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The digital realm provides real estate agents with a vast landscape to showcase properties and lure in potential clients through effective marketing. Yet, with so many visually captivating advertising campaigns out there, it’s crucial to remember that the real metric of success is not just how campaigns look, but how they perform. In performance marketing, results reign supreme.
In a nutshell, performance marketing is a marketing strategy driven by the results of paid advertising; payment is based on how users interact with the content on consumer-driven sites, such as Google Adwords, Zillow and Amazon.
The biggest question most agents want answered before a marketing spend is, “Will this increase my business?” In performance marketing, this is irrefutable, as you are paying for results at scale.
The goal of performance marketing in real estate should be to not only resonate with potential leads but also convert them.
It’s often not the flashiest campaign that wins; it’s the one that delivers tangible, brand-consistent results — those that deliver value to the clients and prompt them to act. Below is an overview of key aspects.
1. Focus on success metrics over aesthetic appeal
In real estate marketing, it’s tempting to prioritize stunning designs and glossy imagery. However, the true benchmark for a successful campaign isn’t just its aesthetic appeal but its performance. While branding must remain consistent, the ultimate focus should be on conversions, as it’s the leads, calls and conversions that genuinely count.
Every marketing tool, whether it’s a landing page or an email, should not only reflect the brand’s voice and imagery but also drive clear, actionable results. While aesthetics can draw potential clients in, what matters is what propels them to act.
2. Set clear, actionable goals
From the get-go, campaign goals should be well-defined, whether they pertain to generating webform contacts, phone calls or offering informational downloads. For instance, a strategy where agents offer valuable content in exchange for a prospective client’s email and name can be a potent call to action. This not only establishes value but also sets the stage for future direct communication.
Your goals are your metric for success. You will measure your goal conversions as units of success for each campaign.
3. Track traffic and user interactions
Tracking is the spine of performance marketing. By discerning where traffic originates and understanding user interactions, agents can refine their strategies for better outcomes. Google Analytics is indispensable, as it helps trace conversions back to their origin, whether from Google Adwords, Zillow or Google Business Profile.
4. Figure out how you’ll drive traffic
In any performance marketing campaign, you must choose your traffic source or sources. Google Adwords is a straightforward traffic source for search traffic and by far the largest source. Bing Ads can also provide additional search traffic. You can choose other sources of traffic like paid ads on Facebook or Instagram. Regardless, a campaign with no traffic is like a tree falling in the woods: No one will hear it.
5. Embrace the iterative nature of campaigning
Performance marketing isn’t about instant success. It’s iterative and demands tests, failures, learning and optimizations. Many campaigns might not yield quick results, but they provide invaluable insights. The trick is to find that golden 1 percent of campaigns, refine them, and then double down on the strategy for amplified ROI with potential clients.
With a focus on performance marketing, agents can ignore the onslaught of marketing vendors’ outreach promising tools to grow your business. Although it’s only recently becoming better understood, performance marketing is now differentiated in the industry and recognized as a true needle-mover in the growth of a business.
Eric Bramlett is the owner of Bramlett Residential, a top-performing real estate brokerage in Austin, Texas. You can follow Eric Bramlett and Bramlett Residential on Instagram @Bramlett.Resi and Facebook.com/BramlettRE.
