Real estate development is a competitive and risky business. Keeping up with how buyers use technology in the home search process is one of the keys to remaining competitive as a real estate developer today; and with access to information and the use of the internet at an all-time high, it’s no surprise that more buyers today use mobile apps and online search to begin the buying process. 

So, just how important is a real estate development marketing strategy and what are some of the best ways for developers to get started building a presence online? Read on for some insights and examples of how to take your real estate development marketing strategy into the digital age. 

Building a Strong Foundation: Your Real Estate Development Marketing Website 

POP OUT A Website is a Must-Have! 95% of buyers peruse online listings and other real estate websites during the home buying process. Real Estate in a Digital Age 2017

Real Estate in a Digital Age 2017 Report, National Association of REALTORS Research Department

First things first–a great-looking website is essential for any real estate developer. Buyers expect websites to deliver a deep look into properties and to be able to compare and evaluate different properties quickly and efficiently online. Keeping these expectations in mind, websites that make it easy to find key information about properties, offer a fast and user-friendly experience, and provide beautiful images are likely to convert more prospective buyers into leads – and the better you’re able to generate leads and build lists, the better the likelihood to sell or lease a property faster. 

If you’re just starting to explore moving your real estate development business into the digital age, ensuring you have a great website presence is an excellent first step. 

Design Best Practice Tips for Your Real Estate Development Website 

Designing an effective, beautiful real estate development website involves several key considerations, with the first being a clean, modern, and user-friendly design. Remember, your properties should be the stars of the show, here. You don’t want viewers to get distracted by in-your-face, complicated website design elements. Not only that, but you don’t want people to struggle to see the properties available, property details, and other information about your business. If pertinent information is challenging to find or access, viewers will simply click away from your website to search elsewhere, and you’ll lose that lead–full stop. Thus, while every brand is different, a good rule of thumb to generally follow with a real estate development website is to ensure it’s easy to navigate, has a simple yet elevated and modern design, and is user-friendly.  

Another thing to consider in order to help your website stand out is to ensure it’s mobile-friendly. According to Harmony Healthcare IT, “The average American spends 4 hours and 37 minutes looking at their phone every day. That quickly adds up over time to about 1 day every week, 6 days every month, and 70 days every year.” Long story short, people are always, always, always on their phones. Ensuring your real estate development website is easy to navigate on mobile devices is a no-brainer. Plus, it’ll help boost your website’s rankings (which we’ll get into in just a second!).  

The third element to include? Comprehensive property listings, complete with advanced filter and search options. People who visit your website need to be able to quickly and easily find properties that fit within their specifications. This simple addition will help ensure that people will locate the right properties, and will instantly streamline your lead-flow.  

Search Engine Optimization Tips  

To make your real estate development website ranks well on Google and other search engines, it’s essential to focus on the right keywords and high-quality content. Start by researching what potential buyers are searching for, like “luxury condos in [City]” or “new housing developments in [City].” Use these keywords naturally throughout your site—in page titles, meta descriptions, headings, and the content itself. Writing informative blog posts on topics like market trends, home-buying tips, and neighborhood guides can attract visitors and establish your site as a valuable resource, which can lead to backlinks from other reputable websites. Also, don’t forget to optimize your images by giving them descriptive file names and adding alt text that includes relevant keywords. This helps search engines understand what your images are about. 

Making sure your website is mobile-friendly is another crucial aspect of SEO. With so many people browsing on their phones, a site that looks and works great on any device will keep users happy and boost your search engine rankings. Speed is key too—use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to find and fix anything slowing your site down. Adding schema markup for your real estate listings can also help search engines display detailed information about your properties, like location, price, and availability, right in the search results. Finally, encourage your happy clients to leave positive reviews on Google and Yelp. These reviews not only build trust with potential buyers but also improve your local SEO. 

Capturing Attention: Social Media Marketing for Real Estate Developers 

Don’t just tell, show! Leverage the power of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to showcase your properties with stunning photos and engaging videos. Highlight key features and amenities to grab attention and spark interest among potential buyers or renters. 

