Why out of home marketing is the best advertising platform for real estate agents
Despite worries about high interest rates and land costs, developer investment has risen in the past two years, and an optimistic attitude towards the UK property market is brewing. For real estate agents, capturing the attention of potential buyers and sellers is crucial. Out of Home (OOH) advertising is an effective form of marketing for real estate agents to promote their services and properties. Let’s explore its many benefits, and how you can access them.
Out of Home (OOH) Marketing
OOH marketing refers to advertising that reaches consumers through methods outside of the home and away from household devices. Depending on where it’s placed, OOH marketing has the potential to capture the attention of commuters, pedestrians, drivers, and shoppers, providing a broad reach and high visibility. For real estate agents,leveraging OOH marketing can enhance their visibility and attract potential buyers and sellers in the local market.
Benefits of OOH Marketing for Real Estate Agents
Here are some of the reasons why OOH is perfect for real estate advertising.
High Visibility and Reach
OOH marketing offers unparalleled visibility and reach. Billboards and other large-format ads are strategically placed in high-traffic areas, ensuring that they are seen by a huge number of people daily. For real estate agents, this means showcasing properties to a wide audience, increasing the chances of attracting interested buyers.
Targeting Local Buyers
One of the significant advantages of OOH marketing is its ability to target local buyers, down to their demographics and even postcodes - after all, selling a home also involves selling the area around it. Real estate is inherently local, and OOH ads placed in specific locations can reach out to potential buyers interested in those areas. For example, bus shelter ads in a residential area can attract commuters who live nearby and may be looking to buy or sell property.
Building Brand Awareness
Building brand awareness is essential for establishing credibility - something that can make or break any business, but is especially important when advertising for real estate agents. Potential customers need to be able to trust their real estate agents both financially and emotionally - moving house is a big deal.
OOH ads are a powerful way to consistently present your services to the public and encourage familiarity with your brand, and from that familiarity, trust will develop. In fact, when surveyed, it was found that consumers trust outdoor advertising more than they do magazine, direct mail or social media advertising. Over time, this repeated exposure helps in building a strong brand presence in the market.
Cost-Effectiveness
OOH marketing can be a cost-effective option compared to other advertising channels. With a one-time production cost and ongoing display fees, OOH ads can provide continuous exposure without the need for frequent, expensive and time-consuming updates. The broad reach of OOH means that the cost per impression is often lower than that of digital or print advertising, making it a smart investment for real estate agents.
Types of OOH Ads for Real Estate
Effective marketing for real estate agents involves methods that can take centre stage in high-traffic areas.
Billboards
Billboards are one of the most iconic forms of OOH, and they provide the perfect canvas for creative adverts that are hard to ignore. For real estate agents, billboards can be used to highlight new listings, open houses, and special offers. The large format allows for bold visuals and clear messaging, making it an effective way to attract attention. They’re often placed near high traffic locations such as arterial roads, so drivers have the time to stop and stare at what you’re selling.
Bus Shelter Ads
Bus shelter ads are perfect for targeting pedestrians and commuters and are particularly effective in urban areas where public transportation is widely used. For real estate agents, bus shelter ads can target specific residential areas and showcase properties available in the vicinity - all while highlighting the good public transport links.
Transit Ads
Transit ads include advertising on buses, trains, and trams. These ads travel themselves, reaching a wide audience across different areas. Ads placed in railway stations such as our Station Live format can be seen by thousands of people every day. For real estate agents, transit ads allow your message to be seen by a diverse group of people. Whether it’s a banner on the side of a bus or a poster inside a train station, transit ads provide constant exposure throughout the day to lots of different demographics.
Digital OOH (DOOH) Panels
Digital OOH (DOOH) panels are electronic displays that can show dynamic content. Found in locations such as shopping centres, supermarkets, roadside, and train stations, DOOH panels offer the opportunity for animations and video content. For real estate agents, DOOH panels can highlight multiple properties, showcase virtual tours, or promote time-sensitive offers. The ability to update content in real time makes DOOH a versatile and powerful advertising tool.
Crafting Effective OOH Campaigns for Real Estate
When focusing on marketing for real estate agents, there are a few key elements to an effective campaign.
Clear and Compelling Messaging
The success of an OOH campaign relies heavily on clear and compelling messaging - not just clear and informative, but compelling. Given the brief attention span of viewers, it’s essential to convey your message quickly and effectively, but also in a way that entices the viewer and encourages them to find out more. For real estate ads, this might include highlighting key features of a property, a catchy tagline, and a strong call-to-action. Keep the text concise and easy to read from a distance, and feel free to add dates to create a sense of urgency.
Strong Visuals and Branding
Visual appeal is critical in OOH advertising. Make sure that any images of properties you use are of high quality, and paint the homes in an attractive light. Incorporate your branding elements, such as your agency’s logo and colours, to ensure consistency across all ads. You want viewers to connect the beautiful properties on display to your agency.
Strategic Placement
Strategic placement of OOH ads is crucial to reaching your target audience. Consider high-traffic areas where your ads will be seen by the most people. Placing ads in neighbourhoods where you have listings can attract local buyers directly interested in those areas - and, as previously mentioned, your ads can draw attention to local amenities such as public transport links, supermarkets or parks.
Integrating OOH with Other Marketing Channels
While OOH can work wonders, it shouldn’t have to do all of the heavy lifting on its own, especially when there’s such a wide range of real estate advertising platforms available today.
Combining OOH with Digital Marketing
Combining OOH with digital marketing can amplify the reach and impact of both. Use your OOH ads to drive traffic to your website or social media pages by including QR codes or URLs. For instance, retargeting ads can remind people who have seen your billboard to visit your website or contact you for more information.
Cross-Channel Promotion
Cross-channel promotion involves using multiple marketing channels to reinforce your message. For example, an OOH ad promoting an open house can be supported by social media posts and email invitations to your client list. Make sure that branding, tone of voice (TOV) and messaging across these channels is consistent for a seamless customer experience.
Measuring the Success of OOH Campaigns
How can you tell your OOH ads have worked?
Tracking and Analytics
Measuring the success of OOH campaigns can be challenging, but advancements in technology have made tracking easier. For example, you can track the number of people who pass by your billboard and subsequently visit your website or contact your agency. Without some form of analytics you’ll have no idea if your marketing efforts have been effective.
Analysing ROI
Analysing the return on investment (ROI) of OOH campaigns involves comparing the cost of the campaign to the leads and sales generated. Calculate the total expenditure on the OOH ads, including production and placement costs, and compare it to the revenue generated from new clients and property sales attributed to the campaign. If the number is positive, you’re on the right track!
Home is where the real estate agents lead you
OOH marketing offers numerous benefits for real estate agents, from high visibility and local targeting to cost-effectiveness and brand building. Real estate can be a tricky business, with strong emotions, big sums of money, and a high level of trust involved. By utilising various OOH formats real estate agents can create impactful campaigns that not only attract potential buyers and sellers, but also earn their trust.
We’ve got all the tools you need to get started with OOH advertising - why not get in touch to find out more?