by threshold | Nov 30, 2022 | Creative, Digital Marketing, Marketing
 Ava Page
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Even though many people’s first impression of TikTok users is that they’re all young – far too young to be thinking about buying or renting homes – this mindset couldn’t be further from the truth.
While it is true that the majority of TikTok users (57%, to be exact) are between the ages of 10 and 29, the largest active demographic of that majority are between the ages of 17 and 29 – the perfect age to begin targeting potential renters and homebuyers.
Now, that leaves the minority 43% of users who are over the age of 30. While it may seem like a low number to begin with, one must remember that 43% of TikTok users amounts to 430,000,000 people. Yes, you read that right! That’s 430,000,000 potential users that could be looking for homes to rent, or buy.
When you break down the numbers like that, NOT using TikTok ads seems like a devastatingly missed marketing opportunity, wouldn’t you think?
Why should you be using TikTok?
Algorithm Targeting
TikTok allows its users to see personalized content at a higher rate than any other social media platform due to their specific algorithm on each user’s For You Page (FYP). This allows users to market to their target audiences at higher rates than any other platform, and is exactly why you should jump in as soon as you can!
Engagement
According to a Nielsen study, TikTok users engage more than any other social media, with an estimated 79% of users reading the comments on the videos they watch, and over 50% say they regularly save sound clips or search through hashtags in a video.
Maximize ROI
Overall, Tiktok’s algorithm ensures that the majority of users who will be viewing your ads will already show an interest in real estate, home and apartment renting, buying, or selling. Because of this, a Nielsen study conducted by TikTok found that nearly 90% of TikTok users enjoy discovering new content and products while scrolling. As if that’s not enough, over 50% of responders said they have discovered new products through TikTok ads that they directly acted through when purchasing. Over 80% said that TikTok in general – ads or regular content – inspired their purchases.
What content should you include?
Keep up with trends
- Not only will including popular trends increase your chances of winding up on someone’s FYP, it will also engage users far longer than a bland template and content they won’t recognize. This can be as simple as including a trending song, or as involved as including a dance, challenge, or other trending activity in your content. The more relatable your content, the more views, and eventual leads you will receive.
Use trending hashtags
- Real estate TikTok is no new feat, so take advantage of those who came before you and learn what hashtags are trending in the industry. Including hashtags with your content only increases your odds with the algorithm of landing on more users’ FYP.
Keep your content simple and straightforward
- TikTok is not a place where users come to dive deep into intricate content. If their attention is not caught within the first 2-3 seconds, your ad will be skipped without a second thought. Clear, concise messaging and branding is key for TikTok ads, so be sure and get your point across and gain their attention quickly.
See the numbers for yourself
Before you set up your TikTok ad, it’s important to discuss how TikTok ads can result in increased traffic and lead generation for your real estate properties. Let’s take a look at the numbers:
- Real estate listings and ads with video receive 403% more inquiries than those without
- Video advertising results in 300% more traffic for generating new leads in real estate
- 70% of homebuyers and renters watch video tours before signing a lease or mortgage
- Over 36% of homebuyers and renters say they would sign on a home or apartment entirely online, without ever visiting the property
Bottom Line
With stats like these, it’s hard to say no to using a platform as popular as TikTok, with over 1 billion active users, to streamline your real estate marketing campaign.
By using your ads to drive traffic to your website or landing page, the conversions will soon follow, resulting in a direct increase in property leads.
For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
by threshold | Nov 15, 2022 | Creative, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Thought Leadership
 Laura Robbins
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You have your property amenities sorted, your pricing figured out, and your interior design developed. But what does that all mean if you don’t have a name that fully captures the specialty of your real estate building?
Choosing a brand name is one of the most significant aspects of a brand development process. The right name creates an image of your property and brand in the mind of potential customers, sharing the idea of what you’re all about. And, it’s the most important keyword for internet searches.
A strong brand name should be:
- Meaningful: It communicates a brand story and creates an emotional response
- Unique: It should be memorable and stand out from your competitors
- Easily Understood: Avoid words that are hard to read or pronounce – they won’t stick in people’s minds
- Visual: It should lend itself to strong brand colors and imagery
- Future-Proof: You want your name to work now, and ten years from now, so veer away from names that feel really timely
Work backward. Decide what your brand identity, such as target audience, culture, mission, and purpose, will be, and then begin brainstorming names that line up with those needs.
