Traditional marketing tactics do not work quite successfully by themselves as they used to in the past. These days, business owners and marketing managers need to also utilise digital marketing techniques along with proven marketing processes to target their customers.
This applies to the real estate sector and its myriad businesses as well. There are a few things to keep in mind though.
For starters, using digital marketing tools and strategies to target just about everyone on the web will not give you great results. You need to know who your potential customers are and then target them with a customised approach. This needs some deep thinking from the upper management and the marketing team.
For instance, if are a realty firm with projects in areas such as Bhiwadi, Sonipat or Greater Noida Expressway in Delhi NCR region, you will need different customer acquisition strategies for each of these areas. What will work for Bhiwadi may or may not work for Sonipat but will definitely not for Greater Noida. You may even have to hire someone from outside the office for some brainstorming and real estate business consultancy.
Then there are some tactics and techniques you need to apply. In this post, we will tell you a few of these strategies that can help you target your potential buyers more effectively.
#1. Use Search Engine Optimisation the Smart Way
Real Estate Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a fundamental but necessary aspect of digital marketing. Ensuring that your website comes up in the top search results for relevant keywords across the major search engines is critical. A well-defined real estate SEO strategy and action plan can help you generate more traffic. Most real estate buyers and investors use search engines for property search as well as market research purposes.
However, your quest for success will not end at good search engine page rankings only. You need to optimise your landing page as well. It must be clear, easy to navigate and visually appealing. Visitors spend more time on websites that offer a good user experience. The landing page must meet the visitor expectations and serve the intended functionalities such as user registration, downloads, newsletter signup, etc.
#2. Have a Mobile-friendly Website
More and more users are using their smartphones to access the internet. Real estate businesses should also be ready to target and deal with their clients through this platform. Websites that are responsive and well-optimised for smartphones and tablets always attract more visitors.
This will also work as an added advantage for you as you can target potential buyers who access the internet through mobile phones and tablets through custom social media ads or PPC campaigns. Taking the example above, you can run specific campaigns for people looking for places in Bhiwadi, Sonipat or Greater Noida.
#3. Use Social Media Channels Properly
Make proper use of social media platforms for a personalised touch to your digital marketing campaign. Platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, etc. allow you to get closer to your customers. Humanising your business and letting your customers know that there are human beings behind a company will help them connect with you. This will prove to be a positive move towards brand building and establishing a connection with your potential buyers.
One point to note here. Go only with the social media channels you can manage. It is quite easy to get into the lure of having a presence on all platforms but you do not need that. Where you are will also depend on your target market. For example, LinkedIn may not work that well for low-income housing but will do so for commercial real estate. Similarly, Instagram may not work that well if you are targeting the soon-to-retire population but will work for millennials and Generation Z and maybe even X and Y.
#4. Email Marketing Can Be Effective
The days of sending boring marketing messages in emails are gone. You need to think about how you can create an interesting email and move ahead with a creative approach instead of sticking to the traditional one. You can create and present stories that people can relate to appeal to your audience. In addition, use images or other visual content including infographics or videos of your projects since they will usually appeal to your buyers more than textual content.
Everyone talks of there being too much information out there but no one tells you how to grab people’s attention despite this glut. You have to realise that you cannot have a bad email or a bad video any more. You have spent millions building a project and will earn millions more when you sell. Spend a few thousand to get the best possible quality message across to your audience. Don’t be tight-fisted when it comes to investing money to get the best quality.
#5. Share Personalised Content
We strongly recommended creating a database of your potential buyers and studying them. This will help you generate personalised content so that you can hold their attention for longer durations. This can be a great tool if used with email marketing. Sending messages with an individual touch at the right time creates an impact. Such efforts must reflect in your overall marketing approach as well.
Real estate should always be taken as a buyer’s market even if it turns into a seller’s market. You are creating a dream home for someone. Respect your work enough and what it means to the buyer if you want to create a great company. People who put a hold on projects and blame the buyers for demanding their money back will have problems becoming great companies, especially now that social media is so accessible and problems are put out for everyone to see in an instant. If you are wrong, admit it, apologise and make amends. You will become great in no time. Share your stories so people can relate to you. Show the big wins and the small triumphs, the heartbreaks and the challenges, and you will have buyers lining up outside your door. Plus, the brand value you will create will be unimaginable.
Digital marketing for real estate will involve many new tools and techniques in the times to come. You have to make sure that you keep up with them and implement new ideas to achieve success.
This post originally appeared on our earlier website: ihusresearch.com