Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Realtor Uses Google Maps for Neighborhood Marketing
Transcript
- Lucas: So you're a realtor — you've got a new listing in a great neighborhood, but buyers don't know the area. They pull up Google Maps, they see a pin, and that's it. How do you convince them this street is worth a drive-by? Luna: I guess you hope the photos do the talking? Lucas: Sure, but that's table stakes. I want to talk about a realtor in Portland — Jenna Hargrove — who flipped the script. Instead of just marketing her listings, she markets the neighborhood itself through Google Maps. And it's driving serious results. Luna: Okay, I'm intrigued. What exactly does she do? Lucas: She treats her Google Business Profile like a neighborhood hub. Every week, she posts a highlight — a local coffee shop's new seasonal drink, a park's weekend farmers market, the school district's latest test scores. She tags the businesses in the post when possible, and she uses the 'Event' post type for open houses. Luna: So she's not just pushing listings — she's building context. That makes the listing feel like it's in a real place. Lucas: Exactly. And she doesn't stop at posts. She's active in Google Maps Q&A. When someone asks, 'How's the commute to downtown?' — she answers with specifics: 'About 22 minutes on I-5 before 7 a.m., but closer to 35 after 8.' That kind of detail builds trust. Luna: But does that actually move the needle on listing views or showings? Lucas: She shared her data at a local Realtor association meetup last month. Over six months, her Google Business Profile views went up 140 percent. More importantly, her listing page views on the MLS — after someone clicks to her site from Google Maps — jumped 30 percent compared to the same period the year before. Luna: Thirty percent — that's not nothing. And it's probably cheaper than running Facebook ads for every listing. Lucas: Right. She told me she spends about two hours a week on this — writing posts, answering Q&A, updating attributes. Two hours. Compare that to the time she used to spend creating individual landing pages for each neighborhood. Luna: Attributes — that's a big one. Google recently expanded the attribute fields for real estate, right? Lucas: Yes, as of the June 2026 update, Google Maps added new attributes like 'Neighborhood: Quiet / Lively / Family-Friendly' and 'Nearby: Grocery / Transit / Schools.' Jenna was an early adopter — she filled those out for every property she lists. And she updates them when something changes, like when a new grocery store opens nearby. Luna: That feels like a cheat code. Most agents probably leave those blank. Luna: Yeah, honestly, if today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: And we keep the show ad-free that way. So — back to Jenna. She also leans on Local Guides. She recruited a few clients who are active Local Guides to add photos and reviews of the neighborhoods she markets. That social proof is gold. Lucas: Before and after photos — she posts a photo of a home before she stages it, then the staged version. That's a classic real estate tactic, but she does it through Google Maps posts, not just her website. And she tags the staging company. Luna: That's smart — it gives the stager visibility, so they might share the post and drive more eyes. Lucas: Exactly. She's creating a mini ecosystem. The coffee shop appreciates the shout-out, the school appreciates the mention, and buyers start associating her name with local expertise. Luna: Is there a risk of spreading too thin? If she's managing posts for multiple neighborhoods, does that get messy? Lucas: She focuses on just three zip codes in Portland. She says any more and she wouldn't be able to maintain the quality. For each zip code, she has a separate Google Business Profile — which is allowed as long as each one represents a real physical location or service area. She has a small office in each neighborhood. Luna: So she's essentially operating three hyperlocal brands under her name. Lucas: Exactly. And the consistency is key. She posts every Wednesday at 10 a.m. — same time, same day, so neighbors start looking for it. She calls it 'Neighborhood Wednesday.' Luna: That's a great branding move. It's like a local newsletter that lives on Google Maps. Lucas: One more thing — she uses Google Maps reviews strategically. When she closes a sale, she asks the buyer to leave a review mentioning the neighborhood, not just her. So the review might say, 'Jenna helped us find our dream home in the Alphabet District — we love the walkability to restaurants.' That review then surfaces when someone searches 'Alphabet District realtor.' Luna: So she's keyword-optimizing her reviews. That's next-level. Lucas: It is, and it's fully organic. Google's algorithm picks up those neighborhood mentions and boosts her profile for location-specific searches. She told me that before she started this, she ranked on page one for 'Portland realtor' — but that's a super competitive term. Now she ranks for 'Alphabet District realtor' and 'Pearl District homes for sale,' which have way less competition and higher intent. Luna: Higher intent — someone searching for 'Pearl District homes' is way closer to buying than someone searching 'Portland realtor.' Lucas: Exactly. And that's the big takeaway here. It's not just about being on Google Maps — it's about being the expert for a specific place. Jenna doesn't try to cover all of Portland. She owns three neighborhoods, and she dominates them. Luna: I love that. And I think the same principle applies to any local business — a plumber could own their service area, a coffee shop could own their block. Lucas: For sure. The realtor playbook is just a clean example because the geography is so explicit. But the tactics — posts, attributes, Q&A, reviews — they work for anyone. Luna: So if I'm a local business owner listening, what's the one thing I should do tomorrow? Lucas: Pick one neighborhood you want to own. Set aside two hours a week. Start posting about what makes that area great — not just your business, but the whole ecosystem. And fill out every attribute Google gives you. Even the ones that seem small. The algorithm rewards completeness. Luna: And don't forget to ask happy customers to mention the neighborhood in their reviews. Lucas: That might be the highest-leverage move of all. Because those review mentions compound over time, and they signal to Google that you're tied to that place. Luna: Alright, I'm going to go update my Google Business Profile right after this. Lucas: Do it. And who knows — maybe next year you'll be the one sharing data at a meetup. Luna: We can only hope. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. See you next time.