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4 Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018

by Elizabeth Hines | Apr 4, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media | 0 comments

These 4 takeaways from Placester’s 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey give us an idea of real estate marketing trends to keep an eye on.

Digital marketing platform Placester recently published the results of its 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey. The survey, which collected data from hundreds of real estate professionals nationwide, contains valuable information for benchmarking your marketing efforts in “an industry ready to invest more time, money, and energy toward online marketing and generating more leads.”

We’ve pulled out the top 4 takeaways from the survey here. Interestingly, these real estate marketing trends align with those we are seeing with our clients as well.

In general, real estate marketers are focused on leads: acquiring valid potential buyers and then turning them into sales. It makes sense, then, that many are turning to content marketing as a strategy, as it can be a highly effective lead-generation engine. Read on for more.

4 real estate marketing trends to watch

1) A focus on lead generation, nurturing, and conversion.

You can learn a lot from looking at the aggregate goals for the industry.

When asked about their top objective for 2018, 40.3% of survey respondents name generating more new leads than in 2017. Additionally, 23% look to improve on last year’s client conversion rate, 21.8% cited focus on the quality of leads earned, and 14.9% are aiming to learn how to better nurture and qualify prospects.

The bottom line: real estate professionals are focusing on generating, nurturing, and converting leads.

2) Challenges

As with looking at objectives, having an understanding of industry-wide challenges also offers valuable insight.

46.4% of survey respondents said that generating enough high-quality leads is the biggest marketing challenge they face in 2018. Rounding out the list, 24.9% are concerned about finding the right marketing tools to use; 23.4% cite converting leads into new business; and 5.3% are worried about analyzing their marketing performance.

Just as lead generation is a top priority for the majority of respondents, it’s also the top concern for real estate professionals.

3) Video

One of the most popular marketing tactics for greater exposure in 2018 is video.

When asked what part video will play in overall marketing strategy, 49.5% of respondents indicated that it would be a focal point. 43.7% said they would use it some of the time, while only 6.8% indicated that video didn’t interest them at all.

The real estate industry is embracing the power of video marketing. And the good news is, you don’t need expensive camera, lighting, or a production studio — your smartphone can be just as effective for creating video content for your social media outlets.

4) Social media

Which brings us to social media.

When asked which social media network they will use most, a whopping 84.6% of respondents pointed to Facebook, with 11.9% saying Instagram, 1.6% saying Twitter, and 1% respectively for Pinterest and Snapchat.

Facebook is ideal for real estate marketing in many ways. Its large user base makes it a go-to network, as well as its robust mobile presence, with location-specific advertising and sophisticated algorithms to help you reach your target audience.

What real estate marketing trends are you keeping an eye on this year?

Related posts:

• 5 Marketing Automation Ideas for Real Estate
• Social Media Trends for 2018 Real Estate Marketers Need to Know
• Social Media Can Be a Strategic Weapon in Real Estate Marketing

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How to Use Instagram for Real Estate Marketing

by Katie Russell | Mar 5, 2019 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media | 0 comments

Instagram is a natural fit for real estate. Here’s what you need to know about using Instagram for real estate marketing. 

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Highlights: 

• Instagram content needs to be consistent in tone and timing, visually appealing and engaging. 
• Instagram Stories and Highlights are ideal ways for real estate marketers to give users a look into their brand. 
• Hashtags promote engagement and raise brand awareness.

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With its highly visual platform, robust Stories feature, and growing user base, Instagram is a natural fit for real estate marketing. The platform boasts over 500 million users and 4.2 billion likes per month. Used strategically, it’s an ideal place to showcase your properties and brand. 

Real estate marketers should be aware that Instagram requires a different content and posting strategy from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social media platforms. For example, 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. 

In general, marketers have been relatively slow to adopt Instagram for real estate marketing, a puzzling reality given its overall popularity and natural fit for the visual nature of real estate. But savvy marketers, like these five real estate accounts for example, have figured out how to use this platform to great success. 

Instagram for real estate marketing — the right kind of content  

Instagram is a fantastic platform for engaging users. But to get the most out of it, it’s important for real estate marketers to post the right kind of content. Obviously, Instagram is a highly visual medium. It lends itself to beautiful, arresting images, and pitchy hashtags. 

Keep your content and visual style consistent. Your profile is your calling card on the platform and should reflect the overall tone you want to set for your brand. This also means posting content at a consistent rate, ideally 2-3 times a day.  

Chances are, you’ve had fun playing with Instagram filters. But you may not know that certain lighting and color presets perform better than others. According to Iconosquare, the most popular filters currently on Instagram include Clarendon, Juno, Lark, and Ludwig — and they really do have an impact on engagement.  

In order to determine the best types of content to engage your target audience, keep an eye on your competitor and peer brands’ presence on the platform. You can also make use of Instagram analytics tools to track, analyze, and benchmark your Instagram content.  

Instagram Stories and Highlights 

When the feature was first introduced, Instagram Stories was a gamechanger for the ways in which users interact on social media. Stories are sequences of content that users post to their Instagram accounts over a 24-hour period. Besides photos, Stories can include videos, live and prerecorded, as well as Boomerangs, seconds-long motion clips that play forward and backward. 

