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4 Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
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?
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- 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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Top Real Estate Marketing Trends 2019
It’s the start of a new year, and that means savvy marketers are looking to stay ahead of the curve. These top real estate marketing trends are what we see coming for 2019.
Real estate is a competitive and ever-changing industry. Just when your business settles into a successful routine, new marketing tactics and trends can throw you a curve ball. But being aware of the forces shaping the industry is the best way to hit your marketing efforts out of the park this new year. Here are the four top real estate marketing trends that we see coming in 2019.
1) It’s all about the video
If you’re a frequent reader of our blog, you’ll know that we’ve been writing about the astronomical rise of video in real estate marketing for a while now. We can’t stress it enough: video is here to stay, and it’s time your business starts embracing it as a highly effective content marketing tool.
Part of what makes video such an appealing form of content is its inherent shareability, which drives organic traffic. Getting your content and properties out to your base audience is one thing but empowering that audience to be your ambassadors is a huge next step. Creating appealing, engaging video is an ideal way to give your target audience material to share with their networks—with the potential to expand your reach exponentially.
2) People are craving authenticity
One of the dangers of a strong marketing presence is that it can almost become too smart and slick for its own good. It’s no surprise that, as Instagram edges us all towards posting only carefully curated, perfectly doctored reality, companies are likewise looking to share nothing but perfection.
But increasingly, social media users are craving authenticity. Of course, this doesn’t mean creating and sharing sloppy content, but it does mean allowing your followers to get a real, honest sense of your company and properties through the content you post on social media. Let your social media platforms be places where you engage your followers through compelling content that says something about the culture of your business and your passion for real estate.
3) Keep it personal
In a world of bots, robocalls, and AI, don’t underestimate the power of the personal. Much as users are seeking authenticity from marketers on social media, your potential buyers and renters will respond all the better to personalized content and relationship-building.
Whenever you can, add a personal touch to your communication with your audience. This doesn’t just mean adding their names to emails—in fact, marketing automation can (perhaps paradoxically) be your secret weapon when it comes to developing personal communication with potential buyers and renters. (Check our guide to marketing automation tools for real estate marketers here.)
4) Get creative
Writing and talking about creativity is a bit of a paradox. As soon as trends start to catch on and become, well—trends, they’re no longer shiny new innovations. One thing we can say for certain about the new year, and the future of real estate marketing going forward, is that creativity is going to be key.
While we can’t tell you exactly how to be creative, we can give you tips for developing an environment in which creativity can thrive. Being aware of trends, benchmarking your marketing efforts against those of your competitors, reading industry blogs, and listening to your client-base are just a few key ways to foster a culture of marketing creativity.
Related posts:
- 4 Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
- Infographic: Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
- 10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
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10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
The latest social media statistics show growth of Instagram, social messaging bots, and video content.
We joke around here that one thing that will always stay the same is that social media will always be changing. 2018 has been a remarkable example of that thus far, particularly in regards to platforms like Facebook.
Every so often, we like to take a step back and look at what the data is telling us about where social media is heading and what that might mean for real estate marketers.
Social Media Examiner’s 10th annual study, 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, surveyed more than 5,700 marketers from across the world in a variety of industries — including real estate. It offers a really comprehensive view of what’s going on in social media in our industry and beyond.
I’ve pulled out 10 social media statistics from this report that I want to talk about in more depth. I think they say a lot about where social media is headed and what real estate marketers should be paying attention to.
10 social media statistics for real estate marketers
1) For 64% of marketers, social media management is just one of their job responsibilities.
This one blows me away, knowing how much time and effort it takes to run a company’s social media program. Only about one-third (36%) of marketers manage social media full time. The other two-thirds have to do that on top of their other responsibilities. That’s crazy!
Developers, property managers, and real estate marketers: it’s time to recognize how important social media is for marketing your property and dedicate the appropriate resources to social media management. If you can’t afford to hire someone to do it full time, consider outsourcing this task.
2) Only 44% of marketers agree they can measure their social media ROI.
Only 10% of survey respondents “strongly agree” and 34% “agree” with the statement, “I am able to measure the return on investment (ROI) for my social media activities.”
