MARKETING
DIGITAL MEDIA
The Think RealtyBeginner’s Guide to Using Digital Media to Sell Real Estate FLIP THE EQUATION TO HAVE BUYERS AND PARTNERS CHASING YOU.
LET’S GET SPECIFIC: GEOFENCING AND GEOTARGETING W hile some investors want to reach outward as far as possible, others are more interested in limiting their audience to a very specific subset of people. If you are working in a lim- ited area of the country or only wish to reach buyers, sellers, or investors in a specific city or even subdivision, then geofencing may be the answer for you. Geofencing involves using data about internet users to target your client base using parameters like geographic area, business sector, or income level. There has never been such a great time to get measurable marketing re- sults while getting your business name and services in front of specific lenders or companies and avoiding wasted im- pressions. Using these strategies enables you to place an ad or other promotion- al materials directly on the desktop, laptop, or cell phone of the people with whom you wish to speak most. Marketing Insider Tip: A good dig- ital marketing company will measure “drives” to your site allowing you to speak directly to prospective buyers. This is important because it allows you to accurately measure your returns on any campaign. Always ask your marketing representatives if they allow this practice and, if not, how they measure levels of success for their customers.
by Teresa Stanton
T
While there are a lot of programs and sys- tems designed to help you systematize and delegate your daily tasks, there are far fewer proven, reputable ways to outsource your outreach. Fortunately, you do have options that not only will build your credibility but also reverse the equation so that your leads and your future business partners are reaching out to you instead of you chasing them around. Today's digital explosion is the perfect time for real estate investors if you have a solid marketing strategy. As we already mentioned, it's likely your "driving days" are mostly over. That is true for your target market as well. For example, whether you are looking for retail buyers or investor buyers, the initial place they go to find potential properties is the internet, even if they eventually do a drive-by and a tradi- tional showing. The initial place investors go is usually the internet as well. If you are seeking leads on deals, then social media could be a perfect fit. Many of those house-shoppers are urged on by their real estate agent friends posting listings on Facebook and Twitter. Who can resist clicking on that cute cottage and flipping through the pictures, think- ing it might be time to move up? Get visible in those social media feeds and start enjoying the clicking!
he landscape of advertising is changing, especially in real estate.
Sure, the old standard, bandit signs, will probably always have a place on a corner at the local intersection, but with real estate investing businesses growing rapidly and unbound by geographic constraints, the fact of the matter is that most investors need more. This is particularly true if you provide turnkey real estate investment services, property management services, private lending services, or are seeking funding for your deals. Thanks to digital and social media, many investors are finding that their days of driv- ing around and looking at homes or busi- nesses are over. Often, they never meet leads – or even business partners – in person until well into a working relationship. This expands your growth potential exponen- tially, but how can you reach these folks in the first place? Sure, you could spend a lot of time “friending” everyone on Facebook, but that is time-consuming and, at the end of the day, not particularly efficient or effective. YOUR LEADS AND FUTURE PARTNERS SHOULD BE REACHING OUT TO YOU In an ideal world, if you are a talented real estate investor, you spend your time focused on real estate investing! However, most investors end up tangled in logistical matters that detract from building their real estate business and from their bottom lines.
enough, nor is being on location. Many investors are already online on their own doing live video feeds from their properties. These results tend to be, at best, mixed, and rely heavily on a video going viral, an effort SOCIAL-MEDIAADVERTISING IN CONJUNCTIONWITH THE “CLASSIC” ADVANTAGES OF RADIO. DIGITALMEDIA: Digital media combines technology and content, where content can be interacted with or consumed via digital means. Examples include apps for smartphones, interactive websites, and analytical software. GEOFENCING: The use of GPS technology to create a virtual geographic boundary. GEOTARGETING: The practice of delivering different content to a website user based on their geographic location. REAL ESTATE INVESTORS USING FACEBOOK LIVE IN CONJUNCTIONWITH RADIO ADVERTISING FIND THAT THEY GARNER THE BENEFITS OF HIGHLY TARGETED
in which 99 percent will fail. This issue is due to the common misconception that simply being out there will some- how result in people seeing you. Sadly, we’ve all posted at least one selfie that nobody liked, so we know getting “out there” is only half the battle. The more important half of the battle is getting in front of the right audience. Coming from a broadcast radio background myself, I remember spending many a Saturday doing “live remotes” from various subdivisions with limited results. At that time, the concept was confusing, and we just did not always reach enough peo- ple looking for houses on Saturday who were also listening to the radio. Thanks to social media, however, popular, topic-specific venues can predict not just that they will have an audience, but who will be in that audience and what that audience will be looking for. Fast forward a few years, however, and digital media has changed the game. For example, investors using Face- book Live in conjunction with radio advertising find that they garner the
benefits of highly targeted social-me- dia advertising in conjunction with the “classic” advantages of radio. Getting a local radio celebrity DJ to walk through your property while using Facebook Live gives prospective buyers the opportunity to watch live and enjoy that personality show off specific property highlights. A celebrity endorsement lends credibility and action to your marketing dollars while exposing your property to the large Facebook and Twitter audiences that follow that radio station. Furthermore, you can work with a local celebrity you already know is popular with real estate investors, or you can reach out to a larger audience by working with a venue that has an established viewing population of investors or other target populations. Whether you use traditional television, terrestrial radio, cable, or print consider adding a digital element to your advertis- ing campaigns. Done correctly you’ll see new sophisticated consumers going to your web site and creating greater for profits. •
Teresa Stanton is the national sales man- ager at Think Realty. She has more than two decades of experience in marketing in all types of media. Reach her for a con- sultation at tstanton@thinkrealty.com.
VISIBILITY IS NOT ENOUGH Of course, just posting images is not
14 | think realty magazine :: february 2018
thinkrealty . com | 15
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker