Hyperlocal real estate marketing I was cruising my Twitter feed last night when I came across a tweet from a real estate agent. The tweet – an article from Inman featuring a list of the top 20 real estate websites for the month of November 2011. The real estate agent was tweeting it out for informational purposes {I’m sure} but it struck me – how screwed most real estate agents really are when it comes to competing online for real estate consumers.

Here is what I mean

94% of consumers are starting their home search online, usually using a search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing. They search for homes for sale and are directed to a real state website – what Google determines to be the best fit for the consumers search. Oftentimes that website is a 3rd party site or aggregator like REALTOR dot com, Trulia, Zillow, Yahoo etc.

When consumers find these real estate websites in search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing, they register, wouldn’t you? Their sites are a consumers dream: easy to access {detailed} information – comps, cost per square foot, walking scores, lifestyle search, month to month sales numbers etc} too bad that info isn’t always current, but that’s another post altogether. Those registrations or leads are then SOLD to the very same real state agents and brokers that created the content [homes for sale] to begin with. Crazy huh? It gets better. The Inman article Top 10 Real Estate Websites In November says:

Hitwise reported that sites on its top 10 list captured nearly 39 percent of traffic among all real estate category websites in November. That compares with the 9.4 percent combined market share of the next 10 most popular sites: LoopNet (1.19 percent), Apartment Guide (1.13 percent), Re/Max Real Estate (1.06 percent), Apartments.com (0.95 percent), Weichert.com (0.88 percent), Redfin (0.88 percent), HomeFinder (0.83 percent), Listingbook Services (0.83 percent), Rentals.com (0.83 percent), and ForRent.com (0.78 percent).

Top 10 Real Estate Websites December 2011 48.4% [39% + 9.4% = 48.4%]. If my math [and logic] are correct, this means, for every 100 people that search for broad search terms like San Diego Homes For Sale [insert your city or state] 48.4 of them [FORTY EIGHT POINT FOUR] will find REALTOR dot Com, Trulia, Zillow, Yahoo Real Estate, Homes dot com and NOT your real estate website.

Trivia Question: Can you tell me another business or industry that can survive – losing 48.4% of its traffic {consumers} to a COMPETITOR? I honestly can’t think of one. But wait…. there’s more! This 48.4%% number is probably bigger in Nov then it was in October and smaller in November than it likely will be in December. ~~Houston~~ REALTORS We Have A Problem.

But – I have some good news. Yes it’s true. I am an optimist. My glass is always half full. If 48.4% of search is going to the top 20 real estate websites, it theoretically means 51.6% of search [those consumers looking for homes for sale] is still up for grabs. So, how do you compete with the top 20 real estate websites? Hyperlocal Real Estate Marketing.

What Is Hyperlocal Real Estate Marketing

The top 20 real estate websites are not necessarily competing for search terms like 4-bedroom-2-bath-home-for-sale-in-Chandler, they are competing for REALTOR®, REALTOR Arizona [insert your state or city], Arizona Real Estate, Homes For Sale Atlanta, Miami Real Estate, they are competing for the general terms that get the most traffic. You can beat them [or at least prevent yourself from buying leads from them] by creating local content. Local, long tail search terms [targeted search terms that contain 3 or more words] and getting an indexable IDX for WordPress. An Indexable IDX can create thousands of pages on your real estate website, thousands of local [hyperlocal] real estate listings indexed on your real estate website.

How To Use Hyperlocal Real Estate Marketing

Instead of Chandler Real Estate, start creating hyperlocal content {content that focuses on very specialized topic or area—content that is of interest only to people in a very limited area} like 4-bedroom-2-bath-homes-for-sale-near-Intel. Terms that would help you get found by a specific niche demographic of consumers looking to buy or gather information related to homes in Chandler, Arizona – near Intel. The big boys [the top 20 real estate websites] really don’t want this traffic, it is not worth their time or money – in addition, this search requires a REALTOR® familiar with this area and inventory near intel – hard to do when you are a behemoth like the top 20 real estate websites and you are not familiar with the area.

