Think beyond content that is simply informative or self-promoting. Create content that will encourage audiences toward action, boosting your business while promoting your brand.

Develop a digital social neighborhood.

What is your audience reading? Where are they going? Find contacts in your areas of interest and form a relationship with contacts in those respective fields. Arrange guest blogging agreements, link sharing and other networking tools so that you are visible to your audience through numerous lenses.

Open the doors for easy access.

If your content is behind a gate—any sort of registration process that must be completed prior to viewing the content—you're likely losing leads to non-gated competitors. Even the simplest registration may seem like a waste of time for members of your audience who have access to other sites offering comparable information without registration.

Frequently create effective content.

Fresh content is like freshly baked bread. It's effortlessly better in every way. Don't let your social media and website become putrid with stale content. Frequent updates will create an engaging business persona while helping out your search engine analytics.

What's perhaps equally important is the creation of timely content. Stay on top of trending words, phrases or events that affect your area. Integrate these popular search terms into your content in a timely manner. Search engines will often pull your content towards the top, so to speak, if you're in line with trends. For example, agents that sell real estate near a neighborhood park that hosts events could refer to the park and an upcoming event in a blog post.

Zero-in on visual content.

Audiences remember seen information longer and more accurately than other forms of data. Use visuals to your advantage. Create effective visuals that are memorable, valuable and able to trigger action.

Solve a problem.

What void are you filling in the local market? How are your services superior to those offered by other agents? Tie in content that shows why you are the best agent in town. If nothing distinguishes you from other agents, audiences have no particular reason to contact you.

Don't quit!

It's rare that a new blog or social media profile will gain thousands of followers in a week regardless of how much you post. Progress is often slow and seemingly erratic at the start. Don't throw in the towel. Build your base, tweak your approach to suit your audience and strive to continue learning.

To view the original article, visit the Point2 Agent blog.