CR Magazine Summer 2015

Unleash the Power
OF YOUR OWN
Local Knowledge
with WikiRealty
by SANJAY KUTTEMPEROOR, CEO & Founder of WikiRealty, Inc.
It’s a fantastic time for real estate professionals in markets across the country, especially Chicago. Low
unemployment, historically low interest rates and rising rent prices mean consumers are being bombarded
with the message that “now is the time to buy!” As a relatively affordable metropolis compared to cities on
the East and West Coasts, Chicago is highly appealing for both first-time buyers and foreign investors, two
major demographics driving the market in 2015.
In a thriving real estate market, how can professionals
separate themselves from the crowd and get connected
with consumers seeking their expertise? Content
marketing - creating and distributing valuable, relevant,
and consistent content - is the most effective tool a
REALTOR ® can utilize to grow their business. Content
marketing increases one’s digital footprint, leading to more
DISTINGUISH YOURSELF
FROM THE CROWD
Share your local knowledge online.
Online advertizing is hit or miss in targeting
and largely ineffective.
Consumers crave local information. Sharing
hyperlocal content can help you rank ahead of
major listing portals in search.
WikiRealty offers a FREE way to share knowledge
and brand yourself online as THE local expert.
opportunities to connect with consumers searching for real
estate information online. WikiRealty is an online platform
for real estate professionals to share real-time, trusted local
information that helps everyone make better decisions
about where to live and work. Our web and mobile app
offers C.A.R. members a quick and easy way to grow their
digital footprint by sharing content that demonstrates their
knowledge of Chicago.
THE PITFALLS OF ONLINE ADVERTISING
According to data tracker Borrell Associates, the real
estate industry as a whole spent $ 27 billion dollars on
advertising in 2014, with just over $ 16 billion spent online.
Over the next two years, online advertising is expected to
grow to over $ 19 billion. Despite enormous ad spends, hit
or miss targeting of qualified clients is still a large source
of wasted dollars. Even you (and probably most people
you know) don’t click on online ads — at least not on
purpose. The Internet has afforded us access to a wealth
of user-generated content that helps us form our opinions
about what to buy. We inherently trust this type of content,
and it dwarfs the power of advertising. As The Atlantic
succinctly stated: “We seek information, so we’re more
likely to trust it; marketing seeks us, so we’re more likely
to distrust it.”
Chicago REALTOR ® Magazine 20. 24.