Real estate agents are taking to content marketing in a big way. Little wonder, given that probably no profession lends itself as easily to the benefits of this form of marketing as easily as selling property does.

So what can we learn from this? And why do real estate agents love content marketing so much?

1. Content marketing helps build long-term relationships

It’s no secret that great real estate agents build their businesses on the back of long-term relationships. As Domain puts it “it’s those relationships that will ensure consistent levels of stock, listings and most importantly, sales.” But savvy agents know that these days relationships can be built online, as well as in person. So they’re using content marketing tools such as email, website blogs and social media to complement and amplify their face-to-face work and build deeper relationships with prospective clients.

2. Content marketing lets you prove the value you bring

Unfortunately, not everyone knows the value that comes from using a great real estate agent. These are the people who tend to shop for an agent solely by price. But content marketing gives agents a platform to show their value and the skill they bring to the job. For instance, it lets them show – not just tell – their clients that they’re a repository for information on the local area, that they know about the schools, transport links and all the hidden gems. It’s also a way to demonstrate that they know every tactic and tool for increasing the likely sale price of any property.

3. Content marketing engages clients in a different conversation

For real estate agents, good real estate content marketing isn’t just about supplying property listings or sales data. It can take their communication with prospective clients to much deeper level. Done right, it gives them the chance to engage in a conversation that’s less about transactions and more about experiences, or the bigger picture vision of what a sale or purchase can bring. After all, as the Market Insider Group says: “People don’t get excited about a new house—they get excited about what a new house means for them and their family.”

4. Content marketing lets you nurture potential clients

Any real estate agent knows that most sellers don’t wake up one day and decide it’s time to put the family home on the market. Usually, the decision to sell is a journey that can take months or even years. It involves weighing up the costs and benefits, looking at options, imagining a new life and what might be.

Content marketing allows agents to guide potential sellers on this voyage of discovery. By regularly updating and communicating with prospective clients – and using tactics such as blog articles, ebooks, reports, white papers and infographics – agents give themselves the chance to nurture clients in a more relaxed, nuanced and multi-layered way than other forms of marketing allow.

5. Content marketing lets you qualify leads

Finally, and perhaps best of all, content marketing lets agents qualify leads and attract a better type of enquiry. When people come knocking after they’ve been taken on a content-driven journey, they’re usually serious. That’s because when content marketing is done well prospective clients already know what value an agent brings, what they do well, and how they’re different to other agents.

And that means higher conversion rates. In fact, one study showed that businesses using content marketing have conversion rates nearly six times higher than those who don’t. Wow.