However, with over 30 million users per month in the UK, the chances are that your audience will be using Facebook.

While posting to your business page helps to build your brand with those that already follow you, targeted advertising campaigns get you noticed quickly by those that don’t, generating more leads.

Why use Facebook advertising?

Firstly, while we refer to Facebook, the platform is actually now known as Meta and covers advertising not just on Facebook – but across Instagram, other networks and within specific apps.

The combined monthly active users across Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp has surpassed 3.6 billion users globally. And while you may hear stories of Facebook usage reducing, it’s still accessed daily by 44% of the UK population.

Facebook Ads give you the opportunity to deliver your message directly to your ideal audience, be they vendors or landlords right where they are – on their Facebook feed.

How do Facebook Ads work?

Firstly, ignore that button that tells you to ‘boost this post’. That’s not what Facebook advertising is really about.

Instead, set up an Ads manager account to properly use Facebook Ads to their full advantage.

By doing this you get access to a range of tools which will help you to better focus on the actions you want your audience to take when you show them an advert.

Facebook gives you the ability to choose campaign types based on the action you want a user to take – common ones which are beneficial to estate agencies include:

• Traffic Campaigns: Drive users to your website
• Conversion Campaigns: These are designed to get a user to take a specific action on your website or a landing page. For example, this could be to make an enquiry, or to use an online valuation tool
• Lead Generation: Lead generation campaigns work by asking users to fill in a form on Facebook. These can work exceptionally well if you have a ‘freebie’ (often referred to as a lead magnet) to offer. This could be something like a specific area report, or a guide for landlords on an interesting subject

Targeting on Facebook can be based on a range of user behaviours and your own data. For example, you may target people in a specific demographic, or choose to retarget users who have already been on your website. It’s worth bearing in mind though that some housing adverts may be restricted, so always check Facebook’s policy first.

Just remember though, like any other type of advertising campaign, Facebook Ads are designed to build initial awareness, but how you nurture leads you collect is just as important. So, when creating a Facebook campaign, do consider what happens next – such as follow up emails or other actions.

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Average rental prices in the UK have skyrocketed over the past year, with Nationwide reporting a 14.3% growth in the UK.

In addition, new mortgages taken out in 2021 have increased, as buy-to-let landlords come back into the market.

While it’s clear to see that there is a renewed appetite from investors to re-enter the lettings market, as a lettings agency how can you ensure that you are attracting landlords?

Email marketing can be one of the most direct and effective ways to build your brand and entice landlords to use your services.

We explore the benefits of email marketing when attracting landlords.

Nurture trust

If you run a lettings agency or property management company, you’ll know that trust is absolutely vital between your business and your landlords clients. After all, they are asking you to look after one of their most valuable business assets.

While they are initially looking for an agency who will source good tenants, they also want to make sure that you can act as a trusted advisor. They may ask you for advice on what legislation they need to be aware of, tax implications and managing tenant queries, for example.

Direct email marketing gives you the opportunity to prove your knowledge. You can share articles about changes to law, provide case studies on how you have dealt with challenges and show your local knowledge with regular market updates.

Stay ‘top of mind’

Whether your email list is made up of potential clients who have previously reached out but found tenants elsewhere, or those who perhaps downloaded a lead magnet, if you offer valuable content these potential landlord clients will remember you.

In a buoyant market it can be difficult to be the first agency to secure a tenant. However, by ensuring that you stay in touch with landlords who have contacted you – you help to future proof your estate agency or lettings company.

Upsell your property management services

Offering property management services is an ideal way to introduce recurring revenue into your agency.

Landlords often want to be ‘hands off’ with their tenants. However, while they may be less choosy about who sources a tenant, they want to know that their property is managed by a company who is professional, trustworthy and knows what to do if things go wrong.

Email marketing allows you to build that trust and show your track record.

Additionally, don’t forget your existing landlords who may be on a tenant find only service. While many inexperienced landlords may initially feel that they wish to manage their property themselves, many underestimate the time it can take to organise things like repairs, safety inspections and liaising with their tenants.

Keep showing the value of your property management services through your emails.

If you are looking for an email solution to attract more landlords, BriefYourMarket can help.

From monthly newsletters to sales-led email sequences, we help you to build a suite of content to showcase your brand to landlords.

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You’ve got an offer.

Your vendor is happy, your buyer is happy.

Then… silence.

Property transaction times are increasing. In 2020 the average time for an agreed sale to complete surged from 90 days to around 110 – 115 days according to Zoopla.

While it’s likely that we will see fall back to more normal timescales in 2022 – thanks to a less frantic market, it’s still very much the case that many estate agencies are failing to keep vendors engaged throughout the sales process.

The importance of good communication

In a recent survey carried out by The Homeowners Alliance, 87% of people said that a rapport with branch staff was their main reason for choosing a specific estate agent.

However, a great relationship built during the process of finding a buyer can quickly turn sour if good communication doesn’t continue during the sales progression stage.

In another survey, this time carried out by the Law Society, 45% of respondents said that poor communication either prolonged or caused their home move to fall through. And while many delays may be out of your control as an agent – keeping your buyer up to date, and showing you are very much working on their side is crucial.

While delays often happen, the way you communicate with both vendors and buyers throughout the sales process are what will leave the lasting impression.

