if buying a home is something people in younger demos can even consider. Many may not be aware of local, state, and federal programs that assist first-time buyers. Your job is to put the dream within reach, but also be upfront about what it will cost to have it.
As a marketer, be sure to deliver content that addresses known questions and issues on a broad range of subjects and pay attention to your numbers. For example, if articles on financing do better than ones about home features, keep pumping out content that’s going to get read. Always link to credible sources and qualify the information you deliver, especially on financial subjects.
Focus on Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
Research and report on the mistakes that young buyers and renters make. Younger people are often targets for predatory lenders and bad landlords, among other things. Content that nips potential disaster in the bud is always welcome and appreciated. Your readers may have no one else giving them advice on avoiding these kinds of pitfalls, so make sure yours is sound.
There really are few, if any, better ways to earn the trust of your readers than to steer them out of harm’s way. Make sure they know they have options for both buying and renting and how to make good decisions. One thing that younger readers have in common is the desire to know that someone has their back in situations like this. Present verifiably sound advice, and you will win their trust.
Be Specific and Succinct in Your Calls to Action
People, in general, won’t do anything with the information in your blog unless they’re told to do so. For younger demos, it’s not a matter of apathy or laziness, it’s a matter of direction. Generation Zers, in particular, have a distinct interest in being given good direction in the “now what?” department.
Therefore, your calls to action should be very clear on the action they should take on the information you present. Be clear and specific, and also make it easy to respond to your calls to action via links, contact options, etc.
Don’t simply tell your readers to click through to a landing page or a lender site. Tell them why they’re doing it and how following your CTA will benefit them. The body of your blog post should take care of that, but a succinct “final takeaway” section or something similar just ahead of your CTA is also important. It will leave the reasons fresh in the mind of the reader and greatly increase the probability of click-throughs, contacts, or any other conversion you wish to create.
Promote Aggressively on Social Media
Determine which social platforms your readers use and be present where they are. Not all platforms are effective vehicles for blog promotion, and Facebook is becoming less and less of a viable platform for marketing to younger demos. You might need to get a little creative in your social media real estate marketing efforts, but it’s a step you simply can’t skip. You’ll need support content that is relevant to the platform you’re tapping to build that all-important off-page SEO.
This is a tough demo to reach, but it is reachable with the right content and the right approach. At BeezContent, we can help with all your real estate copywriting needs. Contact us today to learn how we can help you develop a powerful real estate blog and all the support content you need to be successful.