If You Can Share a Photo, You Can Show a Property 

We live in a visual world. In the race to grab a user’s attention and communicate information quickly, text doesn’t stand a chance against an image. A beautiful image of a property is sometimes all you need to catch the eye of a prospective buyer. The right image can instantly give buyers a good understanding of what a building or home has to offer and bring your real estate development marketing to the next level. 

The ability to share beautiful photos instantaneously with anyone on any device is one of the most powerful features of social media, making platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X ideal for promoting your property listings or development. Whether you’re selling luxury townhomes, single-family homes or commercial office space, social media is becoming one of the most used technologies for showcasing the visual appeal of a property and quickly giving buyers an accurate idea of the space you’re trying to lease or sell. 

With virtual tours and 360-degree cameras becoming one of the hottest developments in real estate tech, the trend is clear that buyers want better digital experiences for visualizing a property or even walking through an open house. With faster access to information about listings, it makes sense for digital experiences to replace the time-consuming process of arranging visits to multiple properties. Using images and videos in your social media marketing strategy is one of the easiest ways to get started taking advantage of this trend. 

Using Social Media to Generate Buzz About a Property 

One of the advantages of using social media posts to share those images is that it encourages users to share posts with friends, family or other connections who may be interested. This is a great way to amplify the impact of your post or ad to generate buzz and spread awareness about a property.  

This can be especially valuable to developers looking to sell or lease units fast before construction even begins on a project. The real estate development marketing testimonial below highlights how the team here at Red Egg Marketing delivered some excellent results for one such project. real estate development marketing 

We sold every unit in our luxury townhouse development before starting construction. We couldn’t have achieved these results without Red Egg Marketing. They created the website, print ads, and social media campaign that resulted in a 10 to 1, prospect to available unit, ratio. Demand was so strong that all units went under contract at prices significantly above our pro forma.

Targeted Real Estate Development Marketing Campaigns on Social Media: Customize Your Audience  

One of the most notable ways online marketing platforms and social media networks, in particular, differentiate themselves from other marketing and advertising options is the ability to intelligently create audiences for your marketing campaigns based on user behavior and personal profile information. Facebook’s ad targeting is one of the latest and most compelling types of targeting available for social media marketing. 

With 68% of all online adults using Facebook, there is surely a target audience for your specific real estate development project or real estate listing actively using this popular social media platform. Facebook’s Lookalike audiences allow you to create a custom audience for your advertising composed of new users that share similar traits with an existing audience such as previous buyers or website visitors, based on aspects of their behavior or profile information. Using Lookalike audiences is one way to help reduce customer acquisition costs and increase the relevance and effectiveness of your ads. 

The Future is Here: Targeting Millennial Renters with Real Estate Development Marketing 

Part of what makes marketing so interesting are the ever-changing targeting tactics and approaches to understanding your audience. A number of our property development clients have entrusted the Red Egg team to perfect an approach to real estate marketing for millennials. They are taking over more and more of the real estate buying market share, especially when it comes to commercial development. 

Understanding Millennial Priorities in Real Estate Development Marketing 

We’re observing a high demand for multi-family properties with mixed-use perks and eco-friendly considerations. Here are a few steps you can take to improve millennial targeting in your real estate development marketing strategy. 

1. Making a Commercial Space Feel Like a Single-Family Home 

Millennials are choosing to live in rental apartments for much longer than older generations; foregoing homeownership until finances will allow for a permanent residence. When developing your real estate development marketing strategy, it’s important to keep this in mind! In fact, according to a 2019 study, over 12% of millennials plan to “always rent.” 

While the reason behind this generational switch has a lot to do with finances, it doesn’t mean millennials won’t shell out their money for an up-scale property that meets their needs. Younger adults are willing to spend about 45% of their income during their first decade in the workforce. 

This means that it’s important to market the qualities of your commercial property that make people feel at home. Things like a pool, yards, balcony space, new appliances, and a neutral aesthetic make it easy for renters to feel at home. 

2. Mixed-Use Facilities 

Given that younger renters are spending a decent amount of their income on rent, it makes sense that they’d prioritize properties walking distance to local groceries, gyms, and shops. 

