There’s no denying it – we are living firmly in a digital age. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated developing trends of online behaviours from years into months. Where once online shopping was only something young people experimented with, every demographic is now conducting a sizeable portion of their life online. This is no more evident than in the case of WeChat. This social networking platform has exploded out of China, with 1.2 billion monthly active users. Businesses have flocked onto WeChat to build their brand awareness and engagement within a goldmine of potential followers, using the slew of customisable features to create unique experiences.
One industry that has seen particular success on WeChat is real estate. Project and Marketing Managers can post editorials, listings and images to build interest whenever a new property becomes available to purchase or rent, receiving overwhelming amounts of interest in return. Our WeChat experts here at Balmer Agency have pulled together a few tips on how modern real estate marketers can use WeChat Marketing to boost their real estate business.
Building A Following through WeChat Marketing
Despite its mass of capabilities, WeChat is still, first and foremost, a social media platform. This means property managers need to use marketing to build a following in order to capture and hold the attention of potential clients.
The key to operating a successful WeChat marketing campaign for real estate – or any business, for that matter – is to implement a flexible, diversified strategy. Understand your audience, and create content such as articles, images and videos that speaks directly to them. The vast features of WeChat allow you to take it a step further, building branded engagement vehicles such as HTML5 campaigns, mini programs, games – the opportunities are endless.
A staple of many WeChat accounts is custom designed QR codes making it simple for users to follow you. When placed within your online assets (e.g. a website or email), they will click through to your business’ WeChat account. Alternatively, they can be incorporated into your physical marketing assets (e.g. billboards, brochures, storefronts), directing users to WeChat once scanned using a phone camera.
Experts have also noted that the Chinese consumers rely heavily on Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to influence their decision making, and businesses operating within the property market are no different. Balmer Agency has key connections to KOLs across Australia and China to be integrated into your WeChat marketing strategy.
Push Notifications & Messaging for Real Estate Updates
Through an official WeChat account, property managers can send push notifications and newsletters to followers, as well as create group chats (of up to 500 people) to announce any changes in the market. Followers expect fast response times through instant messaging communications, so it is essential that someone within your real estate business is available to assist.
Upgrade Your Marketing with a WeChat Microsite
Those in real estate can get the most out of WeChat’s Marketing features by making smart investments into HTML5 microsites. This transforms WeChat into a similar platform to an operating system, hosting a smaller website, allowing businesses to provide their followers with even more features – all while they stay on the WeChat app.
For project and marketing teams looking to learn more about leveraging WeChat for real estate, contact Balmer Agency today by calling us on +61 3 9417 7367 or leaving your details on our online form.