Feeling stuck? Follow along for some tips for determining a successful name for your brand.
Reflect On Your Company Values
Think about your property’s mission statement or parent company’s values – what is it your company stands for, and how can your name tie back to that? Spend time with what your property is trying to achieve, focusing on your purpose and vision. Determining the heartbeat of your brand can lead to a stronger name association down the road.
Connect Your Name To A Story
We communicate in stories, and talking about a brand is no different. Effective marketing connects to a larger target audience through storytelling, which is why your property name needs to mean something. If someone asks you why you named the property what you did, and all you have to say is that it sounded cool, you’re missing out on some really good marketing.
Think about the history of the city your property is located in, what it’s known for, or what interests your target audience has, and then go from there.
Having a great story also allows for stronger visuals (think website design, brochures, signage, temporary leasing space designs), as the logo, colors, and brand patterns all have a north star to draw from.
Less Is More
Short and snappy wins the race! You want to limit the length of your brand’s name, as anything longer than three or four syllables will only be harder for your potential audience to remember. The final name should be punchy, and this is best determined by running any potential names by those who aren’t part of the brainstorming, allowing for fresh eyes and fresh opinions.
Here is where you’ll also want to factor pronunciation into the mix. Your property name won’t only live on signage and a website, it will be said by residents in passing, and therefore shouldn’t be something that’s hard to say or spell. So remember to say any names aloud!
Remember Your Competitors
The last thing you want is to come up with a really amazing name, only to find out a direct competitor has something similar. Standing out from your competition is a key factor in your brand name and final brand visuals, which is why doing research on your market early on is essential.
Consider Creating A New Word
The best way to avoid having the same name as someone else? Create a non-dictionary word. Your name should still have meaning behind it, and not just be created out of thin air, but there are a few ways you can create new words, like:
- Mashing up two words together
- Spelling an existing word in a new way
- Creating a word where each letter stands for something
Plus, what’s more fun than being the owner of a completely new word?
Think About SEO
You heard it here first, do not skip thinking about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) when it comes to naming your brand or property. SEO plays a key factor in determining how popular a potential name is for organic and paid searches.
Say you’re naming your property Dragon (not a great name, but work with us here), then Googling that name will bring up a lot about dragons themselves, the television series “House of Dragon,” a speech recognition software called Dragon, and restaurants in your area with Dragon in the title. A generic name like that could make it hard to stand out in the very competitive search engine space.
Psst. This is why creating a new non-dictionary word might help!
In Summary
The success of your brand and property depends largely on the branding, which begins with a really great name. A name that’s meaningful to your audience, lends itself to great visuals, is short and snappy, and is easy to remember. A name that stands out from your competitors and can be relevant for your audience today, and in many years to come.
Don’t let determining a name feel overwhelming! Have fun with the process and see what unique options you come up with.
For more tips and information about company and real estate branding, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
by threshold | Oct 16, 2022 | Design, Digital Marketing, Tech/Web, Thought Leadership
Angel Roa
Now more than ever, people are accessing the internet through their mobile devices and tablets. Long gone are the days of desktop-only users! According to StatCounter, a web traffic analysis website, a whopping 59.25% of global online traffic came from mobile users alone, followed by 38.53% desktop users, and just 2.22% tablet users.
This displays the importance of where we must start our design, and where we should be focusing our efforts in making an effective and dynamic real estate website that drives leads. Designing mobile first, and then expanding to a desktop friendly site, is the most user-centric and accommodating to most target audiences.
What is mobile first design?
A philosophy which aims to create better user experiences by starting the design process with prioritizing the smallest screens first. This strategy is often referred to as the concept of progressive advancement. Once a mobile design is in place, designing for larger screens becomes easier and we have the core elements of the design established. Starting a design with mobile also enforces aspects such as bandwidth, screen size, and multitasking capabilities. As you progress onto larger devices, it’s easier to expand the functionality with supplemental elements and features. Remember: it’s always easier to add than to take away!
We’ve put together a few design principles to get us started in our mobile first design stage.
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Users should be at the forefront of your design
- The design of your real estate website must help users solve a problem or complete a task quickly and effectively. Users should easily be able to view floor plans, virtual tours, check availability, call or contact your community, and ultimately, apply and sign a lease. Keep in mind user flow – convenience is key to generating more leads!
