Interview: Andrea Morgan from Citrus Content

Citrus Content plays a variety of roles in the property sector. From the  Citrus Content website:

Could you tell us about Citrus Content, how did you start, what does Citrus Content do etc?

Citrus Content is a content writing agency for property and interior businesses.  We provide content solutions such as blog posts, social media management, website content, and editorial.  I started Citrus Content just over two years ago after seeing a need for quality, relevant and bespoke content for estate agents.

How did it start, well that’s an interesting story.  About 5 years I joined twitter, I was a social media alien, what I mean is that I had never had a social media account – no Facebook or My Space, but Rightmove were hosting a competition and to enter you had to be on twitter.  I’ve always had a passion for property and would spend hours looking at houses on Rightmove, you could say I was (am) obsessed.

I had no idea how twitter worked and so didn’t really do much on it for a while, but soon I started to share my favourite property finds and people started to follow.  Rightmove found me on twitter, due to my twitter handle being RightmoveAddict, and asked me to write a blog post about being a Rightmove addict.

Again blogging was new to me, but I wrote an article which was well received and over the next couple of years, more and more companies asked me to write for them.  Then two years ago I felt I had enough contacts and experience to turn my passion into a business and so Citrus Content was born.

Do you think that social media plays a vital role for estate agents and which social media channel is best suited to estate agents?

I believe social media can play a vital part in building awareness and trust between clients and estate agents.  All estate agents are different and one way they can differentiate themselves is by showing who they are, how they work and what they offer.

This can be done in an engaging way through social media, it feels more personal and allows the agent to start to build a relationship with a client.  But to create effective social media accounts takes time and work, therefore if an agent doesn’t have the time and resources it’s better not to have any social accounts as bad ones can damage their brand.

Twitter is a strong and proven platform for estate agents, but many have success with Facebook also.  It is best to try a couple of platforms and monitor their progress to ascertain what is working.

Should estate agents embrace other forms of promotion such as Flipboard and Slideshare?

Social media marketing is about being where your clients are, estate agents are looking to connect with homeowners wishing to sell their property and landlords looking to let.

In the majority of cases they are also looking for regional specific clients, therefore Flipboard and Slideshare may not be the ideal way to go.  But these sites are perfect for sharing guides and e-books, and therefore can highlight an agent’s expertise in their field.

Should all estate agent websites have a blog or news section and if so what would be the ideal content to include in such a section?

I personally think having a blog is an asset to any business.  This is a way of showing who you are, showing your expertise and engaging with new, existing and potential clients.  Estate agents need to share advice, tips, and news in a way that connects with the reader, as well as content that shows the people and personality behind the brand.

What type of marketing should estate agents ideally use? Local, digital, social media, online / offline etc or a mix of different elements?

It depends on the campaign and what they hope to achieve.  A mixture of elements is always advisable but each strategy should be designed and planned to achieve maximum exposure.

I know that many estate agents would be interested in your content creation and print & editorial provisions but could you expand on how your Agency Consultancy business can help estate agents?

We like to think of ourselves as an extension of our clients’ business.  We are there to support them as little or as much as they need and they know that each piece of work is uniquely written for them.  Some of our client’s require one-off projects such as a website, the majority are looking for monthly support as well as project work as and when it arises.

Our client’s tell us that knowing that we truly understand their business, ethos and tone of voice gives them confidence that we will always deliver content that truly reflects their business. 

Moving away from estate agents how do you see the UK digital marketing scene? Is it still expanding and should every industry use it?

The UK digital marketing scene is massive and it continues to grow which is hugely exciting.  Should every industry use it?  It will depend on their why?  If their audience is in the digital space then absolutely, but if not, are you wanting to use it to share your work, highlight and issue or because you think you should.  Knowing the “Why” will allow each business to decide what is the right decision for them.

It must be a thrill for Citrus Content to be features in the Top 100 Property Experts as well as the Top 100 Digital Agency Influencers. What is next for Citrus Content in 2016?

It’s an absolute honour to be listed as a ‘property expert’ and ‘influencer’, when I see who else is on the list I often feel like a fraud.  I’m so proud with what we have achieved as a company and excited about what lies ahead.

What’s next for 2016? To keep growing!  I absolutely love what I do, and working with estate agents is so much fun.  We have many plans for 2016 but most of all we want to continue to add value to our clients’ businesses every day.

Byemould wishes to thank Andrea for taking the time to answer the above questions. We also wish Citrus Content the best for the future.

Follow Andrea on Twitter at:  @RightmoveAddict