3 Real Estate Marketing Tips for 2021

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Real Estate Marketing|3 Real Estate Marketing Tips for 2021There has been significant economic concern about inflation rates in the US, which have increased to 4.2% in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic recently.

According to one Federal Reserve official, this could have a particularly detrimental impact on the national housing market, as the failure to create sustainable inflation of around 2% could trigger further waves of boom and bust within the sector.

However, there’s no doubt that homeowners are currently looking to cash in on rising property values, with the median price for sales of existing homes up by 23.6% year-on-year in May. So, what marketing tips can help you to optimize your chances of selling your home in the near term?

1. Feature Virtual Tours Through Facebook Live

Most real estate firms now invest heavily in targeted Facebook ads, in order to capture an increased audience in specific locations.

However, such ads are also subject to more checks than others, so the approval process can take longer and be highly debilitating in a volatile marketplace.

The same cannot be said for Facebook Live, however, which can be leveraged immediately and to provide free, real-time tours of marketed properties.

Available through a Facebook Business page, you can optimize your live tours simply by launching a Facebook event URL and promoting specific windows in which potential buyers are invited to join.

Then invite all of your contacts and prospects, to create a highly efficient viewing that connects any number of potential buyers to a particular property within an incredibly short period of time.

Try to time your live tours to ensure that you’re capturing as large a target market as possible while taking steps to optimize the lighting in your home and making sure that it’s presented in the best light possible

2. Grow Your Email List

When you launch a Facebook live event, you can invite your online contacts and individuals featured in your email list.

This provides an opportunity to transcend Facebook and liaise with those who may not be connected through the site, boosting your potential reach and optimizing any return on your marketing spend.

With this in mind, it also makes sense to focus on growing your email list when marketing real estate. This can also benefit a number of alternative digital marketing channels, while you can look to target potential buyers through the creation and distribution of a regular email newsletter through this medium.

Of course, the primary challenge here is incentivizing people to give you their emails in the first place, especially if you look to move away from your existing contacts and expand your network.

The key is to provide something of tangible value to contacts, whether this is a free checklist of things that homeowners must do before selling their home or an educated insight into the prevailing market trends in your community.

3. Create an Integrated Marketing Strategy

The key to successful marketing in any sector in 2021 is to create an integrated approach and one that combines the very best of both offline and online channels.

This way, you can optimize the volume of assisted conversions that you’re able to create as part of the typical customer journey, while also generating targeted and large-scale leads through mass marketing channels such as billboards.

With an integrated approach, you can also leverage a range of highly engaging print materials as a way of building awareness, from direct mail and basic flyers to more lavish and high-quality brochures that showcase property in a more favorable light.

Brochures are definitely a relatively cost-effective way of sharing property information and showcasing high-definition imagery, while they can also feature consistent branding and various reminders that reinforce the brand’s wider visual identity.

Not only can this help to sell properties directly, but it also creates a level of brand recognition that may encourage recipients to use your services when buying (or even selling) real estate in the future.

7 Inbound Marketing Mistakes Your Business Must Avoid

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Inbound Marketing|7 Inbound Marketing Mistakes Your Business Must AvoidAs the world continues to battle COVID-19 and continue with vaccination efforts, many business owners are left wondering how to promote their brands in a post-pandemic world. There’s no denying that inbound marketing is the way forward for many organizations.

After all, inbound marketing enables businesses to get a better marketing ROI and boost their bottom lines. However, some entrepreneurs aren’t doing inbound marketing correctly and end up wasting their time – and money.

You’re likely reading this article today because you want to make sure your inbound marketing efforts aren’t for nothing. With that in mind, take a look at these common mistakes that you must avoid the next time you launch an inbound marketing campaign:

1. Not Having a Strategy

It might surprise you to learn that many businesses end up with lackluster inbound marketing campaigns because they don’t have a strategy or plan. Instead, what they have done is throw some content out there and hoped for the best.

You shouldn’t ever launch an inbound marketing campaign without having a strategy in place first. In other words, you need to have clearly defined goals so you don’t lose focus and you can measure your results easily.

2. Not Having a Long-Term Plan

You may decide that you have a strategy and you’re planning to use B2B lead generation as part of your campaign. But, you only want to run your campaign for a short period. The thing is, your business is a long-term operation – not something that will stop next week.

Instead of chasing quick fixes to draw in more customers and generate brand awareness, you need to have a long-term plan for your inbound marketing campaigns. For example, how would you like to promote your products and services in the next 12 months?

3. Writing Lackluster Content

If your inbound marketing campaign involves directing people to your website, what do you think might happen if they look at your content right now? Will they feel impressed enough to follow through your CTAs, such as subscribing to a newsletter or buying something?

