Technology and digitalization have evolved and disrupted all industries, from food to transportation and education to the military. The real estate industry is no exception, and the latest trends show that digital marketing is greatly disrupting how the industry works.
Many realtors and real estate agents resisted the Facebook advertising revolution, but what is the present scenario? Not only do they have social media presence, but they actively post content to stay connected to their target audience. Digital marketing is indeed a cost-effective solution for realtors.
According to Mick from VR Digital, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn- Many real estate agents have already leveraged these social platforms to convert prospects into leads and customers. What is the next avenue real estate agents should focus to market themselves?
The answer is Snapchat.
What Is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a messaging application where you can share your snaps with your friends. It is very popular for the plethora of filters it offers, Snapchat stories, and geotagging. A common perception prevails that teenagers only use Snapchat.
The perception that teenagers abundantly use Snapchat is true as every 6 out of 10 internet users between age 13 to 24 use Snapchat in the US alone. However, Snapchat is becoming popular among adults alike. Therefore, realtors cannot ignore this growing platform of 265 million daily active users globally.
Why Snapchat?
The Sandvine survey of 2019 showed that the Snapchat application was the 2nd most used worldwide mobile application. Here are other reasons why real estate agents should move to Snapchat as a marketing medium.
More Elder People Are Joining Snapchat
92 per cent of home buyers use the internet at some point in the journey. 21.5% of US internet users between the age of 25 and 34 use Snapchat. The number of millennials joining Snapchat is increasing. It means that you can expect a considerable share of elder generations snapping with each other. 😊
The above statistics mean the real estate agents will have a wider target audience because most home buyers are sellers in their 30s and above.
Higher Engagement
The on-demand geo-filters of Snapchat are a great tool for real estate agents to increase their content engagement. On-demand geo-filters is a Snapchat feature in which you can create custom filters that people can use. You can use the geo-filters of different locations in your area. It will give you a ground to connect with the audience and have a greater reach.
Offers Exclusive Content
Snapchat is a platform where stories disappear after 24 hours. It naturally makes Snapchat a platform offering exclusive content. You can have more attention from your audience by using Snapchat. For instance, your followers must see your stories within 24 hours. Therefore, Snapchat offers you an opportunity to stay on the top of your audience’s mind.
Branding
If you’re looking forward to being recognized as a real estate brand, Snapchat will allow you to build brand awareness. Many big brands, from Taco Bell to Bacardi, have leveraged the power of Snapchat through ads, unique & enticing filters, and stories, etc.
Drive Traffic To Your Website
You can drive traffic from Snapchat stories to other platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. For instance, when you’re updating content and blog posts on your personal website, you can share a Snapchat story linking to your recent post or YouTube video.
How To Leverage Snapchat For Marketing Yourself As A Real Estate Agent?
Let’s see the practical tips on how a real estate agent can leverage Snapchat to build his personal brand and do effective marketing.
Live Home Tours
The audience loves to have a sneak peek of happenings in the life of their favourite YouTuber and the organizational structure of their favourite brand. It will be a treat for your audience to get the behind-the-scenes efforts of their loved brands.
If we talk about real estate agents, home tours, open houses, wandering around the properties, etc., is the daily routine of a realtor. You can share the live home tours of 10–20 seconds videos on your Snap stories. Besides, you can also download the stories to share on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Open Houses Promotion
Open houses are boring, but it is a necessity to close deals in the real estate business. If you’re not opening up to potential buyers, you cannot expect to get one. However, you can make open houses more enticing with a little sprinkle of digital promotion. How about creating home previews of different rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and share on your Snapchat to promote an upcoming open house.
It is indeed an effective way to market yourself because the potential buyers will have an idea of what to expect when they visit the house. It will not only improve your brand positioning but also bring in value for your brand.
Geotags and Geofilters
As a realtor, you often move back and forth between different cities and states to sell properties. It is not true unless you’re dedicated to working in one location. But for a real estate brand, moving around different cities is a routine job.
With Snapchat Geotags and Geofilters, you can give value to your audience. In fact, you can also increase your organic reach. Let’s say you are visiting a property in Salt Lake City with a beautiful view. You submit a Geofilter for it, and it gets approved. If anyone on Snapchat searches Salt Lake City, your geotag will show up with your Snapchat profile name. This is a great technique to target an audience based on location.
Reviews Of Nearby Places
In any mode of marketing, content that brings value and information for the audience is most valuable. If you’re selling a property, you can engage the prospects and entice them about the property by reviewing the nearby places and making Snapchat stories. Check-in at different restaurants, shops, parks, tell them the proximity of the property to nearby places, etc.
Drive Traffic To Other Platforms
Last but not least, you can leverage Snapchat to bring organic traffic to your website. It is similar to what we discussed above. Whenever you’re writing a new blog on tips for home sellers, you can create an engaging graphic to share as your Snapchat story linking to your new post.
In A Nutshell,
Snapchat can help you market yourself and increase your conversions by organic traffic driving to your website. Snapchat marketing will also bring some valuable relationships and connections for you as a real estate agent. And we assume that you already know the importance of networking and connections for a realtor!
Also, read about many Digital Marketing experts and their BS marketing
