The digital transformation is under way. A growing number of industries and businesses are joining in. They are investing in and moving towards digital marketing. Real estate developers are no exception. Property developers are using digital marketing to gain exposure and generate leads online.
In this article we'll share some ways real estate developers can use digital marketing to grow their business.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is marketing that takes place on digital vs. traditional channels.
Digital marketing activities are very diverse. New ways of marketing to your audience online continue to emerge all the time. Digital marketing includes many channels. These include websites, search engines, mobile phones, social media channels, email, and more.
This is different from traditional marketing, which is marketing through non-digital channels. These non-digital channels include print, direct-mail, mass media (television, radio), etc.
What is real estate developer digital marketing?
Real estate developers, like other real estate professionals have began using digital marketing. Real estate digital marketing includes any activities related to digitally advertising and marketing a real estate development business.
Below we discuss some specific activities and channels that real estate developers can use to grow their business.
Establish your online presence & build credibility with a quality, company website
Today, the first thing most prospects will do is likely Google your business. What will they find on the search engine results when they do so? Will your company website come up? If not, you run the risk of losing credibility. At the least they might move to the next company that does have a site.
Why?
People today expect every business to have a website. If you don't have one your business runs the risk of looking unprofessional, out of touch with the times. Some people might even fear you are a scam if they can't find any info about you.
Your company website is the cornerstone of your business' online presence. Here's some reasons why:
- It helps your business build credibility.
- It allows you to establish your messaging and brand.
- It acts as the hub for all your digital marketing activities. Everything drives back to your company website.
Your website and its content is what people use to make a determination about your business. They use it to determine if they trust you and want to work with you. A well presented website with quality content shows your business well. It can even make a small business look bigger than it actually is if its done right.
And yes, you can create social profiles, but those profiles are not a website. While social profiles will help add credibility they cannot accomplish what a website can. It is also a bit of a let down when someone searches for a company and they only find your Facebook (etc.) profile.
Ways a website can help you grow your real estate development business
Some of the way your website can help you grow your business include:
- Build credibility with prospects looking for businesses like yours. Nowadays having a website is a basic requirement for credibility. Having a well-presented website with quality content is even better. It is a great way to build trust along with building your brand, messaging, and more.
- A website will allow you to get found online by your target audience for targeted searches. Like any business you want to get found by your target audience for relevant searches. No matter what you want to "show up for" you can. But you need a website along with search engine optimization efforts.
- Highlight your track-record of successes and returns by showcasing your project portfolio. This is a great way to find and build trust with investors. They can see tangible results of your work. This is critical when you are looking to get clients, investors, etc.
- Use your website to convert visitors into leads. A website is a great way to capture leads. You can use lead capture forms to do several things. These include lead generation forms to build an email list or contact forms to capture leads directly.
Attract targeted prospects with search engine optimization
You can use your website to attract people searching for targeted queries through search engines. How? By creating search engine optimized content on your site.
First, you need to do keyword research to find the right topics to cover. You want to make sure that the topics are relevant and have enough people searching for them (for your purposes). You also want to make sure that the user intent of the query matches what your page will offer.
Next, you want to create website pages, articles and posts that answer these queries. Answering questions and providing prospects with in-depth, relevant, valuable information is a good way to rank (show up) for these queries.
Because SEO and content marketing can be complex it is often best to leave it to an expert. This may save you time vs. writing blog posts and website copy that isn't optimized or helpful.
Use email marketing to nurture leads
Chances are people who visit your site are not going to convert right away. Converting a website visitor into an actual lead takes several touch point. In other words, that prospect needs to visit your site or research your real estate development business multiple times before doing any business with you.
Email marketing is a great way to keep top of mind with prospects. Sending curated emails with valuable information can help you build trust and start a relationship with them.
Be careful not to annoy them with useless emails or too many emails. Timing your emails correctly and providing them with valuable information works well. The prospect will start to view you as a valuable and credible source of information.
You can do automated (drip) campaigns, one-off emails, newsletters, etc.
Creating an email marketing strategy and calendar are a smart move.
Should I hire an agency or do my own real estate marketing?
Some companies find making the move to digital marketing hard. This is pretty common. Like everything else digital marketing is complex. It requires real expertise to get real results. And most companies don't have that in-house digital marketing expertise to be successful.
But that shouldn't be a roadblock to marketing your real estate business online.
Why?
Because there are agencies that specialize in real estate marketing services. They know how to market your real estate business online. They can help you build your online presence and get leads effectively.
So instead of spending a lot of time learning how to and trying to do it yourself you can use an expert.
Author Name: Dan Sarao
Dan Sarao is a former marketing executive turned entrepreneur and author. He is currently the Owner and Lead Consultant of Macaw Digital Marketing, a digital marketing agency that specializes in in content marketing, SEO, web design and real estate marketing services. He is also a partner at multiple real estate investment companies, including Sesa Properties, LLP and Rapid Rise Group LLC. Dan is a subject matter expert in the areas of digital marketing, real estate investment and entrepreneurship. His writing is focused on topics around digital marketing and real estate. He brings years of experience in these fields to offer helpful tips and share valuable information.
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