Stories can also be customized with various design tools, including stickers and filters. Notably for real estate marketers, these tools include location tags, as well as time, weather, or holiday greetings. Audiences can view the Stories of the users they follow within the 24-hour window after they are posted. They can find users with active Stories by scrolling the user icons at the top of the app. Or users can tell their followers that they’ve posted a story by tagging them, which notifies them through a direct message. 

For brands, Stories offer the invaluable feature of having metrics wrapped into the experience. The feature allows you to track not only how many views your story has received, but exactly which users have viewed it, and how they interacted with it.  

In addition to its Stories feature, Instagram now lets users create a featured group of “Highlights” in various categories on their profile. Stories have only a 24-hour lifespan, so featuring your most effective Stories clips in Highlights gives them a second life, and a chance to engage future followers. 

Hashtags 

One of the most effective ways to grow your Instagram following is to use hashtags effectively. Since Instagram gives users the ability to follow hashtags that interest them, and they function as links to other relevant content, choosing the right hashtags is the ideal way to reach and engage your target audience.  

Keep an eye on accounts of peer brands, to stay up to date with the best hashtags to be using. The most effective hashtags are short, memorable, and easy to read. You can also use a free online tool like InconoSquare or Websta to find relevant hashtags for the real estate industry. For much more, check out our guide to using hashtags for real estate marketing.  

If you want engagement, engage 

It’s easy to forget that the fundamental benefit of social media is that it’s social. Users want to be part of a conversation. Encourage your followers to interact with you on all your social media platforms, including Instagram. This means responding to comments and brand mentions, as well as engaging with your followers’ content.  

Starting and fostering a conversation with your followers and peer brands on Instagram is a key to getting the most out of this platform. Encouraging interaction helps drive brand awareness, and lead generation for your properties. Now, the time has come for you to master Instagram for real estate marketing.  

Related Posts 

• How to Use Social Media Hashtags in Real Estate Marketing 
• Real Estate Instagram Accounts You Should be Following 
• Social Media Trends for 2018 Real Estate Marketers Need to Know

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Infographic: Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018

by Elizabeth Hines | Jun 5, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media | 0 comments

Placester’s 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey reveals these real estate marketing trends: lead generation, challenges, the rise of video content, and social media.

Earlier this year, digital marketing platform Placester published the results of its 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey. The survey collected data from hundreds of real estate professionals nationwide and contains valuable information for benchmarking your marketing efforts, in “an industry ready to invest more time, money, and energy toward online marketing and generating more leads.”

When we looked at the survey results, we found that there were four big takeaways for real estate marketing professionals: goals, challenges, the rise of video content, and social media. Our infographic below delves into each of these four key areas.

Why are these results significant for me?

First off, you can learn a lot from looking at the aggregate goals for the real estate industry. Understanding what peers are working toward can help you tailor your own efforts, prune unnecessary practices, and optimize your marketing efforts. Knowing, for example, that 40.3% of survey respondents cited lead generation as a top objective helps you get to the bottom line: Regardless of experience, skill level, or niche, real estate professionals are focused on attracting valuable clients, and you should be, too.

Likewise, having an understanding of industry-wide challenges can offer valuable insight. Placester’s survey reveals that just as lead generation is a top priority for the majority of respondents, it’s also the top concern for real estate professionals.

As far as techniques go, one of the most popular marketing tactics for greater exposure in 2018 is emerging as video. The survey reveals that the real estate industry is embracing the power of video marketing. And the good news is, you don’t need an expensive camera, lighting, or a production studio. Your smartphone can be just as effective for creating video content for your social media outlets.

Which brings us to social media. A whopping 84.6% of respondents pointed to Facebook as the social media network they will use the most in 2018. And for good reason. Facebook is ideal for real estate marketing in many ways. Its large user base makes it a go-to network, as well as its robust mobile presence, with location-specific advertising and sophisticated algorithms to help you reach your target audience.

Check out our infographic below for a summary of the rest of Placester’s data.

Real estate marketing trends 2018 infographic

(Made with Canva)

Related posts:

• A Visual Guide to Social Media Posting Frequency for Real Estate
• 10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
• 5 TED Talks for Real Estate Marketers

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Paid Social Advertising: Why Your Property Should Invest in Lead Ads

by Katie Russell | May 7, 2019 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media | 0 comments

Paid social advertising can help accelerate your digital marketing efforts so your content gets in front of prospective buyers faster — they don’t even have to leave the app to sign up.   

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Highlights: 

• 86% of marketers are using paid social advertising and organic tactics to boost leads through social media. 
• Lead ads include a contact form that prospects can submit without ever leaving the app. 
• Use paid social advertising to boost the reach of your posts, display ads, and videos.

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There are 3.2 billion active daily users on social media platforms today.  Clearly social media has some reach. In fact, 93% of B2B marketers report using social media as part of their strategy.  

But as social media platforms continue to grow, it has become harder for marketers to stand out among the influx of content. So how do real estate marketers make sure audiences are seeing their properties? The answer: Paid advertising. 

