For more information about real estate marketing, or to schedule a free marketing consultation, please call (303) 357-5757, or e-mail dbc@dbcdigital.com.
Curvy Road Ahead
As we all know, the Denver housing market has been cruising along at high speed with steady increases in residential market values over the past few years. Yet with the newest housing market report, it’s looking like the market may be coming into balance. With this market trend predicted to continue, along with the influx of newer real estate agents over the past few years — now is the perfect time for Denver-area agents to evaluate their multi-channel marketing strategy.
What is Multi-Channel Marketing?
Multi-channel marketing is the practice of using multiple approaches to reach your prospects. Multi-channel marketing allows your prospects decide how they want to interact with you, giving them a choice that works best for them. Agents who wisely invest time in these three channels will achieve better and longer-lasting results.
These three channels are:
- Social Media
- Direct Mail
Let’s dive deeper into each channel …
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Social media
Social media marketing is crucial for successful real estate agents. Around two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) use Facebook, according to a survey conducted in January 2018 by Pew Research. That’s about 2.19 billion users! More than 700 million users are on Instagram, and half of all online adults use more than one of the five main social media platforms.
The most effective sites for real estate agents’ content include: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
A smart social strategy for real estate agents, as with all content marketing, starts with quality content. Agents should create and post articles and videos on what they know best. An authentic voice will resonate with your local market and demonstrate your confidence and expertise.
We suggest following the 80/20 rule with social media content updates. Eighty percent of your posts and other content should focus on your prospects and your client’s main interests, while twenty percent should be aimed at expanding your business (offers, ads, etc.).
Also, effective content includes posting your listings, talking about what’s happening in the area (like community events or school activities), as well as including client testimonials. Agents must be sure to interact with anyone who likes or comments on your posts, and always (always) respond to any messages as soon as possible.
Once agents open their business social media accounts and are posting quality content, the next vital step is to post consistently and strategically.
By the way, to improve your SEO, you should be writing blog and video posts on your website and then sharing the blog links on social media with intros to “read more” (or watch) versus posting an article directly to Facebook.
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Direct Mail
Print is alive and well. Postcards and other types of mailings are excellent direct marketing tools for multi-channel content marketing since they provide a touchpoint for branding and information.
Even Google uses direct mail.
According to Data and Marketing Association’s 2017 Response Rate report, direct mail response rates outperform digital marketing by more than 700 percent. In fact, the overall response rate from physical mail has increased by 3.7 percent in the last couple of years.
Direct mail is even more powerful when you combine it with the other two channels. You can create a Facebook campaign that targets the same neighbors and will be seen at the same time they receive your direct mail piece, increasing your response rates on both channels.
Given the strong success of direct-mail marketing, it becomes the perfect way to advertise your digital presence. Whether you’re reaching out to current clients or looking for new leads, direct mail is an important pillar.
Success boils down to two key components: top quality content and consistency. We advise our clients that your prospects and sphere receive direct mail from you each month, year-after-year. Postcards are perfect for driving prospects to your website, announcing recently listed and sold homes, or fun items such as sports schedules or event calendars keeping your name always in front of your prospects.
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Email
Email is fundamental to any smart marketing strategy for real estate agents. Agents can really shine by providing useful updates to prospects and their sphere. Top quality emails can differentiate the savvy agents from the less experienced.
By using platforms like MailChimp, real estate agents can easily create cost-friendly and highly personalized email campaigns.
Agents should remember to leverage their social media and direct mail programs to grow their email lists. They should entice prospects to sign up with you by promoting meaningful content that is only available by subscribing to your emails. Additionally, agents should always include “Subscribe” buttons or links with any social media or blog posts.
“Quality over quantity” especially applies to emails. This means agents should avoid sending out full-length articles in their emails. Instead, provide links to your blogs and encourage readers to click over to your site by including compelling images along with brief descriptions of what your readers will gain if they do.
Email was the leading digital channel for ROI in 2016, according to DMA’s 2017 report. This is why email marketing must be included in your marketing mix.
In Conclusion
Ultimately, your success with multi-channel content marketing is about creating top-quality content— content that relates to your prospects, buyers and sellers. Content that demonstrates your expertise and shows that you are there to help. Through multi-channel marketing, agents can be sure they are most visible to their sphere and always tell their prospects, “As market patterns change, we’re here to help you find the best route to your new home.”
Need help with this?
Do you need some help in getting all the pieces working together? Give us a call and we’ll help you prioritize the most important parts as well as give you support on what you don’t have time to do yourself. You can call us at (303) 357-5757 or email us at dbc@dbcdigirtal.com
About the Author:
Greg Sherwood is President and Chief Executive Officer of DBC Digital, a strategic marketing firm with expertise in helping companies build stronger marketing campaigns, brand awareness, customer engagement and revenue.
Greg was previously National Executive Vice President of a global B2B firm. Prior to that, he was its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). DBC Digital is the only marketing company in the Denver area with a former Chief Marketing Officer as its CEO.
He is a featured writer, speaker and panelist on topics that include strategic marketing, content marketing, social marketing and innovation.
Please note: Since 2004, we’ve been helping small and medium-sized businesses with all of their marketing needs. We specialize in the real estate, mortgage, financial, and insurance industries. Located in Centennial, Colorado (just south of Denver), we work with clients throughout the U.S.
