The marketing mantra of 2019 is Keep Improving Your Customer’s Experience.
Brandon Doyle of Doyle Real Estate Team – Re/Max Results and co-author of Mindset, Methods and Metrics – Winning as a Modern Real Estate Agent, highlights four marketing trends to help you be successful in 2019. Thanks in advance, Brandon.
iBuyers are here to stay. Regardless of your own feelings of self-interest or otherwise, iBuyers will continue to proliferate. It’s to your advantage to fully understand how and why iBuyers work so you can successfully compete. Compare and contrast your business model to the iBuyer model to demonstrate your value. Emphasize your agency, your knowledge of market conditions, your knowledge of comparable sales, your knowledge of typical seller concessions, your knowledge of days on the market and your estimated net profit margin for your particular prospective/existing client.
The cost of leads will continue to increase. According to Jessie Beadoin, founder and CEO of CallAction.co, “Rising lead costs and competition will force agents to maximize every lead opportunity as it gets more difficult to get ‘leads on demand.’” It’s becoming easier and easier to set up PPC (pay per click) leads via Google, Facebook, etc. Look into these sources and others.
Agents who focus on creating and building relationships with their prospects and established clients will come out on top. Since there are thousands of websites where anyone can find information about homes on their own, consumers are hungry for agents to become their trusted advisors, agents who explain the buying/selling process clearly and honestly, and agents who are in their corner every step of the way. Since agents report that 60%-90% of their business comes from people they already know, it is WELL WORTH your time and money to invest in creating and developing relationships with people you meet and know INSTEAD of spending your time and money chasing leads.
Make sure your marketing and photography are engaging, crisp and fabulous. In this “resetting” real estate market, there may be one property available for representation whereas there were 50 during the first half of 2018. Know that every listing is your opportunity to showcase your expertise and skills. Make sure the photographic/video images of the property are crisp, engaging, clear and professional. As importantly, make sure the content marketing is crisp, engaging, clear, specific to your target audience/demographic and consistent with your brand and expertise. There is a HUGE difference between providing generic, canned content and providing specific, personalized content.
Make your response time as immediate as possible. In our 24/7 connected culture, consumers expect immediate responses to their requests and questions. If your prospects and existing clients don’t get an immediate response from you, they’ll get it from someone else. Know that the number one way consumers connect with agents is via phone calls, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Be a “speed to lead” agent. AND, have systems in place to continue providing value to consumers, nurturing relationships and re-engaging existing contacts.
