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Write it Down: Why You Need a Digital Marketing Strategy
Having a documented digital marketing strategy increases brand awareness and provides a starting point for in-depth analytics.
Highlights:
- A digital marketing strategy should be clearly documented, enabling you to fine-tune and adjust sections — or the entire document — in response to analytics.
- From social media channels to blogs, enhanced customer engagement enables real estate brands to open a two-way communication with potential buyers (and renters).
- A clearly articulated digital marketing strategy is the foundation of generating qualified real estate leads.
Digital marketing for real estate has become mandatory in recent years. With over 3.2 billion users globally, the internet has opened up countless opportunities for brands to connect with new and growing audiences — and the real estate industry has benefited in a major way. According to recent market surveys, 92% of potential buyers do vigorous research online before making a home purchase.
With luxury development projects on the rise in the Boston area as well as other metros across the country, a digital marketing strategy can give developers a competitive edge. Note: The strategy should be clearly documented, enabling you to fine-tune and adjust sections — or the entire document — in response to analytics.
Benefits of a documented digital marketing strategy
Brand building
To succeed in the highly competitive and dynamic real estate industry, you need a strong and reputable online presence. Using tools like workflows, search engine optimization, and social media, real estate marketers can grow brand awareness. Digital marketing allows you to attract potential buyers from a global market. From social media channels to blogs, enhanced customer engagement enables real estate brands to open a two-way communication with potential buyers (and renters).
Higher conversion rate
Digital marketing fosters a higher conversion rate of people who visit websites or social media platforms. Why? A well-designed digital marketing strategy nurtures leads and gives them reasons to return to your platforms where pointed calls-to-action and landing pages can capture their information. Establishing your online presence will help you showcase your luxury projects, allowing home buyers to explore purchasing options. Developers with updated and informed content increase their chances of engaging potential customers who are property hunting online.
Increased exposure
It’s no secret that digital marketing helps expand organic reach and increases exposure to new audiences. Geolocation marketing takes it a step further, letting marketers customize content for specific target audiences based on their physical location. Paid advertising on Facebook and Google, for instance, includes this feature. Put to practice, it means your ads target people in certain regions (geo-targeting is based on the visitor’s IP address) or when they enter certain areas that can be as narrow as a neighborhood or a few streets (geo-fencing uses a device’s GPS location).
Lower acquisition costs
Digital marketing offers real estate marketers cost–effective options compared to traditional marketing methods. For example, in a matchup of cost per lead, digital marketing comes out on top.
Performance analysis
Digital marketing offers several analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, that help you track your marketing performance. Tracking your performance online will allow you to understand the nature of the market and the specific techniques that work for your audience. By monitoring keywords, search trends, and search volume, you can determine which keywords to use when optimizing your website.
A clearly articulated digital marketing strategy is the foundation of generating qualified real estate leads. Write it down. Refer to it. Let analytics drive change. That’s how you stand out from the competition.
Related posts:
- DIY Digital Marketing Strategy for Real Estate in Four Easy Steps
- Real Estate Marketing Strategy 2019: Retargeting
- The Metrics You Should Be Measuring in Real Estate Marketing (Hint: Not Vanity Metrics)
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These are the Busiest Day of the Year for Real Estate Searches
Real estate searches peak the weekend after Thanksgiving, December 28, January 1, and July 6, so don’t stop marketing your property during the holidays.
If you’re a marketing professional outside the retail industry, chances are you slow things down during the holidays. But before you settle in for a second helping of leftovers, consider this: according to a study by Realtor.com, December 28 is statistically one of the busiest days for real estate searches.
It makes sense: Potential buyers use their post-holiday downtime to consider real estate investment. Other days when real estate searches spike include:
- the weekend after Thanksgiving
- New Year’s Day
- July 6
It’s important for real estate marketers to be aware of these dates so that you don’t stop all your marketing activities. The good news is that real estate searches are typically lowest on actual holidays, so putting a pause on your pay-per-click advertising, for example, on those days makes sense.
