Real estate marketing is more competitive now than it has been in years. With banks’ interest and mortgage rates fluctuating, customers are continually drawn on whether moving house at this time is necessary. However with signs improving in the market it would be disastrous not to put yourself at the top of the pile with regards to being noticed. Here are 5 top tips to make sure your digital profile is best placed to gain the lion’s share of exposure and so better improve your chances of sales.
1.Understand where you stand
Keep up to date with the latest industry goings-on and strive to improve your positioning with it. Get to know your competitors – direct and indirect – full-service and part-service – and look at how they have planned their marketing strategy. Is there anything you can use as inspiration? Are there any gaps that can be exploited? Draft an effective marketing strategy that is not out-with your capabilities as an agency, but is also not too weak that it won’t gain you any advantage over competitors. By showing that you know what you are talking about will really fill your client with confidence and leave them optimistic about your future success together.
2.Get a Mobile Site
You have a smartphone, what’s to say your customers don’t have one! The leaders in the smartphone industry believe smartphone browsing will overtake desktop browser pc and laptop surfing in the next 2 years. Does your mobile site – if you indeed have one – provide the relevant engaging content that your visitors want? The most important point however is how easy to use your mobile site is. Google has pointed out that its own research found that over 60% of visitors will abandon their visit if they do not find what they want straight away. This is a staggering amount of potential custom thrown away because your mobile site is poor. This should be catapulted to the top of your priority list.
3.SEO
With so many real estate agencies out there it will always be difficult to rank at the top of every search engine. The competition for keywords in this niche is fierce. If you have a large budget go for the best words. If you are working to a budget focus on narrowing down your categories with location based and localised keywords, long-tail and niche branded keywords. Make sure your website is optimized for your keywords to attract traffic. Remember to keep your keywords trimmed, there is no benefit in targeting inner-city penthouses if you operate in rural locations. Keep to these points and you will see your site viewed more and more by would be customers.
4.Blogging
Blogging has become increasingly important for owning and running a website. It offers a great opportunity for your visitors to engage with the site and voice their opinions and offer insights. The real estate market and property marketing industry offers plenty of opportunities for user-generated content too. Anything from how best to present your house to buyers, to DIY quick-tips, to the best time of year to sell your home, are equally great topics to write and share about. Your social media interaction will receive from maintaining a blog too through social shares, likes, tweets and recommendations.
5.Email and Social Media Campaigns
By bringing together a concise and targeted email campaign you are increasing your chances of repeat business and people talking about your business or service. If you are sending e-shots to your customers or clients’ inbox you will be front of mind when it comes to that person wanting to use our services. A targeted and intuitive social media strategy will engage thousands of people, contacts and customers through an intricate network of followers. Branch out with facebook, twitter, pinterest, youtube, and linkedin and watch your brands image receive a welcome shot in the arm.
This is not an exhaustive list. Use all intermittently and in line with how your customers expect you to behave – diligently and professionally. There is nothing worse than a disgruntled customer.
Also, remember not to sacrifice your offline marketing practices to take on these new processes. As we move closer and closer to a digital workplace it is important to mix off and online property marketing in order to establish your company or team as a dominant force. Just because the property market stagnates, does not mean your marketing practices have to as well!
By Boris Dzhingarov who graduated his university with major marketing. Follow him on Google +.