All across the country, real estate continues to see positive news for the industry. The good news on sales success is being driven by investment buyers seeking appreciation or rental income. As the cycle continues and the economy continues to strengthen, end-user buyers will continue to increase. As builders and developers are putting their strategic marketing plan in place, questions often arise on how much they should budget and what the top priorities should be.
As a leader in real estate marketing for more than four decades, Cotton & Company is assisting its clients by establishing priorities throughout their strategic plan. Focusing on direct consumer sales most often results in a higher ROI by lessening the commission expense. Today, most buyers begin their search online and shop the competition prior to ever visiting a sales center, often late at night. But how should you balance your budget to ensure you are generating new broker and consumer leads, while not overlooking the sales that could be made from leads already in your system?
1. Create a marketing plan that establishes tiered priorities: Must have, should have and ideal to have. Setting these priorities will ensure a solid foundation before you get caught up in lead generation and spread your dollars too thin.
2. The community website is a virtual sales center. As soon as someone visits your website, the sales process has begun. Use interactive tools to initiate the buyer discovery process, and then customize the user fulfillment based on the information you acquire. As an example – take the “quiz” at AzuldeCortez.com.
3. Internet leads have great value, but often your sales team is busy dealing with new visitors walking in the door. Immediate follow up and ongoing communication is critical to build a pipeline of future buyers. Don’t underestimate the value of your database and budget appropriately for ongoing promotion. Establish an internet protocol that ensures every lead is managed appropriately.
4. Analytics are critical to your long-term success. In digital marketing, data is available for review every step of the way. Look for ways to improve each step in the process. More visitors = more page views =more registrations= more downloads = more e-mails opened = more site visits = more sales!
It’s time to make the most out of every marketing dollar invested. To contact Cotton & Company or for more information regarding real estate marketing, visit cottonco.com.
