MAIN IMAGE: Helen McIntee – director of the African Marketing Confederation (AMC), Ted Frazer – national marketing manager for the Seeff Property Group, Vicky Goslett – chief marketing officer and co-regional owner of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, David Steynberg – founder of real estate marketing CRM company Property Funnels
Kerry Dimmer
Trial and error may build confidence, but getting the marketing strategy wrong in the real estate industry can be a financial disaster. Even a single marketing misstep can seriously threaten the reputation of a brand or individual working in a specialised local area, especially where housing stock is limited and competition is rife.
We spoke to four professionals to highlight mistakes agents make and how to avoid them.
These are considered the traditional mistakes:
- No staging.
- Poor photography.
- No social media campaign.
- Grammar and spelling mistakes in the listings.
- Failing to communicate with your client.
- Not following up on potential buyer’s needs.
- Not paying attention to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for your listings.
- Not using digital media to assist.
Beyond those, however, these contributions from marketing professionals may inspire you.
Do you really know your audience?
Helen McIntee, director of the African Marketing Confederation (AMC), says that while she acknowledges that there are obvious specifics relative to marketing strategies in the residential estate business, there are overarching mistakes that apply to all business sectors. “And without doubt, the first is not understanding the audience.
“I’m not talking of the big branding campaigns that serve to generically project a brand message or image in a huge campaign, but rather the individual efforts amid a major brand’s branches, the boutique agency, and/or individual agents. Inseparable from this is the fact that each listing is an entirely separate marketing campaign, which requires a thorough understanding of the audience to which that property will appeal. But who is that audience, really? An agent might ‘think’ they know, and historic sales, even analytics may confirm this, but there may be another target audience you haven’t explored.”
For example, a property may present as ideal as a turnkey for a family. Still, it might also appeal to a corporation that wants to host guests, an Airbnb, a working-from-home professional who needs masses of space (think dance, photography), an investor wanting a student/communal house, or a multigenerational family.
Best advice: “Think broader than the obvious audience,” says McIntee. “Don’t immediately define a property because of its current usage without exploring its potential for someone else. Listings should be creatively structured to appeal to a broader audience.”
Innovation in the digital realm
Ted Frazer, national marketing manager for the Seeff Property Group, says real estate marketing is changing fast. “Too many agents are still curating and stuck on 2D photos-and-description marketing, but the future is here,” he says.
“Agents now need to create content and change how they showcase and market themselves, and client properties through 3D video and interaction. AI will be the next revolution, and it could help agents sell more property faster as it has the potential to take the property right to the customer, who can do a virtual walk-through and experience the features, aided by text and voice-over.”
Best advice: “Don’t approach content in a fragmented way. Have a plan and structure. Know your audience and what to communicate, and ensure your content is consistent. Also, plan a list of things you can do, such as showcase your new listings and sales. Tell your customers why they should choose you and what you can do for them. Video is the hot tech of the moment. Film your property, film yourself, or provide voice-over on a property walk-through. Facebook and Instagram are the most popular, and TikTok is growing. And finally, follow tech-savvy agents, learn and practice. AI is fast growing but still ‘learning’ with home-staging and off-plan developments in some of the more immediate applications.
Overlooking the value of personal networking
“An agent’s network is one of the strongest arrows in their real estate quiver,” says Vicky Goslett, chief marketing officer and co-regional owner of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
“Having a strong database of clients, colleagues, and business partners is crucial for building repeat and referral business and can ultimately pave the way for greater success within your real estate career.”
Goslett speaks passionately about how successful real estate agents think beyond one-time transactions. “Personal networking helps cultivate long-term relationships, turning clients into repeat customers and advocates for your business. This is why it’s so important to keep in touch with your clients long after they’ve purchased a home, using tools like a CRM system and sharing branded gifts on special occasions, such as birthdays or their home anniversary.”
She also points out that many agents overlook the importance of networking by failing to market themselves in addition to their listings. “One of the ways an agent can market themselves is by attending local business and networking events to expand their connections and to establish a trusted circle of related professionals, such as bond originators and conveyancers, who can enhance your business, strengthen your credibility, and help you stand out.
“This is why joining a leading brand like RE/MAX is so valuable, offering access to a vast pool of knowledge and experience within the industry.”
Best advice: “In an industry driven by relationships, strong connections can be the difference between consistent growth and missed opportunities. Investing in relationships inside and outside the industry should be an ongoing priority for every real estate agent.”
Not using re-targeting tools
According to David Steynberg, founder of real estate marketing CRM company Property Funnels, one of the most important assets that any real estate agent can own is their database. “But there is a big difference between simply having a database and using and leveraging a database.
“There is a saying that ‘fortune is in the follow-up’. Staying in touch over the long term is critical to converting interest into action. And while this is easier to achieve manually if you only have a handful of prospects, the moment you begin to scale, it becomes more difficult to do by yourself.”
This is where retargeting tools and systems really show their value, and there are many options for retargeting tools and techniques. Steynberg says that CRM systems that follow up with prospects via email and WhatsApp over months and years are excellent. “Social media ads that only show your ads to your customer list or retarget website visitors over the past 30 to 90 days mean that you continue to reach prospects who already know you.
“One of the biggest mistakes we see agents make is not building a database, or, worse, sitting on a database and allowing it to collect dust.”
Best advice: “Retargeting develops a ‘know, like and trust’ factor in you and your services, which gives you a better chance of converting interest into decision.”