Again, I’m kind of blown away. As a firm that relies on data and analytics to inform our processes and strategies, including social, it seems irresponsible to not know if your efforts are effective.
Ok, on one hand, it’s actually really difficult to measure social media ROI. That’s in large part because so many of the benefits are intangible. You should really be thinking of social media investment in terms of potential, not dollars.
BUT there are some ways to calculate ROI for all your content marketing and social media efforts. Here are a few resources:
- What Metrics Should You Track in Real Estate Marketing?
- The Metrics You Should Be Measuring in Real Estate Marketing (Hint: Not Vanity Metrics)
- How to Measure Brand Awareness: A Guide for Real Estate Marketers
3) 75% of marketers have seen a decline in organic Facebook reach over the last year or don’t know if they have.
A significant 52% of marketers surveyed said they saw their Facebook reach decline in the last year. Plus, 23% of marketers surveyed were unsure if it had or not — probably not a good sign. Yet 97% of B2C marketers are using Facebook. Something’s not adding up for me here.
As we’ve written about a lot recently, businesses need to be keeping a close eye on Facebook in light of all the recent changes. While we at Fronetics Real Estate are not ready to write off Facebook for business (especially real estate companies) completely yet, it’s time to start doing things a little differently.
Here are a few things you should do immediately to ensure you’re still reaching your target audience:
- Focus on newsworthy content that drives engagement. You need to start thinking of Facebook as a place to post and discuss active news items, hot-button issues, and highly shareable content (content that is educational or entertaining, for example).
- Tell your community to access the See First feature. Users who still want to see posts from certain Pages they follow can choose “See First” in News Feed Preferences. So, quite simply, we suggest asking your followers to choose to see your content.
- Consider your ad budget. Especially for new properties or those who rely heavily on referral traffic, you might want to consider reallocating budget to sponsored ads.
Stay tuned to the Fronetics blog as we continue to gather information and offer suggestions.
4) 87% of marketers rank more exposure for their businesses as the primary benefit of their social media efforts.
Building brand awareness is a key benefit of social media use for real estate. The Social Media Examiner survey respondents said that increased traffic was the second major benefit, with 78% reporting positive results. These top two benefits have remained virtually unchanged for 4 years.
5) 78% of marketers who have used social media for 2 years or more report increased traffic to their websites.
Also to note, 83% of those who have used social media for 5 or more years “strongly agree” or “agree” that traffic has increased to their websites because of social media activity.
I wanted to pull these social media statistics out because they reinforce the time-honored truth that content marketing (including social media management) is a long-term solution — not an overnight fix. The benefits, especially in terms of metrics like traffic, grow exponentially over time.
You have to allow time for prospects to find you and for your audience to grow organically. Use your social media platforms as a means to distribute meaningful information to your target audience and to communicate with prospects and residents, and it will pay off.
6) 66% of marketers are now using Instagram.
In 2016 and 2017, we answered a lot of questions about Snapchat. Founder of the Content Marketing Institute Joe Pulizzi named Snapchat one of the next big trends in content marketing for 2017. Everyone thought this platform was going to be our new social media darling.
Instead, Instagram has surpassed Twitter and LinkedIn to be the second-most-used social media platform. (It was fourth in 2017.) Use is up dramatically from 54% in 2017. Those are numbers worth paying attention to.
Most of our real estate clients use Instagram with great success. If you’re not on this platform, it’s time to join.
7) 63% of marketers use video content in their social media marketing.
One real estate marketing trend everyone got right? The growing prevalence of video.
Not only do nearly two-thirds of marketers use video content in their social media marketing, 23% use live video. What’s more, 77% plan to increase video content and 63% plan to increase live video in the next year.
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.
8) 70% of marketers want to learn more about messenger bots.
Here’s a big takeaway from the survey: Everyone’s talking about messenger bots/social messenger apps. While adoption is still pretty low (only 15% are using Facebook messenger bots now), 51% of survey respondents plan to include them in future marketing.
