SERIES APP
In this digital age home. Technology is outpacing our ability to keep up with it. Exponentially, we are coming up with new and exciting ways to market our services and products. So much so, that it’s nearly impossible to understand what digital age home buyers want and master one thing before the next new one comes, making everything you’ve learned over the last couple of years obsolete.
Gone are the days of taking a few black and white photos and printing them in the local papers to get a home sold. Back then, that sort of marketing was cutting edge. It was getting the home in front of hundreds of people in a single day.
Now, we can throw up a photo of a home and reach thousands instantly through social media. But even that isn’t enough.
Blogs are nearly two decades old now. How long until they’re obsolete as sources of information?
We live in a world where everything is digitized. If your marketing isn’t up with the times, then it’s only a matter of time before a new, more innovative company steamrolls you and takes control of your share of the market. That’s capitalism. The strong adaptive companies survive while the rest wither.
So what’s it going to take? Well first, you need to understand your market.
Millennials and Gen X-ers make up 92% of first-time homebuyers while they make up nearly half of all homebuyers at any given time. Is your current marketing strategy taking this into consideration? Do you really understand how these individuals look for homes?
Well, don’t go booking too many open houses. As the Millenials and Gen X-ers take over the scene, understand that attendance for your open houses is going to drop. None of them are really interested. Why? Because they may have to leave the house and drive somewhere, then be there for a certain amount of time until they feel comfortable enough to leave. This sounds really boring to them.
Imagine you’re in the pre-build stage and you’re trying to get some homes sold before you start laying the foundation. With society as it is today and the overuse of technology, do you honestly think they’ll be able to grasp what you’re trying to sell from a few mock-ups or 2D renderings from the architect?
Probably not. Selling homes is hard work. Selling pre-built or custom homes is even tougher. The first thing you need to understand is that out of all of the home buyers across all generations, 44% of them looked online before doing anything else.
The best thing you can do for a marketing plan is to make sure that each of your listings has photorealistic 3D renderings done by a professional.
Then, consider having a VR tour, or at the very least, a 360o view of a few rooms. The majority of home buyers last year found VR tours to be extremely helpful in finding their home, for good reason. How much easier is it to sell a home someone can literally walkthrough, even before it’s built?
You’re also going to want to make sure that all of your content is mobile-friendly. 58% of all buyers found their homes through their mobile devices. Keep in mind that these numbers will only increase as the industry shifts, setting the new standard for marketing.
Finding the right property is by far the most difficult challenge when it comes to looking for a home to purchase. Following the above steps will remove that barrier for nearly everyone that comes to your site looking to purchase a home or have one custom built.
Also, consider the technology of the home itself. It’s all well and good to show off a new home through innovative marketing, but many new home buyers are becoming concerned with whole-home technology. Everything from advanced or automated lighting systems, to smart thermostats, to cameras.
