DBO beats SEO
Most folks know SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization but what the heck is DBO? I’ll confess, I made it up but it’s a real thing.
DBO is Database Optimization. I’ll explain with a few examples.
SEO is a little like playing the lottery. If you are trying to get to the top of a Google search for Real Estate Agent in Atlanta it’s going to be a tough job and likely you’ll spend lots of money for little result. There will be a few paid ad spots at the top, a few rated agents from Google Maps and then some from Yelp, Zillow, Realtor.com and a few more hits but it’s not likely you’ll be at the top, no matter what.
Even if you drill down into a smaller market, say Buckhead it looks about the same. A few different hits but mostly it matches up with the first one.
Let’s go one deeper. Real Estate Agent Buford. That’s a smaller geographic area for sure and a smaller population. It still looks about the same. Some ads, google maps with ratings, some Yelp, Zillow and now you get a few brokerages in the mix but to get your name on page 1 will be almost impossible.
So, what do you do?
If you search for me by name and company you’ll see a different story. I show up on all the links on page 1 except the last one. Every one of them is me but one. My pictures show up at the bottom mixed in with a baseball player named Jerry Robertson, a couple of agents named Jerry but not in Georgia and that’s it.
That is Database Optimization. When my folks I take care of want to find me they know my name and my company and they can enter that into the search bar. They can refer me that way and it’s easy for them to do. I got on there because I have a part of their mindshare that knows my name.
It works if you search “Jerry Robertson Buford” too. That’s my home base and folks know that. It’s not just about the company. I just want to be clear on that point.
When someone refers me I suspect I am googled by the person receiving my name and it give a positive impression. You will have to work at this but it’s a lot less time consuming and a lot less expensive than SEO.
It’s also more likely to work.
I’ll introduce you to a new term at this point. MVA. Minimum Viable Audience. It comes from Seth Godin. For me that is the definition of my database. It’s my minimum number of folks I need to serve at a high level to meet my business goals.
If you try to please everyone, you’ll please no one. If you try to reach the maximum number of folks you’ll spend a fortune on Super Bowl Ads but it’s not going to work. If you drill down to the folks you really connect with, the ones that trust you, your costs go down, business goes up and you reach your goals.
Focus small and you’ll do better. Do the work to own the mindshare of your database. I hope that makes sense to you. Comment below and let me know what you think.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-616-1578 Direct
[convertkit form=5180875]
PS – if this was helpful to you, please share it with your friends and agents you know that would benefit from being a part of this gang. We’d love to connect with more folks. If you sign up below you will get a checklist to start your referral-based real estate business. We’ll stay in touch with more tips, courses, and info. It’s free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Give it a try and see if we can help.