Archive for the "Social Media" Category
5 Social Media Stats for Real Estate Marketers
Social media is a natural fit for real estate marketing. Here are five social media stats that prove your real estate brand needs to be active on social media.
Highlights:
- 3.5 billion people will use social media networks this year.
- Real estate marketers can take advantage of detailed targeting available through Facebook.
- Real estate marketers who are succeeding on social media are finding innovative and creative ways to relate to users and showcase their property.
Social media has changed the world as we know it. From connecting with old friends to up–to–the–minute news coverage, social platforms are a constant in 2019. In fact, it’s estimated that 3.5 billion people will use social media networks this year.
With those kinds of numbers, it’s easy to understand why businesses are heavily investing in digital marketing on social platforms. Consider some more social media stats: a recent survey found that 73% of small businesses are investing in social media marketing.
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of social advertising and we’re sticking by it. The combination of paid and organic advertising on sites like LinkedIn and Twitter can help get your property in front of the right audiences.
We know that social media posts are time–consuming, whether you’re creating original content or curating posts. This can play a big role in marketers sticking to more traditional advertising methods. But if you’re looking to target specific audiences and run ads that speak to them directly, the social media stats speak for themselves.
Here are 5 social media stats and how they can affect your digital marketing strategy.
1. 68% of U.S. adults are Facebook users
Despite all the headlines in the last year, Facebook is still the most popular social media platform out there. And marketers shouldn’t ignore this platform when advertising properties. Aside from Facebook’s popularity, real estate marketers can take advantage of detailed targeting available through the social platform’s paid advertising options. After determining the goal of your campaign, you can set key targeting options and make sure your ads are getting in front of the right audience.
2. Over 90% of Millennials use social media (and 77% of Generation X’ers)
Millennials use social media more than any other age group and the majority of them access social media on their phones. This is crucial information for real estate marketers trying to understand the buyer’s journey and determining what platforms will work best for their audience. For example, are they trying to lease apartments near a college or university? Knowing that Instagram is the fastest growing platform or that messaging apps are the most popular form of communication amongst millennials is key.
3. An average of 143 minutes a day is spent on social networks and messaging
According to a survey by Digital Information World, internet users are now spending an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networking and messaging platforms. And that’s a lot of opportunity for marketers to showcase properties. Don’t miss out on organic (and paid) searches for properties. Make sure to post your blogs, photos, and virtual tours to your social media pages to expand your reach.
4. 73% of marketers believe that their efforts through social media marketing have been‘somewhat effective’ or ‘very effective’ for their business
Social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your property, engage with audiences, and establish brand loyalty among customers. Tracking your social media efforts is key to optimizing your strategy and tweaking your plan to increase performance. Gauge the effectiveness of your social media strategy using these data points that reflect your digital marketing objectives.
5. 54% of social browsers use social media to research products
Social media is all about engagement. Users don’t want to engage with brands that are pushing their properties. Users want informative, interesting, and, yes, even fun content. Real estate marketers who succeed on social media are finding innovative and creative ways to relate to users and showcase their property so that social browsers are drawn to your content.
These social media stats prove excelling at social media could pay off for your real estate brand. What does it take to become a whiz? Keep reading our blog or contact us to learn more.
Related posts:
- How to Increase Leads with Chatbots
- Infographic: Best Video Distribution Channels for Real Estate Marketing
- 5 Effective Ways to Use Instagram for Your Luxury Real Estate Brand
Archive for the "Social Media" Category
DIY Digital Marketing Strategy for Real Estate in Four Easy Steps
Looking to create a DIY digital marketing strategy for your real estate brand? Get started with these four steps.
Highlights:
- A digital marketing strategy is your clear path to targeting, reaching, and engaging with potential buyers.
- You have to know who your ideal buyer or renter is before you can begin crafting content that is informative, educational, and even entertaining to your target audience.
- Let your planning pay off by distributing valuable, effective content that your readers want to see
You know you need to have a digital marketing strategy for your property but getting started can be challenging. Where do you begin? Even the language around digital marketing can be intimidating to newcomers.
A solid digital marketing strategy is the foundation for reaching target buyers (or renters). Before you start writing blogs and making videos, you need to set goals. A digital marketing strategy is your clear path to targeting, reaching, and engaging with potential buyers.
Here are four steps to creating a successful DIY digital marketing strategy.
Steps to building a DIY digital marketing strategy for real estate
1) Who is your buyer?