Or, will your audience take one look at your content, laugh, and forget your brand even exists? You need to make sure that you offer high-quality, relevant content for your prospects to read. It goes without saying that your content should also be engaging and valuable.

4. Not Focusing on Your Target Audience

The reason you are performing inbound marketing is that you want to attract a specific group of people. Your goal is to have them do something, like visit your website or give you a call and ultimately spend their money with you.
That sounds like a simple strategy. However, things become complicated when entrepreneurs, companies, and other organizations fail to focus on their target audience. Instead, they end up targeting the wrong people.

Make sure you have a clear focus with your inbound marketing campaigns. You need to know who it is you want to attract, and you must know why you want to attract them. It’s worth taking the time to understand your target market and what drives them.

5. Not Doing Any Research

It’s no secret that the key to any good outcome in life is by conducting the right level of research. The same concept applies to inbound marketing campaigns; you wouldn’t spend money on your marketing without researching what will return the best ROI.

With that in mind, you need to always conduct plenty of market research and determine which methods will work best for your business and niche. Don’t assume that certain marketing methods that work for someone else will automatically work for you too.

6. Forgetting to Analyze Your Results

It might shock you to learn that many companies spend money on their inbound marketing campaigns yet fail to do any proper results analysis. They might see an increase in sales or interest in their brands, but they don’t understand how or why that has happened.

That’s why it makes sense to conduct plenty of results analysis to ensure your inbound marketing campaigns are working. When you analyze the results, you can then tweak your campaigns by making the right adjustments for an increased ROI.

7. Not Having a Social Media Focus

Lastly, did you know that some companies spread themselves too thin across social media platforms by signing up to literally all the leading social networks? When they do that, they don’t realize that they’ll need a team of people to manage all those social media profiles.

Sign up to the social networks that you feel will significantly benefit your business. Don’t spend your time signing up to all new or obscure social networks, hoping to cast a wider net to your target audience.

5 Powerful Impacts of Promotional Products and Branded Giveaways

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Promotional Products|5 Powerful Impacts of Promotional Products and Branded GiveawaysThe promotional products industry is big for a reason. In the US alone, companies spent over 24.2 billion U.S. dollars on promotional products. Successful businesses don’t overlook its powerful impacts and you shouldn’t overlook it as well. If you’ve been solely pouring marketing budget on digital ads, think again. Promotional products and branded giveaways are so effective and impactful and your business shouldn’t miss out on their benefits.

What are promotional products and branded giveaways?

Promotional products and branded giveaways are simple gifts. They are trinkets used by big and small companies to promote their service or product. Due to the global pandemic, face masks are currently the most popular promotional items. They’re closely followed by environmentally-friendly products, USB drives, outerwear, tote bags, and t-shirts. You don’t have to spend much on promotional products as you can also opt to giveaway pens, magnets, key chains, and other useful items. All promotional products, may they be big or small, bring in the same powerful marketing impacts.

5 Powerful Impacts of Promotional Products and Branded Giveaways

1. Instant Brand Ambassadors

Giving out promotional products makes people your instant brand ambassadors. They would end up using your item and you will always get free advertisement when they do. It’s not actually free as you spend it but this kind of advertising is something that can go on for many years and give you much value for your money. People keep promotional products for as long as eight months. The more useful the product is, the longer people use them. Given away umbrellas were even recorded to be used for 14 months. Hats were recorded to only last for seven months.

People also tend to give away promotional products that they receive so your simple branding move will truly go a long way. The more people your items reach, the better.

2. Good Branding Impression

Promotional products and branded giveaways give people the impression that your company cares. It creates a sense of community as people will deem your brand as helpful and considerate. Promotional products and branded giveaways create solid brand impressions that no other marketing strategy can match. Nothing is more effective than little acts of kindness that go a long way. It’s truly the little things that matter. If you want to make people know about your business and you want to make them feel that you care, you should invest in promotional products and branded giveaways.

3. Tangibility

Tangibility is supreme when it comes to having a solid presence. Nothing is more engaging than physical presence. Branded giveaways and promotional products, no matter their size, give that. They are tangible.

Consumers have evolved. They can now easily ignore almost all forms of advertising. As promotional products are tangible, it’s impossible to have them ignored. They give a recall rate of 85% because people can touch and feel them. Such tangibility is so much more effective and powerful than TV commercials and digital ads. If you want creative ideas on different promotional products and branded giveaways that you can utilize, you should check out Bladon WA.

