Sometimes, top end properties will be snapped up and taken off the market in no time. However, it usually takes a long time to sell a home, and an estate agent will need to use property marketing to get people interested and sell their listings.

Because you’re also a marketer, you’ll need to think strategically about what your target customers want, how to reach them most effectively, and how to connect as efficiently as possible in order to optimise sales.

Marketing strategy one: know your audience

Before you can embark on a successful property marketing campaign, it’s important to first establish who it is you are trying to reach. When it comes to selling property, the target audience will be dependent on the property you are looking to sell, and so each listing is best served by determining the salient information on the target buyers, like:

• Demographics are important (age, location, etc.)
• Hobbies and other areas of interest
• Where do they spend most of their internet time?

To access this type of information, there are various simple things that you can do, such as:

• Create polls and post them on your Facebook page and other social media networks to gauge public opinion.
• Send out a survey to your subscribers and customers by email or text message.
• Create an advertisement that provides something in exchange for basic information. Give away a free eBook, webinar, or the chance to win passes to a future real estate event, for example.
• Analyse the sorts of queries and comments that people have posted on your social media sites.
• Think about the kinds of questions and comments you get back or at what time people call you.

Of course, there are other means of gathering this valuable information. For example, there are some digital tools, like an app, that will track certain information about visitors to an open house. This is also a great way to bring in leads.

Most of these apps are customisable to suit your business needs. For example, in addition to gathering key information like name, email address, and contact numbers, you are able to also discover any issues they’ve been having with their search, when they are looking to buy, and any special amenities or features they are hoping for.

You may start designing campaigns based on the information you acquire from all of these sources and delivering them to prospective buyers in a timely and effective manner. This could include posting an advertisement on the target buyer’s most visited social media platform and highlighting the amenities of the property that are relevant to their hobbies and interests.

Marketing strategy two: sell both experiences and properties

When buyers are looking for a home to buy, at the forefront of their minds is what a new property can add to their lives. The physical building itself is the means in which a home brings benefit to a family’s life.

By focusing on selling the experience connected to the listed property, you can help entice leads to make contact with you to book a viewing, in person or by virtual viewing, or to place an offer on a property.

So, what does this mean? In other words, paint a picture to help them envision what life could be like living in that home and area. Instead of focusing solely on the physical characteristics of the property — having a large number of bedrooms and a large backyard are desirable, but they are not the only factors that influence the sale of a home — emphasise how different aspects of the property could be integrated into buyers’ lives.

In an ad for a family house, for example, you may include a local community park that is worth visiting. First-time millennial buyers who are looking for apartments in the city might be interested in how close they are to entertainment and restaurants in the area.

Understanding the importance of selling an experience when selling property is integral to a successful marketing campaign. For example, one study, titled “Experience is Everything,” Here’s How to Get it Right. That customer will pay up to 16% for a more enjoyable customer experience.

Conversely, it’s noteworthy that the study also found that an unpleasant customer experience can be more costly. In order to provide homebuyers with a memorable experience, your property marketing can provide a complete image of how wonderful their life will be once they purchase your home. This will, in turn, encourage them to get in touch with you and find out more about the listing.

Marketing strategy three: use both traditional and digital media

Because the vast majority of property buyers now conduct their searches online, a smart marketing strategy must include digital components to increase interaction.

It is also important to maintain older strategies that have proven successful in the past. It’s good to advertise forthcoming open houses in the weekend newspaper. However, these methods only reach a tiny portion of your entire target audience.

When you use digital marketing, you can reach a larger number of individuals with less work.

Making your Facebook ad more relevant to folks looking for family homes in a specific area, for example, is as simple as tweaking your target audience when creating your ad. Individuals who are interested in your properties do not need to be physically present in the same area as the properties you promote in order to become aware of them.

There are numerous other benefits to integrating digital into a property marketing strategy. Indeed, you can increase your return on investment, gain more exposure, save time, and accomplish more with your available time. Having said this, don’t feel that you have to forsake older methods that are still effective for you.

The key is to combine what traditionally works for you with the new to create a winning custom marketing strategy. This could include things like listing ads in both local papers and on social media platforms.

Lest we forget, there are still some old school folks out there that prefer rational ways of doing things. Combining both approaches allows for the maximum reach of a targeted audience.

Marketing strategy four: automate

 Property marketing may consume a significant amount of time, between the creation of ad campaigns and the development of lead generating strategies.

Due to the fact that you’re already swamped with customer demands, paperwork, and other obligations, this doesn’t look too good for your already hectic schedule. While certain activities require your constant attention, many of these chores may be automated to save you time in the long run.

Automation can help with numerous tasks, including creating ad campaigns on social media, collecting leads, and updating your CRM, sending out email campaigns, and sending appointment reminders via text messaging.

Engagement feedback to gauge marketing success

It will be important to keep track of the results of your marketing efforts after you use these and other strategies. This will help you figure out what strategies are the most effective.

Your property marketing strategy will benefit from your efforts to test and monitor engagement. The more you test and monitor engagement, the more insights you’ll gain into how to improve and refine your strategy.

As we all know, the bottom line is that the ultimate objective of every business is to attract leads, convert those leads, and expand the business.