Real Estate Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022

As a real estate agent, you’ve probably relied on a few tried and true methods for generating leads. These methods probably include word-of-mouth referrals, open houses, and social media. However, as the nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, real estate marketing has adapted. Importantly, it continues to adapt to the limitations of the industry. What tools are your competitors using as part of their marketing strategy? How can you implement these tools, and what results should you expect to see?

Virtuance recently conducted a survey of real estate agents across the country to determine what marketing strategy a new or seasoned agent should use in 2022 to be successful. A successful marketing strategy will result in more lead generation, more listings, and more money for both you and your client.

Digital Marketing: Opportunities for a Competitive Advantage

The COVID-19 pandemic proved a boon for the telecommunication industry. Consumers turned to their mobile devices for news, entertainment, and shopping. As a result, marketing trends have increasingly begun to rely on online methods of lead generation. Websites have become the hub of all advertising activity. As a result, real estate agents attempt to capture and convert as many leads as possible.

Research shows that those who embrace new technology stand to profit the most from new opportunities for a competitive advantage. According to the Virtuance marketing survey, the NAR homebuyer survey, and additional sources, building a concrete real estate marketing strategy can give you a significant advantage over your competitors in any of the nation’s real estate markets. 

Social Media

According to the Pew Research Center, over 70% of the United States adult population use social media, yet only 71% of the real estate agents surveyed by Virtuance actually use social media in their marketing strategy. We believe real estate agents who embrace social media will find greater success in 2022. If you know that your clientele or prospective clients use social media, then you know that you can get your name and content in front of them. 

Floor Plans and Virtual Tours

According to the National Association of Realtors, 67% of all homebuyers want to see a floor plan of a listing and 58% of all homebuyers want to see a virtual tour of a listing. However, of the agents Virtuance surveyed, only 30% are using floor plans and only 40% are using virtual tours as part of their marketing strategy. Using floor plans and virtual tours in your marketing can give you an advantage over a significant number of your competitors with very little effort!

Single-Listing Websites

Over 50% of homebuyers want to see detailed information about property listings, including real estate agent contact information, virtual tours, photos, neighborhood information, and interactive maps (according to the NAR). Single-listing websites can achieve all of the above and can be a critical portion of a realtor’s digital marketing strategy, yet only 30% of agents surveyed by Virtuance are using single-listing websites.

Predicted Successful Marketing Strategies for Real Estate Agents in 2022

According to the Virtuance survey and additional sources, we’ve put together the top five efforts Realtors should implement in 2022 to gain an advantage over competitors as well as to generate leads and referrals. The top challenges for both new and seasoned real estate professionals across the country right now are how to generate new listings and how to acquire new leads. A successful marketing strategy will help Realtors do just that by increasing referrals and generating leads.

1. Professional photography

If you aren’t using professional photography for your listings, you are in the minority. 81% of real estate agents use professional photography for their listings. Not only that, but according to the NAR, nearly 90% of homebuyers said that photos are the most important website feature when deciding to view a property. Virtuance’s professional photography is proven to be more effective at capturing homebuyers’ attention than other professionally photographed listings.

Use professional photography for your real estate listings and take advantage of Virtuance’s marketing tools, including floor plans, virtual tours, single-listing websites, and more to get ahead of your real estate competition.

Virtuance as a professional photography solution

In 2018, Tobii Pro conducted an eye-tracking study (paid for by Virtuance) to “measure consumers’ attention and spontaneous responses to marketing messages” (Tobii Pro). Two-thirds of the study’s participants preferred Virtuance’s HDReal images over any other professional real estate photography solution. The participants found the Virtuance images the fastest. Additionally, the HDReal images held their attention longer than the other professional photos. By using Virtuance and the HDReal technology, real estate agents can generate twice as much interest in their listings than if they were to use another professional photography service. 

2. Social media marketing

The top three marketing channels used by real estate agents are social media, email, and direct mail. There’s more to social media marketing than publishing a post now and then. We recommend using these strategies in 2022 to get the most out of your real estate marketing efforts.

Post Your Listings

Post on social media during the week instead of only on weekends. According to realtor.com, consumers are more likely to search for real estate on weekdays than on weekends. Leverage social media content to create real estate listings shared on other websites and social channels. These channels can include realtor.com, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and more.

Video Content

Video is becoming increasingly popular on social media sites, particularly Facebook. Real estate marketers find that video marketing increases their visibility and allows them to reach a wider audience. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that real estate agents are finding success in creating and sharing videos. In addition to Facebook Live videos, there’s an opportunity for real estate marketers to take advantage of YouTube marketing.

When you partner with a professional photography service such as Virtuance, you don’t have to make an extra effort to create content. You can use aerial videos, virtual tours, and other professionally-produced content to increase your visibility on social media.

One of the most common requests Virtuance has fielded from real estate agents over the last five years is video marketing resources. Still, only 37% of Realtors are using video. Also, less than 40% are planning to add it to their marketing stack in 2022. This information reveals a great opportunity for Realtors to get an advantage over their competitors.

Making video content doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. For example, clipchamp is a free video editor that real estate agents can use to produce high-quality video content for Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Paid Ads

The most successful social media marketing strategies comprise a combination of Facebook ads and organic growth. According to the NAR, the biggest takeaway for agents should be to use Facebook ads. Only 22% of agents currently market their listings on Facebook or other social media channels. Yet, as we’ve mentioned, 70% of American adults are active on social media.  Realtors can also take advantage of Instagram Ads as well as paid advertising on Pinterest.