4. Recall Rate

Data revealed that 85% of consumers remember businesses that gave them a hat or shirt. While a study on trade show attendees revealed that people remembered companies that gave branded giveaways and promotional products. Of the trade show attendees, 76% were recorded to have a good impression of companies that gave away useful items, tokens, and small trinkets.

This is something that no digital ad or TV commercial can do. The sense of tangibility is strong and it gets all the more impactful when it’s added with functionality. The more functional an item is, the stronger the positive impression it creates. People will truly appreciate your brand if they feel cared for.

5. Value for money

Spending on promotional products and branded giveaways bring so much value for your money. They last long and reach such a wide audience. Unlike TV commercials that can only air for a limited time, promotional products and branded giveaways can provide promotion 24/7. This is the case even if it’s just a pen or a face mask that we’re talking about.

In the case of a pen, your brand will always get promoted every time it is used. Even the simple fact that it’s found on a table already creates a strong impact. The more often your product or brand is seen, the more familiar it will become to people. Customer loyalty can be easily affected when a brand or product is familiar.

Every company’s goal is to make its brand or product familiar. Because in marketing, the goal is to simply make people know that your company or product exists. When consumers know that your company or product exists, they can then have the option to engage with you. The more familiar a product, the higher the rate of engagement. Familiarity breeds trust. Imagine that? All that for a simple pen? It’s simply amazing.

Level Up Your Game with Promotional Products and Branded Giveaways

Don’t miss out on the powerful marketing benefits of branded giveaways and promotional products. You should never overlook the positive branding benefits that they can bring to your business. When choosing a promotional product, opt for ones that are useful and durable. The more useful and durable they are, the more long-lasting the marketing benefits will be.

References:

Promotional products industry sales
https://www.statista.com/statistics/732818/promotional-products-industry-sales-usa/

Most Popular Promotional Items in 2021
https://www.godelta.com/blog/what-are-the-most-popular-promotional-items-infographic

Effectiveness of Promotional Products
https://www.idworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Effectiveness-of-Promo-products-2.pdf

How To Strengthen Your Company’s Reputation

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Company's Reputation|How To Strengthen Your Company's ReputationYour company’s reputation will impact how consumers and customers view your business and if they’re willing to work with you or not. If you’re not doing a good job with this matter currently then be glad to know there are steps you can take to strengthen your company’s reputation.

You’ll notice that you begin to attract more customers and that your reviews improve when you follow through with these suggestions. You can hold your head high knowing that the company you work for is in good standing and isn’t only focused on making a profit.

Keep Your Word

You can strengthen your company’s reputation by keeping your word. Avoid making promises you can’t keep and deliver on what you say you can do. Breaking promises and telling white lies will only get you into trouble and may make people upset with your business. Do what you say you’re going to do and keep customers updated when there are obstacles or delays throughout the ordering process.

Show You Care About Others & the Environment

Another way to strengthen your company’s reputation is to commit to following through with your corporate social responsibility as a business. Show you care about others by giving back through volunteer work or making donations to causes that are meaningful to you. Also, make an effort to implement sustainable business practices and find ways to improve the environment. For instance, if you’re in the trucking industry you can visit this website to learn more about how to reduce waste and plastic consumption in landfills.

Offer High-Quality Products or Services

You must also offer high-quality products or services if you want to improve your company’s reputation. You want customers to be more than satisfied after making a purchase from your business. Doing so will also boost your reviews and ratings and make people feel motivated to shop with you again in the future.

Take Responsibility

Everyone makes mistakes, even businesses, but not everyone admits to them. Therefore, commit to taking responsibility for your errors and owning the mistakes you do make. It’ll help strengthen your company’s reputation and allow you to build trust with your customers. Use open and honest communication and treat your customers with respect by being forthcoming about any issues with their orders.

Showcase Your Expertise

Strengthen your company’s reputation by showcasing your expertise in your area of business. You can do this by publishing articles on your business blog, speaking at conferences, and through social media updates. Focus on ways you can add value to your customer’s lives and let it be known what problem you can solve for them.

Conclusion

These suggestions and ideas will help you strengthen your company’s reputation and drive more sales in the end. You’ll be glad you took the time to address these areas once you see the constructive outcomes they bring. Be confident in yourself and your business and continue to build and nurture your relationships so you can ensure others see you in a positive light and want to work with you.

PR Success Secrets – How To Use Publicity Campaigns To Boost Your Business

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Publicity Campaigns|PR Success Secrets - How To Use Publicity Campaigns To Boost Your BusinessCompany leaders usually consider the best-case scenario when planning a PR campaign. The usual points to consider include – the story angle, conversion rate, and the credibility they will gain through these activities.

