Much like the dental industry, the real estate market in the UAE is booming. As an increasing number of investors look for lucrative investment opportunities overseas, a number of real estate agencies are springing up to cater to this shift in consumer demand.
The UAE experienced extensive economic growth in the early 2000s. However, as dwindling oil prices suppressed consumer demand, the sector, in particular, the real estate industry, experienced slow growth. The market has been slowly recovering since 2019, and it’s expected to continue to do so moving forward.
In this article, we examine how inbound marketing is assisting in the boom of the real estate industry in the UAE. We’ll also look at a case study that reflects the growing need for real estate agencies to adopt inbound strategies focused on creating lasting relationships with their clients. Let’s jump right in!
How inbound marketing is shaping real estate
Before we entered the internet age we live in nowadays, real estate agents’ success was largely determined by outbound marketing techniques like advertising (on TV, radio, or in newspapers) and cold calling. Companies had to fork out to buy space on these mediums and hire sales teams in order to promote their business.
Although these techniques can successfully boost brand awareness and help real estate businesses to reach new clients, they never knew whether they were targeting the right audience. Moreover, it’s almost impossible to measure the success of advertising with these mediums, so they never knew if what they were doing was actually working.
It was kind of like closing your eyes, throwing a ball at a crowd, and hoping it lands in the hands of the right person.
In other words, it wasn’t a very effective method for securing clients with real estate aspirations.
Inbound marketing is a whole other ball game. Inbound marketing strategies use digital channels to market products or services to potential customers. It’s a methodology based on modern buyer behaviour, providing value to customers to build strong relationships based on trust. Businesses across industries are incorporating the inbound methodology in their digital marketing strategies because, well, it works.
Inbound marketing allows real estate agencies to market their services to those who are looking for them. It involves focusing on digital channels over traditional ones. Inbound tactics typically take place across a business’s website, blog, social media, and other digital channels to optimize a business’s organic reach in search results. It’s about being present where your audience is looking and providing them with more than a service—an experience.
Why real estate agencies should invest in inbound marketing strategies
Buying real estate isn’t something people do every day. It’s a large investment, so it makes sense that customers are extremely careful about who they put their trust in.
As the real estate market becomes increasingly saturated with property investment options and agencies, it’s essential for real estate businesses to differentiate themselves from the competition. For this reason, real estate agencies must work on building mutual relationships with clients. That’s where inbound marketing comes in.
Benefits of inbound marketing for real estate
Here’s a quick look at some of the major benefits inbound marketing could have for your real estate business and your clients.
1. Attract qualified leads
Traditional marketing methods might help you reach a wide audience, but who’s to say those prospects are actually interested in what you’re offering?
Inbound marketing is about identifying a target audience made up of carefully researched buyer personas before you start sending your message out. This allows you to provide tailored content or communication to people who are interested in what you have to offer.
Although inbound tactics might mean you reach a smaller audience, the conversion rate is likely to be much higher as they’re qualified leads.
2. You can measure the results of inbound
The results of inbound marketing campaigns are much easier to track than those of traditional marketing strategies.
Using inbound marketing software solutions like Hubspot, you can understand how effective your strategy is in real-time. You can easily make changes to your strategy when something isn’t working in the way you want it.
You’ll be able to determine your digital marketing ROI and tailor your future campaigns and strategies to align with your desired results. This helps you to stay accountable and on budget when carrying out inbound marketing campaigns.
3. Build trust
One of the most difficult hurdles for real estate agencies to overcome is how to get customers to trust them. Buying property isn’t like buying a new piece of clothing from an e-commerce site and knowing the investment isn’t going to be life-changing. Property is expensive!
As consumers are faced with more choices than ever before, it’s increasingly important for real estate agencies to build trust between themselves and potential clients before and after a sale is made.
4. Lower costs
Inbound leads cost, on average, 61% less than outbound leads. Moreover, well-executed inbound strategies are 10x more effective for lead conversion. Inbound is an affordable way to market a business, regardless of industry.
Content marketing is a big part of the inbound methodology, and it’s easy and affordable to generate quality content that caters to your audience. Moreover, sharing it on your company website, blog, or social media channels costs nothing at all! Low costs and large ROI make inbound marketing a lucrative investment opportunity for real estate agencies.
Inbound marketing case-study: UK Properties
Rising Dubai-based real estate firm UK Properties is a great example illustrating how inbound marketing can be used to succeed in the dynamic world of property investment. Founded by Willy Njoya, UK Properties provides professional, tailored advice to clients in the UAE seeking real estate investment opportunities in the UK’s most inspiring investment locations.
UK Properties adopted the services of YourTarget (YT) to boost its online presence, increase leads from social media, and grow as a real estate agency operating in the UAE.
So, what strategies did YourTarget use to help UK Properties to grow?
First of all, YT needed to understand the target market for UK Properties. It all starts with knowing a client’s audience, as this will guide every part of an inbound strategy. They knew that their target market was high-class investors located in the UK and that these people were likely to spend plenty of time on LinkedIn.
YT launched a LinkedIn campaign, and within a week had generated 30-40 qualified leads interested in UK Properties and the services they offer. Not off to a bad start, right? YT also honed in on using PR and press services to widen the reach of UK Properties to boost their online presence within the target market.
The team at YT knows that a great website makes all the difference. Real estate definitely isn’t the most engaging topic to attract audiences with, which is why having a to-the-point, fast, and responsive website was imperative if UK properties wanted to grow. The web development team at YT remodeled the website to increase traffic and therefore the chance of conversion.
It’s been an interesting journey so far, and YourTarget is excited to see what else they can do to help UK Properties succeed.
Is inbound marketing the right choice for your real estate agency?
This is more of a courtesy question than anything. Inbound is definitely the right choice for any real estate agency!
As consumers everywhere become increasingly empowered to choose which products and services they’re willing to spend their money on, it’s more important than ever before to distinguish your brand.
Investors looking for real estate opportunities aren’t simply seeking a new pair of shoes. They’re looking for investments that could change their lives, which is why it’s so important that the agency they choose is trustworthy and provides them with a value that goes beyond the initial purchase.
Adopting the inbound methodology will allow you to see your clients as much more than clients. They’re individuals with real needs, desires, and problems that you can satisfy!
Want to find out more about how to grow your real estate business with inbound marketing? Book a free consultation today.