It’s time to start reading up on marketing automation tools like chatbots and social messenger apps. We’ve got a lot of information about these things scheduled on our blog in the next few months, so keep coming back for more information on how these tools apply to real estate marketing.
9) 39% of marketers are working with influencers.
Influencer marketing is another trend we’ve been talking about lately. It makes sense: Buyers value the opinions of peers and colleagues. In fact, 82% of Americans seek recommendations when making a purchase of any kind. Such a major purchase like real estate can be greatly influenced by what buyers’ peers think of the neighborhood, community or building, etc.
In real estate, it’s important to consider other people who might influence buyers and renters. Aside from family and friends, financial advisors, brokers, interior designers, and celebrities (be they local professional athletes or social media celebrities) can have an impact on buyers’ opinions of a property.
10) 76% of B2C marketers use Facebook ads.
Interesting that more than three-fourths of B2C brands advertise on Facebook. On one hand, if you’re not doing it, do you lose your seat at the table? But on the other, are there opportunities on other advertising platforms that aren’t so crowded?
The survey also found that 72% of B2C marketers are interested in learning about Instagram ads. This is likely because of the platform’s phenomenal growth and, no doubt, brands’ success with it thus far. It’s something to think about when planning your social advertising.
If you’re interested, I recommend reading the whole 44-page report from Social Media Examiner. There are a ton of really interesting social media statistics that offer great insight into how marketers are using social media and how it’s changing — both over the the last few years and in the short-term.
What social media statistics are most interesting to you?
Related posts:
- A Visual Guide to Social Media Posting Frequency for Real Estate
- How to Use Social Media Hashtags in Real Estate Marketing
- Social Media Can Be a Strategic Weapon in Real Estate Marketing
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7 Ways Content Marketing Helps Sell Luxury Real Estate
Do you sell luxury real estate? Are you using content marketing? Here are 7 reasons you should.
It’s no secret that, when it comes to driving luxury real estate sales, content marketing works. According to Placester’s 2018 Real Estate Marketing Strategy Survey Report, 42.1% of real estate professionals surveyed plan to experiment with developing new types of content they haven’t tried. And a whopping 94.1% plan to focus on creating new and unique content for their websites.
So how exactly does content marketing help you sell luxury real estate? Here are 7 ways, just to name a few.
7 ways content marketing helps sell luxury real estate
1) Connect with qualified buyers.
Luxury buyers are highly likely to do purchasing research online. A robust digital and social media presence creates a virtual touch point to connect with affluent buyers.
2) Broaden brand awareness.
According to Sprout Social’s Consumer Engagement Index, which ranks industries by engagement from customers on social media, the real estate industry is second overall in terms of inbound engagement relative to audience size. As hyper-connected buyers engage with your relevant, quality content online, they share with their networks, and your content starts working for you exponentially.
3) Drive traffic to your property website.
Since 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine, and 75% of searchers don’t click beyond the first page of search results, SEO is crucial for driving traffic to your property’s page. As search engine algorithms evolve, quality content is more and more important in making sure buyers find your property among top results.
4) Communicate real-time updates to potential buyers.
Through social media, particularly through the use of video content or live stories, you can get real-time updates to luxury buyers about project timelines, availability, construction progress, neighborhood news, and promotions.
5) Generate leads.
Content marketing helps drive qualified buyers to your site. According to a spokesperson for New York City-based Corcoran Real Estate Group, since adopting a robust content marketing strategy, “the quality of the referral traffic back into our main website has significantly improved. And not only are we seeing more traffic coming in, but visitors coming in from social media sites are staying longer and looking at more things.”
6) Nurture leads.
Content marketing — particularly a well-planned, automated email strategy — is a highly efficient and effective way to develop relationships with buyers at every stage of the sales process. HubSpot recently reported that businesses using marketing automation to nurture leads received a 451% increase in qualified leads. That’s right: 451%.
7) Sell your neighborhood.
Blog content focused on neighborhood amenities, seasonal recreational activities, area restaurants, etc. can help highlight factors that make your properties attractive to affluent buyers.