- Look at your competitors’ mobile websites and check out what they do and don’t offer. How can you improve your user’s experience compared to your competitors? Maybe it’s adding a floor plan filter to make it easier for prospects to find exactly what they’re looking for. Or maybe you notice that a competitor doesn’t have virtual tours on the website. As crazy as it may sound, over 80% of renters apply and secure a lease without ever visiting the property, thanks to online marketing. Adding virtual tours to your website can increase website engagement and provide a convenient option for people who prefer to tour virtually as opposed to in-person.
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Keep it simple
- Improve content clarity on your mobile site while helping the user focus on what content is most important. This can be done by reducing links in your navigation menu, reducing the number of pages, and keeping borders wide and lines clean.
- Use white space to your advantage to make the layout less cluttered and more readable, which will also improve your SEO and increase organic traffic.
- Prioritize the content you want displayed on the website: Ex: Floor plans, Location, Gallery, Amenities, Blog, etc.
- Prioritize the hierarchy of that content. Understand what the user flow is and how to display the most important content. For example, we recommend prioritizing floor plans because data confirms that people spend the most time looking at floor plans on the website, and it’s usually the first stop after visiting the homepage.
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Incorporate bold and consistent CTAs
- A call-to-action needs to be easily located by users throughout your website. Not doing so can lead to a loss of leads and decreased conversions.
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Adhere to mobile friendly practices
- Choose fonts that are web safe and keep font styles to a minimum.
- Select contrasting colors and make text legible according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
In Conclusion
Now that you know what a mobile-first design is and its importance moving forward, we hope you will incorporate this new knowledge into your real estate website to generate more leads. By remembering to put users at the forefront of your website design, improving content clarity, and incorporating consistent CTAs, maximizing your lead generation should be a walk in the park.
For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
by threshold | Sep 27, 2022 | Digital Marketing, Marketing, Tech/Web
Abby Browning
Google has announced that Google Analytics is getting its most significant update ever with the release of Google Analytics 4 (GA4). On July 1, 2023, GA4 will officially replace Universal Analytics (UA). Each day after this date, your UA will stop processing new hits. To make sure that your real estate marketing isn’t disrupted, we’ve put together a list of some key differences in the new instance and what you need to do to prepare.
What are some of the key differences between UA and GA4?
1. New & Improved Data Model
Universal Analytics relied on a hit-based data model tracking items like pageviews, events, and more. While UA has worked for simple site tracking, there was a need to keep up with the ever-changing and increasingly complex web and in-app environments to gain valuable insights and collect quality data. So, GA4 was built on an event-driven data model. This means that everything is an event from a pageview to a click to a file download.
2. Events
Because GA4 is built on an event-driven data model, events in GA4 have gotten an update. You may be used to seeing Events in UA structured with a Category, Action, and Label. GA4 has simplified events by requiring only Event Name and Event Parameters and automatically collects certain events on your website.
- Automatically Collected Events are collected by default and measure basic interactions with your website. These events include first visit, page views, session start, and user engagement. A comprehensive list can be found here.
- Enhanced Measurement captures optional events automatically that can be enabled/disabled at any time and measures additional engagement opportunities on your website, like scrolls, outbound clicks, file downloads, site search, and video engagement. More information about Enhanced Measurement can be found here.
Plus you can modify events, create custom events, and if you’re using GTM, you can easily push events into GA4.
3. Goals vs. Conversions
Because the events in GA4 have been improved, conversion tracking has been simplified to understand conversions based on specific events. Instead of creating goals, we can now use events in GA4 and mark them as conversions. Instead of setting permanent goals, GA4 gives us 30 conversion slots that can be turned on and off in order to keep the data we’ve collected while freeing up slots for the future. You won’t want to mark every event as a conversion but take advantage of modifying or creating custom events to drill down on the conversions you want when someone takes a specific action on your website (ex: view a “thank you” page view after a form completion).
4. Front-End Redesign and Navigation
The entire front-end and back-end was redesigned to offer more flexibility and insights across all of your digital properties. Because the front-end has been redesigned, when you log-in for the first time, your left hand navigation will look slightly different. You’ll be used to seeing your ABC’s in UA – Audience, Acquisition, Behavior, and Conversions. GA4 has restructured the nav to Reports, Explore, and Advertising. Don’t worry, everything you need will still be there (and eventually more), but it’s a little easier to navigate and understand. You’ll find a bulk of what you are looking for by using the Reports section to view acquisition and engagement.
