Taking Action on 2022's Best Real Estate Marketing Trends
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What will be trending for real estate marketing in 2022? Are there areas where you should focus to get ahead of the competition and stand out? What's just a fad, and what will deliver lasting results?
These are questions you might be wondering as you develop your real estate marketing strategy to grow your business. And as we look towards the future, we know that the real estate market itself will continue to change, customer expectations and needs evolve, and new marketing ideas can move at a mile a minute. So, in today's episode, I'm unpacking 2022's best marketing trends and how you can leverage these ideas within your marketing to get ahead and reach your goals!
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And speaking of strategy, let's get into today's topic!
As a real estate agent, you're probably constantly asked, "how's the market?" And for the last couple of years, that answer has been inventory is tight, mortgage rates are low, and home values are up. And looking into the crystal ball for 2022, we know for sure one aspect will continue - competition. There will continue to be competition in the market and competition for you as an agent. So, how do you stand out from other agents, and how do you connect with more buyers and sellers?
The answer to your marketing strategy might lie in looking towards the future.
Marketing trends come and go, but you can often reap greater rewards if you can tap into a trending marketing strategy at its peak. What's attractive about this approach is that it doesn't rely on you being an early adopter or trying every new idea that emerges. Instead, we're pinpointing marketing trends that have staying power and capitalizing on them while they're hot. So, in today's episode, I've narrowed down three real estate marketing trends I want you to take a look at. We'll go over exactly what they are, why they matter, and most importantly, how you can take action to implement these trends into your REALTOR marketing strategy.
Leverage Short-Form Video for Real Estate
What It Is: Short-form videos are quick, entertaining videos shot vertically. They were made famous by TikTok, and other platforms were quick to capitalize on their trending nature. When these types of videos first became popular, they were synonymous with dancing and an editing style that would creatively transition from one clip to the next. Now, people have adapted these styles of videos to suit a variety of industries and personal preferences. They're no longer just teens dancing! They can be used to teach concepts, engage audiences, and in advertising.
Why It Matters: Short-form video isn't going anywhere anytime soon. They're fun, catchy, and easy to create. Not to mention, they're becoming staples across multiple social media platforms aside from TikTok. Instagram and Facebook most notably integrated this style with the launch of Reels, which appear across both platforms. However, short-form videos have been incorporated into YouTube with YouTube Shorts, Pinterest with Story Pins, and are seen repurposed across all the other platforms.
People not only enjoy this type of content, they also spend a lot of time consuming it. That popularity and preference is influencing overall marketing strategy. I spoke to a Facebook Ad representative recently who shared that short-form style videos are some of the top-performing ads right now. So, instead of creating a social media post with a static image or traditional video, brands all over the world are using short-form video to get people to take action. So, while this type of content works incredibly well for organic engagement, it also works from a paid marketing perspective as well.
How Realtors Can Take Action: Since we know how well short-form video performs, it's a natural progression to include this style of content in your marketing strategy. They're proven to attract attention, generate engagement, and even lead to sales. So, whether you're looking to stay connected with your sphere, attract new buyers or sellers, or even generate leads, give short-form video a try using one of these ideas.
Your listing promotion strategy: Videos of homes have performed well for years. People love to take a tour of a home, and that fact is further spotlighted with the use of short-form videos. There are so many ways that you can start creating content that not only promotes your latest listing but also builds your brand as an agent. The easiest way to start is to simply ask your real estate photographer or videographer if they can create a 15-50 second vertical video of your latest listing. From there, you can upload to Instagram Reels or turn it into a video ad promoting the property.
Up next, you can create a video tour of your latest listing on your own. Either film a quick walkthrough or have somebody film you giving a guided tour of the property. (If you need help creating a Reel, don't miss my free training: How to Create a Reel for Real Estate Agents.) I would make this a standard part of your listing marketing strategy moving forward. In fact, these types of videos will probably generate more views on your listing than the 2-3 minute, traditional horizontal professional videos.
Choose a topic & release consistent content: short-form videos are ideal for engaging potential buyers and sellers. However, if you want to fully capitalize on the promotional advantages as well as the advantages to your personal branding, incorporate short-form videos into your target marketing strategy.
