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Top 6 Effective Digital Marketing Strategies For 2019
As a real estate marketer, you want to be at a competitive advantage. To sell properties faster, here are six digital marketing strategies to get your properties in front of your competitors.
When it comes to real estate marketing, the same concepts apply. Everybody wants to know what the competition is doing differently. To drive sales, you have to look at your performance and make changes where necessary.
The trick is to look at key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, conversion rate, market share growth, purchaser rate, and social media engagement as benchmarks to measure your progress. But there is more to real estate digital marketing than just looking at your website traffic.
Here are six of the top digital approaches that work for real estate.
1. Optimize your website
As of July 2019, there are 4.33 billion active internet users, most of whom come from the United States. This means almost everyone, including those searching for luxury developments, is using the internet to do research and find properties to purchase. Therefore, the importance of having a professional website cannot be emphasized enough. In fact, many luxury real estate firms are using digital media to show their properties online.
Recent data from the National Association of Realtors backs this up:
- 90% of real estate firms have websites to show their property listings.
- Over 50% of home buyers looked online for properties in 2018
With the traditional real estate market increasing its online presence, optimizing your website is crucial to get ahead of the competition and reach more potential buyers. The result? More sales.
2. Be easy to reach
With a professional and well-optimized website, users will want to reach you. Make sure you include all your contacts on social media pages, website, and emails. Your contact information should remain consistent whether it’s on a business card or social media accounts — you’d be surprised how often this is not the case!
3. Have a video marketing campaign
Of all the digital formats, videos have the highest engagement rate, making video marketing one of the most effective digital marketing strategies to showcase your services, increase brand awareness, and lower cost per lead.
Videos on Twitter get an average of more than six retweets, while Facebook users view 100 million hours of video content daily. Video content can drive organic search traffic by 157%.
4. Start blogging
Do you want more prospective visitors to your website? Then start a blog or breathe new life into that dormant one on your site. A business blog is an essential and inexpensive marketing tool for driving traffic to your web pages and improving search engine ranking.
However, did you know only 44% of people update their blogs, yet there are over 329 million monthly readers? So, while other companies are relying on traditional marketing strategies, you can capitalize on this competitive advantage and use a blog to provide value to customers and build trust.
5. Use social media as part of your digital marketing strategy
You need to be where your prospects are. That means you need to build a strong presence on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and many others. The easiest way to promote your brand is to through your social media account. According to Forbes, having a LinkedIn company page increases brand awareness and helps to promote your services to potential clients. With over 500 million users, LinkedIn is also the most effective social media platform for securing professional audience engagement. You can also use all the other social media accounts to communicate with your followers and boost your online presence directly.
6. Optimize for local SEO
Even after optimizing your website to reach a broad audience, you should also focus on local traffic. A targeted approach allows those looking for properties nearby — let’s say in Boston or surrounding areas — to get the luxury development listings that match their needs and goals. Use Google Analytics to find out if locals are visiting your site and add your company to local directories. Other ways to optimize for local SEO is to use a local number, encourage customers to leave reviews, and having geo-targeted content.
As of 2019, there are more options to market real estate business than ever. Whichever digital marketing strategy you prefer, you should be branching out and using the most effective ones for your business. Remember, your real estate digital marketing goals should be tailored to maximize your visibility online, bring in new businesses, and keep you ahead of the competition.
Related posts:
- Real Estate Marketing Leads: 4 Myths (and How to Disprove Them)
- DIY Digital Marketing Strategy for Real Estate in Four Easy Steps
- Developing Your Real Estate Brand with Video Marketing
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Good Real Estate Marketing Gets Personal
Personal, emotional marketing messaging is one of the most effective ways to reach prospective buyers, particularly when it comes to real estate.
Investing in real estate is one of the most momentous personal decisions a buyer will make. So it makes sense that real estate marketers need to connect with buyers on a personal level to be effective. But, really, marketing in all industries and sectors needs to “get personal” to move prospects to profitable customer action.
Modern marketing is moving away from what Tech Crunch calls the “impression-centric paradigm,” in which the cost of media drives a campaign. And it’s moving toward a “user-centric paradigm,” in which marketers fully consider the consumer at the point of contact with the product. That’s fancy jargon that essentially means that companies are learning as much about target buyers as possible, then figuring out what will draw the most emotion from a person with that particular profile.
What information does your organization have about potential buyers? What information can you draw from social media (social prospecting)? Bring the two together, and begin crafting messaging for that persona. That’s pretty potent stuff.
The personal story
Particularly with buyers in the digital space, personalized, emotional messages attract the most attention. Think about messages that stuck out to you last time you browsed social media or various news and media outlets. My guess is that they touched you on a personal level.
