Property marketing trends are always changing, and that’s no different in 2021. Whether through market changes, current events or simply a shift in people’s behaviour, the areas where you need to spend your time evolve from year to year. To make sure you are making the most of your marketing budget and attracting your ideal clients, these are changes you must keep on top of.
To help make things easier, we’ve broken down the main areas where estate agents can see some real results. While some may be new property marketing trends that you can implement this year, others may simply involve a bit of tweaking to your current strategy. Here are the key property marketing trends to keep in mind for 2021.
Virtual Tours
It’s no surprise that after the events of 2020, virtual tours have seen a huge surge in popularity and show no signs of disappearing any time soon. Allowing potential buyers to get a realistic first look at a property without having to set foot inside, they offer a fantastic solution for minimising contact and cutting down on unnecessary appointments.
There are a couple of different ways you can explore the possibilities of virtual tours. The first is a simple walk through that takes the viewer through every room with the convenience of a short and simple video. This helps buyers to instantly get a better grasp of the layout and size of the home compared to still images and floorplans.
Alternatively, you can opt for a 360 virtual tour, where a special camera is used to transform images of the property into a fully interactive and immersive 3D experience that buyers can navigate themselves. Not only can these help your listings stand out, they can also boost engagement and increase time on your site. To experience it for yourself, you can take a look at a sample tour here.
Want to find out more about virtual tours? Get in touch and we’ll be happy to help!
Aerial Drones
Tying into the convenience of virtual tours, aerial drone photography and videos provide an easy way for potential buyers to see the true size of a property as well as its surrounding features. Location is everything when it comes to buying a property, and being able to instantly see the area surrounding a home can give people a better idea if the property suits their needs.
While some people value a close-knit community, others will much prefer having plenty of wide open space around them. Similarly, it drone shots can give a better idea of proximity to amenities like shops and schools.
Drone photography can be used to market any kind of property, though it is particularly valuable for homes with plenty of land or special features like a stable or a swimming pool that you can show from a unique perspective. Finally, using an aerial shot as a hero image is also a great way to get your listings to stand out on property portals and get more clicks.
Email Newsletters
With clients feeling less inclined to pop in and see you and the possibility of more office closures on the way, it’s important that you keep lines of communication open. While social media gets a lot of hype (and is still very important for brand awareness), when it comes to communicating with your clients, email remains king.
Studies have shown time and time again that email marketing has a far higher ROI than social media at an astounding 4200%. When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Social media algorithms are increasingly showing our content to fewer and fewer people in a push for paid advertising. But emails land straight to your client’s inbox, where the average person spends 3.1 hours a day.
It’s great to have a strong social media presence, it’s getting people onto your email list that will really help you get results. For more information about email marketing and some ideas to get you started, take a look at our blog post here.
High-Quality Content
Content remains a highly valuable part of your marketing tool kit, costing 62% less than outbound tactics but generating 3x as many leads. However, as with pretty much everything digital, it has evolved considerably in recent years.
While a keyword-stuffed 500 word post used to be enough to get plenty of hits on your website, today the average length of a high-ranking post is more like 1500 words. What’s more, there has been a huge shift to providing true value to your audience with content that is relevant, detailed and useful.
To achieve this, you need to first think about who you want to attract to your site. In most cases, this will be people looking to sell a home in your local area. Then, you need to think about the questions they may have that you can answer. Not only will this provide value but it will position you as an expert in your field, making you the first port of call when the time comes for vendors to put their house on the market.
Live Streaming
Putting out live videos can be daunting, but the results speak for themselves. Search Engine Journal found that Facebook live posts deliver on average 178% higher engagement than regular posts. The same study showed that over a 2 month period they increased referral traffic by 213%. That’s because people are watching video more and more, with over half of online users doing so every single day.
But again, as with written content, the most effective videos are those that benefit the audience in some way, whether that’s through testimonials, demonstrations or tutorials. One of the great things about live streaming is that you don’t need any high-end equipment to do it. The camera on your phone is more than enough to get started.
Along with providing value, the key to success with live video is to build an authentic connection with your audience. You can achieve this by simply being yourself and trying your best to relax. This is easier said than done for most people, but the more you practice going live the better you will become.
Conclusion
So there you have it, five property marketing trends for 2021 that you should definitely consider using. While some will bring you instant results, others (like email and content marketing) take consistency and time to build up. Once you do, however, you’ll find that you reap the benefits for many months down the line.
If you’d like to explore the prospect of aerial drone photography and video or virtual tours, we would love to help. Head over to our contact page or send an email to info@cjpropertymarketing.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