Trying to write interesting and engaging content for an unidentified audience is nearly impossible. You have to know who your ideal buyer or renter is before you can begin crafting content that is informative, educational, and even entertaining to your target audience. First of all, nail down the details about your buyer personas to make that personal connection: What are their interests? Where do they gather information? How much money do they make? What drives their decision–making?
2) What is your goal?
What do you plan to accomplish with your digital marketing efforts? The answer should define your content goals and become a crucial part of your business goals.
Our real estate clients often focus on converting contacts/leads to sales, growing website traffic, and increasing revenue. Include both short and long-term goals and refer back to these goals to make sure you’re sticking to your strategy.
3) Distribute, distribute, distribute
Identified your audience? Check. Defined your goals? Check. Next: select the best platforms for distributing your content to get your property in front of the right potential buyers and tenants.
Social media is a digital playground for marketers but knowing where to post is just as important as knowing what to post. You’ll need to identify what platforms your target buyers are using and how to reach them on those platforms.
4) Get to work
Once you have created your buyer personas, identified your goals, and decided on the best platforms for your target audience, the fun begins: getting your content in front of potential buyers. Let your planning pay off by distributing valuable, effective content that your readers want to see.
Remember to think of your strategy like a body of water, ebbing and flowing. Your digital marketing strategy should be fluid and adjusted as needed. If your property features multiple units, change your messaging to reflect and highlight that variety (for example, a penthouse unit).
Final word of advice: keep up with changing buyer behavior, stay on top of new features on social platforms, and refine your strategy along the way.
Related posts:
- Infographic: Content Marketing Statistics Every Real Estate Marketer Should Know
- How to Use Guest Posting as Part of Your Content Strategy
- 10 Quick Ways to Grow Brand Awareness
Archive for the "Social Media" Category
Infographic: 5 Tips for Using Facebook Live for Real Estate Brands
Live video marketing is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to grow brand awareness and generate leads. Here are five tips for using Facebook Live as part of your video marketing strategy.
Highlights:
- Facebook Live’s average daily views doubled year-over-year with over 2 billion users.
- Virtual tours on Facebook Live are a great way to show off your property to leads that might not be local or are juggling busy schedules.
- A live testimonial provides an opportunity for clients to talk about your property, creating customer loyalty and increased brand trust.
As a real estate marketer, you’re well aware of the popularity of video this year. Video is everywhere and the trend isn’t slowing down. Fifty-four percent of consumers actually want to see more video content from brands.
So while more real estate brands are increasing use of video in their digital marketing strategy, some are still hesitant to use live video options, like Facebook Live. I get it, going live is scary. With other video options, you can easily delete and start over. Live video gives you one shot to get it right. And not everyone will join your video when you start, so it’s key to iterate your main points several times without sounding redundant.
But don’t let your nerves stand in the way of trying Facebook Live. Initially launched in 2015, the live video streaming platform has soared in popularity by giving viewers an up-close and personal look at real estate brands. In just two years, Facebook Live’s average daily views doubled year-over-year with over 2 billion users and those who watch videos will spend three times as much time on a Live video than a produced one.
It’s easy to see with numbers like that how Facebook Live can help grow brand awareness and start generating leads. Here are 5 tips to get you using Facebook Live for your real estate brand.
Infographic: 5 tips for using Facebook Live for real estate brands
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Provide helpful information
We talk a lot about the importance of high quality, valuable content and the same holds true for live video. Try to focus on topics that will provide valuable information for your viewers. Tips about your property’s neighborhood (think restaurant, shops, fitness centers), unique amenities, and local events let you ease into live video by covering topics that you’re comfortable with and knowledgeable about. And viewers will find them useful, too.
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Virtual tours
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so imagine what live video can do! Don’t just talk about the key features of your property — show your viewers. Virtual tours on Facebook Live are a great way to show off your property to leads that might not be local or are juggling busy schedules. Seeing your property in real time will give viewers the illusion of a private tour from their own computer.
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Host a Q&A
Hosting a question and answer session is one of the easiest ways to get your feet wet with live video. Think about the most frequently asked questions about your property, your location, even your real estate brand and take those questions to Facebook Live. Don’t be afraid to start a Q&A–series where you address questions on a regular basis. Encourage viewers to send in their questions for easy content ideas.
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Day in the life
Use live video to show the human side of your real estate brand. Introduce your staff with little interviews and stream office meetings that introduce new projects or concepts. This inside look shows who you are and what your brand stands for, which helps build trust in your company and your properties.