Be proactive

Being pro-active during the sales process is one of the best ways to leave a good impression with your vendors. If you don’t actively update them, this will leave them with the feeling that they are “constantly chasing” you – as you put the onus of communication on them.

Schedule in specific times to call them, even if there is no update to give.

You can also provide a “feel” of communication by getting clever with your content throughout the sales process.

Carefully planned content

In addition to providing sales progression updates, creating a good email content plan can help you to strengthen the relationship with your vendors.

Consider content that will help your vendors at each stage of the sales journey. When an offer is accepted, you may want to send out a standard email that explains what the sales process looks like, and the likely stages that they will need to go through. This not only provides a sense of support but can help to speed up the sale if both sides know exactly what they need to do next.

As sales near exchange, consider other information that will be helpful to them. This could include details around what their completion day may look like, or even tips for packing and moving.

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If you run an estate agency, there’s no doubt that you have a team of great salespeople. But what about marketers?

A good marketing strategy for your business should be about more than just generating leads in the here and now. The best agents put in place marketing that is designed to grow their brand, show their authority and provide a long-term pipeline of business.

While larger corporates may have full marketing teams, it’s often the case in smaller agencies that the business owners or other departments are responsible for putting in place the marketing strategy. And even more frequently, it’s something that keeps getting pushed to one side as other priorities get in the way.

If you’ve reached this stage, it may be time to consider a specific marketing resource. But is it something you should hire for in-house – or is it better for estate agents to considering outsourcing their marketing?

The benefits of keeping marketing in house

Choosing to employ someone to take care of your estate agency marketing can have several upsides. For starters, a person who is based in your office on a day-to-day basis will quickly pick up on your company culture, your brand voice and how you want to be seen in the market.

It’s also helpful that they are “in the thick of it” and can see exactly what properties you have available, what your customers are saying and can get direct feedback from your negotiators.

Additionally, if you are using outside agencies for specific skills such as digital advertising or graphic design, having a single point of contact who is responsible for co-ordinating with these agencies can make sure that they do the best possible job.

The benefits of outsourcing estate agency marketing

Choosing to hire an agency or freelancer can be the ideal option for some estate agents.

One of the most obvious benefits is cost. Unlike hiring an employee, you can choose to outsource as and when you need to. For example, you could hire an agency to put together a strategy which is then implemented by your in-house teams. Or you may want to put together certain campaigns at specific times of the year without fully committing to taking on a full time staff member.

A further advantage of using external help with your marketing is that you can hire an objective expert. When you’re too close to your own agency, it can be harder to see the bigger picture – or easy to get stuck in a rut of “doing what we’ve always done”. A fresh perspective can breathe new life into both your strategies and your content.

A hybrid model?

For lots of estate agents, choosing a hybrid model is the perfect solution. Having a point of contact in house who is responsible for day-to-day marketing, but supported by specialist external help for areas where you may have less expertise.

Here at BriefYourMarket, you have the option of either. You can use the platform to write, design and send marketing campaigns yourself, we’ll even provide monthly content for you to use as you see fit.

Or, our Communications Managed team can do it all for you. Either way, our team of marketing experts are here to help skyrocket your pipeline through valuable email, social and print campaigns.

This offers an affordable alternative to hiring in house, or using expensive marketing agencies.

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Digital marketing has bought with it a raft of ways to communicate with potential estate agency customers. First came the platforms such as Rightmove and Zoopla. They provided potential buyers with a single marketplace to browse new properties for sale in their chosen location.

A few years later, social media exploded into our lives. This provided agents with another online space to promote their business.

Now there are seemingly endless choices of platforms on which an estate agent can market their business. From Tiktok to Gumtree and everything in between, there has never been more options when it comes to promoting your services online.

But there is one thing that all these online spaces have in common. Namely – you don’t control them.

Relying too heavily on other people’s platforms can mean that, should the goalposts move, you could find yourself without a reliable source of business.

Therefore, it’s vital to build your own business database, one which you own and manage. We discuss why you should never rely on other people’s platform, and how to build your own robust “little black book”.

Platform changes

Some reading this may remember the heady days when you could simply post on Facebook and get hundreds if not thousands of views of your content. The truth is that’s no longer the case. Most social media platforms limit the reach of organic posts, generally driving businesses to rely instead on their advertising services.

And even where you do get great organic reach, there is nothing to say that the terms won’t change again. Instagram could introduce a fee for business posting if they so desired, for example.

And additionally, user behaviour changes too; Facebook’s daily user numbers have gone down for the first time since it’s inception in 2004.

Relying on a single third-party platform can put your business at risk if either the platform, or the audience changes.

What can you do instead?

The key to ensure that you are not stuck with one platform is to build your own list. While you may use third party sites such as Rightmove, social media, or other listings to promote your business, be sure that it is with the intention to build your own email list.

Most consumers are data savvy and will not always give away their email addresses for little return, so it’s important to offer value in exchange for their details. This could be in the form of a “lead magnet” – giving them something they want in exchange for their email – such as a guide, access to a webinar or similar. Or you could ask them to sign up for up to date news in their area. This is where local market newsletters can prove incredibly popular – even amongst those who are not thinking of moving right now.

Building and nurturing an email list means that you are “top of mind” when it comes to the time that someone on your list wants to sell their property, or are looking for a new home.

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