16 Mar How to Allocate Your Real Estate Marketing Budget

Is print dead? Do you pay for social media? Does your website need a facelift? These questions can leave you wondering how to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to modern marketing.

For the best ROI, you should be prepared to address your website first and foremost. It is absolutely crucial to have good content that is constantly updated so you not only get the attention of search engines (for SEO), but you also give site visitors a reason to keep coming back.

Give your site a facelift at least annually, and make sure you are populating it with great content, especially video.  Builder Online recently agreed that with the ease of creating a video—like a virtual tour or homeowner interview—there’s no excuse for not posting new videos every week.

Another vital element is to make sure your website is designed for use on mobile devices, which is the common first approach. Part of your website investment should include QR codes on your signage and promotional materials. Buyers are savvy enough to know that scanning QR codes directs them to a relevant page on your site.

Outside of your website, you should have a presence on referral sites like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and Homes.com. It costs little to manage your listings, and, done right, they will be seen by active homebuyers everywhere.

Social media is still greatly untapped in real estate. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest each offer an easy way to stay connected with your market segment where they already hang out. Social media is not a passing trend. But this doesn’t mean you can simply create a profile and expect results. Ultimately, you should hire a professional to maintain your presence on the social media networks to make sure there is a marketing strategy behind it that is aligned with your brand and complements your other advertising efforts.

The days of printing expensive, glossy brochures are in the past. Of course you still need collateral material, so save that portion of your budget for digital brochures that can be viewed online—on laptops, iPads, and smartphones. Customers prefer less paper clutter, and you’ll be conserving a valuable natural resource.