The digital landscape of real estate has transformed dramatically in recent years. Today’s informed buyers conduct extensive online research before making a final decision. To stay competitive, every real estate company needs a website optimized with a strategic digital marketing plan. This guide will equip you with the essential tools and tactics to succeed in the digital age of real estate marketing.
Why Digital Marketing Matters in Real Estate
Digital marketing offers a powerful solution for mitigating sales risk in real estate development. A well-executed digital strategy allows you to:
- Generate Buzz Before Groundbreaking: Create excitement and interest in your project even before construction begins.
- Control Your Narrative: Communicate directly with potential buyers and shape their perception of your development.
- Build a Qualified Lead Pipeline: Attract and nurture a pool of potential buyers who are genuinely interested in your project.
- Boost Hotel Occupancy (if applicable): Build awareness and generate interest for the future success of your development’s hospitality component.
Effective Real Estate Digital Marketing Strategies
Here are some high-impact real estate marketing strategies to elevate your sales outcomes:
- Conduct Real Estate Market Analysis: Gain valuable insights into your competitors’ digital strategies and target audience using tools like SEMrush and Moz. Analyze market trends, understand buyer search queries, and identify areas of high demand. This data-driven approach will optimize your marketing campaigns for maximum impact.
- Leverage Real Estate Video Marketing: By 2023, video is expected to dominate internet traffic. Incorporate high-quality video content into your strategy, including unique property shoots, virtual tours, live events, and educational animations. Remember, shorter videos perform exceptionally well on social media platforms and your website.
- Focus on Authentic Content Marketing: Building trust is paramount in real estate marketing. Move beyond sales-centric content and focus on providing valuable resources to your audience. Offer helpful tips on neighborhoods, financing, contract reviews, and other topics relevant to the home buying journey. Showcase the lifestyle and community surrounding your properties, and educate buyers on the value you offer.
Streamline Your Workflow with Real Estate Marketing Automation
Maintaining consistent, high-quality content creation is crucial for real estate digital marketing success. Marketing automation platforms can significantly streamline this process. These tools help you segment your email subscribers, personalize content, track audience engagement, manage leads, and generate reports. Utilize these platforms for social media management, ROI tracking, landing page testing, online ad campaigns, and more.
Personalize Your Real Estate Email Marketing
Email marketing remains a powerful tool for nurturing leads and generating conversions. Capture email addresses and use them to deliver updates on new listings, project announcements, and valuable buying advice. As your subscriber list grows, segment them based on demographics and interests to deliver targeted content. Personalize emails with subscriber names and content relevant to their searches, keeping them informed throughout their home buying journey.
Embrace Real Estate SEO Best Practices
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an investment that yields long-term benefits. While it may take 6-12 months to see significant results, SEO delivers a steady stream of free, organic traffic from highly qualified leads. Optimize your website and blog content with relevant keywords and target phrases. Conduct keyword research to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords that resonate with your target audience. Avoid keyword stuffing, as it can negatively impact your search ranking. Consider building backlinks through guest posting on reputable real estate websites. Partnering with an SEO expert can provide valuable assistance with keyword research and campaign setup.
Go Mobile-First with Real Estate Marketing
While mobile home purchases might be rare, mobile browsing is on the rise across all industries. Ensure your website is responsive and adapts seamlessly to any device. The dominance of mobile property apps like Zoopla and OnTheMarket highlights the importance of mobile optimization in real estate marketing. 77% of potential buyers utilize property portals, so prioritize a mobile-friendly website experience with optimized content, fast loading speeds, and user-friendly design.
Stay Top-of-Mind with Real Estate Ad Retargeting
Ad retargeting allows you to remain visible to website visitors who have previously interacted with your brand. These targeted ads will appear on various websites and platforms as users browse the internet. This strategy is highly effective for industries with long sales cycles, like real estate, where buyers often consider numerous properties before making a decision. Retargeting campaigns remind potential buyers about the properties they viewed and can lead to a 10x increase in click-through rates compared to brands that don’t use retargeting.
Benefits of Real Estate Digital Marketing
- Reach Engaged Online Audiences: 98% of real estate consumers begin their search online