I bring this up because, recently, a client asked to stop all marketing activities between mid-December and New Year’s Day due to “seasonal decline” in sales. While it’s true that December typically sees lower numbers in terms of web traffic, leads, and conversions, that doesn’t mean there is not enormous, largely untapped opportunities for this client — if we are strategic about how we spend marketing dollars over the holidays.
Leveraging the post-holiday uptick in real estate searches
While spending the holidays relaxing with family and friends is something we all deserve, keeping a few strategic marketing activities going can mean big wins for your property/properties. Here are a few things I recommend, and why.
1) Publish blog posts on a normal schedule.
Blog posts are the gifts that keep on giving, meaning the majority of traffic will visit your posts months after they’re published. In fact, 80% of our page views occur on blog posts published at least 6 months prior. It’s a great time to write about trends or happenings in the coming year in an effort to capture future searches.
Search engines value consistency in your publishing schedule, so keeping up your normal posting frequency will help your rankings. If you have the resources to post on schedule, it would benefit you to do so.
2) Be strategic about social media.
Social media management can be time-consuming, so you should dial back your posting on the days you know prospects won’t be spending much time online (e.g. December 25). That being said, you should plan to post on days when you know real estate searches peak (e.g. December 28). Chances are, many of your competitors will be shut down for the holiday, and your posts will be front and center in your prospects’ newsfeeds.
3) Be strategic about digital advertising.
The same goes for digital advertising. Knowing that post-holiday real estate searches peak on December 28, you should budget your pay-per-click and social advertising dollars to spend more on this day. Particularly focus on your Google AdWords spend because that will capture prospects using search engines to find information about potential real estate investments — as opposed to sponsored social posts, which display your ads in the newsfeed of a prospect who may or may not be ready to buy.
Related posts:
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4 Tools for Determining the Best Time to Post on Social Media for Your Property
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Peak Season Demands Real-Time Analytics for Perfect Fulfillment
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Facebook Lead Ads: Why Your Property Should Use Them
Facebook Lead Ads allow prospects to leave their contact information without ever leaving Facebook or Instagram, increasing the chances of conversion.
On pace to hit 2 billion users this year, Facebook obviously has reach. Yet only 45% of B2C marketers feel that their Facebook marketing efforts are working. So why is Facebook advertising not showing a greater ROI for your business?
Well, what kind of ads are you running? Are you using lead ads? If not, that’s probably one of the reasons.
How Facebook Lead Ads work
Facebook lead ads allow you to run lead-generation campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. This kind of social advertising shows an ad for your property within the newsfeeds of potential buyers and renters. Just set the parameters (e.g. demographics, location, etc.) for your target audience, and the network’s algorithm will identify who sees the ad based on information they’ve provided in their profiles.
But here’s the real kicker: Unlike other ad types, lead ads include a contact form that lets prospects show their interest by filling out the form with their details without ever leaving Facebook (or Instagram).
Need more convincing? Here at Fronetics Real Estate, we find Facebook Lead Ads one of the most effective for generating leads. Because they streamline the process through which prospects sign up to learn more about your property, it’s more likely they’ll convert to leads. Besides, you save time and money because you don’t have to create extra landing pages to get their contact information.
Lead generation made easy
These days, people expect that everything from shopping to job searching can be done on their handheld devices. Facebook Lead Ads make that true for people wanting to learn more about potential properties.
Here’s how it works: Prospects click on a lead ad, and their contact information automatically populates based on information from their profile. No leaving Facebook to visit the property’s website or taking the time to provide contact information necessary. Lead ads make submitting information as easy as two taps on a phone: one to open the ad, and one to submit the information.
“If you want to iterate through lead forms quickly, Facebook Lead Ads are a great way to collect the information without building new landing pages and creating tons of copy,” says Tony Adams in Visible Factors. “The contact forms appear natively on Facebook and Instagram. You can easily use them to sign people up to newsletters for drip marketing campaigns.”
