If you had to search for the definition of “busy”, a real estate agent would most probably appear as a result. The property industry is constantly changing and evolving; thus, agents must evolve with it.
In the same way, society and culture are also constantly evolving. We are currently in a digital age where everything is done online. Literally, everything!
This, too, is important for real estate agents to keep up with because clients are now mostly found online. Agents have to be active online, building trust amongst potential clients and keeping their profile at the top of people’s minds.
However, it can be particularly tiresome and tedious for real estate agents looking to market themselves and get new clients because the sheer effort and seemingly endless stream of information and knowledge needed to do that is just too overwhelming.
And let’s face it; you’re probably just too busy!
We understand!
It’s still crucial to market yourself and put yourself on the map, even if it’s hard. The critical thing to be aware of is that you’re advertising the right way and not just losing money and wasting time.
This is where a great tool like Google Ads comes in.
For the rest of this article, we’ll take you through the ins and outs of Google Ads and how you can best utilise them for your personal brand as a real estate agent.
Let’s dive in!
What are Google Ads?
In a nutshell, Google Ads is the leading pay-per-click (PPC) system online and by far the most popular. With the real estate industry being as competitive as it is, it’s a good idea to utilise Google’s services by creating advertisements through their Google Ads platform that help you stand out as your area’s go-to agent.
This means that when someone searches for “real estate agents” or something similar, your Google My Business page will hopefully appear first. If you don’t have a GMB page, we can help with that.
The PPC method means that you would pay a small fee to Google for every click you receive on your ad, which results in someone visiting your GMB profile. It’s a great way to receive more calls and enquiries from potential new clients.
So, how do you get seen on Google through an ad?
Well, every time someone searches for something, Google scours the different Ads advertisers and selects a few winners to hold the top ad spots on their results page. The great thing about having a Google My Business page is that they are already optimised for Google and automatically shows up at the top of search pages!
However, there are other factors to consider when piloting a Google Ad.
Define Your Budget
The best place to start a Google Ads process is to define how much money you want to spend on your campaign and tailor everything around that budget. Google Ads are fantastic because they’re cost-effective, meaning you don’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of money to have a successful ad campaign.
Initially, the budget you settle on may not be the amount you stick to forever, which is okay. As your campaign gathers momentum and you begin getting more listings, you can alter it as you see fit.
Keywords, Keywords, Keywords
So important, we said it three times!
Keywords are specific words or phrases in a piece of copy (in your ad) that can trigger your target markets’ attention and hopefully attract them to your site. Using the right keywords in your ad copy is the first step in your ads’ journey to ranking higher on a Google search.
This is why it’s essential to know your target market. It’s no use talking about coffee when trying to reach people looking to sell their houses. The keywords you use in each example will be vastly different.
The right keywords are the ones that have a high volume of searches relating to them but don’t have much competition in the form of other ads using them.
Finding the balance between keywords that are relevant but also have a good amount of reach is a great way to maximise your ad budget and make the most of your campaign.
Stay Active
A common problem that advertisers make is that once they’ve set up their campaign, they don’t check their Google Ads manager account and forget to monitor their ad. If something changes in real-life, it needs to change online.
The best way to achieve your ad goals is to constantly maintain and update your campaign when tweaks are needed. Again, as we’ve mentioned above, tweaks will be needed.
In Closing
Suppose everything we’ve spoken about in this article sounds like “too much admin” for you to think about. In that case, you may consider hiring Google Ads specialists like BRBD Marketing to maintain and manage your campaign for you. We’re one of the leading real estate marketing agencies in South Africa, and we guarantee our agents at least five new listings each month!