Think there is no room for innovation in a competitive industry like real estate? Think again! The aim of this article is to bring some ideas from real estate marketers in the UK across the pond, to help agents over in the US.
Sure, the UK real estate market is crowded, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to gain the upper hand. If you do what every other estate agent is doing—starting an email campaign, promoting on social, blogging, and asking for testimonials—your results will be average, and you’ll not achieve a competitive edge.
Instead of taking the usual route, why not employ something unique to set yourself apart from the competition? Use these distinctive real estate marketing strategies that average estate agents aren’t using, and you’ll get extraordinary results.
1. Build a Profile on Rightmove
Rightmove is like the UK equivalent of Zillow in the US. Anyone in the UK real estate industry knows the importance of Rightmove. However, not many are willing to use the power of Rightmove to their advantage.
With over 130 million visits a month, Rightmove is the biggest property portal in the UK. Due to its massive audience size, Rightmove has become one of the primary resource sellers, and buyers are turning to these days to research the market and search for clients.
By advertising on Rightmove, you’re putting your properties in front of the biggest audience of UK home movers. The more people who see your properties, the higher your chances of selling your property fast.
Moreover, being on Rightmove is a great way to create brand awareness if you’re an estate agent. Plus, having an account on Rightmove gives you access to exclusive member benefits. For example, you gain access to tools and market intelligence reports that can help you create data-driven marketing strategies.
Rightmove is no doubt a perfect place to market your property and make a quick sale.
But, if you’re working on a tight deadline and you need to sell your home fast so you can relocate or settle a financial emergency, you might want to consider selling your house to a property buying company such as SellHouseQuickly.co.uk.
Most of the “We Buy Houses for Cash” companies promise a quick sale—an exchange of contract within 24 hours and money in the bank within days. And the catch? You won’t sell it for top dollar. But you’ll get a fair price.
2. Setup Your Google My Business Page
Google My Business is the latest in Google location pages.
Creating a Google My Business account makes it easy for homebuyers to find you in Google search and Google Maps.
Keep in mind that over 80% of people go to search engines like Google to find a local business when they need one. Setting up a Google My Business Account promotes location-based SEO, optimizing your estate agent website for local searches.
To set up a local business page on Google, head to google.com/business and click “Manage Now.” Then enter your business information, starting with your business name and location.
When entering your business name, make sure to choose keywords that reflect the nature of your business. For example, you could use “John Doe East London Estate Agent” or any realty or estate agent-related keywords.
3. Build a System for Referrals
How do you reward past clients? Make sure they’re actively bringing in new clients by:
- Offering incentives that will motivate them to refer more clients
- Offering special discounts for new and returning clients
Referral marketing is a surefire way to grow your business and maintain a healthy pipeline of leads. According to industry experts, 82% of all real estate transactions come from repeat and referral businesses. And it makes sense because most people (92%, to be precise) trust peer recommendations over brand advertising.
But how do you build a system for referrals?
One way is by implementing a real estate referral program that is easy to personalize and simple to use. Alternatively, you could invest in real estate CRM that offers referral marketing tools. Most CRMs offer these features since the core function of a CRM is relationship building.
Here are some incentives you can offer to keep the connection active
Offer Financial Incentives
People tend to appreciate financial incentives more than any other kind of reward. So, offering financial incentives will motivate your past clients to bring in more referrals.
Give Holiday Gift Cards
Holiday gift cards are a great way to appreciate your loyal customers. Even a simple Thank You card can do the trick.
Offer a Helping Hand
You could extend your hand to help buyers with the relocation. Moving is the most stressful part of buying a home, so your help here will forever be ingrained in their memory.
4. Partner with Local Businesses
Developing fruitful relationships with other local businesses will enhance your real estate marketing efforts.
Use your local connections and partner with home décor companies, clothing boutiques, and coffee shops to promote your listings, then invite them to your open houses. This helps to put your name before potential clients and establish an authority in real estate.
In addition to partnering with local businesses, it’s also important to get involved with local organizations and charities. Becoming a part of your community is key to showing the integrity of your business while staying in touch with the locals. You could:
- Sponsor a school event
- Hold a fundraiser
- Sponsor local charities
Participating in local events can help you build personal connections while giving back to the community. Your role as a friendly fixer in your community will yield lasting relationships and position you as a credible estate agent.
5. Leverage Real Estate Webinars
Webinars are gaining more traction in the real estate industry since they provide potential buyers with access to top-level courses that were once reserved for professionals.
Webinars are excellent marketing tools for three reasons:
- They help to position you as a leader in your industry
- They help create brand awareness
- They help instill buyer confidence in your services
Nobody wants to leave their hard-earned money in the hands of an amateur, so positioning yourself as a leader in the industry is critical.
Besides, buyers need absolute trust and reliability from the agent they choose. They want to be sure that the estate agent they choose knows the market and the rules and regulations to help you with the home buying process.
And launching a series of webinars that teaches various aspects of real estate can help to solidify their confidence in you. Hosting webinars with popularly searched topics like “Real Estate Financing” can garner you a lot of views and potential clients.
To Sum It Up
Real estate marketing doesn’t need to be costly to generate results. All you need is to know where to target and the right tactics to use. By employing these unique real estate strategies, you’ll certainly see results and scale your business.
