Real Estate Marketing Ideas Through Social Media

Gone are the days when all property listings were found in printed materials. Nowadays, people are more likely to go online than to look at printed ads. And since putting up ads and information online is so cheap and easy, everyone is doing it. Though social media is available for everyone to use, taking advantage of certain strategies can give one distinct advantage in this playing field. Here are some great marketing ideas for real estate through social media.

Image source: titlequest.net

In this search engine driven market, choosing the right words can make or break a sale. Be smart when making titles. When doing so, think about what your potential client will be typing in the search engine and use those. 

The people who visit your website might not be the one to invest in your real estate, but they might know someone who could be interested. By making it easier to share materials like images to social media, viewers can easily share what they find with friends or family who are looking for real estate. 

Lastly, the all-powerful Facebook is a door to many opportunities. Think about creating your own company page and participate in groups within the locale of your company or the properties you are selling. 

Image source: deltamediagroup.com

Steven Rindner was the practice director for Perfect Sense Digital, where he developed and executed business strategies for clients such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, VetStreet, and Besins Healthcare. He also served as executive vice president of Kastle Systems International, senior vice president at Citigroup, and senior vice president at AOL. For more insights on real estate, follow this blog.

The role of customer decision journey in business development

Ever since it was developed, the sales funnel system has been the primary framework in business development. It is the process of finding and connecting with prospects to turn them into leads, and eventually to customers and repeat buyers. It has been the ideal setup, for a long time, in ensuring that a business avoid losing or “spilling” potential customers – individuals or other businesses.

The concept stems from the marketing tool AIDA, which means attention, interest, desire, action, and has the objective of building customer relationships.

Image source: digitaltonto.com

In the modern environment, though, the sales and marketing process is anything but linear, which is an assumption in the sales funnel system. There is a need for businesses to determine the different factors that affect customer behaviors to make sure that marketing resources and effort spent are converted into real sales.

This is where the customer decision journey (CDJ) steps in.

CDJ veers away from the funnel and focuses on the “circular” or looping journey a customer undergoes in deciding to purchase a product or service. Its phases are the following: initial consideration of the brand or supplier, active evaluation or information gathering about potential purchases, closure of the transaction, and post-purchase wherein the consumer experiences the product or service.

Image source: ijad.co

By applying CDJ, a business can find out what matters to consumers, where to channel resources to maximize results, and foster a healthy relationship between marketing and sales.

Business executive Steven Rindner has a strong background in business and corporate development and growth strategy across various industries, namely, healthcare, media, technology, and real estate. Subscribe to this blog for more business articles.

Instagram Your Brand: Five Tested Marketing tips

There are now 400 million active users of Instagram, making it one of the most used social media sites on a daily basis. Launched in 2010, Instagram has become more than a photo gallery for personal use. In fact, a lot of companies are now making their brands "instagrammable."

How companies can maximize Instagram depends on the product or service that they offer. It is, of course, impossible for a company dealing with corporate services like banks or airlines to come up with a concept similar to beauty brands. However, this doesn’t mean banks, airlines, and other service-oriented companies cannot come up with creative visuals that they can post on their Instagram account.

Here are other five tips on how companies can use Instagram:

- Have a grid concept or a specific theme. Many people are becoming conscious of how their Instagram accounts look like to achieve having an account that people will also call #feedgoals. Some people decide on a particular theme for their posts, example, white borders or a regular font or filter to use for the photos. Others are getting into grids. Having a theme or key elements in the posts – such as white only background or greenery on all posts – will make an account easier on the eyes, thus attracting more followers.

 Image source: Marketingcloud.com 

- Share a story and be consistent. Service-oriented companies like hotels, banks, airlines, and the like can use Instagram to share their company’s mission, vision, and even customer feedbacks, not only through compelling visuals but brief but straightforward captions. It’s best if these stories are posted as a series or on a regular schedule for consistency.

- Hold a promo or contest exclusive to Instagram. This is one of the fail-safe steps on how to gain more followers on Instagram. It also is a good way to establish a hashtag or geotag for the brand, which customers may use even after the promo. According to BrandWatch.com, posts that have hashtags get at least 12.6 percent engagement, and those with location receive 79 percent engagement. This will be helpful especially for physical shops or restaurants.

Image source: Miva.com

- Utilize the video. So, what if Snapchat’s all the rage lately? Instagram has its own video option that brands can use to make interesting content. The embed option makes it easier for companies to use their Instagram videos on their website or blog too.

Cross-post using other accounts. Instagram have its own unique features, but it’s best used with other sites, too. Linking Instagram to Facebook makes promotion easier. With hashtags, which are also recognized on Facebook, brands can leverage their contests or social media buzz once it’s cross-posted on Facebook. Plus, this can lead to additional followers too.
Read more business-related tips and articles on this Steven Rindner blog.