Sell a house in 2017: the new trends in real estate marketing

It is far from the time when a sign "for sale" planted on the lawn and some free visits were enough to sell a house. Information technology is a game changer in real estate marketing. A short guide to the trends of the hour.

1. Social networks lead the ball

This is not in itself a novelty, but it is more than ever a truth: social networks have become indispensable tools for selling one's property. In addition to using his contacts to relay the real estate and on their account, the seller or broker keeps them informed of his efforts. Over the weeks, these publications come to compose a real soap opera... which we hope the happy outcome!

In 2017, an active online presence is also essential for brokers - not only to advertise the properties they are looking to sell, but also to interact with their customers and peers.

Relaying and commenting on the neighborhoods where you are particularly active, highlighting the taking possession of your first property by the young couple with whom you have just concluded a sale and organize competitions are some effective ways to put social networks serving the customer relationship.

2. Virtual Reality and 3D Visits for Real Estate Marketing

Sellers, the housework sessions before each visit exhaust you? Brokers, do you want to present your clients with a series of properties without having to coordinate your agenda, that of the buyers and the sellers? Rejoice: Virtual tours are increasingly becoming a substitute for in-person visits.

Thanks to companies like Immoviewer and Matter port, visitors can explore every corner of the property they want by moving with the help of the arrows on their keyboard or a virtual reality helmet - a bit as if he was walking on Google Street View. He cannot open the cabinets, but it's just right! These tools are particularly useful for buyers who are in a city other than the one where they plan to settle.

For the moment, this trend is mainly observed in the niche of luxury residences, but its democratization will not belong.

3. The video has the wind in the sails

If the virtual reality tools are still marginal, we can still do better than the simple pictures of every room in the house. How? Betting on video, which is popular on social media. Facebook, for example, announced last year that it has passed the 100 million hours of video watched every day on its site, and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicts that the majority of content posted on Facebook by 2020 will be videos.

In addition to the inevitable tour of the rooms of the house, we take advantage of the video to highlight the landscape or the neighborhood and to present local services (school, cafes, bike paths ...). In short, we give the viewer a glimpse of what his daily life will be if he decides on this residence.

Also, brokers are increasingly taking advantage of the live video tools of Facebook and Twitter, whether to broadcast the visit of property for sale or to hold an information session at which they respond to questions that customers submit directly to them.

4. Real estate marketing is becoming more automated

Here is a trend that especially affects real estate professionals: the automation of marketing.

It consists of giving software some repetitive tasks, such as scheduling posts on your blog or social media, or sending personalized newsletters and emails based on preferences in a CRM software. (CRM). For example, we could send targeted messages depending on the type of property sought or the neighborhood where the client intends to settle.

According to a study directed by the American research firm Aberdeen Group, companies that use marketing automation tools see their conversion rate increase by 53%.

And you do not have to be a programmer to get into automation — tools like Mail Chimp to manage your newsletters or Hootsuite for your presence on social media guide novices in their efforts.