Ask any successful real estate broker what the reason behind their success is, and the most common answer you will get is an effective promotional strategy. Without the right kind of promotion, the company will not be visible, and people will never approach them. And no promotional strategy can be successful without the use of the right kind of real estate marketing materials. These materials work as a toolkit to form the base of all of the business’ promotional and marketing activities. These are what represent the company’s niche and branding and helps it gain visibility and traction in the market.
Building a toolkit of this kind is no easy job. It takes weeks of trial-and-error for companies to come up with materials for marketing in real estate that is effective in bringing in and converting leads. There are several different factors to take into account, from niche and core company values to design aesthetics and legal issues. Figuring this out in record time while running the business itself can be quite an overwhelming task. Under such situations, how can a business understand what marketing materials it really needs? Here is a list of the top materials that any business needs in order to lay down a solid real estate marketing strategy.
#1. A Clear Vision, Plan, And Budget
While these are not the usual things one thinks about when it comes to real estate marketing materials, they are what makes – or breaks a promotional strategy. The logic is simple – if a business does not know what it wants to do, who it wants to serve, and how it wants to go about the process, making a successful plan is simply impossible. Any real estate agent must have full clarity on what their niche is, and who their target market is. Though not easy, it can be achieved with simplicity if the good-quality market and customer research is applied.
Once the business does know what its vision and values are, it is time to create a plan. This plan will serve as the guideline and blueprint against which any and all future decisions will be made. Last but not the least, a budget consisting of the business’ current spending abilities for real estate marketing must be stated. This is extremely crucial because marketers have to understand the best way to create a campaign that gets the best overall Return On Investment (ROI).
#2. A Great Website
In a world where 51 percent of homebuyers are utilizing the internet to buy property, a website is not just an obligation. It is the way for real estate companies to put their best digital foot forward. An official site today functions very much like the visiting cards of yesterday. They form the frontline of all of the company’s branding tools and attract new leads by driving visitor traffic. They also make the company in question look trustworthy and reliable. In fact, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 82% of realtors who earned over $150,000 in the last year had top-notch websites of their own – in addition to listings. All these factors make websites one of the most effective real estate marketing materials.
Any business owner must make sure that their company website is both algorithm- and user-friendly. While the former will help the website rank higher on digital platforms and attract visitors, the latter will help retain and convert them into paying customers. Real estate agents must, therefore, ensure that their website follows the best design and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) practices, and is suited for good viewability on all kinds of platforms. Websites must also have an IDX property search integration, a bio page, a blog section, relevant community information, calls-to-action (CTA), and contact forms. All of these will give customers value and encourage them to contact the realtor to have their requirements met.
#3. A Good Social Media Footprint
Social media is a significant part of everyone’s lives today. So much so that over 79% of people have been reported to have active profiles, with people spending an average of 142 minutes of their time on these. This itself makes it reason enough for real estate companies to make themselves known on social media. That is not all, though. When used right, social media can generate the best ROI as it is the most inexpensive to use yet can be most effective in generating leads. This makes it one of the cheapest yet best real estate marketing materials.
Creating social media pages on leading platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest is indeed the way to get started on building an online footprint. That being said, companies should also make it a point to get active on these platforms. For starters, they should make sure to keep updating the information on the page to keep with recent changes. They should also make it a point to keep generating content that is both eye-grabbing and valuable to visitors. This includes customer reviews, mortgage information, tips for buying and selling homes, infographics, and of course, top real estate listings.
#4. Traditional Marketing Materials
Digital marketing has certainly become the forefront of creating a promotional strategy for real estate companies. That does not, however, mean that traditional methods of marketing are dead and gone. For the majority of the population that uses the internet on a daily basis, there is still a considerable section of the population that does not. These are the people who continue to rely on conventional methods such as brochures, flyers, cards, and of course the big old yard sign. Any real estate marketer worth their salt would, therefore, make it a point to use print and other tangible items as real estate marketing materials.
There are a vast range of items can be categorized as traditional real estate promotional items. The best way to start is by going with the materials that attract the most eyeballs. These include brochures, flyers, visiting cards, and mail-able letters. Further on, they should have yard signs and door hangers on properties that are on sale. Those who have bigger budgets can even manufacture select merchandise such as pens, keychains, and cups. These must have the company logo and contact information and should be distributed through tie-ups with other local businesses and public places such as cafes and libraries.
#5. Real Estate Staging
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Before After
Marketing for real estate agents is a visually-driven activity. Selling here is not just about promoting a home. It is about highlighting the idea of an ideal lifestyle. Stationary photographs or even tours of empty rooms therefore can never serve this purpose. Physically staged photographs are somewhat convincing are difficult to execute and very expensive to boot. And for all of that, they do not make for the best visual medium, especially when it comes to digital marketing. In such situations, marketers are better off utilizing virtual staging among their real estate marketing materials.
A relatively new addition to real estate markets, virtual staging is a trendy new way of having visuals of fully staged listings designed virtually by 3D artists. These designs are intuitive and interactive, and offer online visitors a tour of the property – as if they are there in person. The images of rooms rendered this way are always according to current, niche, trends, and wants of the target market. Last but not the least, virtually staged images can be easily integrated into different platforms – from social media and websites to apps and MLS listings. The proof is its success is in the pudding – according to a 2018 study, 85% of virtually staged homes sold for 6-25% more than their physically staged or unstaged ones.
The quality of real estate marketing materials is directly related to the success of any estate agent’s promotional strategy. In the face of multiple mediums, finding and creating the right kind of materials for real estate marketing that will actually support the promotional process can get complicated.
While the right strategy differs from one business to the other, the above-mentioned basic elements are important and common to all. Real estate agents must make it a point to customize these according to their brand and its values, with the aim of reaching their ideal customers and converting as fast as possible. That way, they can gain a competitive advantage in the industry with both time and efficiency.
Interested in trying out real estate staging for your next promotional? Contact us for virtual staging services – our team of dedicated professionals will create top-notch visuals that will help your sales reach the skies!
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