Digital marketing plays a crucial role in the growth of any business. Now, due to the onset of COVID19, it has gained even more prominence. As per Statista, eCommerce sales are now expected to reach $6.5 billion by 2020. This has made digital marketing spread its reach in almost every business and real estate is no exception.
Digital Marketing For Realtors
Although it’s true that investors only make a final decision after visiting the property physically, the online process does influence their behavior directly or indirectly. According to the National Association of Realtors, 74% of home buyers would use the internet as a part of their home search. Those taking the help of agents to do select a property would also make use of the internet to complement their home search.
Taking your real estate business online assists you in being visible to your prospects where they are. You could help them with a virtual tour of your property before taking them for a visit which can help them make an informed decision. Apart from that, it saves a lot of time which you would otherwise invest in paperwork by organizing all the formalities on an online portal. Real estate agents have adapted to technological advancements and about 84% of them would have their social media profile to promote themselves. (1)
Benefits Of Digital Marketing For The Real Estate Industry
1. Better Exposure
With digital marketing, realtors can get exposed to a wider audience that suits their business. Depending on various factors like cost, size, location, etc, realtors can look out for the desired audience group online who might not be able to get in touch with you in the absence of the agent.
2. Cost-friendly Approach
Getting your business online doesn’t cost arms and legs, it’s an economic affair. The means of publicity and advertising are comparatively cheaper than the traditional means. Add to it a wider audience approach, better retention, two-way communication and so much more.
3. Reporting & Analysis
While the performance of traditional media can hardly be tracked, for digital marketing, it’s the opposite. Everything in the digital ecosystem is trackable. Realtors can get to understand the performance of their digital efforts and make informed decisions and even optimize.
4. Enhanced Customer Relationship
With various digital technologies like automated replies in your absence, chatbots, reduced paperwork, better transparency, etc., realtors can enhance relationships with their customers. It reduces a considerable amount of time and effort as compared to offline means.
5. Strong Online Presence
Building an online presence is considered to be the best brand-building medium. With the help of digital marketing, realtors get to build their brand with relatively lesser efforts and time. It gives them an edge over their competitors in a field as vast as real estate with a reputable and strong online presence.
Digital Marketing Strategies For Real Estate Industry
1. SEO-optimized Content
Making your content SEO-friendly can work wonders when it comes to building your digital marketing presence. Be it your website, social media, sales pages, landing pages, blogs, etc., that you actively participate in; keeping it SEO-friendly enhances your chances to gain visibility and rank better in google searches.
2. Social Media Presence
Social media is a great tool to build your online presence. According to the National Association of Realtors, about 77% of realtors use social media in some way or the other to engage with their audiences. With social media, you can deliver personalized experiences to your target audience by communicating with them where they spend most of their time.
3. Online Advertisements
With the help of online advertisements, realtors can display the ad to the right audience at the right time. They also get to choose whom to target the ads and when to do so. Online advertisements boost ROI and engagement with the target group since it ensures a customized and seamless experience.
4. Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing is at the core of any marketing strategy and realtors must emphasize the use of the same. Your subscribers are your audience and your role is to keep them engaged with meaningful and useful content. Many still do not prioritize email marketing strategies, albeit, that’s the first thing you should do.
5. Leverage Automation
Being a realtor, you may not have the time to instantly reply to your clients or prospects, with the help of automation, your job gets easier and better. Be it automated replies that you set or chatbots on your website, it sure helps your clients feel important when you instantly respond to their messages or queries.
Conclusion
Digital marketing for real estate is undoubtedly crucial and beneficial in many ways, however, to succeed in it, you must understand your audience and strategize accordingly. Although the strategies mentioned here are generic and can be applied by anyone, if not executed properly, they might yield unexpected results. Educating yourself, if not thoroughly, at least enough to carry out some basic activities is pertinent. You can also get in touch with ZKraft to help you with customized plans that fit the best for your business and your audience.
