So a couple of weeks ago I wrote about the concept of propinquity, which basically says that the more people interact with you, the more they’ll be inclined to both like and trust you.  Useful to keep in mind in an industry which is always struggling against the perception of untrustworthiness, right? 

And I also said that I’d talk more about how to do that in the online environment.   Because it’s no longer enough to sponsor the local Christmas Pageant or have your face on the side of a bus: both millennials and Gen Xers, are living their lives on the internet, and plenty of them are also looking to buy houses.  They want to see that you’re a real person, and that you know your stuff, and you can do that by putting in some time online.

1. Make your website compelling

You no doubt have a website, with your current property listings available for searching.  But what is drawing readers to your site in the first place?  Why will potential new vendors click on that URL as opposed to the one down the road?  Maybe they’ve seen your name on billboards around their areas or your shopfront has caught their eye, but you can also do a lot to make sure that your site pops up at the top of a generic search using great web copy with SEO-optimised content and a good web designer. 

But great web copy only gets you so far.  Remember, the aim here is to make you seem familiar before the vendor decides to find an agent.  You already do this in the real world, so what you’re going for here is the equivalent of driving down a street and seeing your thoughtful, eye-catching billboards every day.

2. Make your content fresh

This is where content marketing comes in.  Before a vendor has decided whether to list their properties, they’ve been researching online.  They’ve costed out a renovation (too pricy!), they’ve looked at how much their area’s appreciated, they’ve done some thinking about where the best schools are or whether there are any beach suburbs that are still affordable.  If your site is offering information on those peripheral issues (and the list is endless!), and they’ve read your articles, then you’re becoming both familiar, and an expert, in the back of their mind.

3. Write for other sources

It doesn’t just have to be your own website on which you’re sharing all of this: plenty of larger, high-traffic site will accept sponsored content from contributors.  That means that instead of paying for an advert on a website, you’re providing them with an informative article.  They save on staff writers and have quality to offer their readers, and you as the contributor have got your name out there for people to remember.

And if you’re blanching at the very idea of writing for a high traffic website, here’s the biggest secret of all: ghostwriters don’t just work with books.

4. Maintain a social media presence

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram…the number of social media platforms is growing all the time.  Depending on your goals and objectives, you can maintain a social media presence across several platforms or just a few.  The important thing is that you understand how each platform works, and you’re prepared to post regularly.  The etiquette of social media requires that you interact with your audience, rather than just posting links: try and stick to an 80:20 rule where no more than 20% of your posts are promoting native content.   Respond to posts by other people, thank them for their interactions with you, and forge connections.  You’re showing people who you are, and the more natural that comes across, the better.  You can outsource this work as well, by the way, but it’s important to maintain your voice, so if you can find the time to do it yourself, all the better.

If all of this seems overwhelming, remember you don’t have to do it all at once.  Pick a quiet time of year – winter is coming! – and put aside some time to improve one avenue first of all.  A neglected social media presence is almost worse than none at all, so start with the thing you’re confident you can maintain and add things as time permits.  We’ll be publishing more how-to articles on each of these subjects, so check back in with us as you go!

~ Tanya Ashworth-Keppel