Alberta now has the distinction of being home to the highest proportion of peak Millennial homeowners in Canada with the baby boomer population now moving into mass retirement - downsizing and/or relocating to warmer climates. As a result, they are fast becoming the most important generation for consumer spending growth, now moving into their prime spending years. Their research process is highly based on online research - comparison and reviewing. Most respond to authenticity and transparency, and rely on customer reviews to make informed decisions.
What can you do to differentiate yourself?
1) Live Stream On Social Media
Facebook’s algorithms will be changing yet once again in 2018 that will greatly reduce business page exposure unless you pay for it. Facebook live streaming will help boost your page’s visibility and increase engagement for free. According to Search Engine Journal, engagement for Facebook Live was 178% higher than an average post engagement. The organic feel compared to staged videos and the opportunity for the audience to interact in real time has been very effective in leveraging digital marketing.
Tips:
• Create a Facebook Event – A great way to let your subscribers know of an upcoming live broadcast so they know exactly when to expect them. Be sure to post this across all your social media channels.
• The obvious choice is livestreaming an open house, but try to be different and include interviewing local businesses, home reno how to’s, home staging advice, favorite neighborhood haunts or community events.
2) Utilize 3D Interactive Experiences
Alberta also has a high number of people who travel for work and home buyers relocating from out of province / country. Professionals who work remotely, see incredible value in using virtual tours to search for their next home when working out of town and as more and more learn about this technology, this will inevitably lead to expectations to list their homes with a virtual tour.
Tips:
• Be sure to take the time to embed your virtual tour to your website and utilize virtual tour GIF’s or unique video teasers like social media teaser add-ons on social media with a call-to- action. For the same cost of a traditional video walk-through of an average home; you could have both a virtual tour and a teaser video. This will peak buyer interest, drive traffic to your website and help boost google search rankings.
• Matterport is one of the only virtual tour services available that has the ability to add hotspots (Mattertags) directly into the tours to make them more engaging; giving Realtors the opportunity to highlight any home features they may want their audience to know such as granite counter tops, recent home upgrades or even an external link to sign up for an upcoming open house. Videos, photo slideshows and PDF links can also be embedded directly into the tours.
• 2D Floorplans can also be generated from the scans as a very affordable add-on. When you consider the cost of traditional floorplans for larger homes running into several hundred dollars – you may find Matterport service providers who offer this alternative for only $80-$150 for any size home.
3) Follow The 80/20 Rule
Remember the 80/20 Rule – The cardinal rule of social media marketing strategies state that 80% of your posts should inform, educate and entertain your audience, while only 20% should directly promote your business.
Utilize the professional network you have built around your business. Reach out to contractors about live streaming or video recording - providing an informative piece on how to update their home. (The single most important indicator of someone preparing to sell their house is making home improvements)
Tip:
• Interview a local business preferably with a large social media following for maximum exposure and create a contest giveaway using their services or a product to increase engagement.
4) Start A Blog
Establish your credibility by starting a blog keeping the 80/20 rule in mind. ‘Be a resource, not a sales pitch’. Including non-real estate related content like an activity or charity causes you are passionate about, lifestyle - local businesses and community events or even a memorable experience with a past client will not only boost credibility as a real estate professional but help cultivate authenticity and transparency that makes you unique and more relatable.
Blogs are also integral to boosting your google search rankings. We all know Google loves web traffic but you need ways to keep your audience on your site longer and visit
multiple pages for Google to recognize your site as something of value to people. Providing informative blogs will not only keep your audience there longer, but highlighting key points and strategically linking them to other pages within your site for your audience to explore will show Google that your site has substance.
Your blogs could also show up on searches un-relatable to real estate (remember including non-real estate related content mentioned earlier?) That will provide another way for people to find you and keep you on top of mind when the time comes to sell or buy a home.
For those who simply don’t have the time or ability to write a blog, consider outsourcing to copywriters. Be cautious about contracting out to companies that offer low-cost articles. These are often poorly written and lacking in substance which could potentially tarnish your reputation and come off as unauthentic. Another approach is to invite professionals from your local business network to guest-blog an article for your site. This offers even more exposure with an opportunity to reach their subscribers as well.
Closing
More and more real estate professionals are shifting their focus to digital marketing and as strategies continue to evolve, it’s important to continue to find unique ways to build and promote your brand at a time when everyone’s Facebook feeds are inundated with photo slideshows of new listings. Staying on top of current digital marketing trends will not only help to differentiate yourself but when executed with authenticity in mind, it will compel your audience to relate with you on a more personal level and begin to develop that trust long before they even seek out your services and finally meet you in person.