In a prime success story, news and information site theSkimm wanted to expand its reach and increase its conversion rate, with the ultimate goal of attracting more highly qualified leads and significantly increasing its subscriber pool. After testing a number of different tactics, theSkimm created a series of Facebook Lead Ads. The ads featured the company logo to reinforce its branding and a ‘Subscribe’ link inviting people to sign up on the spot. The result was a 22% increase in lead quality at a cost per acquisition of just $1-2.
Creating and modifying your ads
As buyers continue to turn to their handheld devices for quick, easy information, Facebook lead ads will give your property the opportunity to capture new leads with the click of a button. But just like any form of lead generation, you need to monitor and tweak your Facebook Lead Ads for optimal results.
Through Facebook’s Ads Manager reporting interface, you can obtain reports about cost, impressions, and clicks. As with all marketing tools, consistent refinement is the key to success, particularly in real estate marketing. Lead ads can easily be fine-tuned to cultivate a larger target audience.
Facebook Lead Ads provide real estate businesses an opportunity to gain leads and a larger reach. If you haven’t tried this yet, we highly recommend switching over some of your social advertising budget.
Related posts:
- 6 Social Media Don’ts for Property Management Companies
- Start Your Property’s Social Media Program in 6 Steps
- Social Media Can Be a Strategic Weapon in Real Estate Marketing
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5 Benefits of a Real Estate Blog
Having a real estate blog is a cost-effective and efficient way to grow your brand. Here are 5 benefits of maintaining an informative, valuable blog.
Highlights:
- Blogs provide real estate brands the opportunity to educate, inform, and even entertain readers through content.
- 81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs
- 80% of our website traffic comes from blog posts that are over six months old.
We get asked all the time, “Do I really need a real estate blog?” And the answer is: yes! The follow up question is “Why?” And the answer is simple: it works!
On a basic level, blogs provide brands the opportunity to educate, inform, and even entertain readers through content. They are an effective and relatively cheap tool to help grow your real estate brand. Search engines even consider blogs—and blogging frequency—when ranking pages.
I often tell our real estate clients to think of blog posts as opportunities. Every time you post, you create a chance to be found, to be liked, to be shared, and to be linked to other sites.
Still not convinced? Here are 5 of the top benefits of having a real estate blog.
5 benefits of a real estate blog
1. Get more traffic to your website
According to HubSpot, companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website than non-blogging companies. Not only that, but 81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs. These stats highlight how a blog can help your brand become a trusted resource for your audience—resulting in more website traffic and increased leads.
2. More visibility in search results
Search engine algorithms are getting more and more sophisticated. As they do, your site’s content becomes increasingly important.
Your content helps inform search engines about your site, improving your rank in relevant search queries (people who are searching for properties or real estate companies like yours). As you choose content for your blog posts, be mindful of the search topics for which you want to rank highly. Every time you publish a post, you create a new chance to reach someone looking for a property like yours.
3. More engagement on social media
Blog content is ideal to share (and link to) social media marketing campaigns. It can help undecided leads learn about your properties and sway them in a positive direction. Sharing your blog posts on your social media accounts helps give validity and authority to your company, as you disseminate content you created yourself.
4. Establishesyour industry expertise
When you blog about topics you are confident and knowledgeable about, it shows. You set yourself up as an industry expert. Create posts about the latest real estate trends, best practices, and neighborhood and community events to showcase your market knowledge. Your posts will be helping inform readers, while also establishing your brand as an industry expert.
5. Works even when you aren’t
Did you know that is takes up to two years for a blog post to see 99% of its impressions. In fact, we find that 80% of our website traffic comes from blog posts that are over six months old.
Why is that? Because, as with many things, blog posts improve with age and continue working even when you aren’t. Search engines give value to older content that has had more time to accumulate social shares, likes, and referrals from other web pages. The more relevant a blog post proves itself to be to readers over time, the higher it will rank in search engine results.
You hardly need more convincing, right?
