12 marketing ideas for the real estate industry in 2017

92% of buyers use the Internet when they first begin looking for their future house and also taking into account the incredible advances in online marketing it is imperative that you are able to adapt to what lies ahead. Have you stopped to think about what the real estate marketing trends for 2017 will be?

For starters, it is no longer enough to simply have an Internet presence if you run a real estate business, you must also act the right way. What does digital marketing success depend on? The ability to anticipate, adapt and reach the places where others haven´t yet reached, especially the competition.

Even though the real estate sector has seen better days, there is still competition out there and so we must always look for new ways to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. That’s why we have put together 12 real estate marketing ideas for 2017 that will give you a better understanding of what’s happening in the market and keep you up to date with any changes, which will help you to improve your business.

Marketing ideas for the real estate industry in 2017

In an age where it is difficult to stand out from the crowd with all of the noise made on the Internet, it is no secret that content is now more important than ever. Personalizing and cultivating meaningful relationships is now a fundamental part of an effective marketing strategy and in the real estate industry creating high quality content is now a must for agents. In fact it will be one of the keys to successful real estate marketing in 2017.

With the growth of social networking platforms for businesses its more important then ever to have a presence in every available channel so that you can share content between them. However, its not as easy as it used to be as the days of a single message being able to reach the masses has long gone.

1.- Snapchat

If you thought that the real estate industry wouldn’t have anything to do with this application, then you would be wrong. Snapchat offers you a multitude of ways to be more creative. So try to show a more human and personal side through your photos, let the users know that there are real people working behind the scenes at your company.

This will humanize your company in the eyes of your users. Make it clear that you are not faceless employees but people who really enjoy their work, that have a sense of humour and that you embrace new technologies. This human touch will be a good move for your brand, as your users will develop a stronger connection with you.

There are already a number of companies out there that use this social network as an advertising tool, as it offers great possibilities if you know how to take advantage of its characteristics. An interesting idea may be to launch a Snapchat real estate strategy using content that expires. Is there a better way to generate excitement or sell an apartment than to only show it for a limited time?

2.- Launch an E-book

E-books are designed to be read on digital devices and are, in fact, a unique multichannel marketing tool as they take the consumer to the content directly and with little investment.

They normally offer experiences and entertainment to their audience but they can also be used as a good marketing tool for your business. Of course the content of the text should not be solely based on your products or services because if your client really want to find a house, they would use other methods.

What you can do is offer additional information, tips, guides, content related to your business in order to complement it. Even though it’s not entirely promotional, don’t forget to add a call to action button at the end of the book. Also if you present yourself as an expert on the subject, it is more than likely that the readers will then visit your website.

E-books are a basic element of what is called inbound marketing which is a discipline that will be exploited in real estate marketing in 2017 as it can help build stronger engagement with the client so that the next time they are looking for a home, your company will be the first that “springs to mind”.

3.- Optimized landing page

Nothing that you do will work well if your landing page isn’t ready for clients to visit your website. That is why we are not just talking about visits anymore because now it is the users who do all of the work themselves online. So, what is your job? Make it easy!

The landing page should be clear, easy to use and intuitive. The less problems the user runs into when using your website the more time they will spend there. The main way to increase conversions on landing pages is to understand the behaviour of the users and their habits when they surf the web or come to your landing page.

A user who arrives on a landing page must find a page that lives up to their expectations. In addition to this it must also accomplish the desired action for the brand which is a conversion such us a purchase, a registration, a download or any other similar action made by the user. These are the essential aspects of an efficient landing page.

4.- The mobile, the absolute king of business

It won´t be long before smartphone users will be able to run the same kinds of programs that you generally find on desktop computers. Are you ready and prepared to deal with your clients through these devices?

The need to create websites that are optimized for mobiles and tablets is growing and you should neglect this at your peril as 60% of website visits come from mobile devices alone. If you haven’t already adapted your content, it should be your number one priority before introducing any of the other tips.

Another good way for you to differentiate yourself from the real estate marketing competition in 2017 and one that will work to your advantage is to launch an app for your business. It will give you visibility.

5.- 3D Info graphics

Would you like to know exactly how your house is going to look after a renovation? Still have no idea about how to renovate the spaces? Even though info graphics and 3D in real state marketing isn´t anything new, these two techniques used together are going to be a marketing trend in the real state industry in 2017.

As you can see in the image above, there are already tools that allow the user to see more clearly a before-and-after image of the renovation and almost let them navigate through the images, which are a mixture of real and computer generated pictures.

