Marketing Trends for Estate Agency in 2017:
360 Drone Attack: I am sure that most readers will have at least seen one drone video online, be it via an agency listing or an update on social media. These videos are growing in popularity and becoming more and more an economical option for showcasing products and I would say one of the best they can show is property / land.
I would suggest that most property with over an acre of land to sell really must look at a drone video for an option in it’s marketing (for estate agents who offer this service it will increase their chances of gaining a listing over their competitor). A fine location can really be captured in a way no other form of marketing can achieve when using drones and it is not limited to showing just the property, if you have a wonderful surrounding location then capture it via drones.
Broadcasting live videos is now even quoted as old hat and taking over will be live 360 broadcasting enabling viewers to not only watch the subject the camera is focused on, but also their surroundings too – Imagine 360 broadcasting within properties where each room visited the watching audiences can look around the room or out in the gardens where they can study each corner as if they were virtually there themselves.
Mark Boyt of Drone Safe Register: “Drone photography is growing each year and now huge in the USA. We are normally 2 years behind the US so 2017 will be busier than ever! A few problems exists currently in that estate agents are using drones without correct insurance, training and CAA permission which is illegal. In 2017 the CAA are looking to prosecute for the very first time. As well as this, agents do not really offer the service as they won’t earn this money back until the home is sold.
There will of course be certain security to be taken in to consideration, but for estate agents across the UK and internationally (especially those selling holiday homes), the chance to get a strong market share online is to provide their clients with the service of having their homes showcased online live to wider audiences.
Mobile phones now allow you to live broadcast and just using your business page on Twitter / Facebook then you have your very own ‘estate agency TV channel’ to air out to.
Shaun Esden of Aztec Films: “Over the last six years filming property for sale we have seen demand increase year on year, people lead very busy lives nowadays and to sift through the amount of homes for sale in their chosen area and price bracket can be tedious and time consuming. Sitting in the comfort of your own home watching films of properties available is a far easier way to pinpoint the ones you want to view. We find it’s a three point advantage to the vendor too, increased viewings, no time wasters (as they’ve seen a full film beforehand) and a memento to keep for the future.
High Quality Content: 2017 will all be about content, content, content and also the quality of that content too. Quite simply by putting up / sharing any kind of content will now not be enough as content writers become cheaper and cheaper to source internationally and we also have technology to provide companies with auto generated content. Being smart with your content will be what achieves you success, your own written and researched content relevant to the current trending news and to your target audiences will be what strikes gold for you – Original images to accompany your updates and if you can adopt video footage too then you are certainly on the right road.
Social Media Savvy: Many in the estate agency industry will know that I have been raving on about social media for years, though less so recently as it has been speaking for itself as such. Just how important tweets, updates, shares, posts, groups, members, channels etc will become is now a highly trending topic across all industries and will show throughout the property industry also.
Those agencies who recognise the value of a target audience following on social media and have adopted current marketing trends that these social platforms offer such as the pre mentioned live video broadcasting and live 360 tours, will have the potential to grab larger market shares.
To read up on more key marketing tips for the Estate / Letting Agency Industry then join the UK’s largest property group on LinkedIn here: Estate Agency on LinkedIn
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