Tailoring Your Content Strategy to Your Target Market

BY DINA CHENEY

Creating content is critical for real estate agents. “It opens possibilities for conversation, and in real estate, conversations lead to clients, which lead to closings—and that’s how you make a living,” said Will Draper, an agent-turned-marketing consultant who specializes in social media, video, and AI content strategies.

With more ways to communicate than ever and only so many hours in the day, determining which content to create can be tricky. Should you allocate part of your marketing budget to mailers even though digital media increasingly dominates? If your target market is empty nesters, do you really need to post videos on TikTok or Instagram?

“Agents have so many options—the challenge is narrowing down and focusing on what leads to consistent business,” said Draper. To help you sort through the noise and broadcast your message, here are some expert tips.

Your Ideal Client Comes First

Draper suggests starting with a clear picture of your ideal client when developing your content plan. Pinpoint their age, geographical area, and whether they’re a first-time buyer or an empty nester. Then, make them the focus, advises Megan Gülick a Realtor® with Corcoran Sawyer Smith in Jersey City. “So many people in our industry are talking at people. But, at the end of the day, our target audience needs to be heard, not shouted at,” said Gülick. That’s why she supports a “human angle, not boastful and focused on us, but instead informative or entertaining and focused on them.”

“We try to ask: What questions are buyers or clients asking, and how can I answer them in a way that’s easy to understand and actionable? For example, a first-time homebuyer might value educational content on the buying process, while a seasoned investor would appreciate market analysis.” Meanwhile, with seniors or buyers and sellers over the age of 55, you’ll probably want to address downsizing, said Stephanie Verderose, a Realtor® with Exit Homestead Realty Professionals in Vineland.

Consider a traditional mix of market updates, personal content, and local news or community highlights, said Gerine A. Skamarak, a Realtor® with Exit Realty East Coast in Holmdel. Try to “prioritize topics that are in the news or top of mind,” said Skamarak, noting she recently covered how the National Association of Realtors® proposed settlement changes would affect consumers.

Prioritize Both Print and Digital Media

Some Realtors® achieve success with a digital- or print-only strategy, but most do a little bit of both. Creating print and digital content gives you optimal exposure, said Verderose. “Agents with younger clients should prioritize digital marketing and texts, but they should still do print marketing, so they do not miss opportunities. We recently had a younger client purchase a home because their elderly aunt received print material in the mail on the property we had listed.”

Jessica DiFrancia, a Realtor® with Keller Williams Atlantic Shore, agrees, pointing out, “all communication is good. The more you are in front of people, the better chance they’ll remember you when they or someone they know needs an agent.”

Use Print Strategically

There’s a reason so many Realtors® continue the time-tested strategy of sending postcards to their market. As snail mail becomes increasingly less common, people often open and read print mailers, said Skamarak. They might even save your postcards, meaning they’ll remember your name when it’s time to buy or sell. They’ll also hold on to branded one-pagers they receive at fairs, which is why Tezeta “Tez” Roro, a Realtor® with Keller Williams Suburban Realty in Livingston, doesn’t show up empty-handed when she participates in these types of events.

When it comes to the luxury market, “beautiful tangible brochures can leave a lasting impression,” said Gülick.

Stand Out

Balance adapting to your chosen platform with differentiating yourself, said Draper. “The most underrated content in real estate is neighborhood and local info,” said Draper, sharing he’s worked with agents who’ve recently added hundreds of weekly leads and followers thanks to neighborhood-specific content.

On YouTube, many channels feature talking head-style videos. One of Drapers’ clients—a new agent focusing on new construction—created 20-minute-long tours of new construction homes. Instead of filming himself, he turned his phone camera on properties only, giving tours via voiceover. By his second year, this agent had sold $25 million in real estate.

Create Content for Three Different Groups

Regardless of the platform, try to create posts for three groups: strangers, followers, and your most engaged followers, according to Draper. Draw in strangers with five-to 10-second videos. For instance, showcase a noteworthy amenity at a new listing. Then nurture existing connections with 30-90-second videos, like neighborhood tours or visits to local bakeries. Or take a cue from Roro and devote video posts to red flags you discover during home inspections, letting followers know they can ask sellers to replace dangerous items. Finally, share stories or posts with a call to action to convert your most engaged followers into leads. For instance, run a poll or tell your followers about your new listing about to hit the market. Then, invite them to share their email addresses so you can provide them with all the details in advance.

Pick and Master One Online Platform

When it comes to digital, Roro suggests mastering a platform you’re already on, then following your contacts if you notice them migrating to another one. She started on LinkedIn and Facebook, later jumping onto Instagram as well.

“Most agents I work with who are successful pick one platform and type of content and go all in on it and dominate it over time,” said Draper. “Very few try to cross-post on every platform. If you try to do too many things, you’ll spread yourself too thin.”

Tailor Content to Your Chosen Platform

Whether it’s Facebook Live seminars or Instagram home tours, different forms of content work best on different platforms. For instance, Facebook is ideal for engaging with your sphere of influence and showcasing your personality through humor, questions, or polls, said Draper. It’s truly a social network. Meanwhile, Instagram is more of a “show-you” network, where you share images, ideas, and information with a wider pool, including strangers. Anyone can follow you—they don’t have to friend you first, said Draper.

Consider Boosting Posts

Paying to boost your posts helps expedite follower growth, said Draper. For instance, one of his clients—a new agent—wanted to target first-time buyers and new construction using Instagram exclusively. For a year, he posted three videos a week, paying a total of $7,500 to boost them. In these talking head-style videos, he offered advice, shared client success stories, and conducted property tours. All his efforts paid off: the agent sold 60 homes. The next year, he doubled his ad spend and his business. Then, this year, he doubled his ad spend again, and is currently on track to close more than 200 transactions.

Stay Consistent

Start by posting at least three times per week on social media, said Draper. Then, if you want twice as much engagement, post twice as frequently, he adds. According to Draper, whether you post three times a week or every day, what’s most important is consistency. Even if you don’t see results during the first five months, don’t give up. One of his clients didn’t experience an uptick in followers until six months had passed. But after that point, his base grew dramatically.

Engage with Your Followers

Although creating and posting content might seem like enough, don’t stop there, said Verderose. Check each platform regularly and respond to any comments and messages, which will enable you to build relationships. After all, the whole goal of content is to generate conversations with followers, ideally converting them into leads and, ultimately, clients. If you don’t stay on top of your accounts, you won’t reap all the benefits of your content efforts.

Analyze Your Approach

Skamarak knows a new agent who “got roped into advertising on shopping carts. They spent a ton of money on something that was not in their target market and didn’t provide lead generation.” Don’t let that be you. Always evaluate each content strategy and determine whether it provides enough ROI, according to Skamarak. If it doesn’t, change course.

To that end, Gülick keeps track of which of her posts, emails, or mailers generate the most responses. “Analytics tools can provide insights into what’s working and what’s not. It’s all about being attentive to your audience’s behaviors and adjusting accordingly,” said Gülick. Along with tracking all leads, Verderose gathers direct feedback from her clients via surveys or polls. After all, you want to stay in tune with your clients and be where they are. If most of them have migrated, say from Instagram to TikTok, you’ll most likely want to do the same.