To foster a connection with potential buyers through marketing, real estate marketers should use this knowledge to their advantage. Get personal with your messaging and creative. Real estate marketing lends itself to this kind of narrative — places can have powerful, engaging stories that can capture the hearts and imaginations of prospects.
Friends and neighbors
Emotional, personal narratives aren’t the only ways to reach potential buyers. One of the most important sources of spreading real estate brand awareness is peer-to-peer recommendation. Staying engaged with your social media audiences — and the conversation surrounding your brand and properties — is a great way to encourage this kind of referral.
After all, social platforms are at heart networks, meaning that any interaction you have with a follower will be seen by that person’s network. Show that you’re not some faceless building or property. If you can foster positive personal relationships with followers on social media, their networks will bear witness. And they’ll be left with a positive impression of your properties and brand.
Real estate is ideal for personal marketing. Know your buyers and tenants, and start to get personal. You’re sure to see results.
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Social Media Can Be a Strategic Weapon in Real Estate Marketing
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When Traditional Real Estate Marketing Methods Stop Working, Try Digital Marketing
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Learn How Content Marketing Increased Real Estate Sales by 37% in 90 Days
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5 Real Estate Instagram Accounts You Should be Following
Instagram continues to lag behind other social media platforms when it comes to real estate marketing. But these five accounts have it figured out—follow them for ideas on how to use Instagram to promote your brand and properties.
Instagram remains an emerging platform for real estate professionals, and, given its overall popularity, it’s puzzling that it hasn’t taken over the real estate marketing world. With the majority of real estate searches beginning online, social media is an ideal way to showcase listings.
As the average age for other social media platforms rises, Instagram has a lower average user age, and furthermore, much of its success comes from the fact that it keeps advertising much less invasive than its competitors. That doesn’t mean that Instagram marketing isn’t effective though. It’s time for real estate marketers to take advantage of this platform.
Here are five of the top real estate Instagram accounts that are using their profiles to boost their marketing efforts.
1) realestatelegend
Who doesn’t like a good meme? Realestatelegend has garnered a loyal following by posting memes that give real estate professionals and enthusiasts a laugh. It’s a great reminder that, while we devote a tremendous amount of time and energy to educating and persuading our followers, entertaining them can sometimes be just as effective.
2) realestate_academy
Boasting over 133K followers, realestate_academy is one of the most popular real estate pages on Instagram. It makes use of the visual nature of the platform to highlight beautiful photography, as well as professional development posts and audience engagement.
3) beginninginthemiddle
Everybody likes a good before and after story! Beginninginthemiddle is the output of a husband and wife team, dedicated to low-cost/high-drama renovations. They post incredible transformations—a great reference point if you’re trying to show prospects the potential in a fixer-upper property.
4) galloestates1
Ok, so it might not be for everyone (I don’t necessarily want to see my real estate agent lifting weights), but this Beverly Hills-based realtor has one thing figured out: brand building with a personal touch. His Instagram account is engaging, and a good reminder that real estate is personal. You don’t need to post gym selfies if that’s not your thing, but Instagram is a great place to give your brand a face.
5) the_real_houses_of_ig
With a whopping 1.8 million followers, the Instagram account of The Real Houses founder and editor Kate Rumson is a visual smorgasbord of her brand. Her posts demonstrate her talents in interior design, real estate investment, development and construction, and social media. What’s most striking is the beautifully composed photography and compelling visuals.
Feeling inspired? Get Instagram-ing, and tell us about your efforts.
Related posts:
- Social Media Trends for 2018 Real Estate Marketers Need to Know
- 10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
- How to Use Social Media Hashtags in Real Estate Marketing
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Infographic: Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
Placester’s 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey reveals these real estate marketing trends: lead generation, challenges, the rise of video content, and social media.
Earlier this year, digital marketing platform Placester published the results of its 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey. The survey collected data from hundreds of real estate professionals nationwide and contains valuable information for benchmarking your marketing efforts, in “an industry ready to invest more time, money, and energy toward online marketing and generating more leads.”
When we looked at the survey results, we found that there were four big takeaways for real estate marketing professionals: goals, challenges, the rise of video content, and social media. Our infographic below delves into each of these four key areas.
Why are these results significant for me?
First off, you can learn a lot from looking at the aggregate goals for the real estate industry. Understanding what peers are working toward can help you tailor your own efforts, prune unnecessary practices, and optimize your marketing efforts. Knowing, for example, that 40.3% of survey respondents cited lead generation as a top objective helps you get to the bottom line: Regardless of experience, skill level, or niche, real estate professionals are focused on attracting valuable clients, and you should be, too.
Likewise, having an understanding of industry-wide challenges can offer valuable insight. Placester’s survey reveals that just as lead generation is a top priority for the majority of respondents, it’s also the top concern for real estate professionals.
