Many Real Estate Developers ask us how they can get started with Digital Ads and what the best strategies for their industry are.
The digital world may look daunting for a beginner. But is it really that hard?
Well, the truth is, everything can be challenging and complex when you are brand new. It can also be tricky even for an experienced user, depending on what the goal is. So, if you want to master the digital world and create a lasting impression for your real estate business, you can use a simple and effective framework that will guide you through all the important decisions.
This framework is a loop, which means that after you complete all five steps, you must review your work and start from step one again. This is why you should not assume that your first try will be ideal and as successful as it can be after a couple of iterations.
So, here is D.A.R.E. – Digital Ads for Real Estate – and we dare you to give it a shot if you want to embark on your digital journey and don’t know where to begin.
Step One: Set Your Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
This step is crucial for the framework.
Write down your goals with specific numbers and timeframes. Consider your resources and the market conditions for both long-term (3-5 years) and short-term (one year) goals.
Be realistic and not wishful.
Step Two: Calculate your Marketing and Advertising costs
This step is essential for the framework and will help you discover your possibilities.
Write down everything you spend on offline and online promotions that support your sales, such as realtor’s commissions, website maintenance, offline materials, platform fees, sales expenses, online advertising expenses, and social media management.
Break down your total costs into yearly, quarterly, and monthly costs. This will help you have a clear idea of how much you spend now and how you can allocate your budget for digital ads.
Step Three: Digital Ads Budget
Budgeting is a hard task but necessary.
Choose a budget that you can afford and are willing to spend on digital ads. Start with a realistic yearly budget that you can adjust later based on your results.
If you have no budget, you can reallocate funds from your less effective activities in step two.
Step Four: Choose a Marketing Strategy and Tactics
Define your strategy by selecting your target audience and your value proposition for your ads. Choose your channels, such as Google ads for sales promotion and social media for brand awareness.
Start with a balance of 80% hard selling and 20% branding, and test & adjust your ads based on your results.
The reason to spend most of your budget on PPC (Pay Per Click) is that Google is the go-to platform when you are looking for high-intent clients that are ready-to-purchase. This delivers faster and more accurately measurable results.
Step Five: Start Advertising Now!
This step is the final one for the framework. You can learn and perform the digital ads yourself or outsource them to an agency. Remember to follow this framework to maintain control over your ads and their performance.
Be patient and resilient with your ads and wait for at least 3 months to evaluate and improve your results.
Repeat the loop starting from step one and keep improving your digital presence.
Good luck!
You can read the full DARE framework with further details and insights HERE
This Article was written by Lilian.
Lilian is the Founder and CEO of Propertising. She has more than 17 years of expertise in Advertising and Marketing, collaborating with large International Enterprises, and has a proven track record in Hospitality and Real Estate Entrepreneurship. She is currently focused on creating a Marketing Community that helps Small/ Medium Real Estate Businesses to grow into great companies. On her spare time, she builds Star Wars Lego and travels around the world!
