If not, you may need to find someone who is
Much of your potential success when selling your home quickly and for the most money lies is in the hands of your real estate agent. And your agent’s success largely depends upon the marketing tactics they use to promote your house and attract potential buyers. So, how can you evaluate if their strategy for marketing your home is sound, effective, and more advanced than what everyone else is doing?
You can look at their years of experience, testimonials, or the number of homes they’ve sold in the past as an indicator of the potential value they offer to you as your home’s listing agent. Or you can evaluate the way today’s home buyers are searching for their next homes and see how your potential new agent measures up.
Times are changing…
Just because a marketing strategy worked a decade ago, doesn’t mean it is going to work today. Evaluating your potential agent on years of experience alone may cause you to overlook the fact that marketing has gone digital, and your next buyer is just a click away.
According to National Association of Realtors latest Buyers Profile report, over 95 percent of contemporary home buyers use the Internet to search for homes – not signs in the front yard, classified ads, local magazines, an agent’s physical office, or TV ads.
Just look at the graph below! It shows the influence of the Internet on Home Search Process from 1995 to 2016.
Need more prove? The table below demonstrates that only 3% of home buyers are using TV and 16% are using print advertisement as sources used during their home search.
How would your real estate agent showcase your home online, since that’s exactly where your target buyers will be looking for their next home? By hiring an agent that is well versed in the demands of digitally savvy consumers, you’ll reach an audience that you wouldn’t with a traditional agent, and you’ll sell your home faster.
Posting the listing with MLS is only the beginning
If you question your potential real estate agent about listing your home online, and he or she responds that the MLS should cover all online marketing, it may be time to rethink your choice in agent.
Every agent will list your property on the MLS, from where your listing will be pushed to such websites as Realtor.com, Trulia and Zillow, but that is far from enough to take advantage of the huge opportunities that exist online today.
Real estate agents that have their fingers on the pulse of the fast-moving real estate market, in addition to using traditional marketing tools such as: installing front yard sign, printing flyers and holding Open Houses, will incorporate many or all of the more advanced methods of marketing, to include:
• Creating a separate website to market your property.
• Developing a Facebook and/or Twitter ad campaign strategy.
• Sharing professional property photos on Pinterest and Instagram.
• Uploading home tour to YouTube.
• Reaching out to international buyers.
• Promoting your property on Adwerx.
• Showcasing your home in the best light through fusion photography, 3D home video tours, aerial photography and other cutting-edge technologies.
Unique Value through Digital Advertising
Think about how real estate agents have advertised your property in the past. It usually meant a classified ad in the local newspaper or a spread in one of the real estate publications. The problem with this approach is that your agent’s marketing dollars would be quickly depleted by exposing ads to an audience that may or may not be interested in your property.
Facebook Advertising
Digital channels, such as Facebook, have given technologically savvy agents more options than ever to sell your home fast. Using specifically targeted Facebook ads, real estate agents can not only target your area, but they can reach a pool of home buyers who are actively searching to buy a home just like yours, at the specific price point, at the specific proximity to their office, and so on and so on.
The level of targeting digital marketing focused agents can reach with Facebook ads is almost eerie! Can your agent offer that?
Adwerx
You may not have heard of Adwerx, because it’s a tool built specifically for real estate agents. Adwerx is an advanced online technology for retargeting ads that allows agents to advertise your home to buyers online.
How do Adwerx Ads work? Do you remember that time you searched for shoes on your favorite department store’s website, and then you saw those same shoes on the ad bar while you were online banking or looking for a recipe? This is the power of retargeting ads! After the buyers look at your property online, they’ll be reminded about your property over and over again when they aren’t even thinking about it.
Also Read:
Selling Your Home with me: Step-by Step process.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of those extremely important elements of digital marketing that happens behind the scenes. What does your agent know about SEO? Do they have an expert SEO strategist on staff?
SEO is the process of creating content on the web and through social media that will increase the likelihood of buyers finding your home through a simple web search. It often includes complicated algorithms, a keyword strategy and technical skills required to optimize a website or listing for it to be pushed to the front of the line on a Google search. And no buyer will find your home on your agent’s website, if it is hidden on the 29th page of search results on Google.
How does your potential real estate agent measures up against technologically savvy agents that use these important tactics to reach the buyers who are looking for your home on the Internet? If you mention SEO, and his or her head spin, it may be important to keep searching for your next agent!
What kind of marketing team does your agent employ to support the marketing efforts?
Agents running full-scale marketing campaigns for each and every one of their listings usually can’t do it alone, and they know how important it is to get it just right to sell your home fast and at the highest price point the market can handle.
Providing a state-of-the-art marketing strategy takes a team of: in-house professional writer for persuasive and clear content, an SEO specialist to drive traffic to your listing, and a web developer and graphic designer to give your online presence just the right look. Have you asked your potential real estate agent what kind of team they have in place?
Working with Natasha Lingle
I understand the role a flawlessly executed marketing strategy plays in selling a home fast. I also know exactly what it takes to compete in today’s digital marketplace. I’m not afraid to invest the money needed to have access to the latest technologies that will increase the probability of in-person showings and, consequently, persuading the buyers to bring an offer and buy your home.
I’ll happily talk to you about the power of Facebook and Adwerx ads, SEO, and why high quality photography is one of the most important aspects of real estate on-line marketing.
I will work tirelessly with my team of marketing experts to showcase your property on-line in order to attract quality buyers.
And please don’t forget to download my Seller’s Guide!
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