We already told you that search optimization is a critical success factor for real estate marketing. What we didn't tell you was that our PPC advertising agency can actually lower the cost of your CPC campaigns. It's vital to utilize natural as well as paid channels to reach people who are researching housing options. The trick is to optimize your ad spend so that you can invest as little as possible in paid search marketing and leverage your natural content and digital assets to your advantage.

To do this, you need to find and partner with a PPC advertising agency who can serve as a trusted search advocate. Here are three pro tips we help all of our clients accomplish when they work with us on their search needs, to get you started.

1. Invest local, optimize global: One of the best strategies a PPC advertising agency can support is investing in local ad spend. Unless you have a massive budget, you may find it difficult to compete on the national (or international) level, so use your digital marketing agency to determine who your regional competition is and let the games begin. By focusing narrowly on key, local terms, you can reduce your CPC because there are fewer people bidding on those words; however, when targeted correctly, you can maximize exposure in your own back yard. And in the real estate market, it's your own back yard that matters most. On the flip side, your agency should also be able to help you optimize your content and website for organic search so that you still have that national and global presence you crave.

2. Test everything: All pay per click management companies have the ability to test how your PPC spend is performing in the market. Ask them to test multiple ad bid and spend combinations to find the sweet spot where you're getting results without increasing your CPC. Additionally, when you choose a PPC advertising agency that is creatively driven, they can help link your ads to your holistic marketing strategy to your cross-channel goals. As customers increasingly switch between devices, it's important that every channel - whether it's paid or not - works together seamlessly.

3. Don't forget about social: Because word of mouth is such a powerful referral source within the real estate market, using PPC ads on social media can support your desire to appear authentic, local, and more natural. Paid social media ads (more so than search ads) are designed to look and feel like shareable, organic content. By doing so, you get two opportunities to reach future residents: first, through the ad itself; and second, when those people share your content.

Balancing CPC campaigns against your other advertising efforts and natural search optimization is one part art and one part science. Let our team show you how they've struck the perfect balance for clients just like you.