As Fronetics’ Director of Strategy Jennifer Hart Yim writes, “Content marketing is a new approach to an old strategy — one that’s putting real estate marketers in charge of the way potential buyers interact with their properties.”
Do you use content marketing to sell luxury real estate?
Related posts:
- 4 Ways a Blog Can Help You Sell Real Estate
- Social Media Trends for 2018 Real Estate Marketers Need to Know
- What Metrics Should You Track in Real Estate Marketing?
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How to Explain Content Marketing ROI to Win (or Keep) Buy-In
Proving content marketing ROI can seem like a daunting task for real estate marketers, but finding and analyzing the right metrics effectively is crucial to measuring ROI, and ensuring buy-in.
Highlights:
- Talking about marketing as if it’s an art rather than a science does a disservice to your department and to your brand as a whole.
- Make sure your executives understand the nature and goals of your marketing strategy.
- The right metrics will help you track ROI, and justify executive buy-in.
Accountability and showing a solid return on investment (ROI) is everything when it comes to ensuring that your business is allocating adequate resources to marketing your brand and properties. And let’s face it, too many executives think that marketing is, at best, about supporting sales or, at worst, a department that exists to paste logos onto coffee mugs.
Writing for Marketo, Content Marketing Specialist Bryson Runser points out that as an “informed marketer, it’s your duty to infuse credibility into your organization by way of meaningful metrics that tie directly to your top and bottom line.” While the C-suite famously cares nothing about internal marketing metrics like Facebook likes or click-through rate, metrics are crucial to the success of marketing real estate. Not only that, effective use of metrics is the best way to establish the function and importance of the marketing department within your organization.
Get your audience on the same page
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of proving content marketing ROI for the C-suite, it’s important to acknowledge that content marketing hasn’t been around all that long. It’s only in the past decade that the real estate industry has been reshaped by digital and content marketing. This means that you can’t necessarily count on the fact that your organization’s higher-ups understand exactly what content marketing is.
Take the time to make sure your executives understand not only the definition of content marketing, but also how it will help your real estate brand grow and your business achieve various specific goals. Content marketing expert Julia McCoy suggests using approachable metaphors, such as “content marketing is a vehicle, and content marketing strategy is the engine. The vehicle takes you to your destination only if the engine is in good shape.”
Numbers don’t lie
One of the main aspects of the “crisis of accountability” is a problematic view of what marketing is: “if marketing leaders insist that marketing is an art and not a science,” Runser writes,”then the department will remain isolated from other groups.” Establishing that content marketing is not only dependent upon data, but can also be measured, is key to changing that perception.
“Marketing must be able to justify their expenditures as investments in revenue and growth,” writes Runser. Of course, it’s partly a chicken-and-egg issue, since getting to the point of being able to talk about expenditures in this way does require investment from the top of your business.
We know that measuring the impact of content marketing can be tricky. But it’s not impossible. The first step is determining the right metrics to track. For more detailed ideas and analysis, check out this post, which details how to determine and use metrics for real estate marketers to measure the impact of content marketing on brand awareness.
Why are you reporting?
Collecting and reporting on content marketing ROI can feel like you’re spinning your wheels and collecting meaningless data. But it’s crucial to keep metrics focused on the main goal: to enable you and your business to make decisions that improve your marketing efforts. “This is the difference between backward-looking measurement and decision-focused management,” says Runser.
Data for the sake of data doesn’t do any good. Data should be used to shape insights, which in turn informs priorities and actions for your business. We’ve written before about the dangers of vanity metrics, which have no bearing on your bottom line but can give you an inflated sense of success.
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of meaningless data collection, especially when marketers are often struggling to prove their worthiness to the C-suite. But using metrics to improve marketing’s performance will go a long way towards winning over executives. “[B]y aligning data measurements with your company’s strategic objectives,” Runser writes, “it will be easier to allocate resources by revenue impact.”
Related posts:
- What Metrics Should You Track in Real Estate Marketing?
- The Metrics You Should Be Measuring in Real Estate Marketing (Hint: Not Vanity Metrics)
- Social Media Can Be a Strategic Weapon in Real Estate Marketing
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