As we approach 2024, digital marketing for real estate continues to transform fueled by new technology, shifting consumer behaviors, and inventory available. It’s more apparent now than ever to stay ahead of the curve, especially considering the state of the real estate market and the predictions of where it’s going. Digital marketing trends in real estate for 2024, from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to social media to search engine optimization (SEO), aim to reshape how properties are marketed, discovered, and ultimately, bought or sold.

Keep reading to discover which 2023 trends will continue in 2024 and what new trends will gain momentum next year.

7 Digital Marketing Trends for Real Estate in 2024

1. Chatbots
2. Artificial Intelligence
3. Personalization
4. Social Media as a Search Engine
5. Backlinking
6. Local SEO
7. Mobile-First

Chatbots 

By now, you’ve probably heard all about chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI). Since debuting in the 1960s, chatbots experienced a major uptick in popularity thanks to more developments in AI over the past few years. These new chatbots emerged as powerful tools, revolutionizing how businesses, brands, and people engage with their audience through having real-time conversations with website users.

In the real estate industry, more chatbots are appearing on websites since this tool can stand in for you or your team during off hours and answer questions, get lead information, enhance user experience, book appointments, and more. Plus, with 68% of users enjoying the speed at which chatbots can answer their questions, real estate professionals can spend more time in other areas of their business while the chatbot works for them.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Other forms of AI have also been making news in the past couple of years, not just chatbots. Thanks to advancements in AI, you can now enhance your marketing automation like never before. AI for real estate can streamline your customer management, content creation, email marketing, lead nurturing, social media, and more with a variety of platforms and tools available. With countless possibilities, AI gives you the opportunity to leverage it how you need specifically for your business.

Personalization

Although this trend isn’t necessarily new, it keeps emerging repeatedly, particularly due to the widespread use of automation in digital strategies with AI. By incorporating personalization in your digital marketing strategy for real estate, you can deliver targeted content, recommendations, and messages, creating more meaningful and relevant interactions between you and your audience. Because the real estate industry is so relationship-focused, this strategy enhances user engagement but also fosters a sense of connection and loyalty.

Not only can you leverage personalization with your current and former clients, but with potential customers as well. The ability to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time increases conversion rates and establishes your business as client-focused, attuned to the unique tastes and preferences of your audience.

Social media as a search engine

Over the years, social media has transcended its role as a mere platform for connecting with friends and sharing personal updates with the public – it’s evolved into a powerful search engine in its own right with 31% of people preferring to use social media platforms to search instead of a regular search engine. As people explore information, services, and properties on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, real estate companies have begun to optimize their profiles on social media. This includes things like ensuring brand consistency across all platforms, leveraging relevant hashtags, incorporating chapters in YouTube videos, linking back to your real estate website, and more.

Backlinking

Backlinking has been a fundamental pillar for enhancing a website’s visibility and credibility for years. Simply put, backlinks are incoming links from external websites (including social media sites like LinkedIn) to your own, where one website “vouches” for your website’s quality and relevance. As a result, a well-curated backlink strategy can significantly impact your real estate website’s search engine rankings, driving organic traffic, and boosting your overall online reputation.

Backlinking for real estate can take several forms – sharing listings, blog posts, and similar content on your other agent/brokerage websites or social media. If you work with vendors, ask them to link to your website (like having a logo on site that shows you work together and links back to your website). Or, find some local online newspaper or blog that you can do a guest post on and link back to your site.

Local SEO 

At Union Street Media, we’re champions of local content, and for good reason – as prospective homebuyers and sellers turn to the internet to explore property options and market data, the significance of appearing in local search results with relevant content cannot be overstated. Implementing local SEO strategies ensures that your real estate business appears when potential clients search for properties, services, or data in specific regions, neighborhoods, or cities.

Optimizing for local search involves crafting your website content (blogs, landing pages, etc.), leveraging location-based keywords, and maintaining consistent business information across online platforms to enhance your online presence and build trust as a local expert.

One of the most prominent tools to help build your local SEO for real estate is your Google Business Profile. With an optimized Google Business Profile for real estate, your business will appear higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs) for those who are looking for real estate services in their desired area. Plus, with reviews, business hours, contact information, images, and more, prospective clients can easily get to know you and reach out.

Mobile-first 

Prioritizing mobile user experience has continued to grow in popularity, as more and more people are connecting, engaging, and searching on the go. With an ever-growing number of users accessing the internet through smartphones and tablets, a mobile-friendly website isn’t just a feature—it’s a necessity.

Mobile responsiveness caters to the preferences of an on-the-go audience but is also a crucial factor in search engine rankings. Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly websites, making them more likely to appear in search results and higher up on the page, too.

Beyond SEO, a mobile-friendly user experience enhances overall accessibility, ensuring that visitors can easily navigate and engage with your content on screens of all sizes. Whether it’s content consumption or lead generation, a seamless mobile experience is key to boosting your real estate website’s SEO and driving more leads.

Looking for a partner who understands digital marketing for real estate? Connect with us today for tailored recommendations to help grow your business!