We’re entering an age where digital marketing has become one of the most powerful tools in the sales toolkit…and yet where are the real estate agents?  In our business, we make it a point to follow as many Australian real estate agencies and businesses on Twitter as we can, and the number of times we’ve searched for a name only to find that the agent doesn’t have an account astounds us.  We know it’s a busy industry, and taking the time to develop a social media presence can feel overwhelming, but if you don’t, you’re missing out on more than the opportunity to share an Instagrammed brunch.  You’re missing out on sales.

There’s a concept you should understand, taken from social psychology, which is known as propinquity.  It refers to way that physical or psychological nearness between two people leads to a closer relationship.   The co-worker you see every day, your neighbours, the other parents around the school gate; by making contact regularly, and passing the time of day, you develop close, meaningful bonds even if you aren’t natural soulmates.

With the growth in social media, researchers have found that physical proximity isn’t the only way to develop those bonds.  Virtual propinquity also exists. 

And what on earth does that have to do with you?  Well.  Marketing and sales are all about building relationships with people.  Especially for real estate agents, who are already working against the perceptions that they are untrustworthy , building trust is a critical part of landing the listing, and it’s part of the sales process that starts well before the vendor decides to sell.

Most of a customer’s decision making process happens before he or she even speaks to you.  Whether they pick up the phone and ring your office instead of your competitors depends entirely on what they already know about your service and about you.  That’s why referrals are so powerful.

But as the Age of the Internet grinds steadily across the horizon, the marketing landscape is changing.  More and more, vendors do their research online.  They’re not deciding that you’re the right agent for them based on their neighbour’s opinion anymore, they’re basing it on what they know of you online.  That, combined with the need to influence their decisions before they speak to you, represents an enormous opportunity.  By mapping out contact points – places where your prospective vendor is likely to go online and where you can interact with them – and then creating those interactions, you create a virtual propinquity effect.   

That only works if the interactions are positive, of course: we don’t like everybody we see every day, after all!  But if you’re willing to create high quality branded content (you don’t have to write it yourself!) and get that content placed in places where a contact point is likely, then your prospects will start to know who you are even before they know they’re looking for an agent. And that means they’ll walk through your door first.

How and where to place that content and optimise your social media presence is a whole post on its own, so we’ll follow this one up with more details on content marketing strategy next week.  Until then, happy selling!