By Lee Woodward, CEO, Real Estate Academy
There’s no denying that we’re all living in a digital age.
Our vendors and buyers are spending more time each day in the digital space on their smartphones and devices, and their real estate activities are part of this. While agents are mostly aware of this behaviour, our customers are adapting to it at a much faster rate, which often results in people feeling underwhelmed or disappointed by our services. Digital marketing cannot be avoided.
It’s part of the real estate landscape today which means that, as professionals in our field, we need to find better ways to not only meet these expectations, but exceed them.
At the Real Estate Academy, we are introducing a new standard for digital use, which we have titled: The Digital Agent Delivery Of Property Marketing and Communications Process.
This process is designed to be a roadmap to help savvy agents navigate their way through the digital landscape and achieve the results that this kind of marketing can offer.
Let’s begin with an introduction, followed by the 6 tips to mastering the digital process.
Modern marketing is all about creating and distributing digital content, which includes anything that our clients can find, read, watch, listen to and obtain online.
For example:
And the list goes on.
This newer approach to marketing is very powerful and offers so many opportunities to engage both current and potential customers.
While your audience isn’t expecting you to provide every one of these pieces of digital content, they do expect at least a few, based on their needs. The agents who provide these greatly differentiate their service and offer far greater value than those who don’t.
In fact, utilising digital content can present you with a high return lead source for generating future business.
So, how do you deliver digital content to customers?
As part of The Digital Agent Delivery Of Property Marketing and Communications Process, here are 6 quick tips to help you meet the new standard.
Our industry has a reputation for reluctance to change.
Digital communication and services are not a temporary fad, so it’s time to stop resisting and decide to embrace it instead. Consider it an opportunity to be more in tune with your clients.
The first excuse people make when it comes to digital technology is ‘I don’t know much about it’. There’s one solution, and that’s to learn!
Interestingly, the digital world makes it really easy to look up more information about itself. Take the time to learn about the latest forms, such as Instagram and Facebook Live, which allow you to broadcast auctions in real time, or Virtual Reality headsets where customers can ‘digitally walk’ through your home using their phone.
With all of the digital content types out there, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. So, start small and aim for the options that will have the most impact.
Speak to your team, your friends and clients themselves - what would they find real value in?
Podcasts are fantastic, but you may find that your clients prefer articles and blogs on your website which help them prepare their home for sale. Virtual reality may be a nice-to-have, but your customers could tell you that they want to see infographics that give them useful statistics about your local suburbs.
Focus on delivering digital content that will resonate most with them so they chose you as their preferred agent.
In the end, we still need to buy and sell property. Digital content takes time to create and distribute, and you don’t want it to take time away from your main focus.
So, perhaps train your team to give you a hand with activities such as running your social media, or invest in software that can easily automate a lot of digital marketing for you.
Digital content is a fantastic way to demonstrate your infectious passion for real estate. Produce videos that show you in action or providing information about the local community. People will not only find this content useful, but also get a sense of who you are, which will inspire them to contact you.
When you’re actively experimenting and implementing digital content, you may find your activities spread a bit thin. You need a way to bring them all together to get the best results, and this is where Web Books can help you.
Do you create and provide several types of useful digital content, but it’s scattered everywhere? It’s probably not reaching people and therefore going to waste.
Web Books offer an effective digital platform which is easy to use and allows you to consolidate all of your digital content into one medium, which you can provide to sellers and buyers through one simple link.
Web Books are easy to create and deliver your digital content to the audience who want it. You can compile branded reports and videos, marketing plans, price guides, videos, 3D floor plans, podcasts and even entire electronic brochures to showcase a home.
For more information, visit our web books page and see how web books can help you master your delivery of digital content to achieve success.