Paid advertising is especially effective for Realtors because it offers the opportunity to target specific groups of people. For example, imagine you are selling a home in Seattle that is priced at $500,000. The average buyer’s age would be between 40 and 55 years old. If you want to find buyers aged 25-40 for this same listing, then you can use Facebook ads to do that! And, even better, the majority of real estate agents aren’t using online advertising to promote their brand. When you use online advertising, including paid Facebook ads, to promote your business or brokerage, you have an advantage over a majority of your competitors!

3. 3D and Virtual Tours

The use of virtual tours has skyrocketed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As mentioned, many potential homebuyers (58%) still want to see a virtual tour before choosing to view a property. Of the real estate agents surveyed by Virtuance, only 40% of them use 3D virtual tours as part of their real estate marketing strategy. In fact, of the agents surveyed, direct mail (56% of agents) is more commonly used than 3D virtual tours. What does that mean for you and your 2022 marketing efforts? You can sell your listings faster with 3D Virtual tours of your listings. Also, you’ll have a competitive advantage in your local market.

Save time and cut costs by using a virtual tour. Instead of driving back and forth to properties to meet for in-person showings, virtual tours provide real estate professionals with a way to show their properties without investing as much time and money. Once an interested buyer goes through a virtual tour, they’ll likely contact you for more information. That means you’ll spend time on leads more likely to convert than visitors to an open house, for example. Additionally, virtual tours often generate traffic to your website. Listings with a virtual tour get 40% more clicks than those without (Matterport). 

Zillow 3D Home®

Zillow 3D Home tours are another way to increase your lead generation and sell your listings faster. For example, properties on Zillow with a 3D Home tour were saved by buyers 45% more than homes without. Additionally, homes with 3D tours were 22% more likely to sell within 30 days. (*Over a 6-month period, 46% of homes with Zillow 3D Home tours sold within 30 days vs. 38% that did not have a Zillow 3D Home tour.) Real estate listings with Zillow 3D Home tours can help real estate professionals sell listings faster and generate more leads than listings without them:

• Listings with a Zillow 3D Home tour sold, on average, 10% faster than listings without.
• Listings with a Zillow 3D Home tour got, on average, 40% more views than listings without.

More clicks mean more traffic, more leads, and more sales for you!

4. Email Marketing

Email is one of the top three channels that real estate agents use to market their brand. We recommend that real estate agents who don’t already use email marketing start to do so in 2022. According to OptInMonster, 99% of email users check their email every single day. Think of all the leads you could miss out on if you aren’t using email marketing!

While some argue that email marketing is going by the wayside in favor of social media marketing and SEO, 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months (HubSpot). It’s likely that this increase is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the trend is consistent and we predict that it will continue into 2022. In fact, 4 out of 5 marketers claimed they’d rather give up social media than email marketing (Litmus).

Using email marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. A typical “welcome” email has more than an 80% open rate which generates 4x as many opens and 10x as many clicks as other email types like newsletters (GetResponse, 2020). Your audience doesn’t want to be bombarded by emails, so a weekly or monthly email newsletter can reward you with higher open rates and click-through rates than a daily email blast. 

5. Single Listing Websites

If you’re not capturing leads through single listing websites, you are missing valuable opportunities to connect with potential homebuyers and sellers! As we mentioned, over 50% of home buyers want to see detailed information about properties when viewing a listing online. Single property websites (AKA single listing websites) can provide agent contact information, virtual tours, photos, neighborhood information, and more to these homebuyers. Yet, only 30% of agents surveyed by Virtuance use single property websites. Talk about an opportunity! 

In 2022, real estate agents should invest more into single property websites because they are easier to use and will give them better returns on their investment. You can generate leads without purchasing them from third-party listing websites such as Realtor.com. Additionally, real estate agents can generate leads on a single property website. They can achieve this without investing in other forms of advertising, such as Google Ads. For example, the cost-per-click on keywords such as “homes for sale near me” and “houses for sale” range from $0.69 a click and $1.19 a click (SEMrush). Those clicks do not guarantee a lead. However, you pay for them regardless of whether the user is a qualified lead for you or not. Meanwhile, building a single property website can be accomplished by a moderately tech-savvy real estate professional or for a small fee from a freelance developer. 

Virtuance as a Single Property Listing Solution

The Virtuance Marketing Suite combines all of your listing marketing into one location, saving you time and aggravation! Realtors are busy professionals and you may not have time to build a single property website for each one of your listings. That’s where Virtuance can provide you with a marketing solution along with your photography packages. 

With minimal effort, you’ll be able to get your HDReal® photos in just a few minutes. You can create gorgeous listing websites and brochures using our template designs. Additionally, you can post your listing on social media immediately after it has been delivered to you.

You can also share information with your client, including leads and traffic. Websites created on Virtuance Marketing Suite automatically include lead generation that sends you an email every time you get a lead. Additionally, you can see visitor traffic, leads generated, most popular images, and more in a single report!

In Conclusion

The real estate marketing industry is changing at a rapid pace. Real estate agents should develop an effective marketing strategy if they want to establish their business as genuine contenders. Based on the data collected by Virtuance and other sources, we predict that the best way to compete in your local real estate market in 2022 is to implement professional photography, social media marketing, 3D tours, email marketing, and single property websites.