5. Behavior Flow Vs. Exploration Templates
If you’re like us, you may use Behavior Flow in UA to understand the user journey on your website. Behavior Flow will be replaced by two new Exploration Templates in GA4.
- Funnel Exploration Report – a funnel is a specific, pre-designed path you want your user to take while visiting your website. For example, if you want to track users who look at a specific floor plan and make a purchase, you could set up a funnel to track a series of events like “floor plans” > “check availability” > “select unit” > “start application.” The funnel exploration report will give you insights into where users are falling off in your desired funnel.
- Path Exploration Report – a free-flow user journey report that is not predetermined like the Funnel Exploration Report. The Path Exploration report lets you follow your user’s journey to see where they go and how they interact with your site. This is a great way to measure organic behavior and gain valuable insights.
Within Explore, there are several other Exploration Templates that you can take advantage of now, like Segment Overlap, User Explorer, Cohort Exploration, and User Lifetime.
6. Terminology
GA4 has adopted some new terminology that better fits with the event-driven data model it has adopted. By measuring events, we’re able to measure and track engagement on the site, so you might see terms like “bounce rate” going away.
The first term to keep an eye out for is “Engaged Sessions” meaning a session must last longer than 10 seconds, include at least one conversion, or includes 2 or more pages views.
“Engagement Rate” will replace “Bounce Rate” currently found in UA and will measure the percentage of engaged sessions on your website. For example, if you had 100 sessions and 70 of them were engaged (Engaged Sessions above), your engagement rate would be 70%.
What do I need to do to prepare for the switch to GA4?
1. Create a GA4 Property
As soon as possible, the first step you need to take is to create a new GA4 property and implement GA4 alongside your existing UA to begin data collection. This will allow you to gather the historical insights you need to measure your results over time when UA stops processing hits on July 1, 2023.
Most likely, you are already using Universal Analytics. The easiest way to create a GA4 property is to log in to your UA, navigate to Admin, and select “GA4 Setup Assistant” in the middle column labeled Property. This will prompt you to create a new Google Analytics 4 Property.
After your GA4 property has been created, the screen will prompt you to go to your new GA4 property, so let’s do it!
2. Implement GA4
The next step you’ll want to complete is implementation. You can implement GA4 one of two ways. You can add code directly to your website or you can implement GA4 using Google Tag Manager. Adding via GTM is very easy, so let’s explore that option together.
First, you’ll want to grab your Measurement ID from GA4 by navigating to Admin > Data Streams > Web. Copy your Measurement ID.
Open up your Google Tag Manager account and navigate to the correct container. Go to Tags > New Tag > Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration. Copy and paste the Measurement ID and set a trigger to fire on All Pages. Save your tag and publish.
Congrats! You have successfully completed the implementation of GA4.
3. Set Up Conversions
If you are currently not tracking any goals in Universal Analytics, you don’t need to worry about this step right now. If you are tracking goals, now would be the perfect time to convert those to conversions in GA4. This is also very simple and can be done from the Setup Assistant in your Admin view in GA4. Under Setup Assistant, look for the section labeled Property Settings and select “Set Up Conversions.” You will see a prompt that says “Import From Universal Analytics”
You will see the available goals to import. Click “Import selected conversions.” It may take up to 24 hours for data to start populating, but to view these new conversions in GA4, navigate to Configure > Conversions > Conversion Events.
Amazing work, you’ve successfully created, implemented, and imported goals into your new GA4 property. What’s next? Start getting familiar with the new instance and keep an eye out for more features and capabilities in GA4 overtime. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted.
In Conclusion
In summary, we’ve covered some of the key differences between UA and GA4 and the creation and implementation of GA4. We hope this gives you a better understanding of how to prepare and what to expect for GA4 in the upcoming year. As new features are released, we’ll be sure to keep you updated. If you have any questions about how GA4 will affect your real estate marketing efforts, we’d love to connect with you.
by threshold | Sep 19, 2022 | Digital Marketing, Thought Leadership
Ava Page
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It’s no secret that real estate has become a predominantly online industry in recent years. The convenience and accessibility of online listings, tours, applications, and leases is unmatched. In knowing all of this, why not take your real estate marketing to the next level by taking advantage of the holy grail of online marketing that is social media?
