4 Ways Technology Makes Your Real Estate Marketing More Effective
Tools and Ideas for Better Project Marketing
Let’s face it. The traditional model of marketing for real estate projects is suffering a painful demise. As customers are become increasingly technology savvy, channels like press, radio and television are diminishing in their ability to generate quality leads. People are signing out from those sources in favour of digital-first mediums.
Although the real estate industry is still gaining momentum in adopting digital marketing, some have already perceived the value behind it and are spearheading the movement. A survey by ATTOM Data Solutions, conducted amongst almost 400 real estate professionals, found that 17% of the respondents listed social media as their priority when it comes to allocating marketing budget.
By introducing technology to support your current marketing strategy, it’s possible to garner more quality leads and get actionable feedback. As a bonus, matching the modern standards of your target buyers is more likely to catch their attention.
Without further ado, here are some ideas on how to leverage technology to supercharge the marketing strategy for your next real estate project.
1. Tell the Story of Your Brand
Brand storytelling is a hot topic in the marketing business. This includes differentiators that keep you apart from the competition, visual branding, and many other elements.
And as the real estate market starts to fluctuate in some cities, it’s more important than ever to have a strong brand story as a developer. By starting early and creating a trusted, recognizable brand, you can establish your organization as a standard of good home development, which will be an important asset during times of market downturn.
According to OneSpot, 92% of consumers prefer ads that are delivered in a narrative.
Luckily, there are a number of tools that will help you give your real estate marketing some narrative color and tell its story with class.
Website Builders
Your website is the first thing prospective buyers see when they drop by to check your online portfolio.
If the landing pages looks like something plucked from the 90s, it’s probably about time you made an upgrade. Luckily, creating a modern web browsing experience doesn’t take technical knowledge and programming skills. You can use a website builder like WiX, Squarespace or Weebly, just to name a few, to revamp your buyers’ digital experience in just a few hours.
Graphics Tools
On-brand visuals can add a lot to your digital presence. Can’t stretch your budget to hire a graphic designer? There are plenty of drag&drop online graphics tools (check out Canva or Easil) that will do the job.
The best part about such tools is that they let you upload your existing company resources, like the logo and other graphic elements, so that you can stay on-brand as you design new pieces for your website and other marketing materials.
Ongoing Communications
If you’re currently not running a newsletter, you’re missing out on all the benefits it has to offer. Regular communications with potential buyers allows you to maintain a database that you can reach out to when you’re starting lead generation on a new project.
Not sure how to create them, or worried about the bandwidth involved? Check out how our Carpenter email tool will help you to set up a newsletter campaign. Even better, because it’s synced to your leads list, you never have to worry about sending an email twice — or missing someone entirely.
2. Brush up on Your Social Media
Often, lead generation in real estate is trying to shoot in the dark. It’s difficult to gather quality contacts, but we should focus on the best performing campaigns to make the most of the marketing budgets.
Engaging in social media will generate increased traffic and bring customer inquiries to your website, so make sure to organize a dedicated back office to handle client contact. Online sales consultants are a growing trend for digitally-savvy developers and sales teams. Active and timely engagement is a must when it comes to converting online leads into buyers.
We have already covered using Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for real estate marketing, but there are also other options worth exploring.
Pinterest lets users discover and share images and videos by topic. A design-focused developer might try creating a catalogue to share stunning shots of your inventory or interior design, and linking back to the development website or other social media profiles.
Capture the attention of people who have interests that align with your portfolio, whether that’s style of decor, at-home amenities, or spacious rooms for DIY.
The platform also comes with paid advertising options for those who want extra outreach and better targeting.
Twitter is another interesting place for your digital-marketing efforts. Use location-specific search to keep your ear to the ground and scope out interest levels in local markets. You can also connect with local agents and share the content you publish in other channels.
Video
Videos are a great way to capture the attention of your leads and introduce your brand to prospects.
According to HubSpot, YouTube is the go-to medium for consuming video content for 83% of consumers around the world. Why not start a YouTube channel with high-quality videos showcasing current developments in your portfolio? Not only will you find people who are looking for developments in your area, you’ll be able to showcase the build before your agents even speak to them. The floor is all yours.
Bonus point:
Have you thought about using chatbots? AI customer service is no longer a tale of the distant future. It’s now perfectly possible to automate this side of your business by employing chatbots that will ease the traffic of inquiries and let you delegate your employees to other tasks. Jump over here for a list of popular chatbot builders available on the market.
3. Leverage Data Insights
In new development marketing, the major advantage of using digital rather than traditional is the ability to track your campaigns and get valuable insights. With the right set of tools, you’ll be able to prescreen and target leads more accurately, thus getting the best bang for your real estate marketing buck.
- Think of your website as a digital presentation center for your upcoming build. Just like your physical showroom, it garners inbound traffic of visitors that can become buyers in the long run. In order to tap into this resource, you need a way to aggregate the buyer registration data and turn it into actionable insights. Your CRM should have some reporting and analytics tools that help you identify the most qualified and interested leads. Use the built-in rating system to keep your sales team up to date and prioritize their follow-up.
- Your website itself is also a treasure trove of information. Find out where your qualified sign-ups come from, and you’ll be able to focus your marketing campaigns and budget there, allowing you to maximize the results. There are a tonne of website analytics tools available, but you can do worse than look into Google Analytics and Kissmetrics.
Having data on your projects and campaigns is one of the most powerful resources in your arsenal. Utilize the data in your CRM to create more effective real estate marketing campaigns that allow you to identity and therefore move buyers down the sales process.
4. Combine Digital and Physical Spaces
As far as real estate marketing in new development is concerned, the virtual space is only part of the story. After all, this is not what people are coming for, are they? The ultimate purpose of technology in real estate is to bridge the gap between the tangible (the inventory unit) and the intangible (the experience of living there — the ‘why should I buy’). So, how exactly can you make that happen?
- VR presentations and 360° images of the inventory will definitely grab some attention at the presentation center. Since virtual-reality gear is relatively affordable these days, you won’t need a substantial budget to impress the visitors. Consider providing a virtual walk-through of the unit that a buyer is most interested in, or letting them ‘stroll’ through the neighbourhood that the build will be in. An innovative approach will also appeal to tech-savvy prospects who appreciate a modern buying experience.
- Another opportunity to upscale your marketing game is to showcase the inventory during registration. Spark’s API makes it possible to present customized visuals of the unit as soon as a prospective buyers fill in their details and preferences. These can be integrated into registration stands or used by agents on their tablets. A more personalized experience will capture the prospect’s attention more quickly, making it easier to proceed with the sales process.
If you’re interested in other ways you can use an API for your real estate marketing, check out the article on creative ideas for setting up an interactive presentation center.
Conclusion
As old-school marketing channels lose effectiveness, this is the time to start innovating. Tools catered to new development marketing, and digital marketing as a whole, will allow you to improve your strategy and capture opportunities that would have otherwise been lost. With technology to support your marketing campaigns and build a strong, trusted brand image, your team can work more effectively to create better buying experiences and bring deals to close.
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This blog was written with Dawid Bednarski, freelance copywriter and blogger at OctoScribe. When he’s not writing about tech, he’s enjoying the simplicity of analog photography and daring bike trips with his wife.
