10 Real Estate Marketing Ideas: Part One

Marketing is a key driving tool for generating leads in all sectors of business. As the Real Estate industry continues to have a growing number of competitors, it is essential for Real Estate marketers to create a well thought out strategy in order to succeed and stay above the competition. Here is part one of our Top 10 Real Estate Marketing Ideas.

High-Quality Images/Video Tours

High-quality images are fundamental for an aesthetically pleasing website. A study on Commercial Real Estate Consumer Online Behaviour and Trends was carried out by Google and LoopNet, through this study it was found that 80% of tenants and investors use the internet to make leasing and purchasing decisions. Not only do professional photos add to your organisation’s professionalism but it also helps grab your clients and prospects attention to properties.

When using a Digital Asset Management system like OpenAsset, Real Estate marketers can simplify their image collation and editing through the use of our InDesign integration. This allows you to open your high-resolution images from your OpenAsset system directly onto InDesign without having to switch or open programmes separately. High-resolution images also fit and look better within printed and digital collateral such as brochures as it adds to your firm’s professionalism. If your firm does collateral such as brochures, you can multi-select images from your DAM to be automatically inputted in your branded brochures and templates saved on your OpenAsset system.

Video tours are optimal for Real Estate marketers as they can complement your high-resolution images. Video tours also enable your clients and prospects to view the property from a different angle and the tours can be engaging for both your website and your social media platforms. Videos such as using a drone or interactive 360 room views can increase engagement on your social media which in turn can lead to increased traffic to your website.

[open-asset-notice type=”note” text=”Storing and tagging videos in your DAM makes it really easy to search and find videos based on exactly the content you need. No more skimming through videos to find the one you’re looking for.”]

Blog

Blogs can be advantageous for various reasons one of which is that they are a key tool for nurturing your clients and prospects. Transactions in the Real Estate industry are lengthy, after your client has bought or leased a property from your portfolio, it is essential to retain the client for future transactions. Between the years of your client purchasing from your firm and deciding what their next investment is, your blogs can maintain their awareness of your organisation.

A well maintained Real Estate blog, curated by industry professionals can show your prospects and clients your expertise which is beneficial for investments with a high stake. Market insights and research also keep your clients and prospects well informed and will allow them to differentiate you from your competitors.

Blog content can aid Real Estate firms to build relationships with their local community which is particularly beneficial for Residential Real Estate organisations. In order to reach a wider audience online, your blog content should not only refer to Real Estate concepts but also other topics which your clients and prospects may be interested in. Content on the local community, such as schools, small businesses and places to visit can encourage others to visit your website and you become a source of information for your clients and prospects.

[open-asset-notice type=”tip” text=”You don’t just have to store your own project images in OpenAsset. Store stock images and create a blog category so you can easily find just the image you need for that blog post”]

Press Release

Public Relations is about managing reputation, which is important to all businesses. Both Residential and Commercial Real Estate firms can find Press Releases useful and they can have a great impact on your marketing. These are some of the main benefits Press Releases can bring to your Real Estate Firm:

• Generate web traffic
• Syndication across other websites
• Link building from your Press Release
• Increase search engine optimization
• Increase exposure

By working with external publications, influencers and other Real Estate services, your firm will be improving its brand image. As your brand image is improved and your audience can see your association to other firms and reputable brands.

Social Media

Social Media marketing is becoming increasingly popular with many firms as many consumers are using the internet for information, communication and engagement. According to Statista, the number of worldwide social media users reached 2.34billion and is expected to grow to 2.95 billion by 2020. Therefore, it is a prime opportunity for Real Estate marketers to strategically use their social media platforms to generate leads from their content.

Whilst it is simple to launch a social media page, maintaining and generating content does require planning. Not all social media platforms will be useful for the same content, which is why Real Estate marketers will need to evaluate the options and decide which platforms will be valuable for lead generation. For example, LinkedIn may be more useful for Commercial Real Estate firms as the platform is particularly helpful for B2B communication, as you can make use of tools such as the group discussion boards. Real Estate marketers can use the platform to share their whitepapers and blogs in order to help their firm gain exposure to a pool of investors and business owners.

Twitter may be useful for Residential Real Estate Firms as the platform is conversational and works well for B2C communication. By continuously generating posts on twitter, you’ll eventually create a timeline that your clients and prospects can interact with. Twitter posts can include content such as your listings, blog posts, advice and tips which can aid in generating leads. The platform can also be used to connect with local businesses for promotion which will enable your firm to become more recognizable in the community. Make sure to utilize hashtags, as they can be used to incorporate keywords such as your local area into your posts.

Your social media content should always contain imagery, especially for promoted posts and adverts as this encourages interaction. This is where your high-resolution property images and video tours can be used. A great example of how high resolutions images can create an aesthetically pleasing social media feed is the HKS Architects Instagram profile.

[open-asset-notice type=”tip” text=”Predetermine image specifications in OpenAsset so you can automatically download your images at the exact dimensions you need for Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram or any social channels you use”]

In addition to images and videos, Real Estate marketers should also consider creating GIFS as they can be used to explain processes in a simplified format. Content creation for social media varies due to the different word limits for posts and the image specifications. Resizing images individually for your social media posts can become a tedious task. However, with the resizing tool incorporated in the OpenAsset system, all of your images can be automatically resized to preset sizes which simplifies your content creation process.

Newsletter

Email newsletters are a key component to marketing strategies. Producing a well-designed email newsletter allows Real Estate agents to educate, communicate and connect with their clients and potential leads. Creating newsletters for Real Estate with appealing ideas which will result in high opening rates as well as web traffic to your website can be challenging. We’ve pulled together some newsletter topics that are sure to keep your readers engaged:

• How To Posts – Ideal for residential real estate as clients and prospects can benefit from the tips and advice on how to manage their finances when buying or renting their new home.
• Educational Guides – EBooks and reports are beneficial for the commercial sector of Real Estate as it can help your clients and prospects understand the market and processes when investing or buying a new property.
• Market News – As the Real Estate sector is an active industry, it is useful to collate the latest news and notify your clients and prospects of what the market is like, what the trends are and of any new government initiatives.
• Business updates – Keeping your readers updated with the changes in your firm builds a strong and trustworthy relationship as it gives your clients and prospects an insight into the growth of your firm.
• Guest Posts – Industry experts can provide valuable content for your newsletter and your blog. By including industry expert insights, you will be improving your brand image as well as your relationship with your clients and prospects as it shows them that you can provide unbiased opinions and advice.

In the next blog, we shall be analyzing other marketing ideas suitable for the Real Estate industry such as lead nurturing, SEO, mobile website optimization, Google business page and hosting seminars & webinars.

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