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, it’s significant to point out that based on a recent PEW Institute research study, over ⅓ of US adults get their daily news from social media platforms, with Facebook again taking the lead. No matter your opinions on this fact, it’s no secret that with the majority of people using 1 or more social media platforms daily – and with over 30% of people getting their daily news from social media platforms – you could reach a significantly higher audience in your marketing campaign by taking advantage of social media.
By creating a strong social media presence, you will soon be capitalizing on an audience that you would otherwise be missing out on. It’s also worth noting that the use of social media grows rapidly each and every year, so the sooner you can get started on your campaign, the better.
First, let’s take a look at the top social media platforms of 2022 based on active monthly users.
As you can see, Facebook has the heaviest active user platform with nearly 3 billion active monthly users worldwide. Youtube and Instagram are both close behind, each with over 2 billion monthly active users, and TikTok is the final platform which reaches over 1 billion active users each month. It is worth noting, however, that even though LinkedIn has a smaller reach – about 750 million active users per month – it is still a great business-based platform to take advantage of when tackling real estate digital marketing strategies, especially in the corporate marketing world.
Now that you have a better idea at which platforms are the best options to use, let’s now look at some of the top corporate social media accounts across multiple platforms to analyze what makes them so successful in their marketing campaigns and how you can replicate their success for your real estate marketing campaigns.
Nike
With over 150 million Instagram followers, Nike is getting our top spot for this list. The main reason that Nike has been able to reach so many people across platforms is because they inspire people. Whether it be through their inspirational stories of athletes around the world, their support for causes like BLM and women’s equality, or even just their interaction with users surrounding their new products, Nike has cracked the code on corporate social media branding.
Starbucks
Starbucks’ corporate social media accounts are wildly successful across multiple platforms due to their positive outlook exemplified in each and every post, their support of important social causes, and their inclusive content campaigns. It’s not uncommon to see Starbucks reply to dozens of users each day, and that’s because their interactions with users makes them feel more connected to the brand. Knowing that there are real people behind the screen who truly want to connect with their users is a great tool to implement in your real estate digital marketing campaign.
Shopify
Shopify has mastered the importance of being able to target every entrepreneur in search of a service like their own. They appeal to their target audiences by using bright, colorful, and inspiring designs for their posts. Additionally, they often voice their support for important social and environmental causes, showing that they too are standing up for the things that their consumers believe in, and will benefit from.
Square
Square’s social media campaign is simple: clients first. While they have different campaign focuses for each social media platform, each of their campaigns offer modern, clean, and user-focused content that expresses how much their clients mean to them. After all, where would a business be without their clients? Another reason the brand remains so popular is as a result of their outspokenness on important social issues.
GoPro
Not only does GoPro highlight a range of adventures from users of their products, but they also follow a similar pattern to aforementioned Square, in the fact that they will focus each platform to a certain campaign, rather than mimic the same content across multiple platforms. Their company Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube all highlight different areas of their services, while always following the same content pattern and brand voice.
So, a few key takeaways from this list:
- Keep content positive
- Bright colors and clean, modern designs are IN
- Show your support for important social and environmental issues
- Don’t be afraid to shift your focus across multiple platforms
- Discover your brand voice and be consistent
Now that we’ve covered the most popular platforms and keys to success, let’s shift our focus to specific tools that you can use to get your campaign started, or improve on what you’ve already got.
Set goals for your business
A rule of thumb for setting goals for yourself or your business’ real estate digital marketing campaign is to follow the SMART plan, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Based goals. While goals are important, it’s even more important to decipher the difference between an achievable goal, and an unachievable goal. Setting goals that are unachievable will not result in any growth for your brand. In fact, it will more than likely result in a regression of your brand’s campaign success.
Keeping your goal specific can prevent your goal from becoming too broad, which can cause harder measurability. Measurability means being able to see an actual figure, whether it is a growth in active users, engagement, clicks, you name it – just make sure there is a specific, measurable figure to be obtained. Attainable and realistic often come hand in hand, as there is rarely a realistic goal to be had that is unattainable. For example: if your current social media accounts have under 1,000 followers, it’s unrealistic to create a goal of reaching 500,000 active users by the end of the month. However, through trend and insight data, you can gather your current growth data and discover a number that is more realistic for your brand.
