With memberships of the National Association of Realtors seeing an increase of realtors and the US subprime mortgage crisis that hit for the three years leading to 2010, the real estate sector has been on a rollercoaster ride during the last decade. However, since that financial crisis, the real estate industry has been making somewhat of a comeback, and competition has been building up.
With so much competition amongst realtors and real estate marketers, it is essential that you optimize your real estate marketing campaigns and advertising so that you can be one step ahead of the game.
During the home hunting and purchasing process, real estate agents still have a pivotal role to play. Yet, more and more real estate buyers are turning to the internet to do some homework and background checks before they delve deeper into the markets.
According to a report by the National Association of Realtors Research Department, entitled Real Estate in a Digital Age 2017 Report
‘The typical buyer used a mobile device to search for properties online. S/he looked at websites with photos, home listings, and information about the home buying process. S/he then contacted an agent and visited a median of 10 homes over ten weeks again in 2016 before purchasing a home.’
‘Finding the right property was ranked highest among all generations for the most difficult step in the home buying process.’
What do these statistics mean? With nearly all home buyers searching for real estate on the internet, having a robust online marketing presence is a must if you want to draw the most attention. If you don’t have a useful, appealing, and relevant online presence, then you are missing a huge opportunity to reach potential buyers.
Here are a few great tips and tricks to get your real estate marketing campaign up and rolling.
Social media is a must
According to smartinsights.com:
- The number of internet users worldwide in 2019 is 4.388 billion, up 9.1% year-on-year.
- The number of social media users worldwide in 2019 is 3.484 billion, up 9% year-on-year.
- The number of mobile phone users in 2019 is 5.112 billion, up 2% year-on-year.
So, having a strong social media presence is also a must, especially as the number of users is growing every year. Share, like, comment, and publish relevant and engaging content that your target audience will want to interact with.
Social media user features
The aim of the game when it comes to social media is communication; Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, wrote the following in a note entitled A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking:
‘Over the last 15 years, Facebook and Instagram have helped people connect with friends, communities, and interests in the digital equivalent of a town square. But people increasingly also want to connect privately in the digital equivalent of the living room. As I think about the future of the internet, I believe a privacy-focused communications platform will become even more important than today’s open platforms. Privacy gives people the freedom to be themselves and connect more naturally, which is why we build social networks.’
All social media platforms act as a springboard for users to communicate with friends, family, and others who share common interests. With this said, you should ensure that you include social sharing buttons on your site giving potential customers ample opportunity to share a real estate ad or marketing post with other users.
Use your competition as leverage
What is your competition up to? How are they running their site? Are they leveraging social media? If you can monitor the tweaks and upgrades that your competitor makes, you can learn from their wrongdoings and shortcomings and enhance your own campaign.
Communication is key
You need to ensure that your potential and existing clients can reach you easily and efficiently. You want your website to be easily accessible by creating a user-friendly experience.
Advertise as a package, not an individual property
When house hunting, a potential buyer isn’t just interested in the actual real estate but the surroundings. What facilities are within a mile radius? Where are the nearest supermarkets? You should be answering these questions that home hunters ask during the buying process.
Appealing content equates to quality leads
By creating relevant, engaging, and exciting content that potential buyers and your target audience will be interested in is an excellent way of gathering quality leads that share a common interest in your business offering, which in this case is real estate. Create articles and content that guide a home buyer through the entire real estate process, from picking out the best choice to pointing out the essential things to bear in mind. Set up subscription forms where potential clients can give you their email address; this way, you know that the leads you gather are highly likely to convert at some point.
Real estate and high-quality images
Real estate marketing and high-quality images go hand in hand. Having high-quality images shows your audience and promising buyers that you take pride in your presentation. Let’s face it, no buyer who is thinking of spending their hard-earned cash is going to think twice about a listing presented via a low-quality image.
Offer buyers the convenience of virtual tours
We’ve all heard the saying ‘time is money’, this is especially the case for home hunters. So, offering your target audience the convenience of virtual tours is a great way to get consumers interested, from the comfort of their own homes. Moreover, it’s an effective way of reaching a wider audience. Virtual tours give potential buyers in other countries the ability to view the listing.
Don’t forget about mobile
Cast your mind back to the statistic mentioned above from smartinsights.com: ‘The number of mobile phone users in 2019 is 5.112 billion, up 2% year-on-year.’ Optimizing your real estate marketing campaign and site for mobile as well as desktop devices is a must in this day and age.
