DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF your office, it’s not always feasible to have a dedicated marketing resource. And every dollar you spend needs to count. But effective marketing doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Elite Agent Magazine gathered four of superbrand LJ Hooker’s most experienced marketers across strategy, community, PR and digital to find out what really works to help you get your 2016 marketing strategy underway.
FOR SOME principals, the thought of developing a marketing plan can be daunting. In real estate competition is generally tough and you need to get your business to stand out from the crowd. Sometimes a bad experience with a promotional piece that you thought was great but didn’t get the exposure you were hoping has led to a loss of confidence. For others, lack of experience leaves them wondering where to start.
But marketing does not have to be hard or expensive. As we found out from our expert panel, it just takes a little planning and some commitment to the cause to be successful.
Says Heather, “The main thing is don’t get overwhelmed by the words ‘marketing strategy’ or ‘marketing plan’. Think about, and write down, who is your target audience and what you are trying to achieve. If you just answer those two simple questions, you probably then need to think about your budget and then go and do something and do it really well.”
She also points out that consistency is really important. “You may try something once and then the phone doesn’t ring, so you don’t do it again; whereas I think when it comes to real estate consistency is so important. Whether you take your traditional letterbox drop or an ad in the local newspaper, if you just do it once then it becomes all about timing; and if you don’t get that instant gratification it can be a mistake to just move on.”
Sarah says, “I agree with Heather, and would like to add that you shouldn’t just think of one medium; look at different sources. For example, in PR you have to think about paid content and editorial. It’s making sure that you are where your target market is, and where they are watching or reading. Some people forget PR as part of marketing, but it’s important to include that too. If you go the ‘scattergun approach’ – a bit here and a bit there – it is going to be a bit hit and miss; but if you are there consistently, month in and month out, you will be top of mind and naturally get that call when the person starts their decision-making process.”
And for Lara, whose specialty is digital marketing, the recommendation is also around measurement and return on investment. “There’s a lot of talk in the industry about being an ‘attractive’ brand and how to achieve that. But you need to do the work on creating good content that solves your audience’s problems and addresses what they want to know. Then understand the data that comes back, measure each piece of content’s effectiveness, try different things, but use the data to make decisions.”
“You can also measure other types of marketing, not just digital,” adds Heather. “Refining your strategy could be really simple, like asking any client who comes into contact with you, ‘How did you hear about us?’ And then if they say they’ve seen something in the newspaper, delve a little deeper. Was it property advertising or did they see one of our other ads? If I’ve got one or two listings, the ad has just paid for itself. Then ask yourself how you can improve it. Keep doing that and then add something else into it as you become more successful at generating leads, whether it is sales or property management.”
And, lastly, for some people help is already at hand. “Don’t forget, if you are part of a group, you need to lean on the experts within your group to help you,” says Sarah. “For example, within our network we have so many tools and templates to help you along the way. We can make some things pretty easy and automated, and there is always a live person on the phone to help. Don’t be afraid to reach out!”
Branding/Community Marketing
Heather says:
1 You really have to be active in the local community; it’s so important from a networking point of view and from a branding point of view. Don’t just sponsor the Under 13s’ soccer club; you need to really partner with community groups and not be just one of many. If you are going to do it, get absorbed in it. Sometimes it will come down to dollars. Can you buy them a marque? If you have a copywriter on staff, offer to help get their flyers produced. Think outside the square as it’s not always about giving money.
2 Look at cost of sale. I know a few of our offices; they have really big community initiatives which cost big dollars, but they know it directly contributes to listings. Measure the outcomes. Some offices can’t say no to anyone, which is lovely, and they might end up sponsoring 20 different groups. My attitude is that you should choose a few and provide real value to those groups where the mutual benefits are the greatest. It might be that instead of being with the soccer club you’re better doing good work for the retirement village, depending on whether your audience is older or younger.
3 Tell everybody, and leverage the good work that you’re doing. Get yourself out of the real estate pages into the general news. That is so powerful, and will ultimately get you recognised.
Public Relations (PR)
Sarah says:
4 Foster good relationships. When you look at PR, you’re looking at who your targets are. Who are the journalists you need to know? Foster key relationships with those people. They are constantly looking for ideas, so don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and float ideas to them about your local area. It’s a bit of give and take; if you help them, they will help you. If you have an interesting sale, pick up the phone.
5 Be a thought leader. Really distinguish yourself from your competitors by knowing what’s happening in your marketplace and position yourself as the market expert. If you are out there being a thought leader, your prospects will pick up the phone for you when they are ready to make a real estate decision.
6 Think about PR holistically and not just as press. Word of mouth is the most powerful referrer and one of the most powerful tools. So if you’re making sure that every customer experience is a positive one – or even if it’s a a negative one, don’t be afraid to assist in resolving that – that person will become one of your biggest advocates.
Digital
Marcus says:
7 Understand your customers and potential customers: Focus on the social channel where your target customers live and make your destination valuable to them; what is happening in the area, local news, helpful articles, expert advice, property of the week, PR/news editorial and fun content. Make the channel a great local place for your customers to visit and enjoy, and mix it up!
8 Think about creating a content calendar for your local area and focus on one key channel before moving to the next. Do not spread yourself too thin trying to get your website updated, emails out, social media posted, SEO optimised but then not doing any of them effectively. Consider using video as a content type across the digital channels, as video is a great way to connect with your audience in a quality way. Make sure you choose a great video production company and get examples of their work. Videos do not need to be just about your property listings. Create local market reports, profile yourself, your customers, ask for business, and provide handy tips and advice.
9 Know who’s talking about you: Set up Google alerts for your office or your name and be aware when you are mentioned in the digital channels. It’s an efficient and easy way to monitor your name and be able to respond where needed.
Lara says:
10 I think everyone needs to have great SEO, and it has to be intuitive. If I’m searching for a real estate agent in, for example, Newtown, I’m probably not going to search for a person or a brand name. I’m going to search for something like ‘Best agent in Newtown’ or something like that. That is what you should optimise your SEO for.
11 The second most searched search engine on the web is YouTube. So make videos about problems that your audience wants solved. Answer questions. This will definitely bring the people in. Things like steps to buying a home, compliance things and other informative pieces, like what is the best local high school.
12 Think mobile. First thing in the morning, we check our phones. After we go to bed, we do the same. Google has done a lot of research on these ‘micro moments’ when people are making decisions about somewhere they want to go, what they want to do, what they want to buy. There are a lot of great resources there that you can leverage (visit thinkwithgoogle.com).