The 3D Infographics allow for a more dynamic and clear view of how the spaces will look after a reform, how they will be improved or what colour schemes would work best. It is something that would be of great help to real estate agents when making sales.

6.-Facebook Live

Photo Credit: HTSABO

In 2017 every platform that combines live streaming, stories and content that expires is experiencing a boom, and they will continue to get bigger and better with more and more people connecting as the speed and quality of the videos improve.

In fact most consumers prefer watching live streaming. Do you know why? Because they generate much more confidence and give everything a more human feel. Live videos are also impossible to manipulate so what you see is what you get, which gives more credibility.

That’s why Live streaming is one of the main real estate marketing trends for 2017 and brands will be using it more than ever, so take advantage of Instagram and Facebook Live to share exclusive moments and you will definitely score points with your clients.

7.-Video is the future

All of the figures support the current boom in online video, a trend which has done nothing more than increase the number of videos that are uploaded to the different online video platforms. As you can see in the table above, the numbers of video views have increased.

Furthermore, there are a rash of statistics that suggest the online video phenomenon is far from over. Video has become the great hook of the Internet and it is difficult to find a website that does not take advantage of them in some way, although you can still find a few landing pages that still refuse to use them. They are gaining more and more prevalence among the social networks and that is why they are dominating the market and triumphing on the Internet.

As well as sharing your videos on your different social networking platforms you should also group them together on YouTube. In fact it is one of the main channels out there when it comes to house hunting. Try to avoid making basic videos that do little to show off the property, embrace modern technology like drones or 360 cameras to really sell it and an original and interesting way.

8.- A new approach to the Email Marketing

The narrative power of content marketing is now a strategic priority. Stories humanize the brand allowing for emotional bonds to be created with the users and act as a hook to keep bringing them back, again and again.

What if you try a new approach to your email campaigns? By presenting and developing stories for your target audience. You could write anecdotes about the different generations who have lived in the neighbourhood and maybe leave a little intrigue at the end of each email to keep the clients attention. You are only limited by your imagination, so use it to really stand out from the rest.

9.- Work on your SEO

Make sure that your real estate website fulfils everything in terms of SEO. Having your website placed in the main search engines is essential for the success of your business as it is where you can showcase your company so that people can know you and can contact you as well.

There are a variety of tools on the market that help you to improve your positioning, increase the number of visits that are generated by clients and give you the ability to monitor them.

An effective SEO strategy can help you to generate a lot of free traffic from Google and other search engines. More and more potential customers and investors are using search engines to research properties, so try to keep your finger on the pulse of this constantly changing area.

10.- All of the content must be personalized

Personalization is not just one of the keys to real estate marketing but also digital marketing as a whole and there is no better channel to exploit this than email marketing.

Send messages to subscribers at just the right time to guarantee that they are opened. In order to do this you must have a professional emailing platform that allows you to personalize everything from the title down to the moment of sending.

11.- Video drones

The use of drones has now started to spread across all kinds of sectors and the real estate sector is no exception. Avoiding the possible legal restrictions of flying drones in certain places, they allow realtors to offer a totally new perspective on properties and sites to prospective customers.

What´s more, drones cannot only record video but they can also take photos as well which will be of great value to you. Showing different angles and points of view of the property than the competition can give you an advantage.

Drones can be used both indoors and outdoors and they will be one of the go-to tools for real estate marketing in 2017, that’s for sure.

12.- Virtual reality

The crisis has forced the real estate sector to embrace new innovations that can help them to show off their properties in a more interesting way and there is nothing more innovative than the arrival of virtual reality to real estate marketing.

Can you visit a house that doesn’t exist? Up until now the only way was by building a scale model but through virtual reality it will be possible for customers to walk through virtual houses which can be customized for specific social targets.

Regardless of whether it is necessary to wear VR headsets or use other accessories, the truth is that virtual reality is a step forward that can have a real effect on real estate marketing in 2017.

Real estate marketing will make use of many more important innovative ideas in 2017, many more than we have showed you in this article. Among them is the use of influencers, which is something that is growing in importance more and more every day. Success in advertising lies not so much in the channel but in the ability to adapt to change and also in the ability to anticipate and reach your target audience.

However, many of these marketing trends would be impossible to implement without the right digital marketing strategy. Digital marketing platforms that can centralize all of your effort would definitely help in this area. Email Marketing and Marketing Automation platforms like MDirector will help you to create a strategy and work on it at the same time.

The client will be the same, though you will be able to reach them through various channels and with personalised messages that will increase the chances of conversion.