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Tell your success stories
People love a good success story and if a recent buyer (or leasee) is willing to go on camera to rave about your property, you should jump at the opportunity. As a marketer, you know that customer testimonials serve to increase trust, so why not showcase your satisfied clients? A live testimonial provides an opportunity for clients to talk about your property, creating customer loyalty, and increased brand trust.
Final thoughts
Live video is an ideal way to establish your credentials and generate leads. With Facebook Live, real estate brands ca boost brand awareness, build trust, and increase engagement. Use these tips to make live video work for you. Need help getting started? You know where to find us.
Related posts:
- 3 Ways to Boost Your Real Estate Marketing with Video
- Infographic: Best Video Distribution Channels for Real Estate Marketing
- 6 Simple Tools for Creating Animated Real Estate Marketing Videos
Archive for the "Social Media" Category
How to Increase Leads with Chatbots
Real estate brands are all too familiar with the challenges of generating leads. Here’s how chatbots can help by improving user experience and engagement.
Highlights:
- Within one day of adding a chatbot to our website, we had a meeting set up with a prospect. That was in the first 24 hours.
- Using a chatbot for your properties means that your real estate brand is working even when you aren’t.
- Conversational chatbots help build trust in your real estate brand while creating a positive customer experience.
We have talked a lot about the popularity of chatbots and how to implement them into your digital marketing strategy. But beyond the initial set up, have you really squeezed the juice out of this automated tool to help increase leads?
We decided to dive into the chatbot pool and our firm’s results speak for themselves. Within one day of adding a chatbot to our website, we had a meeting set up with a prospect. That was in the first 24 hours. This prospect turned out to be our next client and the initial connection was all made through the chatbot.
Lead generation with conversation
Buying or leasing a property is a huge decision, one which usually involves a range of emotions. One of the best ways to connect with potential buyers is through a thoughtful and informative customer experience.
Chatbots can help bridge the gap between your brand and potential buyers. Conversational chatbots help build trust in your real estate brand while creating a positive customer experience. They typically handle conversations with clients that are at the top of the funnel — generally people you don’t know and who might be unsure of whether they are actually going to buy/sell the property.
An article in The Startup on chatbots for real estate concludes they bring many benefits:
“The bot can be programmed on tasks like collecting basic information in the form of asking relevant questions and generating relevant answers resulting in an e-mail capture. Additionally, the chatbot can even transfer the conversation to a human agent, if need be.”
Other lead generating opportunities with chatbots
Real time answers 24/7
Questions about your new property or specific amenities? These are questions that chatbots can immediately answer. Don’t leave prospects waiting for you to return their email or form submission. Bots can answer questions about your property instantly.
The other benefit of using chatbots? They don’t need sleep! Real estate questions don’t always arrive at convenient times. Using a chatbot for your properties means that your real estate brand is working even when you aren’t. Prospects can get their questions answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Virtual tours
Nurture prospects with catchy images of your property and amenities. With the click of a button, your chatbot can offer prospects a virtual tour of your property without ever leaving the page. The impact: prospects leave the chat armed with informative and helpful information about your real estate brand.
Tracking
Most chatbots automatically log interactions with leads that engage with your bot. Once you’re ready to engage with prospects, you can easily access past interactions to know where the prospect is in the sales funnel, as well as key preferences they may have expressed in earlier conversations.
Follow up
Real estate brands are constantly juggling marketing tasks. Use chatbots to help alleviate your workload with follow–up automation. Users can identify how they want to be contacted or specific questions they need answered, taking the guess work out of the follow up process.
Real estate brands need to experiment with chatbots for the ease and convenience of automation, along with the positive audience experience. But to get the most out of your chatbot make sure you’re tracking your success and tweaking interactions along the way.
Need help setting up your chatbot? We’re here to help.
Related posts:
- Using Messaging Platforms for Real Estate to Deliver Content
- Good Real Estate Marketing Gets Personal
- Social Media Trends for 2018 Real Estate Marketers Need to Know
Archive for the "Social Media" Category
Survey: Social Media Use in Luxury Real Estate
We want to hear from you!
Take our luxury real estate marketing survey.
Luxury real estate doesn’t exactly sell itself — if you’re a real estate marketer, you’re well aware of this fact. The relatively limited customer base and competitive marketplace make it crucial for luxury real estate brands to set themselves and their properties apart.
When it comes to marketing luxury real estate, social media can be one of the most effective tools in your toolbox. Since real estate is inherently personal, even at the corporate and luxury levels, marketers can use social media to cultivate productive relationships with leads. The problem is, there is a lot of misinformation out there about best practices in social media marketing for luxury real estate.
