The way today’s digital-savvy consumers search for homes is no surprise. While the latest National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows that a majority of millennials and Gen X buyers use a real estate agent to buy a home, it also shows that more than nine in 10 homebuyers use the internet in their home search.
So how can today’s real estate agents make the most of these digital habits? Enter programmatic advertising, a protocol that targets ads to potential customers wherever they may be on the web.
Here’s how it works: Website publishers place their available ad inventory on online exchanges, where advertisers can purchase impressions. Using cookies and other data-tracking tools, these networks identify website visitors by income level, age and behavioral indicators to discern consumers’ interest and intent in buying or selling. Advertisers use these factors to identify their audience and the ad networks place their targeted ads on sites with available inventory.
Programmatic advertising is both a powerful lead-targeting technology for agents, and improves the home-purchasing process for consumers as it gives agents valuable information they can use to better serve their leads and clients. Many real estate pros know the latter is one way to thrive in the digital era.
“At the end of the day, (consumers) seek a Realtor’s expertise and insights into the local market,” said Denise Welsh, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. “There is value in a Realtor’s ability to analyze this information and guide them through the complexities of a real estate transaction.”
One of the biggest benefits of programmatic advertising is its ability to deliver real-time data from multiple parties involved in the home-search process, allowing advertisers to modify their campaigns based on what the data tell them. For example, they can use the data to modify their ads and details of their campaigns such as the times of day ads run and the devices they show up on.
Programmatic advertising empowers agents with flexibility. For example, if an agent specializes in midcentury modern homes, she can craft a campaign focusing on that audience and track the data. If she’s unsatisfied with the results, she can adapt the campaign midstream and test-drive other aspects of the audience to target.
Daily reports on data tracking keep agents up to date on where their ads receive the most attention and at what times. It can make clear, in a short period, if the reach or devices targeted are the best investment. Ultimately, it improves an agent’s best marketing friend: ROI.
To learn more about programmatic advertising strategies for real estate professionals, visit LeadHax.com.