HyperLocal Real Estate Marketing – Benefits The Consumer

94% of consumers will start their home search online. Regardless of what website they land on, they all have one thing in common: they all want a competent REALTOR® – an expert – someone well versed in the area they want to buy or sell in. The big boys can’t tell a buyer that a landfill is being considered in an area or where people like to gather on a Saturday night or what the best local schools are and why – a local REALTOR® [YOU] can.

If you are a Phoenix REALTOR® that wants to grow your real estate business by getting found online by those consumers looking for you, please fill out the form below. You can still capture your fair share of consumers looking for a local REALTOR® to help them buy or sell real estate – if you know how. The top 20 real estate websites are NOT using hyperlocal video marketing – I will show you how you can use content, video and hyperlocal real estate marketing to get found online by those local consumers looking for you.

Stephen

Hi I'm Stephen Garner, I'm just a guy in the title industry {in Phoenix} trying to change how real estate agents market themselves and their services. To that end, I teach my clients HOW TO leverage sales technologies like WordPress, Content, Video, Camtasia, Final Cut X, iMovie and indexable IDX solutions to convey value and help your ideal client find you online when they are most interested in learning about you and your services. I work for escrows. Hire me!

http://www.facebook.com/dannylosch Danny Losch

Hyper-local search is awesome, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. An indexable IDX is useless if your site isn’t already ranking, being continually updated and being continually linked to. I bet spinning the descriptions would give agents an edge over competing IDX pages for specific listings.
- Stephen
  
  Thanks for your comment Danny. Nothing on the internet – especially in the real estate space – is easy anymore, it takes a dedicated agent to succeed in this space. I suspect we will see more dedicated agents as agents begun to realize the cost of buying leads compared to generating their own. As far as an IDX being useless without a suite being ranked – an indexable IDX is for an agent that “gets it” it is not for a set it and forget it kind of agent. The right indexable IDX can get a site ranked. There is no one thing that will get a website ranked anymore, its merely part of a balanced diet: content,back links,social bookmarks, IDX etc. “bet spinning the descriptions would give agents an edge over competing IDX pages for specific listings” Yes – allowing an agent the ability to change their link structure would be a benefit”. Check out GetFoundIDX it’s an indexable IDX built specifically for WordPress that the agent can control. Thanks again
- http://mytitleguy.com Stephen Garner
  
  Thanks for your comment Danny. Nothing on the internet – especially in the real estate space – is easy anymore, it takes a dedicated agent to succeed in this space. I suspect we will see more dedicated agents as agents begun to realize the cost of buying leads compared to generating their own. As far as an IDX being useless without a suite being ranked – an indexable IDX is for an agent that “gets it” it is not for a set it and forget it kind of agent. The right indexable IDX can get a site ranked. There is no one thing that will get a website ranked anymore, its merely part of a balanced diet: content,back links,social bookmarks, IDX etc. “bet spinning the descriptions would give agents an edge over competing IDX pages for specific listings” Yes – allowing an agent the ability to change their link structure would be a benefit”. Check outGetFoundIDXit’s an indexable IDX built specifically for WordPress that the agent can control. Thanks again
http://homesahwatukee.com/ Allen Henderson

Stephen: here I am, on a hot Sunday afternoon, sitting at the Barnes and Noble across the street Wasabi, your local Martini/Sushi bar, (Saw your Saturday FB post/pretty wife) doing hyper-local marketing research. I was half way through the article when I looked up and there was the ubiquitous “MT TITLE GUY!” You certainly are everywhere. I want to be like you when I grow up and be hyper-local famous and smart and good looking and have a pretty wife…. OOoooopppsss! I already have the pretty wife. Great article.
- http://mytitleguy.com/ Stephen Garner
  
  LO, thanks Allen. You have to remember that I have been doing this for awhile. But as a testament, I talk about getting into the mind of your ideal client to create content they would look for when they had a need – real estate agents are my ideal client. So. . .did it work?