For real estate professionals, there are several key marketing trends to look for in 2017. When investing time and money into your advertising, understanding the trends is essential. A recent article on Inman.com focused on the rapidly evolving pace with which agents are jumping onto the online advertising bandwagon. Here are the latest trends:
First and foremost, virtual reality and 3-D listings will grow in popularity. Many agents have started doing 3-D virtual tours for their listings. The most popular providers are Immoviewer (DIY value brand) and Matterport (super premium). For the listing agent, 3-D tours allow you to be more efficient and appear tech-savvy in the eyes of your client. You are able to “show” the house to your clients by bringing them into your office and controlling the 3-D tour. For buyers, 3-D tours offer a more convenient way to look at a number of houses in a shorter period of time. For sellers, 3-D tours are a safer and more convenient option. The house can be staged and spotless – and vacating a home numerous times is an experience no seller enjoys. If you are a listing agent, take a serious look at doing 3-D virtual tours. If you are a buyer’s agent, start using 3-D virtual tours.
Facebook ads are predicted to get more expensive and ROI (Return on Investment) will go down as the demand will surely outpace the supply. The author of this article, Grant Findlay-Shirras, goes on to suggest that every realtor investing in lead generation via online advertising should choose either GoogleAdwords or Facebook Ads or combination of the two. “Get into Facebook ads now, start doing inbound marketing now that will generate you leads in one or two years and, finally, start experimenting with other new forms of marketing now.”
More realtors will do content marketing – and smart ones will be more targeted. Content adds value to homeowners and is one of the most effective ways of generating organic traffic to your website. Google’s latest algorithm clearly prefers sites that have useful content for their users for a particular keyword. However, you do not need to have thousands of views per blog; you only need your target audience to see your content. For example, target hyperlocal areas (zip codes, neighborhoods, etc.), types of clients (First time homebuyers, downsizing, etc.), types of homes (condos, townhouses, etc.), timing of transactions (moving now, moving soon etc.).
Advertising and lead generation may be temporary, but to build your own brand as the “go-to” real estate agent in your community, you’ll need to adopt some sort of content marketing strategy.
Connect with Condo.com