The 360º marketing strategy: when luxury needs more than property portals

We all know property portals: that's a fact. And although listing properties on these sites has worked over recent decades, the reality is that they no longer fit the new context. In an ever-changing digital environment, building your own brand through marketing strategies is the solution. Why? The answer is very simple: luxury real estate agencies compete in a highly competitive, selective market in which standing out isn't an option, it's a priority.

Relying only on property portals is a thing of the past. The future lies in your own marketing strategy. Because yes, they deliver results, but those results don't last and you end up dependent on them. Investing in a digital marketing strategy, on the other hand, generates results that last over time, with no dependence at all on a portal outside your brand. Here are the details.

Digital marketing for real estate agencies: nothing but advantages

The advantages of digital marketing are clear compared with property portals. While it's true that property portals provide exposure, with a well-crafted marketing strategy, your real estate agency will position itself and communicate with a personality of its own. This translates into more enquiries of your own and, with them, more sales.

Among many others, the main advantages of digital marketing are:

• The ability to target your audience: Unlike property portals, which tend to offer generalised visibility, digital marketing lets you reach specifically those potential clients who may genuinely be interested in the properties your agency offers.
• The ability to measure and analyse results: Unlike property portals, which usually offer very basic information on the number of visits to the site, digital marketing lets you know precisely which actions are generating the most interest, which potential clients are visiting the site most often, which pages are visited most, and so on.

• The ability to personalise the client experience: Engaging with potential clients in a personalised way through social media or email (by sending newsletters, for example) is one of the best ways to build trust. Seeing an agency's property advertised on a portal is not the same as following the personalised content that same agency creates across its communication channels. The client's feeling is different. And so is the result.
• The ability to convey your brand values: Your real estate agency has its own values and must communicate them. Through a study of your current situation and your short- and long-term goals, digital marketing lets you apply strategies such as brand messaging or copy tailored to your business that will, without a doubt, reach your clients.

With cutting-edge techniques, adapted to the trends and needs of the sector, professionals in 360º digital marketing strategies can help a real estate agency grow. If you want to put your agency at the top of Google, communicate a consistent message, engage with your ideal clients on social media and win enquiries, it's best to do it with a plan and step by step.

The real estate agency of the future, without portals

The real estate agency of the future doesn't depend on portals. Especially for luxury real estate agencies, you need to go far beyond simply showing properties on portals which, of course, have their own rules: rules that don't reflect the brand's personality. Remember that selling the luxury dream isn't just about promoting yourself, it's about building a narrative. Creating a tone of voice. Being consistent in personalised communication with the client. Adapting, too, to new trends.

The disadvantages of property portals

Some of the most significant disadvantages of property portals are:

• Total dependence: Depending on property portals limits real estate agencies in how they reach their target audience and, as a result, they lose the ability to diversify their marketing strategy. There is also the risk that the portal closes or changes its policies, which could hurt the agency.
• Excessive prices: The services property portals offer are a major cost for luxury real estate agencies, and one that rises steadily over time.
• All your competitors on the same portal: With so many agencies posting listings in the same place, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd and catch potential buyers' attention. It's also worth mentioning that a private seller can post their own listing on the same platform, creating duplicates of the same property.
• More mass-market, less personal: Clients may feel that portals don't offer the personalised service they expect from a luxury real estate agency. And since the experience matters as much as the property, that can stop them from deciding to buy it.
• Strict rules and regulations: Property portals often have strict rules and regulations on how properties must be presented, which limits agencies' creativity and their ability to showcase their properties in a unique way.
• Loss of identity: Being on a property portal means not communicating your agency's identity. Today, in the new digital paradigm, knowing who you are and where you're heading is essential for a brand to connect with clients. What's more, for luxury real estate agencies, mixing their properties with others that aren't high-end in a standardised format can make them look less exclusive.

Digital marketing lets luxury real estate agencies keep up with trends and innovations in the market. Through a 360º marketing strategy, these agencies can adapt to the latest trends in search rankings, content strategy, SEO, copywriting, branding and technology, among others. That way, they can stay competitive with first-class positioning.

As for the difference from property portals, it's clear that digital marketing offers advantages geared more towards the real estate agency of the future: no dependencies and plenty of personality. Investing in these strategies is the best option for luxury real estate agencies, especially if they're run by someone who knows the luxury sector. What can we expect from this process? A real estate agency with its own brand, which becomes the go-to name in its area and depends less on third parties.