Successful commercial real estate agents employ a number of marketing strategies to not only drive sales, but to also nurture and grow their client base. One of these strategies is email marketing. When done properly, email marketing has a number of benefits, including:
- Boosting sales
- Increasing brand awareness
- Expands your social media footprint
- Builds brand advocacy
- Drives website visits and leads
If you are reading this, you are probably already thinking about doing some type of email marketing, whether it’s an e-newsletter, an email drip campaign, or even an autoresponder series. Whether you’re brand new to email marketing or have been utilizing email marketing for years, there is always something new to learn. The world of online marketing is constantly changing — and if you don’t stay up to speed with the updates, your strategies and tactics can quickly become stale and outdated.
Keeping your finger on the pulse of marketing trends can be difficult, especially as a busy real estate agent. That’s why we’re here to help. Here are 4 marketing trends CRE agents should be watching and including in their email campaigns.
Trend #1: Permanent content
In the digital space, permanent content is considered to be anything that lives on your website or social media profiles indefinitely, such as a blog post. This year, savvy marketers report planning to allocate more of their budget and time to this type of content, because of the proven high ROI. To maximize your marketing plan, focus on creating more permanent content versus ephemeral content (something that disappears after 24 hours, such as an Instagram Story). Blogs that offer evergreen value to your clients are always a smart investment.
Trend #2: Short form video content
When it comes to video content, it’s a good idea to keep things short and sweet. Think about it — when was the last time you sat down to watch a 30-minute marketing video? Your clients and prospects lead busy lives, and today’s consumers prefer to watch shorter video content.
Keep this in mind when planning your content strategy for the year. Some ideas for short form video include a virtual tour of your most recent listing, tips for buying or selling real estate, or splicing together some content to create a “day in the life” video.
Trend #3: Podcasts
If you have gotten really into podcasts lately, you’re not alone. Podcasts have taken the world by storm — and for good reason. It’s the perfect content to consume while you’re doing just about anything, from commuting to the office to deep cleaning the house.
A podcast can be a great opportunity for you to demonstrate your expertise as a real estate professional, while building your brand and establishing trust with your audience. Episode ideas include interviewing clients, tips on buying or selling commercial real estate, or even interviewing other industry insiders and experts.
Trend #4: Getting creative with your listings
If there is one thing that real estate agents learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s how to think outside the box. By now, you’ve likely become an expert at virtual showings, effortlessly showcasing your listings’ best features online. As more restrictions lift, you can expect in-person property tours to increase; however, some prospects and clients will still prefer digital showings.
As a commercial real estate agent, you should get comfortable with a hybrid model, offering both digital and in-person showings to your clients and prospects. Invest in some killer photography, build your social media presence, and use photos and videos to showcase your listings. Be sure to include links for all of your accounts in your emails, so that your audience can easily keep up with your content. With RealCampaigns(™) by RealNex you can easily create and manage campaigns leveraging these content resources. And, of course you can use the RealNex VideoMaker, VR and TourBook to support your property tours.
To follow more commercial real estate trends, be sure to explore the RealNex Blog.
