Social Media Has Revolutionized Sales & Marketing in Real Estate
Social Media Has Revolutionized Sales & Marketing in Real Estate
Social Media change the Market of India, It has moved from a sellers’ market to a buyers’ market. In any transaction, the buyer has as much power as the seller. Today’s shoppers are tech-savvy and know how to find information. Gone are the days when sellers could present any product as ‘the best without any justification.
Real estate marketing is no different. It has adapted to the changing world, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Sellers should be aware that buyers have a lot of options and will use all the tools they can before zeroing in on a property.
Sellers have to put in more effort than in the past to reach out to potential buyers. In the good old days, sellers were in command and buyers flocked to them to buy properties. That is no longer the case. Buyers are spoiled for choice on social media. Sellers should have complete knowledge of their competitors and follow their marketing strategies.
Marketing is now online, marketing is on social media. The moment a new project is launched and announced, people flock to Google to know which brokers – like 99acres.com and Magicbricks.com – and channel partners are associated with it. They check the reputation of the developer, look for and study the previous projects of the builder and may also contact other buyers to know about their experience. Hence sellers should use online methods to generate leads.
Earlier also the reputation of the seller was very important. But the buyer had to depend on personal interaction to know about the integrity and expertise of the seller. These days they can get information online. Hence the seller must provide the brokers with an authentic, attractive description of the property and testimonials from previous clients. These clients should be available to anyone who wants to refer back to them.
There is hardly anyone who is not on social media these days. That’s why your message should be on every possible social media. A large number of people will be able to know about it with one click. But even more important is your website. A single-listing website can be very effective.
No seller can afford not to have it. This should be the basis of your marketing strategy. Apart from testimonials, the website should have contact details of the developer and site office, virtual tours, information about important places around the property, availability of parking space, ease of travel to different parts of the city, and distance and time. Taken to reach the nearest public transportation point.
You must have a site tour itinerary with transportation from the nearest station or bus stand. This is what buyers want to see. Use good SEO and generate good keywords. You will be able to get a higher position in google or yahoo searches. Websites at the top of the search results receive the majority of the traffic. This is a great way to build your brand.
Today the game is all about numbers – a new project may generate 1,00,000 inquiries, out of which 1,000 may show interest, 100 may actually visit the project, and 30 may make a purchase. With that ratio, buyers are required to be present on as many sites as possible.
In addition to the single-listing website, advertisements on radio, print media, and public hoardings will play a major role. There should be an impression that the property is very prestigious and any delay will result in it being sold.
E-mail and direct mail are effective tools, but most people are inundated with them and don’t take them seriously. So are telemarketing and SMS marketing. They have become so intense that people may overlook something they might otherwise find interesting. But in these days of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it is possible to categorize buyers and drill down to relevant target audiences.
In this way, the chances of getting the right message to the right people are very high. Make sure your message is a personalized one, not boilerplate text that can’t detract from its other qualities.
For example, if you are targeting young families through social media, including all information about nearby playgrounds, recreation centers, schools, eateries, and recreation areas.
If your property is exclusively for senior citizens, provide information about infrastructure, transportation, health facilities, and clubs. But be careful, don’t give the impression that other buyer categories are excluded. Your message should be general enough that anyone who reads it gets a good, positive impression of the property.
Good photographs of the property are something that no seller should neglect. The photographs should show every detail of the property from all angles on social media accounts. There should be views from each wing, front and rear, and from different floors.
Put these pictures and videos on YouTube. Use other social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. You can’t guarantee who’s seeing the photos, but again, it’s all in the numbers. He who shouts the loudest is eventually heard.
And these forms of marketing are relatively cheap compared to TV or Page 3 advertising. But of course, if you have the budget, a sponsored page in a major newspaper or a 15-minute feature on television can be very useful. But there is a time limit because these are dynamic media and the memory of the audience is getting shorter by the day.
As new opportunities emerge in real estate through social media, you will need to adopt new technology. It’s about moving with the times. With changing technology, buyer needs evolve. Keep an eye on where the industry is going and keep up with the latest trends. This is where the secret of success is hidden. And that’s what will give you a competitive edge.