For example, if you're focused on working with first-time homebuyers, create a weekly series of short-form videos with tips for buying your first home. If you want to focus on new construction marketing, create regular TikToks and Instagram Reels where you tour model homes and new construction communities. If you want to be the go-to agent in a specific side of town, keep creating short-form videos about the lifestyle and real estate market in that area.
By choosing one specific topic, you'll be known for that topic and better able to connect with buyers or sellers in that market. It's also easier for you to stay consistent because you know exactly the type of content you'll be creating and who it's meant for.
Repurpose your content for ads: take advantage of how well this type of video works by turning your content into ads or creating videos designed to be digital ads. So, instead of paying for a Facebook ad with a single photo of a home for sale, switch it to a short-form video. Want more traffic in your next open house? Advertise it with a short-form video.
A study found that video ads were the number one way consumers discovered a brand they later purchased from. (Animoto) What's stopping people from finding you then and wanting to do business with you as their Realtors? Give ads a try!
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Be Respectful of Digital Privacy to Earn Trust
What It Is: Digital privacy has come to the forefront in recent years as more and more people want to know what data is being collected on them and how that data is used and shared. Now, it's not just a concern from a user's perspective. Large corporations are working to change the landscape as well.
If you head to Apple's privacy page, in bold letters at the top of the page, it says, "Privacy is a fundamental human right. At Apple, it's also one of our core values." And Apple is making changes to make privacy a part of their devices which is forcing apps to change their tracking methods and email marketing to evolve. Their iOS updates empowered users to determine which apps could track their third-party data, and this information is used by advertisers. (Learn more in Episode 49: How will the iOS 14.5 Update Impact Real Estate Marketing.) They've also rolled out additional privacy features for Apple Mail users.
And Apple is not alone in these changes. Tech giant Google is also becoming increasingly aware of privacy and will be discontinuing the use of third-party cookies on Chrome.
Why It Matters: It's easy to see from these changes that privacy has become increasingly important to modern marketing. People want their data to be secure, private, and not sold to other companies. People are more leery of who they give their information to and how that information will be used.
In the real estate industry, we need to be keenly aware of how privacy trends impact our marketing strategies.
For one, privacy changes on the platforms can impact digital advertising. This has already been seen thanks to the Apple iOS updates and how it limited tracking features in Facebook ads. However, for most agents, I predict that consumer sentiment will be the most important factor to focus on. From a lead generation perspective, people are much less likely to give their personal information away than they were in years past. And somebody's personal email address is not the only data we have access to in real estate. Real estate tech capitalizes on market trends, individual property information, and financials to provide marketing services like automated home values.
If you use any of these services, people will want to know how you gained access to their information and how that personal information about their property is used.
How Realtors Can Take Action: While you still want to generate business and advertise online, you can also make the respect of privacy a part of your ongoing marketing strategy. By doing this, you're signaling to your past and future customers that you do care and can be trusted.
Be transparent with lead gen: The first place to start with your marketing strategy is with transparency. If you are collecting personal contact info in any kind of lead generation strategy, let people know how you are going to use that info. This sets their expectations of how you'll be engaging with them and can also be an opportunity to gain trust.
For example, if you have a form on you website for people to schedule a showing, let people know how you'll use their info. A simple statement that says, "Your contact information will not be shared with any third parties. It will be used by me to directly contact you to schedule your upcoming showing." While this might seem obvious, buyers might think the same from Zillow. However, if they fill out a form on Zillow, they might receive calls and texts from a number of agents because their info is sold as leads to multiple agents.
The same best practices can be used in traditional marketing as well. On your open house sign-up, let people know how you'll use their email address. Are you going to send them a weekly email moving forward, or is it just to send more information about the property? A simple disclaimer at the bottom of your sign-in sheet might give some people peace of mind they wouldn't have had otherwise.
Remind people how you got their info & allow for opt-outs: Over the years in real estate, many agents' databases grow. Unfortunately, you might not always be consistent with how you communicate. If one of your goals is to re-engage your email list, include a "why you're hearing from me" blurb in your first email.
This blurb can be as simple as "you're receiving this email because you opted into my real estate website in the past" for contacts you don't personally know. Also, make it easy for people to unsubscribe if they're no longer interested. (This is a standard feature of most email marketing platforms.)
