Marketing can be tricky. As a marketing strategist you need to come up with techniques that achieve a fine balance between success and failure (a ‘knife-edge’ solution) for your product(s) – and develop a strategy which can provide enormous leverage for a more efficient and responsive marketing campaign. You may not be able to catapult your business to viral success if you come up with promotional stunts considered too outlandish for your client base.
But, not every realtor relies solely upon marketing techniques for turning potential customers into paying clients. Lone agents or consultants prospecting for consumers in a property marketplace may find marketing a daunting task because of their tedious routine. Meeting clients, finalising deals, and taking care of other business concerns require a bulk of one’s time and resources – something which remains largely under-appreciated.
If you find yourself stuck in a similar situation, or feel that your advertising campaign struggles to reach its full potential, then this blog post is meant for you. With these five important marketing lessons (listed below; which I’ve gained through years of working as a realtor), you will definitely be able to carve your own niche in the market:
1. Establish a solid online presence
On this day, or the other, you will have to accept the inevitable – the need to create a comprehensive online presence. This assertion shouldn’t come as hyperbole to anyone, because once you have intercepted the pitfalls of digital marketing, you will realise that this term is no exaggeration; rather, it is an obvious truism.
In today’s fast-paced world, a sweeping majority (99% in this case) of the millennials uses the Internet to sift through property options. According to the National Association of Realtors, a North American trade organisation, 66% of the homebuyers comprise millennials. And if these individuals develop interest in a property listed on the Internet, there’s a likelihood they will become frequent visitors.
So, in the wider context, having a strong online presence is a crucial component of your advertising strategy.
2. Embed your advertising content with stats
Would you be inclined to agree with me if I told you that 80% of the populace relies on data, stats and numbers to formulate their opinions and devise promotional tactics?
Facts and figures are convincing. Any information, when associated with numbers, appears credible at first glance.
These ‘mere’ numerals can help your business grow in a big, big way. Turn these chunks of information into pictorial representations (such as charts, bars, and graphs) and embed this data in your articles, or upload it to your website; since it is the visual creativity that helps – more than anything else – your business gain momentum.
3. Generate buzz for your business through video ads
This brings us to the next most important digital marketing tip; creating audio-visual presentations for your product(s). For this purpose, you may need to spend a penny, but the end results are totally worth it. Moreover, you can upload the video content to multiple interactive platforms; saving both your time and resources.
To gain some insights into video marketing techniques, you can watch instructional videos on YouTube, or (for some cool drone shots of various development and construction gigs) sift through online property portals that provide video listing services.
In addition to serving in the UK’s property marketplace, I’ve also worked in the property sectors of various developing countries where advertising agencies rely heavily on video listing services for promotional purposes. In Pakistan, for instance, I discovered that Zameen.com provides a range of advertising services which have facilitated the growth of multiple businesses engaged in construction and development activities.
4. Adopt the best of traditional and modern marketing methods
Different advertisers have different marketing approaches. Some would suggest you to pursue a more diligent advertising campaign. Others might call for adopting outreach marketing strategies. The best practice is to utilise the merits of both digital and traditional promotional methods.
For establishing contacts, start with your neighbourhood. Existing customers provide the most consistent long-term revenue streams. Interact with them on a frequent basis; spread the word as word-of-mouth advertising mostly revolves around recommendations.
Consider this scenario: you are an agent operating in a certain area. You must have all the information relating to the locality’s property marketplace; the prices, rental rates, number of residential and commercial units, their sizes.
5. External advertising is good, but developing your own resources is a must
Content plays a key role in determining the success of a business. For beginners, such marketing pursuits work best on external platforms (real estate advertising agencies in this case). But, you should not redact from your primary purpose which is to establish your business’s relevance by bringing in more traffic to your website – of which you are the undisputed leader.
So, develop your own resources, as well as advertise your product(s) by contracting the services of external sources, side by side.
These tips are hard-learned lessons and they definitely impact the growth of any real estate business. However, the most important thing you can do for your set-up is to conduct some research, be creative, and keep track of all the minute tasks since they will determine the success of your business.