Of course, the best campaigns are modeled around the ones that have already garnered successful results. In other words, there is a blueprint for PR campaigns that most successful PR campaigns follow around.

In this article, we have collected some of these campaigns. Look at them, and who knows, you may find your befitting strategy from these ideas only.

Real Beauty Campaign – Dove

Unusually, the soap company – Dove – decided to go beyond the conventional marketing campaigns. They created a campaign called “Real Beauty.”

The company decided to go all punchy and redefined perceived and actual beauty concepts. In other words, it appealed to the customers, discarding the distorted perceptions of beauty as fair skin tones.

Their first campaign included a short commercial showing how the cosmetics industry popularized the broken concept of beauty. A normal woman enters a studio in the video and gets her makeup and hair done for a photoshoot. Later, the photos are dramatically enhanced before landing on a billboard.

That video appealed to the shock value and the sinking truth of the social stigmas. Later, in the second part of the campaign, the company hired real women instead of models to represent the brand’s face. And surprisingly, it worked. According to a report, the annual sales for the brand almost doubled over the decade from $2.5 to $4 billion.

Timing Is Everything – Shopping Slot

2020 has been a learning chapter in our lives. And as far as businesses are concerned, many attracted PR attention for how they responded to the changing needs during the pandemic.

One of the most significant examples during the pandemic was Shopping Slot. The startup was about gathering and sharing information about available delivery slots. Well, it seemed appropriate in times when delivery spots rarely seemed open.

Its PR campaign outstruck many, leading to a frenzy among its target users. It only released a “press” article that attracted 3 million site viewers. Subsequently, though the company gained half a million users, the website crashed due to a sudden surge in traffic.

Well, the key here was the timing. Besides, it created an incentive for the corporates to give back to the community. Sabrina Stocker, the co-founder of Shopping Slot, said, “We used real-life case studies and stories of how the service was bettering lives — these are the stories that stick.”

User Participation – #ALS

How many of you remember the ice bucket challenge? Well, it indeed did went viral on social media. And since social media is (mostly) the source of ideas about what’s essential for humans as a society, using it to gain real campaign exposure can be pretty resourceful.

Good challenges spread like wildfire, and there’s no doubt in it. Nonetheless, to your surprise, the ice bucket challenge was introduced by the ALS Association.

First of all, it was fun to watch someone pour a bucket full of ice-cold water on themselves. It doesn’t matter who’s taking up the challenge as long as it is good entertainment.

And the best thing about that challenge was, it was all meant to raise awareness and money for the ALS Association. According to some reports, the campaign raised around $115 million from about 2.4 million online videos. And all of them hashtagged with #ALS.

The Takeaway

What’s common in all the campaigns mentioned above? – They were all enticing and tried to break away from the common agendas.

If any of these ideas intrigued you, the next intimidating task you have at hand would be measuring the success of your campaign.

Remember, you need inspiration and no plagiarism in your campaign. To put it simply, you just have to have the idea of thinking out of the box. And wait for your drive to see the success lights.

Nonetheless, some key takeaways from these examples can help you redefine your PR campaign.

Say What Your Audience Doesn’t Expect You To

Thinking that your PR campaigns are primarily advertising strategies might be foolhardy. They are indeed a lot more than that.

Think of how you can capture your audience. Can you deliver a compelling message that out-shadows advertising norms? Or is your campaign enough to create a statement for your brand that your customers can relate to? What is the cause that your brand stands for?

Answering these questions, you may find it easier to build a rapport for your brand.

Invite Participation From Your Audience

PR campaigns can also be about engaging your customers. It gives them a feeling of belongingness that they can associate with. And this is precisely what the ALS Association did with their campaign.

There are many ways to do that. Creating funny challenges on social media is just one of them. You can pick, mix, and make your challenges that can connect with your audience. And invite them to participate.

In a nutshell, this would not only increase your brand’s reach but also build a community of loyal users around it.

Learn The Art Of Storytelling

This is what helped Shopping Slot gain that immediate surge in its web traffic. Though they didn’t plan for it, as was evident from their site being crashed, they still outperformed the conventional norms.

They not only earned customers but turned them into clients. In other words, rather than making claims about how your business is different or better, let your work speak for itself.

Ask yourself, what are you trying to solve, and how is it helping people. And when you have the answer, you already have a story to tell to your audience.

Summing It Up

Creating PR campaigns that resonate with the audience and your brand at the same time is certainly no easy task. And we didn’t intend to imply any such claims. However, there’s one thing that all of these campaigns tell us – it’s about defining your brand and letting your audience decide what they want to relate it with.