Lean into Conversational Marketing for Real Estate
What It Is: Conversational marketing is exactly what it sounds like. Unlike traditional marketing, where you finally speak to the customer when they're at the bottom of the sales funnel or ready to work with you, you're engaging them along the way through real-time conversations.
Conversational marketing can be used in the form of live chats on your website, engagement groups on Facebook, Clubhouse, or by encouraging DM (Direct Messages) on Instagram.
The goal is to engage in conversations with potential customers while they're starting their buying or selling journey but might not be at the point where they want to meet and work with an agent yet. People have all kinds of questions along the way and are looking for a trusted source of information. Conversational marketing happens in the moment to engage your customers where they currently are and provides for a better experience. It's a customer service approach to marketing.
Why It Matters: Conversational marketing gives you the opportunity to start building relationships with customers earlier and sets you apart from the competition. By coming from a place of service, you're not seen as pushing a sale on potential buyers and sellers. You're providing a helpful service where they can ask questions about their circumstance without the pressure to "buy now."
Now, that being said, we're not implementing a conversational marketing approach to be real estate's "Ask Jeeves" (if you remember that!). Implement it into your strategy because it's a smart tactic that can easily lead to generation without pressure.
How Realtors Can Take Action:
Add live chat to your website: If you have a website that gets traffic, it makes sense to add a live chat feature to your site. Now, several years ago, "chatbots" on sites were going to be the next big thing and never truly took off. A live chat on your site is not the same as a chatbot. It's an opportunity for people to reach out directly to you to ask a question.
I've seen success with live chat used on listing pages where people can ask questions about the properties in real-time. I've also used them on educational pages about neighborhoods and communities. The chat would pop up and ask, "Can I answer any questions for you about this neighborhood or would you like a link to homes for sale nearby?" Simple prompts that are relevant to the website page work best vs. a standard "chat with a Realtor" that people might ignore.
Encourage text messaging: If you send somebody a text message, it has a 98% chance of being opened. This is an incredible stat when you consider a good email open rate might be only 20%.
So, instead of relying on automated text message marketing, simply encourage real-time conversation. You can add "text me at (insert number) to learn more" across a variety of marketing materials, including flyers, social, your website, and ads. Again, encourage the conversation by prompting what people can ask VS a standard statement to learn more.
Get people to DM you on social and Instagram: My favorite use of conversational marketing is on social media. It's a natural place to have conversations because that's how social was intended to be used! You can be the one to initiate conversations by simply sending someone a DM (direct message) on social.
For example, if somebody comments on one of your social posts, send them a private DM to keep the conversation going. You can also ask people to DM you with their questions to further engagement. This is one of my favorite marketing strategies because it doesn't feel like marketing at all! It's a way for you to get to know more people and provide value as an agent.
If you want to see how conversational marketing through social media works in action, I'd love to show you! Simply DM me on Instagram, @IdeasForRealEstate, and let me know your biggest marketing challenge or a hangup you're having. And I will simply chat you back so you can see how this works! Along the way, I'm sure I'll offer you advice, send you links that will help, and if applicable, a complimentary resource you can use to take action. I do this all the time naturally with Ideas for Real Estate followers, but it's actually conversational marketing! So, DM at @IdeasForRealEstate and give it a try!
Moving Forward with 2022's Real Estate Marketing Trends
While I identified three strategies I think are the best trends for 2022, I'd encourage you to look them through the light of your own business. How can one of these strategies further support you to reach your goals?
And to recap, the real estate marketing trends of 2022 we discussed were to:
Leverage Short-Form Video for Real Estate
Be Respectful of Digital Privacy to Earn Trust
Lean into Conversational Style Marketing
Each idea can make a major impact in your business, from attracting more customers to establishing trust, to building relationships. Choose one idea to start and implement it consistently for at least three months to see if it works for you. Because when we are strategic about real estate marketing trends, you're not wasting time - you're amplifying your efforts! And I am all about unleashing the power of popularity to get specific about business goals! Need help staying focused? Download my Weekly Marketing Action Plan for Agents
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UP NEXT:
It's time for seasonal marketing! Fall-themed real estate content and marketing on social media is not only trending, it also works in your Instagram Reels, posts, carousels, and more. The secret is to customize this content with photos and videos of you. So, in today's episode, let's plan an easy fall content shoot for you as a REALTOR to use in your marketing strategies this season!