We all feel it. The real estate industry is changing. The things we used to do to find new clients and grow our sales aren’t working as well as they used to.
In 2020, it’s vital that real estate agents turn much more of their attention to digital marketing and boosting their existing marketing efforts with the features that actually generate leads in this new market.
Real estate marketing is a vast and complex topic but there are 3 clear things estate agents can do right now to boost their property marketing campaigns.
- Better Visual Content
- Better SEO
- Better customer relationship development
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1. Better Visual Content
It’s a fact that potential customers are more likely to take action (such as click, call, contact) having been exposed to great visual content that leaves a strong and professional impression. The truth is, in this competitive market, customers will go a step further and completely ignore you altogether if you’re visual content isn’t compelling.
The 3 types of visual content that estate agents should focus on and improve to maximise their results:
- Property Photography
- Video
- Virtual Staging
1. Property Photography
Professional property photography can generate up to 250% more interest on the portals.
Vendors are also being attracted by the quality of your photography. These days vendors aren’t choosing an estate agent simply by which shopfront they walk past on the street! They are looking at your property listings and checking out your website.
Vendors want to see high quality photography as they know this is what is going to help them attract buyers to their property and increase the chance of them selling quickly and at the price they want.
2. Video
A property trailer (produced, filmed & edited by Focal)
Businesses using video in their marketing can attract up to 66% more qualified leads and video can generate up to 20% more clicks than other forms of marketing.
With more vendors doing online research before instructing an agent, using video on your website and social media can leave the impression that wins you more instructions.
Likewise, using video such as Point of Interest Property Trailers can help buyers make a decision to view a property, increasing leads and minimising time wasted on pointless viewings.
To have a look at our complete guide to Video Marketing For Estate Agents, click here.
3. Virtual Staging
81% of people find it easier to visualise themselves in a property when it’s presented with great staging. These are the people most likely to view.
On the flip side, potential buyers can really struggle where your listing shows an unfurnished or unattractively furnished home.
The result of doing so means less clicks, less viewings and a slower sale.
Virtual staging is an effective marketing tool to boost your business in these scenarios. Virtual staging is of course significantly cheaper than actual staging but could still help a property sell up to 73% faster and for 9% more than an un-staged one.
2. Better SEO For Estate Agents
SEO is search engine optimisation. It essentially refers to how well your business (it’s website and other online information) is performing in search; in particular in Google.
This is especially important today because 86% of people looking for a service provider go to Google first. This means when someone is ready to sell their house, their first stop will more than likely be Google to type something like “Estate Agents Near Me”.
Between 10k-100k people search “estate agents near me” in Google every month.
When these searches are made, you need to show up; which means estate agents need to pay attention to their SEO when boosting their property marketing.
Unlike other marketing efforts such as boards or even social media, what’s great about search is that when someone goes to Google to search “Estate Agents Near Me”, they are more often than not, actually looking for an estate agent. It’s not casual browsing – they are ready to buy (or instruct)!
You can read more about SEO for estate agents in our complete property marketing blog here. Some things you can do to boost your SEO:
- Optimise your Google Business listing
- Create more blogs and other content that is “keyword optimised” so Google can find it
- Use Google Ads
3. Better Customer Relationship Development
One of the side effects of today’s competitive landscape is that customers can afford to be more fussy; they can set the bar higher as there are more options for them to choose from.
What this often means is customers don’t just engage with the first business they see but instead with those that they encounter frequently and that they like best.
The sales funnel shows us this. After customers become aware of a business, the most successful businesses spend time and effort building a relationship with that customer. The purpose of these efforts to build trust with the customer and add value to them so that when they are ready to buy, your business is both first in mind and second, the one they would prefer to engage.
More and more businesses are using relevant content – whether it’s blogging, Instagram stories, a Youtube channel or even podcast to add value to their customers, even when those customers aren’t actively looking to engage their services.
Savills, the high end estate agent is a great example here. A simple look at their Instagram shows how they are using the platform to entertain and educate their existing and potential customers. They share everything from Christmas baking recipes to tips of sustainable homes. This type of content keeps them first in mind and engages their customers continuously.
When that customer is ready to buy or sell, who do you think they’ll think of first?
Examples of marketing techniques to boost your relationship with your client:
- Email marketing: engage your existing email list with interesting, educational or entertaining content
- Content marketing: write a blog that answers questions or provides information your customer wants
- Run competitions (perhaps in partnership with local businesses) that appeal to potential customers in your local area
You can get a copy of our mammoth checklist of 50 marketing ideas for estate agents here for more inspiration on how to boost your relationship with your clients.