Related posts:
- 4 Ways a Blog Can Help You Sell Real Estate
- Drive More Traffic and Generate More Leads with Your Real Estate Blog with our Editorial Calendar Template
- 5 Ways to Generate Real Estate Blog Ideas
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5 Effective Ways to Use Instagram for Your Luxury Real Estate Brand
With its highly visual platform and growing user base, Instagram is a natural fit for real estate marketing. Here are five ways to make Instagram work for your luxury real estate brand.
Highlights:
- Instagram posts should reflect your luxury real estate brand and maintain the overall tone you set through other marketing efforts.
- Successful brands on Instagram pay close attention to how their posts reflect their brand’s message.
- Hashtags allow your posts to be seen by users outside of your circle of followers, so using relevant, industry-specific hashtags is key in reaching new audiences.
Looking to engage with new audiences and connect with your target market? Instagram is the perfect platform for luxury real estate brands looking to expand their reach. In fact, engagement on Instagram is ten times higher than it is for Facebook, and the demographic is substantially more affluent—making it a no-brainer for luxury real estate.
But to get the most out of this highly visual platform, it’s important for real estate marketers to post the right kind of content. The content should reflect your brand and maintain the overall tone you set through other marketing efforts (i.e. your website, blog, etc.). Marketers who want to reap the benefits of marketing on Instagram need to do more than just post appealing pictures with fun filters. Here are five effective ways to make sure you’re getting the most out of your marketing efforts on Instagram.
5 effective ways to market your luxury real estate brand on Instagram
1. Focus on your target audience
Who are you trying to reach with your Instagram posts? Trying to post compelling content for an unidentified audience is like taking a shot in the dark. Knowing who your ideal buyer or tenant is allows you to create content that is informative, educational, and entertaining to that specific person.
When creating (or curating) content for Instagram, the more detailed you can be with your buyer persona(s), the more specific and effective your content can become. The personal connection is particularly crucial for real estate buyers, and understanding your target audience is key to making that connection.
2. Cultivate your brand message
For luxury real estate developers and property management companies, branding is key for target buyers (or tenants) to know about your properties and understand the lifestyle that the property offers. Creating consistent brand messaging that reflects the tone and voice of your marketing collateral helps audiences grow brand awareness.
Successful brands on Instagram pay close attention to how their posts reflect their brand’s message. Posts have an overarching theme that mirror the overall brand image. Images should do more than just promote your properties. They should add value to your luxury real estate brand’s unique story.
3. Use CTAs
Conversions, revenue, business, and profit—they all depend on the Call to Action. Don’t just post interesting content, give your followers a chance to do something with your posts. CTAs are key to the success of any online marketing initiative, including Instagram posts. Try adding CTAs to each of your posts to encourage audiences to “take an action”. Providing opportunities for followers to visit your website or download valuable resources will boost conversion rates.
4. Make the most of your hashtags
Hashtags allow your posts to be seen by users outside of your circle of followers, so using relevant, industry-specific hashtags is key in reaching new audiences. Hashtags automatically function as links, making your posts easily searchable and available to users looking for specific hashtags. For example, if a user interested in San Diego real estate clicks on #sdhomesforsale, all public posts labeled with that hashtag will show up.
As you start experimenting with adding hashtags to your social media posts, make sure to:
- Use relevant terms.
- Research trending topics as you chose your content.
- Create your own hashtags to match your luxury real estate brand.
- Make sure the audience setting on your posts is “public.”
5. Check your analytics
Many real estate businesses struggle with measuring ROI on social networks. Even for seasoned digital marketers, the collection of data is one of the most daunting tasks. But it’s important to gain insight into the who, when, and where of your Instagram traffic.
Use Instagram Insights to learn more about the people interacting with your luxury real estate brand on Instagram. You can also see which posts your audience sees and engages with the most, as well as a breakdown of demographics. Analyzing your posts will help determine what’s working for your brand and where changes need to be made.
Need help getting started with optimizing your digital marketing efforts? We’re here to help.
Related posts:
- 5 Real Estate Instagram Accounts You Should be Following
- Measure Social Media Success in Terms of Potential, not Dollar Amount
- How to Measure Social Media ROI with Google Analytics for Real Estate
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