Finally, time-based is one of the most important milestones in this goal setting process. If there is no end date in sight, how will you know when you have reached your goals? If it takes 5 years to reach a small goal that could have been completed in 6 months, what are you gaining? Similarly, don’t pinch yourself into an unrealistic time frame of a project that needs 1 year to hit its target, but try to push it all to get done in 6 months. Now, will there be times that you hit goals early? Absolutely. Will there be goals that maybe take a few extra days, weeks, months to complete? Definitely. Yet, knowing that you have a goal in place that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based are going to result in the most growth, and target goals for your brand.
Here are some great places to start with creating new goals for social media growth:
- Increase your brand awareness: if no one knows who you are, how do you expect to push your brand’s information?
- Grow your audience: how many people do you want to reach? What is a realistic time frame and measurement to track this?
- Boost your engagement: respond to followers, answer inquiries, and increase your posts.
- Increase traffic: track your conversions, clicks, bounce rates, and other measurable data to see where you are most successful, and where you need to improve.
Research your target audience
First thing’s first, nail down the demographic you want to target the most with your campaigns. If you’re trying to appeal to millennials, you will have to use much different tactics than if you are working to appeal to boomers, and vice versa. Once you’ve got your demographic down, then you can move forward with your campaign.
Once you’ve reached your demographic, it’s important to research what platforms are going to be the most successful for your target audience.
- Gen Z and Millennials: Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
- Boomers: Facebook
- Industry Specific: LinkedIn
- Women: Pinterest
- Men: Facebook
While this is not an end-all be-all list, it is a general outline to start with when determining your base’s highest used platforms to create the most effective content. The key to all of this is actually conducting this research. Every brand and every target audience is different, so if there’s anything you remember, it should be this: don’t assume anything.
Decide what metrics are most important to your brand
There is no one metric that is superior to all others when it comes to real estate digital marketing, and this is because all brands and marketing campaigns are different. What you must decide when creating your campaign is what metrics are the most important to the success of your brand.
Here are a few thought starters on what metrics could be right for you:
- Clicks across various sites and platforms
- Reach
- Traffic: both paid and organic
- Bounce rates
- Site and platform engagement
- Hashtag performance
Regardless of which metrics you find to be most important in your campaign, it is important to recognize it early on, and set SMART goals to continue enhancing your metrics over time. Stagnation, while not all bad, should not be your end goal, but rather a healthy growth increase over time. Remember what we said earlier: social media use continues to grow steadily every year, which means yours should too!
Content creation
Now that you’ve got a better idea of what goals should be in place for your brand’s social media and real estate digital marketing campaign, you can focus on the content theme you’d like to follow. Looking back at some of the top social media brands above, one of the most common themes across each brand were optimism, inspiration, and showing support for important social and environmental issues.
Once you discover your brand voice, you can begin to incorporate it into each of your social media posts across various platforms. Whether you decide to mirror your posts across all platforms like Starbucks or Nike, or take a similar approach to Square and GoPro and give each platform a specific purpose, you want to make sure all of your posts are consistent, cohesive, and aesthetically pleasing.
Starbucks
Starbucks loves to keep their focus piece front and center, and includes bright, colorful backgrounds that revolve around their themed drink or personal focus.
Nike
Nike allows their photos to speak for themselves, keeping a strong focus on the main element in their content, with a simple or blurred background so as not to distract from the content focus.
GoPro
GoPro is known for their adventurous spirit through their products, and they make sure to capitalize on it through their social media posts. Simple, straightforward images enhanced to keep up that bright aesthetic and maintain the centered focus of their content choices.
Establishing this cohesiveness expresses a level of professionalism and organization for your brand that social media users love to follow. No matter your brand’s aesthetic, be sure to get started on it early!
Moving on from appearances, it’s important to discuss what your content should actually contain. This goes hand in hand with our earlier portion about researching your target audience, and here’s why: your target audience is a “target” for a reason. There are certain things about your brand that are drawing them in, and the more you capitalize on those areas, the more successful your campaign will be. However, without researching what your target audience cares the most about, your campaign will flounder.
Hashtag research is one of the most important areas to nail down for real estate digital marketing, especially with a new or young social media campaign. Hashtags are one of the most effective ways to associate your brand with the topics that your target audience cares most about. Learn what your followers – and prospective followers – want to hear about, and capitalize on it. Inflict and HashTagsForLikes are two examples of tools you can use to expand on your hashtag research, and expand your social media reach all at once.
