With over 90% of buyers and sellers starting the process online, it is no secret that every real este agent has an online marketing strategy to obtain potential clients.

There are 4 pillars of process which must be addressed in order to become successful online. They are:

1. Market Research

2. Product Development

3. Traffic

4. Conversion

1. Market Research - for a real este agent this is an easier task - you know your product. However, you must think of a way to distinguish your product from the competition. This industry is very saturated, and if you don't stand out you are bound to be average, or out of business. So think of your target market, get specific. Realtors now specialize in areas, sub-areas, type of dwelling etc. For example to survive in the Manhattan market, to really stand out you have to brand yourself. If you were really creative you might brand yourself in a certain area (Greenwich Village), and even more you might be a loft specialist. When any Buyer or Seller is thinking of buying or selling in Greenwich Village you want to be one of the first people that comes to mind, especially when dealing with a loft - you are the authority on the subject. So online, you need to come up with key phrases that target this niche, so when a Buyer or Seller (90% of them) is searching online, your website is at the top of the list!

2. Product Development - you need a product that will lead to traffic coming to your site, and ultimately converting that traffic into a lead, then a deal. Of course many real estate agents have blogs and personal websites which are great for personal branding and web presence, but is your name or your company's name usually typed into a search engine? Most of the time the answer is no. For example, if I want to buy a loft condo in Greenwich Village unless I already have a real estate agent (we are not looking for these people) I would type in "Greenwich Village Lofts" or something like this. So to capture the potential clients we are looking for, we need to have that key phrase (our niche) to be a prominent result in search engines. It is the phrase not your name, or your companies name that will produce results.

3. Traffic - here comes your marketing skills. As a real estate agent you MUST have them or you are doomed. Niche marketing is likely the most effective and efficient tool for real estete marketing online. Having niche targeted websites is becoming the future of online marketing for real estate agents! Having a personal branded site is important but you also need a website that gets top page rankings for Buyers, and another website that gets top page ranking for Sellers. To obtain this, you need websites that are Search Engine Optimized (SEO) and tailored to your target market.

4. Conversion - this is what truly matters. All of the traffic in the world means nothing unless you can convert. After some real estate agents obtain an online lead, they will offer a free Buyer's or Seller's eBook as a way to introduce themselves. When you have reached this point, it's time to do your job as a Real Estate Professional and provide them with your expertise.

I hope you found this article helpful and wish you all the best in your Real Estate Career.