It doesn’t matter how long you have been in the real estate business; you will have undoubtedly noticed that the majority of home hunters will turn to online research when it comes to looking for real estate. According to a 2018 report by the National Association of REALTORS Research Group ‘In 1981, 22 percent of home buyers read newspaper ads to find a home and eight percent used friends as an information source. In 2018, 44 percent looked for properties online first.’
As the world we live becomes more and more digitalized, the real estate business is no exception. There are now mobile apps that give prospective buyers the ability to search for real estate listings on the go; with a plethora of search filters including location and number of bedrooms. Online real estate ads also feature live video tutorials and virtual 3D tours giving home buyers the ability to search for listings in the convenience of their own home, or when they’re out and about. Most potential customers conduct extensive research online, comparing prices and locations before they even pick up the phone to contact a real estate agency.
‘Also, in 1981 the top way to find an agent was through friends, relatives or neighbors. In 2018, buyers worked with an agent 87 percent of the time to find their home, so trust in a REALTOR® is still king. While the initial process may start online, home buyers turn to the advice from a trusted real estate agent. The difference is that home buyers are entering the process more educated about the market before they speak to a home seller or an agent.’
Building and launching a website, sending marketing emails, and having a strong presence on social media are key marketing elements to expose your real estate business to potential clients. But the hard part is optimizing those marketing tools in such a way that creates brand awareness, increases user engagement and gathers leads.
Let’s have a quick look at some of the best ways you can gather quality leads from your real estate online marketing campaigns.
- Ensure that you keep your website up to scratch with fast loading speeds, clear layouts, high-quality images and videos, user-friendly interfaces.
- Optimize for both desktop and mobile devices; according to broadbandsearch.net ‘mobile phones made up 16.2 percent of worldwide traffic in 2013. In 2019, 52.2 percent of traffic came from mobile devices.’
- Build a strong presence on social media. Post regularly with engaging content and high-quality images. Interact with your users and comments.
- Make the most of Facebook’s advertising features. Facebook may have been created to connect the world but having become the world’s largest social media platform Facebook is a great way to reach an ocean of prospective buyers.
- Use email marketing to your advantage, with newsletters, and updates that your target audience will be interested in.
- Maintain a blog with original and engaging content; not only will its boost your site’s SEO and Google Quality Score but you will give your audience something to want to keep returning to your website.
The internet has opened a wide range of opportunities for real estate online marketing. It is crucial that you build a strong online presence so you can drive quality leads to your site, which means better conversion rates and ROI.
