People are sometimes confused as to what digital marketing entails and some do not even have an idea why it may be necessary to apply it in their real estate business.
You are most likely here because you are in either or both of the categories I've mentioned.
I am going to give you two answers to this question, and for better understanding, I'll strongly advice that you read my second answer thoroughly.
Before I go ahead with my answers, I am going to give you the definition of digital marketing.
Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the internet and online based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. (Source: Wikipedia).
So, is digital marketing important for real estate in Nigeria?
Answer 1 (the short answer)
The short answer is YES!
Answer 2 (the long answer)
Now, the long answer is...
Digital marketing is very important for real estate in Nigeria and I am going to share with you a few reasons you must start marketing your real estate business online.
One of the ways that people rate a business is by checking to see if that business is already online.
How can they find you online if you are not participating in some form of digital marketing?
Credibility in any business is very important and scores you massive points. If your business is hard to find online, it could raise doubts and suspicion and will ultimately drive some of your potential clients away.
The internet is such a large place right now. With the amount of people using social networks, it is not unusual to say the internet is now a world of its own.
Facebook has over 2 billion users, Instagram; 1 billion, LinkedIn; 800 million users, Twitter; 397 million and YouTube; over 2.2 billion.
Just imagine having access to only 0.01% of Instagram users alone (imagine they are your target audience). That is about 100,000 people.
Do you also know that Google can help you reach thousands of people in your local area? Through the search engine, people that are within few metres from your business address can find you and contact you.
Now, that's how much your business will be losing out on if you are not engaging in digital marketing.
Compared to traditional forms of advertising like billboards, TV, radio and newspapers, advertising online is more affordable.
This affordability helps you to reach millions of people while spending less money.
You will agree with me that nobody really wants to spend money where their audience is not showing up.
One sweet part of digital marketing it is that it enable you target a specific audience and narrow your ad targeting to reach the exact group of people you want it to reach.
So, when you get people to interact with you for business, they are likely going to be those who really want to do business with you.
In addition to credibility, by putting your business online, you are exposing it to more eyes. More people begin to recognize your brand and start trying to know more about it.
Have you ever seen an advert on TV and decided you were going to try the product that was advertised?
That advert made you aware of the product and convinced you to try it out.
That's how it works online too. While scrolling through your Facebook news feeds, at different times, you may have come across some ads (from the same company). Those ads were put there to make you aware of the product/business being advertised.
If you are looking for a very good place to build relationships and collaborate with others on a professional level, LinkedIn is the place.
Many people do not understand how LinkedIn works and often disregard its effectiveness.
With LinkedIn, you are sure to find other business people and investors that can take your real estate business to another level.
LinkedIn is not the only place to build great partnerships though. Through DMs on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, you will also be able to find and identify people who are interested in partnering with you and your business.
That is the power of digital marketing.
While traditional marketing still works very well (especially in the real estate industry), your business strategies will be deemed obsolete if you are not online.
Improving your online presence and building your real estate business on the internet will massively increase your leads and bring in more sales.
If you still want to know how to get into digital marketing and also looking for ways to improve your Real Estate business and start selling properties online, then get started by reading this article.