This time of year is when it traditionally starts to get quieter, so, whilst keeping on top of the normal day to day duties, now is the time to start laying the foundations for next year.
We all know it, and we are all thinking it - when the time comes for flights to start up again and restrictions will be lifted, there will be a mini property boom, before things gradually even out again to what would be considered 'normality' - so, how are you going to make the most of it, and what are you doing to prepare for it?
Now is the time to look at your marketing channels, and decide on what is working for you and what isn’t – so, is there a reason as to why it wasn’t working? Is there something you could improve with your property listings, or is the property portal itself not attracting the right type of people for your target market? There is so much more to a property portal, rather than just adding property listings and hoping for the best.
Maybe, you’ve considered utilising Social Media Marketing more, but haven’t got round to looking into it, or don’t know how it can benefit you, on top of what you are doing already. Facebook is one of the biggest marketing channels out there given that there are billions of people that use it internationally. It’s a fabulous way of generating brand awareness and interest for your properties, without having to pay for advertising, plus you can share properties to groups, boost posts, share your website, share news stories, the list is endless. Facebook also goes one further and does offer paid advertising options too, where you can advertise to a specified target market, and receive leads directly from potential buyers.
Is there a way that you could be more efficient in order to keep in contact with your database? Are you doing email marketing and if so, what are you sending, and how often are you sending it? We know that first impressions count for a lot when it comes to marketing your properties, so best to keep the information nice and simple, without annoying your subscribers by sending newsletters every other day. It’s also a good idea to keep things fresh, so introduce different themes to your mailers, which cover every aspect of the market, regardless of what your audience is looking for. Have you also ensured that you are attracting new people to your database, by adding a sign up link on your website or onto your emails?
Could you also be more efficient with how you are providing your properties to the portals, or maybe you already have an xml feed provider in place, but they are costing you too much, or not providing the service you have paid for? You may have seen our article last week on what an XML feed is, but quite simply it’s a bridge between your website & the property portal, meaning you don’t have to upload, edit or delete property listings manually, it’s all done automatically. There are numerous solutions for XML feeds, check out our article on this here.
In summary, the key thing you need to take out of this is Analysis, and it’s something we beat on about all the time. Analyse your property marketing, and how you promote your listings, and you might just find there are one or even two things that could just make things easier or better for you in the long run. Property Marketing is not just about throwing things on a wall, and hoping it sticks, it’s so much more complex than that, and yes, admittedly we don’t promise to provide all the services and solutions, but the ones we do provide could be game changing.
Property Portal Marketing offers International Estate Agents a specialized and outsourced marketing solution for all your needs, including Portals, Social Media, Emails, XML Feeds plus website design/build and hosting, so if you need any advice or further help, please do visit our website to see our full range of services, or contact us.
