2020 is in the rearview mirror, but despite the desperation of individuals and businesses to return to some kind of normalcy, 2021 is still a dangerous, uncertain landscape for both companies and buyers. With the virus still mutating and new variants spreading, causing events to be canceled and stores to close, there are questions about how viable the real estate market is and will be for the foreseeable future.
COVID isn't going anywhere, and so in order to succeed, real estate agents will have to adopt the new normal and attempt to lure new clients in by using COVID-safe marketing tactics.
Let's take a look at the state of the market to see what kind of marketing strategies we might need.
The Once and Future Market
According to a column by Forbes' Business Council member Aaron Gill, the pandemic brought with it an "urban exodus" as city-dwellers who had been restricted in their tiny apartments bought cheaper, more affordable property in suburbs and less populated cities. With many of the things that made major cities into cultural hotspots closing down, these city-dwellers no longer had anything to weigh their lack of space against, and so they moved somewhere more adaptable to a quarantine-friendly lifestyle.
Now, however, people are returning to cities, selling properties in more rural areas (which are now more valuable) for a profit. With a return to normalcy on the horizon in 2021, employers have called their employees back to work in an office setting, and many of the things that make cities cultural hotspots have begun to reopen. Yet, there are still concerns about how the market might continue to change as the Delta variant spreads.
Safe and Reliable Real Estate Marketing
Because the market continues to shift and the COVID pandemic continues to evolve, it will be essential for real estate agents to be willing to adapt to the landscape as it changes. Part of that will be adopting marketing strategies that are COVID safe and may remain relevant and client-preferred after the pandemic passes. Here are a few Real Estate Marketing strategies you can use to hook clients that are a little more COVID-conscious:
● Consider a 3D tour option. The open-house as we know it died in the year 2020, and while the world is slowly reopening and you might be considering hosting them again, it's always a good idea to have an alternative for buyers who don't feel safe attending. Aside from being able to reach demographics that will be less likely to leave their home (say, 60 and up), a 3D tour option allows buyers to take a closer look at the property in the comfort of their home. This may make it easier to screen out the looky-loo's and help clients who are looking at your property seriously decide if it's right for them.
● Avoid niche markets. As things continue to change, it's going to be important to be able to adapt to what the client needs: don't be afraid to dip into a variety of markets and cut deals where you can.
● Diversify your social media. The bigger your online footprint, the more likely it is that you'll snag clients across a variety of demographics. Get on TikTok and brand yourself as "the funny realtor." Tout your COVID-safe private open-house appointments on Instagram. Post listings with drone-shot pictures on Facebook, as well as links to your 3D tour. And if you find that mapping out an effective social media strategy is proving to be a little too difficult, you can always hire a consultant that specializes in social media marketing for realtors and real estate agents alike.
The World is Changing: Real Estate Agents Have to as Well
These are, of course, just a few ideas you can use to adapt your marketing to the post-pandemic world. It's by no means meant to be an exhaustive list, and chances are that as things continue to shift, real estate agents will have to roll with the punches. Finding new ways to reach clients in a market that, from the outside looking in, seems unstable, might be difficult, but with a little bit of ingenuity and a whole lot of precautions, you can get clients signing leases in no time.
