The internet and the evolution of social media have forever changed the way marketers do business and this includes real estate. If you are considering selling your home you need a real estate proessional who understands the need for extensive online marketing. When looking to test a real estate professionals internet marketing ask some of these questions: Do you have a website? There are 245,203,319 internet users in the United States, that is 78.1 % of the population. According to the National Association of Realtors, 88% of homebuyers shopped online for a home. Do you have a mobile website that is enabled for iPhone, iPad and Android devices? 4.8 billion people now own mobile phones. Just 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. Do you have a blog? Social media sites and blogs reach 80% of all U.S. internet users. Do you have a Facebook business page? Facebook is the most important social media lead generation tool for b2c marketers with 77% saying they had had acquired a customer through Facebook. Do you market on Twitter? There are now roughly 100 million active Twitter users (those who log in at least once per day). Do you have a You Tube channel? YouTube has 490 million users worldwide (unique visitors per month). It generates an estimated 92 billion page views each month. The average user spends an average of 25 minutes on the site each time they visit. Do you share information on LinkedIn? There are over 57 million users on LinkedIn in the United States. You need a real estate professional who leverages all of these outlets to market your home.]]>
Video Marketing in Real Estate
Video marketing is the wave of the future. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is true how much is a video worth? According to Dr. James McQuivery of Forrester Research a one minute video is worth 1.8 million words. Imagine being able to convey a 1.8 million word message to a consumer in just 60 seconds. Social media sites like You Tube are allowing real estate professionals the opportunity to create messages and have them go viral all over the internet. One statistic that You Tube likes to tout is that in the very near future 90% of web traffic will be video. This may or may not be true but what we do know is that buyers and sellers search the internet and are drawn to videos. But what better way to advertise a home for sale than to have the homeowner tell its story. Here are some video marketing ideas that you can do to help your agent sell your home: Give the buyer a personal showing Grab your camera or smartphone and take prospective buyers on a walking tour of your home and go ahead this is your chance to brag. Go on a neighborhood tour Drive or walk through your community pointing out areas of interest like schools, businesses and parks. Get a few video testimonials Bring your camera to the best advertising there is for the area; the neighbors! Capture video testimonials from friendly neighbors touting why it is such a great place to live. ]]>
Why Should I Advertise My Home for Sale on Facebook?
There are currently over 900 million people on Facebook with 526 million daily active users. So why not advertise where people are? It only makes sense to get the maximum exposure when you are trying to sell your home. Facebook makes this possible in a way that is unique to online marketing and you should expect from your real estate professional that Facebook is part of the marketing plan. Real estate has always been something that online consumers search for from the comfort of their home and now mobile device. There is a shift in our society to communicating and searching for information online, traditional advertising models may not be as effective as they were in past. Facebook offers the ability to target an audience like never before and the opportunity for your message to go viral or across the internet. Here are a few questions to ask when looking at hiring a real estate professional when it comes to Facebook. 1. Do they have a Facebook business page? 2. What does it look like? Is it professionally designed? The way they market is a reflection of how your home will be marketed. 3. Does the Facebook page have a property search? 4. Does the Facebook business page have a way to capture the lead or inquiry? 5. Will your home be promoted on Facebook with photos, and written descriptions?]]>
Internet Marketing for Sellers
Is your real estate agent an expert marketer? Today, buyers use the internet more than any other source to find a home. It is vital that your real estate agent use a fully, integrated marketing plan to sell your home. Here are just a few things you will want to make sure your agent has:
- A website
- An IDX property search
- A way for buyers to search for homes from a mobile device
- A blog
- A Facebook business page
- A Twitter account
- A You Tube channel and video marketing
Don't Work with an Agent who Doesn't Use Social Media
Did you know over 70% of consumers are utilizing social tools throughout the home buying and selling process. As a home buyer or seller you need a real estate agent who knows how to leverage the tremendous power of social media. This blog is more than a blog, it is only one part of a connected internet machine. All of the components of this internet marketing machine help buyers find homes and seller advertise their property. Here is what makes it tick: 1. A Website A real estate website that has an easy and constantly updated property search. 2. A WordPress blog WordPress provides good search engine optimization (SEO), allows for consumers to get helpful real estate information and search for property. 3. A Facebook business page Advertise where your customers already are and they are on Facebook. The Facebook business page has a unique property search within Facebook and connects to all other social networks. 4. A custom Twitter page Every post on a social media channel helps with search engine optimization or getting found online. Advertising properties on Twitter reaches a very active internet audience. 5. A custom You Tube channel You Tube is the second largest search engine and has over 800 million unique users each month providing the perfect place to advertise homes for sale. 6. A robust LinkedIn profile LinkedIn operates in 200 countries and is one of the most widely used social networks. 7. A mobile website Mobile marketing will account for 15.2% of global online ad spend by 2016. (Berg Insight, 2012). Having a mobile web site allows for your property to come up higher in a mobile search and be viewed more easily on a mobile device such as an iPad, iPhone or Android device. ]]>