2014 was great, especially for marketing and online marketing. We have seen several things change and some other things that simply faded away. 2015 will bring new challenges and new ways to market. Here are some trends I see happening in 2015.
Marketing will focus on personalization
In years past we have seen a set it and forget it approach in marketing. It has been in everything from email marketing campaigns to social media marketing campaigns. Social media has transformed marketing in a weird way. It has given people choices of what they want to see and when to see it. If you are to sales oriented on social media, it turns people off. I often remind people to think of the last time they walked up to someone and said “I am listing a 2 bedroom 1 bath NOW” before they said hello. This is exactly what happens on social media when agents simply post properties. People are looking for answers to particular questions and often times our marketing efforts are general or generic. This focus will change not only in 2015, but moving forward.
Social media will become social again
Social media sites like Facebook have been bombarded with marketing advice that focused on brand building. This is not bad advice, however as real estate agents it does not translate to business in a timely manner. For real estate, time is definitely money and agents are becoming wise to the communication aspects of social networks. I find it funny because these networks were built on social communication and real estate was also built on social communication too. In real estate we typically call social communication referring. Social networks will be less about the branding and more about the communication and networking person to person in 2015. Let this be a lesson to agents who are still operating in the Facebook world of 2010, it is not about your business page. Use Facebook as a telephone book and not like a classified ad. Social media ad spending will increase
If you are an established agent or would like higher conversion rates through online marketing, ads are where you should start. Brands realize the importance of social media marketing not like years past, but in terms of using its database. Facebook in particular has already helped this cause because of its recent changes that limit organic post reach. The smart agents have already begun creating ads and running them on social networks. I mentioned not using Facebook as a classified ad, however if you are paying for it I would highly recommend it. Make sure your ads are creatively worded and targeted to people who do not like your page but are interested in the area.
For example, here in Tucson we have a huge cycling community. On the east side of Tucson we have a National park which is a place cyclist love. A Facebook ad for this would have a picture of the home with the desert background and would read “Cyclist Dream Home – Close to National Park” and I would target cyclist, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
The power of social media is the database they have collected over the past 10 years. We all have social accounts and they are all free! Remember that if the account is free, you are the product. By liking a page, clicking an ad and even filling out the profile we are providing information to Facebooks database which they then use to target ads. It may seem a little intrusive, however I know I have found great websites and purchase great products based on my profile. Facebook almost knows me better then I know myself.
What ways do you see marketing changing in 2015? Please let us know here at Lance & Company and if we can help you in your real estate marketing please feel free to contact us at 750-8888.
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