That’s where you come in. We need your help to get the latest information on how real estate companies like yours are using social networking to move luxury real estate. We want to know: which networks are you finding to be the most helpful in generating leads? What’s working? What’s not?
If your company markets luxury real estate, we invite you to take the survey. It should take less than 5 minutes of your time. Responses will be reported in aggregate, and no identifiable information (individual or company) will be shared with anyone.
Responses are due June 30, so act now so your voice is heard. Provide your email address, and we’ll share the results so you can see how your company compares to the industry at large.
Please contact [email protected] with questions.
Archive for the "Social Media" Category
5 Effective Ways to Use Instagram for Your Luxury Real Estate Brand
With its highly visual platform and growing user base, Instagram is a natural fit for real estate marketing. Here are five ways to make Instagram work for your luxury real estate brand.
Highlights:
- Instagram posts should reflect your luxury real estate brand and maintain the overall tone you set through other marketing efforts.
- Successful brands on Instagram pay close attention to how their posts reflect their brand’s message.
- Hashtags allow your posts to be seen by users outside of your circle of followers, so using relevant, industry-specific hashtags is key in reaching new audiences.
Looking to engage with new audiences and connect with your target market? Instagram is the perfect platform for luxury real estate brands looking to expand their reach. In fact, engagement on Instagram is ten times higher than it is for Facebook, and the demographic is substantially more affluent—making it a no-brainer for luxury real estate.
But to get the most out of this highly visual platform, it’s important for real estate marketers to post the right kind of content. The content should reflect your brand and maintain the overall tone you set through other marketing efforts (i.e. your website, blog, etc.). Marketers who want to reap the benefits of marketing on Instagram need to do more than just post appealing pictures with fun filters. Here are five effective ways to make sure you’re getting the most out of your marketing efforts on Instagram.
5 effective ways to market your luxury real estate brand on Instagram
1. Focus on your target audience
Who are you trying to reach with your Instagram posts? Trying to post compelling content for an unidentified audience is like taking a shot in the dark. Knowing who your ideal buyer or tenant is allows you to create content that is informative, educational, and entertaining to that specific person.
When creating (or curating) content for Instagram, the more detailed you can be with your buyer persona(s), the more specific and effective your content can become. The personal connection is particularly crucial for real estate buyers, and understanding your target audience is key to making that connection.
2. Cultivate your brand message
For luxury real estate developers and property management companies, branding is key for target buyers (or tenants) to know about your properties and understand the lifestyle that the property offers. Creating consistent brand messaging that reflects the tone and voice of your marketing collateral helps audiences grow brand awareness.
Successful brands on Instagram pay close attention to how their posts reflect their brand’s message. Posts have an overarching theme that mirror the overall brand image. Images should do more than just promote your properties. They should add value to your luxury real estate brand’s unique story.
3. Use CTAs
Conversions, revenue, business, and profit—they all depend on the Call to Action. Don’t just post interesting content, give your followers a chance to do something with your posts. CTAs are key to the success of any online marketing initiative, including Instagram posts. Try adding CTAs to each of your posts to encourage audiences to “take an action”. Providing opportunities for followers to visit your website or download valuable resources will boost conversion rates.
4. Make the most of your hashtags
Hashtags allow your posts to be seen by users outside of your circle of followers, so using relevant, industry-specific hashtags is key in reaching new audiences. Hashtags automatically function as links, making your posts easily searchable and available to users looking for specific hashtags. For example, if a user interested in San Diego real estate clicks on #sdhomesforsale, all public posts labeled with that hashtag will show up.
As you start experimenting with adding hashtags to your social media posts, make sure to:
- Use relevant terms.
- Research trending topics as you chose your content.
- Create your own hashtags to match your luxury real estate brand.
- Make sure the audience setting on your posts is “public.”
5. Check your analytics
Many real estate businesses struggle with measuring ROI on social networks. Even for seasoned digital marketers, the collection of data is one of the most daunting tasks. But it’s important to gain insight into the who, when, and where of your Instagram traffic.
Use Instagram Insights to learn more about the people interacting with your luxury real estate brand on Instagram. You can also see which posts your audience sees and engages with the most, as well as a breakdown of demographics. Analyzing your posts will help determine what’s working for your brand and where changes need to be made.
Need help getting started with optimizing your digital marketing efforts? We’re here to help.
Related posts:
- 5 Real Estate Instagram Accounts You Should be Following
- Measure Social Media Success in Terms of Potential, not Dollar Amount
- How to Measure Social Media ROI with Google Analytics for Real Estate
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