Americans are on the move. Florida cities, for instance, took the top 15 places in a Lending Tree study of homebuyer migration. Texas and Michigan came in second and third, respectively, among homebuyers looking for homes in a different state.
States with the highest rates of residents looking to move away include Alaska, Hawaii and California. More than half of the residents of California say they are seriously considering leaving the state, according to SFGate.com.
Narrow that down to Millennials, and the state may lose 63 percent.
What are you doing to attract these new residents? Especially if you live in a southern or southwestern state, creating a strategy to attract folks relocating to your area is a must. Here are some relocation guide ideas to help get those movers in your funnel.
DIY or delegate?
When you decide to create a relocation guide , your next decision is to whether you’ll write it or you’ll hire someone to do it for you.
Making this decision depends on how much free time you have, how long the guide will be and how professional you hope it to look. If you already have some relocation guide ideas and it’s something brief that you’ll slap on your website you can probably do an admirable job on your own.
If, however, you want a magazine-style layout, a guide in E-book form or another medium, you’ll be better served hiring a professional writer.
Take a look at these agent relocation guides to determine which format fits your needs:
GreatLasVegasHomes.com uses a relocation guide published by a local title company (this most likely cut their costs significantly). Sadly, they aren’t asking for contact information to get the guide.
BIG missed opportunity. How will they follow up with these people seeking to move to their area if they’ve no way to contact them?
San Diego’s Team Aguiler offers an attractive, instantly downloadable PDF guide but, again, asks for nothing in return.
Then, there’s a bare-bones version from Odessa, Texas agent Steve Oliver and another from Colorado Real Estate Group.
Relocation guide ideas: Here’s what NOT to do
For an idea of what not to do when putting together your relocation guide, see Reid Real Estate’s version. If I’m relocating to a new area and land on this page, I would probably click away.
No offense; Reid Real Estate is most likely a fine company to work with.
But, using local jargon to identify the location you serve is dangerous. I, for instance, have no idea what “The West Sound” is and many folks relocating to Washington may be just as unfamiliar with it.
Nothing tells me which city’s or region’s relocation guide I received. Is it the one I asked for? Who knows?
Then, the next few pages are spent promoting the brokerage. Regardless of how badly I want information on a city I may be moving to, I’m not going to skim over marketing messaging to get to it.
Especially since other brokerages offer just the information I need, without the sales hype.
Finally, be mindful of the photos you use. They should be in-focus, compelling and, if possible, represent your city at its most drop-dead gorgeous.
Avoid the use of photos that may offend. Such as the animal cruelty photo masquerading as a sporting event in the aforementioned relocation guide.
Finally, after the time, energy and money you’ll put into producing the guide, don’t just give it away. The people who want it are warm leads. To not ask for contact information in return for a copy of your relocation guide is nuts.
What do these relocators need?
Do a quick outline of the content you’ll need in a relocation guide. And, as usual, the first question to answer is “What is the most pressing information someone moving here from out-of-town needs?” Here are a few relocation guide ideas to get you started:
- Utility company names and contact information
- Cable, satellite TV information
- Internetservice providers in your area
- Pet licensing information
- Driver’s license requirements for new residents
- School district info
- Public transportation options
- Information on area recreation, shopping, dining and entertainment options
- Senior services
- Neighborhood information
How to find and reach them?
One of the most brilliant ways to reach people who are relocating to your area is with a landing page. Here, they can enter their information and instantly download the guide, or have it emailed to them.
An excellent example of this comes from Jakovak Real Estate in Boise, Idaho. The only problem with it is that, after filling out the form, I never received the guide. I tried the same with a Raleigh, NC agent and, again, got only a spammy email and no guide.
Don’t let this happen to you. Let us know if you need help setting up your landing page or check out this blog post and the information available to you in our Beat Zillow Facebook group.
Other ways to reach relocators to your area is via targeted Facebook ads and, of course, Google PPC.
Then, beef up your website with lots of content (with targeted keywords) devoted to them. Use relocation-related blog posts, or set up a relocation section on the site. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Services for Baby Boomers in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Best neighborhoods for commuters in Seattle, Washington
- Preschools in Columbus, Ohio
- How to find a new home in Henderson, Nevada
- Wichita’s largest employers
- Why we love living in Birmingham
- What’s it like living in Omaha?
“When we break down the types of websites movers visit, it’s no surprise that they’re 2.8 times more likely than average to visit Utility sites,” according to research from Hitwise.com. They also find that the sites most searched by movers are in the insurance, travel agency and real estate industries.
In fact, movers are 20 percent more likely to visit real estate sites than average. So, get yours up to speed, start thinking of some great relocation guide ideas, get that relocation guide and landing page done and lure in the movers.
Looking for other ways to generate leads? Here are some techniques to help you land more deals and drive more traffic to your site!
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