Digital marketing one of the biggest game changers in realty sector

When social media first came about, few could imagine that it would grow from being a platform to connect with your friends to a place where consumers would discover and buy houses. Digital marketing has become one of the biggest game changers for the real estate sector in recent years. Close to 60% of the population in urban India has access to the internet and actively consume content on it every day. The numbers for real estate are even more promising with research showing that 92% of buyers go online to help find a dream home. This provides real estate developers with a unique opportunity to reach out to prospective buyers, showcase their projects and ultimately, generate leads. Real estate brands without a strong online presence run the risk of falling very far behind in the race.

According to Suneil Chawla, Co-founder, Social Beat, “Apart from being a static medium for advertising, traditional marketing is more of a one-way street, where audiences do not have the perk of voicing their opinions and getting their queries addressed. On the other hand, digital marketing, especially social media marketing, provides a dynamic medium of advertising where there is a two-way means of communication between the developers and the target audience. Real estate developers can now easily rope in customers through interactive sessions and relatable posts with the potential of going viral and breaking the internet.”

The final step of buying a property involves site visits, as majority of decision-making happens online. Though, developments with virtual reality and 360-degree video are changing this trend. “Property developers have begun putting up as much information about the project as possible in the digital space to give potential investors the benefit of scrutinising their options and arriving at a decision from their homes. This gives home-buyers a clearer perspective of what the developer has to offer,” Suneil explains.

Social media is one of the most crucial aspects of the overall marketing strategy for a builder. The focus of digital marketing strategies for real estate is two-fold – first to create brand awareness thereby building the customer funnel and secondly it is to generate leads. Suneil goes on to tell us, “Facebook is particularly important for any real estate brand because it lets them refine their audience and target specific groups of people on basis of several demographic and psychographic parameters. This gives real estate brands a rare chance to develop campaigns that zero in on prospective buyers with almost no spillover.” With Over 210 mn users in India, Facebook’s ecosystem that includes Instagram and Messenger now contributes to 10% to 20% of revenue for many of the real estate developers.

Around 42% of potential home buyers use the internet to shortlist properties. Consumers today don’t have the time to visit every project in person. Instead, they shortlist a few properties based on the information they get online. Only then do they make actual site visits. A real estate brand’s objective needs to be to provide as much information as possible to consumers to make their decision easier. One of the most effective ways to do this is through Facebook’s 360-degree videos. Suneil believes such videos of the model apartment gives consumers a chance to virtually explore an apartment. These videos are more effective than static images can ever be.” A survey by Kissmetrics found that 80% of buyers are more likely to enquire after watching a product video.

A mobile first landing page enabled by AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) framework of Google allows the page to load in less than a second. Combined with an effective user experience these landing pages provide all the information a consumer might need about a project to nudge them closer towards making the enquiry. According to experts, one of the most important things to include is the location of the project on Google Maps to help consumers get an idea of where the project will be. “Location highlights are also essential because it tells a consumer why they should consider moving into that locality and what facilities they can expect in it. A brief write-up on the builder and their past projects are important because consumers are more likely to enquire with brands they trust. Builders need to also provide complete specifications of their project, including built-up area, materials used,” says Suneil.

Information of the price trends in that locality can also be helpful for consumers. The more information a buyer gets, the more likely they are to shortlist your project and make a site visit.

Blogs and visual content are one of the most powerful indirect ways to influence a buyer’s decision. Blogs not only help improve the brand’s ranking on Google but also establishes thought leadership. Suneil remarks blogs should ideally be built around informative content that provides the audience with in-depth answers to questions they might have. This helps build their trust, learn more about the builder’s projects and increase the brand’s visibility.

Ranking on the first page of Google search results is undoubtedly important, but creating effective Google ads are just as essential. Google banner ads and regional ads along with search results contribute to almost 10% to 15% of total sales for many real estate developers. Regional ads in particular are quickly picking up. Developers are increasingly utilizing regional ads to reach out to buyers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities because of their proven efficacy.

One of the biggest advantages digital marketing offers real estate brands is that they can now attract audiences in various locations. The NRI market is integral for any real estate brand. Digital marketing helps provide NRIs with more information about a project, without having to physically visit it for themselves. The introduction of augmented reality in real estate marketing is especially important for NRI buyers. Digital marketing has transformed the arena for real estate. It has helped them find large numbers of prospective buyers, widened their reach to international audiences and establish a more personal connection with buyers. There’s no doubt that digital strategy in real estate marketing will only grow from here.