Introduction :
In 1981, 22% of homebuyers read newspaper ads looking for their dream home. Fast forward to 2021, nearly 97% rely on internet searches. Yes, people still rely on agents for real estate, but more and more homebuyers today are using digital media to learn about market trends, best neighborhoods, and even developers and builders. So what can you do when broadcast, print advertising, and telesales are no longer enough? Digital marketing for your real estate projects is the saving grace.
An online presence is no longer an alternative for realtors, businesses, and agencies to succeed in the real estate sector. It has become a necessity. Digital marketing needs to start taken seriously as it is critical to building brand awareness for your real estate projects, increasing awareness, and attracting more attention to your business.
This article discusses the importance of digital marketing for real estate.
Why Digital Marketing Is A Saving Grace For Real Estate:
According to some real estate industry statistics:
• In 2020, 97% of home buyers used the internet to search for homes (National Association of REALTORS).
• 82% of real estate business owners have plans to improve their social media presence in 2021, and 44% of them gained success in 2020.
• According to Forbes, 93% of online experiences start with a search engine.
• Good real estate branding helps investors and homebuyers trust your services. Because the market is crowded and it’s hard to build credibility. As soon as your visibility in search engines is optimal, you will generate brand awareness and more leads.
• Millennials are the largest group of buyers, according to FinancesOnline’s 2021-2022 report. They are tech savvy and use smartphones on a daily basis. When real estate companies refrain from online marketing, they have fewer opportunities to reach these first-time buyers.
• Today, AI-powered chatbots play a central role in lead generation. They attract potential customers and, even better, are available 24/7. There is no need to stress the importance of digital marketing in your real estate project. The above facts are enough to get you serious about your online presence and branding.
How can digital marketing help Real Estate Projects?
- It helps you reach a wider audience
Most shoppers, especially Generation Y, do a lot of research online, from customer reviews to testimonials. Strong digital marketing also enables real estate companies to build a stronger brand presence and build trust with locals.
2. It helps enrich the buyer experience
Thanks to digital marketers, potential buyers can shop virtually in the real estate market and enjoy a richer buying experience. Based on buyer searches, images viewed, clicks, and scrolls, marketers can provide personalized recommendations using a data-driven system.
It allows buyers to choose from hundreds of locations and thousands of homes without breaking a sweat. In addition, virtual home tours, a top trend in real estate digital marketing, allow sellers to keep buyers moving. It makes it easy to experience the look and feel of a property without having to worry about it.
3. It makes your trading process more transparent and efficient
Digital marketing for real estate developers has helped in reducing middlemen in the property market. Buyers no longer need to contact brokers and agents to obtain project details. All information, from features to legal documents to prices, can be found directly on the builder’s website. This saves time that could otherwise be wasted physically visiting the site and makes the experience even better.
4. Giving realtors the freedom to go paperless
The cost of printing different documents can now be spent on running different marketing campaigns. Additionally, the process of documenting a property purchase can be long and tedious. Digitization makes the entire process paperless, fast and hassle-free, saving time for both builders and buyers.
Finally, digital marketers help realtors adopt the best practices for building a strong presence online. Real online reviews and testimonials can be used to give your project additional credibility and transparency.
How to Develop an Effective Real Estate Digital Marketing Strategy
Social Media Marketing
As we learned above, millennials are the largest group of home buyers and also the top users of social media. Most Facebook users are between the ages of 24 and 35. According to Desa Ninja, the average Facebook user spends 37 minutes on the platform. And the conversion rate is 1.5 times higher for every 100 leads.
Therefore, when choosing social media channels for paid real estate marketing, Facebook should be your priority. You can run targeted Facebook ads to demographic groups. Facebook Live Streaming can also generate a lot of traffic. According to Oberlo, live streaming accounts for 17% of internet video traffic.
According to Hootsuite, Facebook Live videos generate six times more engagement than regular videos. Use Instagram for your social media marketing efforts. Features like Stories and Reels are great for educating potential customers about interiors, neighborhoods, amenities, and more. Then you can rely on customer referrals. Post on Instagram that you’ve successfully closed a deal with a homebuyer.
Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click advertising, also known as PPC, is a digital marketing strategy often employed by professional real estate entrepreneurs. Pay-per-click advertising is used to target prospects directly. The main advantage of PPC advertising is that you are not charged until someone clicks on your ad.
Research shows that marketers use Google Adwords to earn an average percentage of over 250%. The PPC algorithm targets people who search Google or similar search engines for terms related to the services we offer.
Website Content Marketing with SEO
Your website should be the focus of your digital marketing efforts. It must have a professional appeal. Benchmarks to consider are:
• High quality images
• Good description
• Navigability
• Mobile Friendly
Once you’ve built a robust website, invest in developing a content marketing strategy. Search Engine Optimization or SEO should be your next priority. SEO is so methodical and technical that you can hire a professional digital marketing agency to help your website rank higher in search engine ranking results.
Virtual Tour Marketing
The idea of digital real estate marketing is to attract potential customers in the best possible way. Give prospects a 3D virtual tour of your listing that they can access from their mobile, tablet, or desktop. According to Better Biz Works, virtual walkthroughs increase leads by 50% compared to traditional photo listings. Virtual Real Estate Hosting can help you generate leads even outside the city.
Email Marketing
Email is one of the best ways to grow your network in the real estate niche. They are necessary for building and maintaining relationships with customers. You can be in touch with your prospects and keep them updated about the progress of your project via an E-mail Campaign.
Conclusion
It all revolved around digital marketing strategies for real estate. Like any other industry, digital marketing is essential for the real estate industry. There is tough competition everywhere. If this inspires you, contact us for customized digital marketing solutions for your real estate business.