Mixed-use facilities make it easy for young people to entertain, shop, eat, and sleep all within a few blocks. Some properties are even implementing a space for remote workers to set up shop with small, on-site coworking spaces. 

The more of these things you can take into consideration during the development stage, the better. Marketing these amenities will set your property apart from the competition and draw in long-term renters. 

3. Technology and Eco-friendly Living 

Millennials prioritize the convenience of technology and appreciate an opportunity to be eco-conscious. That said, commercial real estate developers should be sure to strategize how these services are being offered. 

For example, bundling a cable TV subscription into the cost of rent would actually be a deterrent for most young people. In the age of streaming, more than half of millennials use streaming services as their main way of watching TV, so offering a technological service that’s wholly unappealing to a younger demographic would actually be a deterrent to millennial renters. Make sure you understand your target demographic and their priorities before blindly marketing your amenities. 

Additionally, millennials like to see how brands are using their facilities for environmental good. Recycling, solar power, gardens, and green spaces for recreation are all fantastic things to market if you’re looking to attract a younger demographic. 

Taking Advantage of Modern Trends in Real Estate Development Marketing 

The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, offering exciting new tools and strategies to reach potential buyers and renters. By embracing these trends, you can create a real estate development marketing strategy that goes beyond static information. This section explores how to leverage technology and user-centric approaches to captivate your audience, foster engagement, and ultimately convert interest into sales or leases. 

1.  Leveraging Technology for Immersive Experiences: 

Gone are the days of static property photos and lengthy descriptions. Today’s tech-savvy audience craves a more interactive experience. Here’s how you can leverage technology: 

• Virtual Tours: Allow potential buyers or renters to explore properties virtually from anywhere in the world. 360° tours offer a realistic walkthrough experience, while Matterport technology creates immersive 3D models. 

• 360° Imaging: Enhance property listings with high-quality 360° images that allow viewers to explore every corner of a space at their own pace. 

• Augmented Reality (AR): Take your marketing a step further with AR apps that allow users to virtually “place” furniture or design elements within a property, helping them envision their future living space. 

2. Building Customer Buzz with Engagement and Content Strategies: 

Social media isn’t just about posting aesthetically pleasing pictures. Here’s how to expand your reach and generate excitement around your development projects: 

• Social Media Engagement: Foster interaction with your audience by asking questions, running polls, responding to comments, and re-posting any tagged content to your stories (this last bit applies only to Facebook and Instagram!). In addition, encourage user-generated content by asking followers to share photos of themselves enjoying amenities or using a specific hashtag. 

• Influencer Marketing: Partner with relevant social media influencers to reach a wider audience and leverage their credibility. Choose influencers who resonate with your target demographic and can authentically showcase your properties. 

• Compelling Content Marketing: Develop engaging content that goes beyond basic sales pitches. Create informative blog posts about local neighborhoods, highlight lifestyle benefits of your development, or share design inspiration for potential residents. 

By embracing innovative technologies and fostering engagement, you can create a dynamic real estate development marketing strategy that stands out in a crowded marketplace. This approach allows you to: 

• Captivate Attention: Immersive experiences and engaging content grab attention and ignite interest in your development projects. 

• Foster Engagement: Social media interaction and user-generated content build a strong community connection and encourage potential residents to feel invested in your property. 

• Convert Interest: By providing a comprehensive experience that caters to modern preferences, you can effectively convert interest into sales or leases. 

Remember: Modern real estate development marketing is about more than just showcasing properties. It’s about creating an experience that connects with your target audience, builds trust, and ultimately drives results. 

Let Us Be Your Real Estate Development Marketing Gurus  

The real estate development landscape is dynamic, and crafting a winning real estate development marketing strategy requires constant innovation. By embracing cutting-edge technologies and user-centric approaches, you can cultivate a captivating digital presence that fosters engagement and ultimately converts interest into sales or leases. Remember, successful real estate development marketing goes beyond showcasing properties; it’s about building trust and crafting an experience that resonates with your target audience. 

Are you ready to unlock the full potential of real estate development marketing for your projects? Contact Red Egg Marketing today for a free consultation. Our team of experts can help you design and implement a comprehensive strategy that delivers exceptional results and helps you achieve your development goals.