With 86% of marketers now combining paid and organic tactics as part of their social media strategies, you can hardly afford to be an observer.  

How paid social advertising works 

Paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and now LinkedIn, allow you to run lead-generation campaigns. Potential buyers and renters then come across your ad when they scroll through their newsfeeds. Just set the parameters (e.g. demographics, location, etc.) for your target audience, and the network’s algorithm will identify who sees the ad based on information they’ve provided in their profiles. 

But here’s the real kicker: Unlike other ad types, lead ads include a contact form that prospects can fill out without ever leaving the app. 

Need more convincing? Here at Fronetics Real Estate, we find Facebook Lead Ads one of the most effective for lead generation. The streamlined process and ease of signing up make it more likely prospects will convert to leads. Besides, you save time and money because you don’t have to create extra landing pages to capture their contact information. 

Lead generation made easy 

These days, people expect that everything from shopping to job searching can be done on their handheld devices. Paid social ads make that true for people wanting to learn more about potential properties. 

Here’s how it works: When prospects click on a lead ad their contact information automatically populates the form based on information from their profile. They don’t have to leave Facebook (or other apps) to visit the property’s website or take time to fill out their contact information. Lead ads make submitting information as easy as two taps on a phone: one to open the ad and one to submit the information. 

“Companies that invest in social media ads are more than twice as likely to say social media marketing is ‘very effective’ for their business.” 2019 State of Social Report 

Creating and modifying your ads 

As buyers continue to turn to their handheld devices for quick, easy information, paid social ads will give your property the opportunity to capture new leads with the click of a button. But just like any form of lead generation, you need to monitor and tweak your paid ads for optimal results. 

Using tools like Facebook’s Ads Manager reporting interface, you can obtain reports about cost, impressions, and clicks. As with all marketing tools, consistent refinement is the key to success, particularly in real estate marketing. Lead ads can easily be fine-tuned to cultivate a larger target audience. 

By investing in paid social advertising, you can boost the reach of your posts, display ads, and videos. Pair quality content with a comprehensive digital advertising strategy, and you will be positioned to drive more traffic, create more brand visibility, and sell or lease more properties. 

Related posts: 

• Paid Digital Advertising: A Beginner’s Guide for Real Estate Marketers 
• How Pay-Per-Click Helped This Property Get 54 Leads 
• The Role of Social Media in Luxury Real Estate Marketing 

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5 Ways to Generate Real Estate Blog Ideas

by Elizabeth Hines | Sep 11, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing | 0 comments

A real estate blog is one of the best ways to market your brand and properties. These five tools can help you generate relevant, engaging ideas.  

We’ve said it before, and we’ll certainly say it again—a real estate blog is one of the best ways you can market your properties. Blogging helps increase search engine visibility, establish your brand, and drive web traffic (new leads). Maintaining an active blog also helps you build and maintain relationships and establish yourself as a trusted resource. 

So, blogging is great for your business—but what happens when you can’t think of anything to write about. Content creation possibilities are endless but generating topics can nevertheless be daunting sometimes.  

As usual, the internet is here to rescue you. To get you started, here are five of our favorite sources for generating real estate blog ideas. 

1. Hubspot’s Blog Ideas Generator 

Think Mad Libs: Give HubSpot three nouns, and its Blog Ideas Generator will give you topic ideas. This tool is a great way to focus on topics where you want to cultivate your authority and to generate blog post ideas for a topic cluster, in line with existing pillar content.  

2. Google AdWords Keyword Planner 

A free tool that allows you to search for a keyword related to your topic, Google AdWords Keyword Planner helps keep you on message by providing hundreds of keywords and phrases to help you generate ideas. 

 3. HitTail 

This keyword analysis tool makes use of Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools data. It determines which keywords are driving traffic to your website and suggests additional keywords you could target to optimize traffic. Use these keyword suggestions to come up with real estate blog topic ideas. 

 4. Alltop 

Co-created by legendary business advisor and author Guy Kawasaki, Alltop aims to help you answer the question “what’s happening” in topics that pertain to your business. Essentially, it provides a list of recent posts from the most trusted blogs on each topic. It’s a great “in” on the most important conversations going on among thought leaders in the real estate industry. 

 5. Ubersugggest 

It may not be the best tool for coming up with actual post titles, but for generating general topic ideas, you can make Ubersuggest your go-to. Enter a word or phrase, and Ubersuggest produces a long list of results containing the word or phrase followed by related phrases. 

Bonus: Twitter 

Yes, you read that right. Twitter can actually be a useful tool to generate blog post ideas. Try running a Twitter search using your keyword proceeded by a hashtag (#properties, for example) to get a list of tweets containing your keyword. Twitter also has the bonus of being likely the most up-to-date conversation you can find on the web. 

Now, all you need to do is to compile a list of real estate blog ideas, create an editorial calendar, and get started.  

Related posts:

• 10 Must-Follow Blogs for Real Estate Marketers
• 4 Types of Content You Need to Sell Real Estate (Besides Listings)
• 4 Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018