Our business is (unfortunately) known for following a one-size-fits-all approach, whether it’s the same commission rate charged for the novice or the 20-year seasoned veteran, or for the listing that is sold in a few days versus one with high carrying costs over a multi-month period of time.

Likewise, we’re in a box when it comes to online leads. We pretty much assume that this term is synonymous with inquiries that come to a website from a consumer searching listings. Well, of course, search is the primary way in which consumers engage us online, but why should it be the only way? And while the listing agent may know the most about that particular home, is that the best way to choose an associate to vet and analyze and advocate for a particular buyer?

We now have the perfect platform to proactively engage consumers looking for trusted advisors – blogging. But even with blogging, we’re taking the traditional inside-out view: “What do I the blogger know and want to blog about?” versus “What is the audience I want to engage and what do they want to learn about?”

We live in an age of mass customization, where we can have jeans made to our specifications online, or order the burger “our way,” yet we still aren’t applying that consumer reality to real estate. Blogs offer a great opportunity to engage specific targeted customer segments in a way that makes it all about THEM.

If, for example, your “business development department” (AKA relocation department) were to create different blogs for single-women homebuyers, first-time buyers, Latino (or any ethnic group) buyers, military families, luxury consumers, or virtually any other target audience, and enlist the help of associates who specialize in working with those audiences to contribute meaningful content, what a powerful platform this could be with each of these consumer constituencies.

If the blogs are done well – with robust, continually fresh content, the right keywords for good SEO, and a “personality” that resonates with the respective target audience, members of that audience will find you on Google. More importantly, in our viral world, they will tell their like-profile friends, who will also find you and call your “Luxury Client Care” or “Military Family Services” or “Latino Customer Center” (the consumer face of your BizDev department).

The key, then, is to align proper “response” teams to these the inquiries; for instance if you create a first-time home buyer blog targeting that vertical for single women, then your response team should be able to a) track that inquiry from the web, b) know to ask on the phone where they found the number (better yet, set up a special number to call so you KNOW that any inquiry to that number came from this site), c) have a list of “known” issues and scripts so you can “engage” the person at a higher level (i.e., be able to anticipate the questions and train your people on the proper responses with the proper information), d) have a “team” of ready and able agents who also know this target. This way you’ve vertically aligned everything so satisfaction should logically increase.

When those inquiries are vetted and nurtured and then placed with target market specialist associates for a reasonable referral fee, everyone wins. The brokerage has unencumbered business that can be monetized. The associate has incremental quality leads he or she didn’t have to spend time and money prospecting for. Consumers get an exceptional, customized real estate experience from trusted advisors focused on their needs.

So why aren’t more real estate brokerages doing this? Food for thought.

Posted By: Pam O’Connor