If You Sell Real Estate, Make Sure You Invest Time in Your Digital Marketing Efforts

Real estate is a fast-moving, rapidly changing field, with buyers and sellers jockeying for the best possible deals.

The dynamic market for real estate today means real estate agents need every tool possible to connect with customers.

Digital marketing for Realtors is a must. Customers on both sides of the transaction are looking to all types of resources to find representation and deals. Traditional tactics, such as newspaper ads, flyers and mailers, only will reach so much of the targeted demographic. Realtors need to consider where customers are and develop digital marketing strategies that respond appropriately.

Consider the following real estate digital marketing statistics from Fit Small Business:

• Ninety-seven percent of buyers used the internet to search for homes in 2021.

• The most popular marketing strategy is your website.

• Realtors average a 112 percent return on investment on direct mail.

• Fifty-one percent of buyers found their homes using the internet.

• Paid and organic search are responsible for 57 percent of website visits.

Why Digital Marketing for Realtors Makes a Difference

Here are some of the benefits of using digital marketing in your real estate business:

• More Leads
  Customers today, especially younger customers, are more likely to use digital channels such as email, websites and social media to look for houses and promote their houses for sale. Relying on old-school strategies will lower the number of leads your real estate business works with.

• Wider Exposure
  Digital marketing exposes your business and your listings to a broader audience. You’ll have the opportunity to reach millions alone via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms.

• Affordable Approach
  Digital advertising is a much less costly approach to promoting your services. You won’t need to pay for printing and postage, saving thousands for each initiative.

• Use of Analytics
  With digital marketing, you’ll have actionable insights you can use to fine-tune future work. Open rates, click-through rates, follows, shares and comments are all useful data points that help you determine which messages are effective to which audiences.

Types of Digital Marketing for Real Estate Agents

There are multiple channels to pursue as part of your digital marketing strategy. Having an omnichannel approach lets you reach as many potential customers as possible. Here are some of the options for your digital marketing plan:

• Video – Customers want to see what they’re buying. Video with walkthroughs, drone overviews and virtual tours give viewers a vivid picture of listings.

• Optimizing Your Google Business Profile  – Your Google Business Profile is a way for the search engine to validate your business and make it easier for customers to find key details about your firm.

• Social Media  – What channels matter to your audience? The most commonly used platforms for real estate are Instagram (a photo-rich environment), Facebook (where your firm should have its own site with listings) and Twitter (with quick messages about new listings and links to full offerings).

• Paid Search – With Google and other search engines, Realtors can use targeted advertising to focus on the audiences with the most likely demographic profiles. Paying for ads on essential keywords can boost where your firm appears on search results.

• Email Campaigns – Compelling, well-written email can push listings to your existing customer base.

Digital marketing is evolving. In the coming years, real estate professionals are likely to use the following strategies as part of their digital campaigns:

• Vertical video to differentiate from traditional horizontal pieces

• Virtual staging for vacant homes

• Comprehensive digital journeys of listings that provide a full picture of a property

• Virtual reality as a way to immerse customers in listings

At Dream Local Digital, we provide comprehensive digital marketing services for real estate. Our services include SEO, web design, social media, social advertising and email marketing. To learn more, get a free consultation.