Computers and online technology have dramatically altered the way marketing companies work. Nowhere is this more abundantly clear than in real estate. Gone are the days of relying off ads in the newspaper and estate agents’ window. Here are some of the biggest revolutionary marketing tactics of the decade that are real estate agencies are now readily adopting.
Social media
Companies worldwide are embracing social media and its ability to connect with new clients. Facebook and Twitter are the two biggest mediums. Set up a business page for both and then invite all your colleagues, friends and past clients to like/follow.
Whilst social media is a great promotional tool, only 20% of your content should be property listings and direct promotions. Social media has to be social and fun and too much product advertisements will put people off. Dedicate the rest of your social media to posts relating to your neighbourhood include local events that are going on, local news and images of your community. This will attract the attention of local social media users.
Many companies have also made use of Facebook’s geo-targeted ad system. This will make sure that ads to your facebook page are posted on the social media feeds of local users.
SEO
Having a website isn’t enough to give you an online presence. You need to make sure that your real estate company’s site is near the top of search rankings, otherwise no-one will find it.
This is where investing in Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO) comes in handy. Such companies will be able to increase your rankings on sites such as Google, helping to link keywords to your site. With the internet practically bursting with content, it’s important to not get buried by it all and end up on page 24 where no-one is going to venture.
Virtual tours
Not too long ago the idea of a virtual tour might have seemed like something from science fiction, but now it’s a reality. Real estate is one of the first industries to have embraced it as a popular marketing tactic. A few static images don’t give people enough of an idea of what a property feels like to live in. Virtual tours allow viewers to move in and around the building as if they were being shown around by an estate agent – and in some cases more.
Real estate drone videos allow viewers to take a panoramic tour around the outside of the property from the sky. Viewers can explore every angle to see if the property is to their liking.
For the inside of property some estate agents have embraced Youtube video tours. These can be put alongside a listing or shared on social media. Some estate agents can even offer live tours via Skype for interested buyers that don’t live locally. These are flashy marketing techniques that are sure to separate your agency from other local competitors.
Mobile support
As of 2015, more people are using search engines on their mobile phones than on their desktops. Having a mobile-friendly website is therefore very important if you want to ensure staying visitors. Most web designers will be able to help you with a bold and eye-catching layout.
Blog about your business
A great way to increase your online presence is to blog about your business. This can be a combination of promotional posts, advice to those looking for a property and posts about your local community. Regularly check your blog analytics to see which posts are the most popular and cater your content towards these popular posts. This will lure in more visitors to your site.
You can also cross-promote when blogging. This involves writing a post on someone else’s website in exchange for someone else being able to write a post on yours. Find a related company such as a removals business, home insurance site or mortgage lender and get them to promote your product whilst promoting theirs (a day in the life post is usually a safe option – nothing to salesy).
Another method that some real estate agencies have adopted is vlogging. This is similar to writing blog posts only using video instead. As already discussed, you can create virtual tours, but you can also use it to give consultative advice to potential property buyers (or to advise other real estate agents on tips and tricks). Done professionally, this will help to build the reputation of you and your business as well as offering window into your personality.
