3 Avoidable Marketing Mistakes Real Estate Startups Can Make

Introduction to Effective Marketing Strategies for Real Estate Startups

Starting a business is no easy feat. There’s less comfort in knowing that 90% of startups fail, according to 2024 data sourced from Exploding Topics. The same report found that new business success rates are 10 to 20% over the long term.

The odds against the real estate sector didn’t bode well. About 48% of real estate startups failed within four years. However, there’s still hope for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to explore this sector.

Real Estate Still a Sure Bet

Somber stats aside, the real estate sector is currently experiencing a boom. Statista revealed that real estate, insurance, finance, rental and leasing contributed the highest value to the U.S. GDP in 2023.

While big players like government and manufacturing lagged, the real estate sector and its accompanying sidekicks accounted for 20.7% of the gross domestic product.

Relatively speaking, if there is one niche startup to invest in, real estate should be it.

If you don’t want your business to be another failed statistic, be mindful of the barriers you can encounter, especially when marketing it.

In this article, we’ll delve into the specifics of marketing your real estate startup while saving cash and a return on investment (ROI).

Mistake #1: Not Leveraging AI Tools

AI tools are good for startups as they help save money. For instance, you don’t have to be a professional website builder to create your business website.

The internet offers a wealth of information on AI website building. Some AI tools offer products like an AI logo generator during the website creation process.

No design experience is necessary, says Hocoos, if you opt for an AI-based website builder. All it takes is your vision to build a unique website tailored to your company’s needs.

Some AI website builders go beyond the generic website creation services and provide image editors and website content generators. Added values include a customer support team if you own an online store and free website hosting.

Mistake #2: Lack of Strategy

Frontiers published a report earlier this year on why startups fail. While it found that there wasn’t one specific reason, the report did give insight into several factors.

Cost issues, lack of investors and gaps in the market were deal breakers. And then there was a lack of strategy. Not being able to identify market opportunities and trends was the de facto, resulting in the loss of potential revenue.

A clear and thorough strategy maintains ordinance in the team with everyone working towards the same goal.

Frontier echoed the same sentiment in its findings. It stated that a more integrated approach centered around conceptual frameworks was needed.

Mistake #3: Not Leveraging Marketing Technology 

The days of listing a property and hoping it sells are long gone. Instead of pushing against technology, embrace it and use it to your advantage to fine-tune your marketing strategies. Here are a few options worth exploring. 

Virtual Staging

Virtual staging is the future. While sharing its home staging stats, The Zebra found that 85% of staged homes sold for almost 23% more than unstaged homes.

Imagine the opportunities once you’ve tapped into the virtual staging trend. Buyers need not physically be at a home showing. As long as they could view the property as a future home, the chances of them buying it was 82%, the National Association of Realtors claimed.

Another way to add a unique twist to your marketing plan is to host virtual home tours on your website. Online staging saves loads of cash and time.

Email Marketing

Digital marketing is the holy grail of any brand or startup. An offshoot of this is email marketing which has proven an effective marketing tool.

According to Business2Community, the payoffs of email marketing are huge. When used as a sales pitch,  55% of consumers purchase directly after receiving an email.

The business website’s stats also showed that email marketing had an ROI of between $35 and $40 for every $1 spent in 2022.

As a real estate business, start by sending a monthly newsletter to all clients, past and present, listing the properties on your portfolio. To make things more enticing, include quality property images and a short video walkthrough.

A monthly newsletter keeps clients in the loop and increases your chances of receiving referrals.

Paid Social Media Ads

Before you scoff at the idea of paid promotions, consider the following. Paid social media ads increase brand visibility, lead generation and engagement.

Tapping into this resource unlocks a new client base. Gen Z’s buying power outperforms that of Millenials and Baby Boomers. A report by Bloomberg stated that Gen Z has $360 billion in disposable income.

Before taking this route, do your research on various social media platforms. Find out which platforms yield the most audience reach. Instagram is a visual tool, making it the perfect accompaniment to virtual home tours.

Last Thoughts

It all comes down to brand awareness and a winning marketing strategy. You can do it by avoiding these mistakes. By leveraging the tools we mentioned, your real estate startup stands a chance of becoming a success story and not just another failed startup.

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