The days of putting a sign in front and waiting for someone to drive by are long gone. With the digital age upon us, now, more than ever, to get the best price at the right time takes a marketing plan.
Many of the new buyers in Flagstaff are now coming from California, Arizona, Nevada and abroad. I am sure you have seen an abundance of out of state license plates in the area. These buyers tend to be about ready to retire, retired, relocating or young people with internet jobs that can live anywhere and are drawn to the outdoor lifestyle. The retiring Californian is being driven by that state’s increasing cost of real estate, big 401k increases and the new tax law that reduces deductions in the state. Nevada prospects are looking for a summer break. Even buyers from Florida and Texas are moving here because of the natural disasters, high property prices and insurance.
This is where your marketing plan comes in. How can you attract those prospects to your property? Digital marketing works best here. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media sites can be targeted to the out of town or international customer. Facebook has a whole array of targeting selects that can zero in on potential buyers. Retargeting ads and pay per click can then be used to follow the customer around as they are searching on the Internet.
Carefully crafted remarks and a description of the property are equally important to digital photography, as they also drive the search engines on the internet to your property. Search by lifestyle, a popular property search option with dedicated websites for Golf, Ski, Farm and Ranch should also be part of your plan. Thirty-eight percent of visitors use lifestyle search. Forty-four percent of buyers report they first viewed the home they purchased online.
Everyone loves to look at beautiful properties. Eye candy. Professional digital photography and video are musts for getting top dollar. Video is especially important for attracting out of state or international buyers. They can get a better feel for the property before they spend travel dollars and a video will boost the search results. Video goes to the top of the search engines on social media. Digital drone photography should be used to highlight the surrounding area if on a special site or location.
Zillow is to real estate buyers what Amazon is to retail. It is expensive to use, but it is where most of the buyers come from. Realtor.com is secondary and attracts the young people looking at lower cost properties. More than 90 percent of property searches are done online.
Direct mail is also a very strong local medium and, used with demographic targeting, can be very cost effective in local markets. This should be part of any marketing plan.
With a majority of buyers coming from the Valley, it is important to list on MLS systems in Phoenix and Flagstaff. This creates inventory for other agents in the Valley and increases your exposure to agents by over 7,000 percent. Imagine increasing your sales force by 7,000 percent!
Spaces advertising in targeted publications are also very valuable and can get you a large number of views.
With all of the marketing avenues available to a home seller today, it’s more important than ever to work with a real estate professional in order to develop a comprehensive plan that will result in the most eyes on your property. FBN
By Shane Randall
Shane Randall is a realtor with Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty. He can be reached at 928-221-9363 or shane.randall@russlyon.com.