Imagine a real estate sale happening a few decades ago- properties were marketed through newspapers, posters and hoardings, or by radio campaigns. For realtors, it involved a lot of manual efforts to convey information about the available properties. These efforts also did not have guaranteed success associated with them, because often homebuyers used to miss the information. There was no way to communicate with large numbers of people at one time, or for homebuyers to find easy solutions for their property-related queries. Real estate marketing services are today done in a very different way, where all these mediums have been taken over by technology and digitization.
Digitization in Real Estate
Technology has completely transformed the face of the real estate industry. It has streamlined the operations of the sector, and has made it highly efficient and convenient. Technology has impacted every aspect of the industry, right from marketing, to the automation of post-sale contracts. The most significant of this impact has been the change that technology has brought in the traditional marketing tactics used in real estate. Newspapers and hoardings have lesser preference than websites and social media posts, and gradually the industry is witnessing a shift towards digital marketing.
Digital Marketing for Real Estate in India
Digital marketing is the process of advertising and selling products through the internet, and other internet-based technologies such as social media or search engines. The internet is the most powerful tool currently, and people heavily rely on it for all their requirements. Real estate is no exception to the products that people search for online, thereby making the internet a good platform for real estate marketing. Statistics gathered by Properties Online Inc, a real estate software company, show that 92% of homebuyers search for properties online.
In India too, the trend of technology has taken over the real estate sector, and digital marketing has become a necessity for realtors to maximize their sales. It is a powerful communication medium if utilized well, and there are various ways in which good digital marketing can boost sales.
- Strategic Digital Marketing Plan
Irrespective of whether the marketing is taking place online or offline, it is essential for a realtor to have a strategic marketing plan. If marketing is done in an unstructured way, the inventory tends to suffer because it is not being showcased to people in the best way possible. Before beginning digital marketing, a realtor must have a clear idea of the available inventory, the target audience for each different inventory, the type and frequency of content, whether videographic/blogs/static posts that should be uploaded for every inventory etc. The digital marketing plan must be backed by research regarding the best mediums for marketing content, and how the campaign can be optimized.
- The Wonder of a Website
A website is the most fundamental element of digital marketing, but it also has the potential to make or break a marketing strategy. A website is the starting place for any online consumer, and hence it is essential to have a good and engaging website, which is user-friendly. From a real estate perspective, it is crucial that any website has a clear and concise property listing, since it is the basic reason that people visit the website. Besides this, the website should contain information which simplifies and breaks down the entire homebuying process, since most people are not aware of it. Certain other features that can help a real estate website will be to have links of ancillary services relevant to the industry such as lawyers, home loan professionals etc., and also including an automated system which can immediately reply to consumer’s queries. This will engage more traffic on the website and thereby help in real estate sales growth.
- Strengthening SEO
Search Engine Optimization is the process by which a brand makes itself easily discoverable to potential consumers who are searching for products online. It works on the principle that if a brand includes content highly relevant to the particular product that it offers, it can be recognized easily by the algorithms of search engines, and will therefore be more visible to people. Having strong SEO can greatly increase the popularity and sales of a real estate realtor, since more potential consumers will be easily directed online to the realtor. One way that a realtor can ensure this is to have content rich with select keywords for the industry, such as ‘real estate’, ‘property’ etc. which are most likely to be searched for by potential consumers. A realtor must also focus on having content relevant to the area or locality in which their business operates.
- The Power of Social Media, Influencer, and Email Marketing
Social Media is now no longer restricted to being a means of only entertainment, but it has also become a leading medium of digital marketing. Large numbers of people use various social media platforms, and they offer a ready base of potential consumers. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. can be used individually and collectively for a brand to communicate information about itself and market the products. With the improvement in technology, social media platforms have evolved to also have options of running digital advertisement campaigns. If utilized well, social media can become a very effective channel of digital marketing.
Emails are a tried and tested mechanism for realtors to be able to nurture leads. Targeted content sent through email campaigns can be helpful in increasing sales.
Influencer marketing is the process of using social media influencers for the marketing and promotion of a product or service. For real estate sales, influencer marketing is very beneficial since it can be used to reach targeted audiences, and attract local following. This local following can greatly boost real estate sales, since specific and niched consumers can be made become aware of real estate businesses and inventory.
- Creating Virtual Home Tours
The marvel of technology allows realtors to now create virtual home tours, and give homebuyers an experience of what actually living in the property would be like. These home tours can simultaneously also be used as visual content pieces in the digital marketing strategy. Including content such as this will make the property more desirable to people, and thereby make the marketing effective to generate more leads.
Digital marketing is a useful mechanism for realtors, but it has to be strategized and executed well to be effective. BeyondWalls - an Integrated PropTech Ecosystem can be a reliable partner for a realtor. BeyondWalls is not only a real estate marketing agency, but it also provides end-to-end project planning and sales services. BeyondWalls provides the best, go-to marketing strategies which are data-driven and can efficiently be used to reach target audiences. This becomes extremely crucial in areas like social media and influencer marketing, where it is essential to choose the right influencer or the right social media channel which can attract the local following of interested and potential consumers.
It aims to make real estate highly simplified and convenient for realtors, developers, as well as homebuyers.