Not so long ago it was prophesied that TV would kill cinema, downloads would kill radio, and digital publishing would kill print. In the event, they all seem to have survived remarkably well.
Looking back on 50 years of property marketing the biggest change, of course, has been the impact of the internet. The breakthrough came with the arrival of the independent listing websites – Right Move, Zoopla, Prime Location etc – which meant that market coverage was no longer the monopoly of the big agents.
Now every vendor could get universal coverage for their home sale. The rest of the industry had to play catch-up, which they did quickly by building their own websites. But me-too doesn’t mean me best.
Game-changing though it was, it was soon found that the internet was an awfully big place to get lost in. However good your offer, how were people going to hear about it? How, in short, did you get them to visit your site?
As if in answer to a prayer, along came social media, a revolution within a revolution
Which allowed you to post comments and excerpts from your blog with backlinks to your website.
And let’s not forget traditional media – press ads, flyers etc – overprinted with your web address or QR code. Even web giants like eBay place print ads in the national press.
All of these have now become industry standards. So how do you stand out from the crowd? We thought about this and decided if Mohammed wouldn’t come to the mountain, the mountain would have to come to Mohammed. Rather than wait for people to come to our website, why not take our website to them?
We’ve now made something of a speciality of this with our digital brochures/mailings – interactive PDFs that are effectively mini websites. I say ‘mini’, but they can run to any number of pages and include extras like virtual tours, CGIs and photo galleries. In short, the next best thing to an accompanied viewing. And you can send them out as targeted emailing’s!
Property marketing has come a long way in 50 years and thanks to new media and new technology it’s really come of age. But it’s important to remember that technology isn’t a toy, it’s a tool.
It makes the role of the agent even more important. Property sales don’t just happen. It takes professionals with expertise and experience to put them together and make them happen; to put technology to practical and profitable use. That’s what separates the men from the boys!