Engaging content should be the goal of any social media campaign, but what does that term really mean? For content to be engaging, it not only needs to be interesting and relevant to your audience, but it needs to give your audience the chance for some type of interaction. Whether it’s likes, clicks, tags, comments, or any other interaction, encouraging your audience to do more than just read your post is a great way to nudge them in the right direction, as well as expanding your reach.
This can be done through promotions, contests, hashtag campaigns, and even just asking questions through your posts, and giving them an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas. Even if not all of your audience goes through with that extra engagement, it will cause them to think a little deeper about your brand, regardless – even if they don’t realize it.
Learn the best times to post for active engagement across different platforms. Some scheduling tools like Hootsuite will recommend you the most popular times for each platform on any given day when scheduling ahead, but it’s still worth researching for yourself to get that upper hand over your competitors. After all, what’s the point in posting at a time when half of your intended audience won’t see your message?
Never stop improving. We can all agree that just because something works, doesn’t mean it can’t be better. This must be your constant mindset when creating, updating, and maintaining a social media marketing campaign. Trends fade in and out nearly every day. The world changes every day. Even your own business can change its message at the drop of a hat. Always being prepared for any one of these scenarios is the key to maintaining a successful social media presence, and continuing to grow at a healthy rate.
Choose your content form
From platform to platform, there are certain content types that will always succeed. However, it is important to recognize a couple of specific content types that work best for certain social media platforms.
Stories
- Stories are a great time-sensitive method of posting that will inadvertently activate your followers’ FOMO complex, increasing your interaction and engagement. This is a great tool for adding in some personalized content, behind-the-scenes projects, and can be posted far more often than regular posts without feeling too overwhelming.
Best Platforms
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- Instagram
- Facebook
- Snapchat
Reels
- Short-form videos are quickly becoming the most popular method of social media marketing, and overall content posting. Getting ahead of the competition and stepping up your reel-game early is a great resource for setting yourself apart from competitors.
Best Platforms
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- Instagram
- TikTok
- Facebook
Remind your audience that you’re relatable
There is a time and place for corporate and business-based writing voice, but social media is not that place! Keeping things casual with your followers lets them know that you are real, relatable, and reachable.
Followers are 10x more likely to engage with a brand that they feel is personable, friendly, and relatable, so be sure and capitalize on that! Both regular posts and stories/reels are great ways to tackle this, and can boost your engagement, which is what we all want, right?
Be sure to ask questions, and include times and spaces to give your audience a chance at regular interaction. This can not only increase engagement, but can also result in your brand being featured on pages and platforms that it otherwise would not, and can increase traffic as well.
To conclude
Starting or improving your social media marketing campaigns doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming, contrary to popular belief. In fact, you can even reach out to one of our awesome Threshold employees and see how we can grow your social media presence.
Remember, the place to start a new campaign is by creating a SMART goal for your brand and your real estate digital marketing campaign. How are you going to start yours? Let us know in the comments, or on our Threshold Instagram or Facebook page!
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by threshold | Aug 29, 2022 | Digital Marketing, Marketing
During a time where so much of the real estate market is uncertain, being able to increase renewal rates is one of the driving forces for today’s real estate marketing strategies. Whether it be apartment marketing, student-housing marketing, or any other renter-heavy market in between, here are 5 marketing strategies to boost your renewal rates.
Begin the renewal process early
Do not wait until lease-up time to begin the renewal process. Oftentimes, any changes this late in the process will not be met graciously by tenants, and will result in a loss of renewal. Giving your tenants a few months notice to make any necessary changes to their rates or lease conditions will be more well received. This can be done in-person or digitally, just be sure to follow-up to confirm that your message has been received and agreed upon before assuming they will be returning for a new lease period.
The last thing you want is a tenant who choose not to renew at the last second, and finding yourself scrambling to find new tenants for a property you weren’t expecting to fill. While this can’t always be avoided, knowing that you did everything you could is going to be a great strategy in increasing your lease renewals.
Create lasting landlord-tenant relationships
This can be done in many ways, but the best way to achieve this is to maintain regular communication with tenants. This way, they know that you are always available for any issues that may arise, and in turn know that you are always there to answer any questions – especially about lease renewals!
From a renter’s perspective, knowing that they have a landlord or property manager who is easily accessible and understanding of any issues that could potentially pop up, whether it’s in their home or their lease, is something that is very valuable! So much so, that it could be the deciding factor in renewing their lease or moving somewhere else.
