As technology and the internet continue to evolve so do our marketing strategies. If we think back to 10 years ago, things like Facebook or even our smart phones didn't play as large of a roll in our lives. These technologies have become so integral in our day that they have become second nature. So too has our reliance on using them to market to potential customers. So where does the future of real estate marketing lie? Who knows, but there are a few emerging technologies that are starting to gain traction.
Digital Assistants are Changing Searches
Have you ever pulled out your iPhone and asked Siri a question only to have her search the internet for you? I do it all the time, especially in the car. Why type when you can tell Siri what you want and have her find it? Siri is a digital assistant and she is quickly changing how we interact with search engines and how we optimize websites. If you sell real estate in Chicago, you used to try and target keywords like "Chicago Real Estate" or "Homes in Chicago." Keywords are now becoming much longer and even phrased as questions such as "What 3 bedroom homes are for sale in Wicker Park?" In turn, this has forced us to place less emphasis on shorter or more general keywords that are usually more competitive. Long-tailed kewords are becoming more prevelent and can be more easily targeted through a little keyword research and blogging. So when you start working on the SEO of your website or think about blog ideas, think about Siri and you people might use Siri to find your website.
Location Based Marketing
Have you walked into a retail location and had an advertisement pop up on your phone? Well if you havent, you might start seeing more of this. Bluetooth beacons are starting to become popular in commercial locations to help communicate information, sales, or specials to customers through their mobile devise. Bluetooth is the same technology that allows you to talk on your phone through your car's stereo system or play music from you phone wirelessly with a speaker. Bluetooth beacons are becoming very common, Facebook is even providing free beacons to businesses to help them engage customers through Facebook while the customer is on location. Bluetooth beacons basically send out a signal to your phone as you get within range. They can tie into mobile apps to provide content to your phone. So how does this apply to real estate? Imgine you were driving in your car or attending an open house and you came across a home that interested you. If it had a bluetooth beacon it could automatically load all the information about that listing; bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage and price-- it could provide a virtual flyer. This technology is already out there and will more than likely become commonplace very soon. Check out Beamly to learn more about their Bluetooth beacon
Capturing Customer Experience
The buzzword that seems to be prevelant in the digital marketing world is Customer Experience (CX). Customer experience is the product of an interaction between an organization and a customer over the duration of their relationship. This interaction includes a customer's attraction, awareness, discovery, cultivation, advocacy, purchase and use of a service. From a marketing standpoint the companies are trying to capture this experience through social media to develop brand advocates that share their experience, which in turn helps build customer trust and promotes the business. It's a social strategy that markets the business through word of mouth across a variety of social media channels. Hashtag campaigns are a great example of ways that businesses are promoting customer experience. REI is currently running one of these campaign for Black Friday. It is their #OptOut campaign. Some offices may have already adopted similar strategies that are worth exploring. If you can build a groundswell of people saying great things about your agents or their homebuying experience it is definitely worth capturing.
These examples are a couple of ways that digital marketing is currently evolving along with many others. To stay on top of your game be sure to subscribe to our Digital Marketing Blog and/or follow Prime on Twitter.