As far as techniques go, one of the most popular marketing tactics for greater exposure in 2018 is emerging as video. The survey reveals that the real estate industry is embracing the power of video marketing. And the good news is, you don’t need an expensive camera, lighting, or a production studio. Your smartphone can be just as effective for creating video content for your social media outlets.
Which brings us to social media. A whopping 84.6% of respondents pointed to Facebook as the social media network they will use the most in 2018. And for good reason. Facebook is ideal for real estate marketing in many ways. Its large user base makes it a go-to network, as well as its robust mobile presence, with location-specific advertising and sophisticated algorithms to help you reach your target audience.
Check out our infographic below for a summary of the rest of Placester’s data.
Real estate marketing trends 2018 infographic
Related posts:
- A Visual Guide to Social Media Posting Frequency for Real Estate
- 10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
- 5 TED Talks for Real Estate Marketers
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4 Things to Do in Light of Facebook News Feed Changes
As users will see less content from businesses, brands, and media, you need to adjust your strategy to appear on your followers’ Facebook News Feed.
Mark Zuckerberg once again rocked the world on Jan. 11 — at least for businesses — when he announced that the Facebook News Feed was evolving to include less public content, meaning content from Pages of businesses, brands, and media. The algorithm will now prioritize posts from friends and family (over public posts) and those that “spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people.”
Not surprisingly, businesses balked at the thought of seeing their organic reach, video watch time, and referral traffic take a nose dive.
The fact is, this is not a huge surprise. Facebook has long been taking steps in this direction, including the testing of Explore Feed last year. Even though you may have anticipated that some changes to Facebook for businesses were coming, you may be tempted to suddenly stop maintaining your Facebook Page. Is it worth posting content to Facebook if it is not going to reach your followers after these new changes?
Our answer: Facebook is still worthwhile for your properties. But Facebook’s recent changes do merit your close attention to — and perhaps a revisiting of — your Facebook strategy. We’ve compiled a list of things you need to know/do in light of the new changes to Facebook News Feed. Take a look:
1. Focus on news-worthy Facebook News Feed content that drives engagement.
Zuckerberg says, “I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.” That means that engagement will now mean more than ever before for content visibility.
In other words, posting your blog content to Facebook is no longer going to cut it. If your posts don’t garner comments or reactions, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. You’ll need to start thinking of Facebook as a place to post and discuss active news items, hot-button issues, and highly shareable content (content that is educational or entertaining, for example).
Scheduling multiple posts ahead of time, though convenient, will probably land your content further into the depths of oblivion. You’re going to have to pay attention, actively seek to generate conversation between users with your posts, and fight to win space on your followers’ feeds.
2. Tell your community to access the See First feature.
Users who still want to see posts from certain Pages they follow can choose “See First” in News Feed Preferences. So, quite simply, we suggest asking your followers to choose to see your content.
While some proactive followers may do this on their own, we encourage you to explicitly remind your community to do this. Remember that people are most likely to do what you want them to when you make it easy, exact, and clear. So, send them an email with directions. Or put it in your newsletter or a blog post. Just tell them to do it.
One thing you don’t want to do: goad people into commenting on your posts to increase your content visibility. Facebook has explicitly stated that it will demote “engagement bait,” or posts that ask for comments or reactions. You will actually hurt your content and properties by doing this.
3. Get your executives and agents on social media.
Your executives and agents can act as brand ambassadors for your business and properties on social media, and Facebook’s latest announcement underscores the importance of them doing so.
Your company’s executives and agents are the most visible people in your business. For many of your industry peers and buyers, they are the face of your brand and properties. Get them active on Facebook to add meaningful thoughts to your company’s posted content, to engage in discussions, and to share newsworthy content of their own.
It’s important to note they should not do this in a superficial way. Rather, they should actively seek to add value to your Facebook content. By engaging on Facebook, your people emerge as thought leaders, which boosts your brand’s visibility and reputation.
4. Consider your ad budget.
In the past, we have recommended adding some social media advertising to a traditional content marketing strategy as a way for clients to boost their efforts. It speeds things up. But those companies that are just starting out or that rely heavily on referral traffic might want to consider reallocating budget to sponsored ads.
Final thoughts on the new Facebook News Feed
This is a shift, yes. A challenge, for sure. But not one that’s insurmountable — or even contrary to the basic principles of good, data-driven content marketing.
Remember, Facebook is not eliminating Page content from News Feed altogether — just limiting it. The most relevant, engaging Page content will win that space. So, seek to understand your target audience and produce high-quality, original content that engages those people, and you’ll come out on top of the new Facebook News Feed.
Related posts:
- 10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
- Infographic: Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
- How to Measure Social Media ROI with Google Analytics for Real Estate
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