Top Do’s and Don’ts of Property Marketing for Estate Agents
Marketing is everything these days. You can have the best team and properties available but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how you agency can help them, your going to lose out to competitors.
Too often we see businesses in the property and construction industry focus on the basics or marketing too little and sometimes too late. They skimp on the design and development of their website, forget about internal marketing and service and just lose sight on creating value for customers.
So how can you stand out in the market? Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts of property marketing to consider.
Do try using multiple channels. Mix traditional channels such as eye-catching and informative brochures, leaflets and business cards with a responsive website and e-mailers. Don’t rule out social media as it’s a key driver of traffic to your website and is a great way to engage with prospective buyers.
Do have attractive images of your properties. Always hire a professional photographer, camera phones just won’t cut it I’m afraid. Property not built yet? Ask the developers for CGI’s of the property which if they have, are a fantastic tool to sell properties not even built yet.
Do target audiences. Be clever with your advertising and make sure the right people are likely to see it. Extreme example: Advertising retirement properties in Kent in a young professional’s magazine for London isn’t likely to be successful. Social media is great for the digital, on-the-move generation whereas magazines, newspapers and billboards work very well for other audiences.
Do after sales service. Going that extra mile after the sale is a great way to encourage those golden word of mouth referrals and recommendations. Thank previous customers, sending a small welcome to your new home gift or card or even getting in contact a few months after the sale to ask if they settled in ok are great examples.
Do push your USPs. What you do, how you do it and your ethos can all be unique selling points which set you apart from competitors so make sure they sit at the heart of all your marketing and communication messages.
Don’t reject new or untried marketing ideas. Be creative a try to reach new markets in new ways. Think about your shop frontage, local adverts, vehicle graphics, email mailers, press releases and articles or even teaming up with local businesses or sponsorships etc. Don’t be afraid to try new avenues of marketing.
Don’t upload just one photo. Images are being more and more important in this digital age so the more (professional and attractive) photos the better. Otherwise you risk people thinking that there’s something to hide?
Don’t ignore questions or engagements. Answer all questions and queries in a timely manner and honestly! Being upfront and open communicate back helps build relationships and positive, trustworthy opinions of your agency. This is really important as people are increasingly taking to social media to ask questions and make complaints so make sure you have a policy and training in place to handle public comments.
Don’t forget to update your website. Sold STC? Then remove it from your website. Hot properties still waiting to being uploaded? Get them out there! Failure to keep your website updated and slow uploads and removals risks a negative impact on your image and potentially lost sales.
Don’t forget to carry out additional marketing activities. Marketing works best when it’s a group effort of different, consistent marketing activities that could be digital campaigns, regular leaflet drops or email mailers, regular advertisements, frequent press releases or daily social media activities etc. The challenge is to catch buyers or sellers at the right time so consistency is key in making sure you’re at the forefront of their mind when it’s time for them to buy/sell.
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