Agents are paid to market your home. In the era of drones and digital that marketing is often a lot more scientific and wider than it was in the old days.
Effective marketing campaigns can really make a sale whether your’re targeting investment property for sale or first home buyers.
That’s because marketing is all about creating competition for the home, says Barfoot & Thompson agent Linda Simmons. The more competition, the higher the possible price, says Simmons, who won the REINZ Best Multimedia Campaign in 2017. “If you have more than one person trying to buy your home, then you have leverage,” Simmons says.
To get those additional buyers the home does have to be impeccably presented for what it is, which means decluttered, maintenance done where necessary and cleaned. Only then can photography, videography, and advertising take place.
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The seller and the agent need to understand what’s unique about the property, says Simmons.
From that the agent can work out which groups to target the home at - first-home buyers, families moving up the ladder, downsizers, developers, immigrants or a range of other nice markets.
Once it’s clear what your home is about and who might buy it then the question is where to advertise, says Simmons. The answer to that in most cases is as widely as possible, not just online, although that’s a given, says Simmons.
“Everyone who is looking for a home is looking online,” says Simmons. “But you don’t capture the people who aren’t looking to buy a home."
Those people who are in the market looking actively for property houses for sale in Auckland and elsewhere will see it in the agents’ online advertisements. It’s the impulse buyers that the wider advertising campaign is aimed at. Those people who might read the Herald Homes in a café or flick through free property magazines.
Agents often hand deliver fliers in the area to capture locals who might not be looking. Local newspaper advertising is also a good way to attract more interest, says Simmons.
Impulse buyers are more emotionally engaged in the purchase and can be prepared to spend more, says Simmons. Often these buyers spot that a property they’ve always admired has gone onto the market. “They will say: ‘oh my goodness, that house is on the market’ and at 2pm they turn up at the Open Home.”
Wherever the advertisements are placed they need to look good. Professional imagery, video that appeals to emotions, and also floor plans are essential for the online marketing campaign. Simmons has sold a number of properties to expats who are won over by the video alone.
The other aspect of online marketing is social media. Every agent will tell you they do social media. But are they spending money on marketing to a targeted audience? asks Simmons.
Sometimes Simmons drills down with her social media spend to very specific markets. In advance of the Americas’ Cup, for example, her coastal Auckland properties might be targeted at social media users who have shown an interest in this subject.
All this shows that it’s worth spending money on your marketing campaign. If multiple buyers are drummed up by spending a few thousand dollars extra, the payoff could be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