Raise rent steadily, not suddenly
All renters and landlords alike know that rent increases are inevitable. However, raising rates in a more gradual manner rather than suddenly will go over much more smoothly with current tenants – especially long term tenants.
Rather than a large rate hike every x-amount of years, look instead at the possibility of small, gradual increases every 1-2 renewal cycles for your current tenants, and apply that fixed rate increase to incoming tenants. Long-term tenants will appreciate this, and will oftentimes feel a sense of loyalty to their landlords for allowing them to get a “better deal” than incoming tenants, all while you are still making the necessary profit you need to succeed.
Be ready to accept feedback
Nobody’s perfect, and there will always be challenges that renters and landlords alike will face when it comes to their properties. Knowing how to react and respond to both positive and negative feedback will result in stronger relationships that can create a lasting bond with tenants. If a tenant comes to you with an issue, whether it seems serious or not to you, it is your responsibility to handle it in the best way for your tenant. Tenants who know that their landlords will take their requests seriously will consider staying at a certain property much longer than tenants who know they will never be heard, or respected.
Keeping an open line of communication with your tenants is very important, and this can be done through your marketing strategies! Regular satisfaction surveys are a great way for you to receive quality feedback from your tenants. Surveys help gather data that you otherwise could be missing out on that can help maximize occupancy for your properties, as well as your marketing strategies for prospective tenants – double win!
Just as importantly, this type of open communication to allow feedback from your current tenants will help to remind them that their voices DO matter! This feeling of importance can go a long way when it comes time for tenants to decide whether or not they want to stay in their current property and re-up their lease.
Take advantage of content marketing
Content marketing does not need to be focused solely on new tenants. Building a healthy and sustainable social media and online presence with current tenants is just as important as working to appeal to prospective tenants. Keeping your tenants informed with current events, issues, and even promotions helps to build those positive relationships and maintain an open line of communication. This can be achieved through any number of strategies:
Social Media
Social media is a great way to stay connected with current tenants, keep them updated on your properties, community events, and any other regular or emergency communication that must be relayed. Be sure to pay attention to your target audience, and what platforms are going to result in the most engagement.
For example, those with a senior living target market are going to want to focus heavily on Facebook, while student housing markets will be best to focus on Instagram and TikTok as their primary platforms. Syncing up your social media posts with any website, Google My Business, or other important posts regarding your properties is a great way to manage your marketing strategies.
Regular social media engagement lets your tenants know that you are an active part of not only managing your properties, but are also active in your line of communication. Even regularly scheduled posts, stories, and reels will be a constant reminder to them of all the great things that come along with your properties and can help with maintaining that personal connection they have to their home, and its management.
Blog Posts
Biweekly or monthly blog posts to your website are a great way to keep your tenants engaged! Personalized content adds a touch of relativity and relevance for your audience that they would otherwise be missing out on.
This is also a great way to establish and emphasize your brand voice to your tenants, letting them know that behind the screen, you’re a real person just like them! This can establish a great connection with your tenants, and can encourage them to want to renew their lease with an organization that they feel a connection to, rather than one that only sees them as a paycheck. Giving them inside tips and tricks of the trade, local recommendations, and more can be a great way to show that you’re ready to go that extra mile.
Google My Business (GMB)
Creating, completing, and verifying a GMB profile for your properties can work wonders for your SEO, as well as your overall target audience engagement – that means current tenants. These profiles allow you to promote your business as well as give a chance to current and previous tenants to leave their own feedback.
This interaction allows for current tenants to review all of the things that make your properties so great! Not only from their eyes, but from the eyes of other tenants, too. What better way to convince them to renew their lease with your property than to show them all of the ways it is revered by others?
Email Marketing and Newsletters
In today’s digital age, it’s not uncommon to check your inbox at least once -if not multiple times- per day, so be sure and capitalize on that. Monthly or biweekly newsletters are a great way to stay on top of open communication with your renters. This can also be a great way to promote blog posts each month – see what we mean about syncing up your content marketing strategies?
These emails and newsletters can also include any possible promotions for your properties, local events and activities, seasonal announcements, and other information you’d like to relay to your tenants. This establishes a personal touch, and ensures that your residents are always aware of that open line of communication.
In conclusion
Even though there is no perfect one-size-fits-all way to manage real estate properties, hopefully these tips will allow for you to create better, longer-lasting relationships with current tenants to increase your renewal rates. After all, at the end of the day, increased renewal rates result in happier tenants and property managers alike!
For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
