Will Real Estate Digital Marketing Continue to Evolve?

Real estate digital marketing will evolve as new technologies arise and customer demand changes. Predictions and trends for digital marketing in 2022 are already painting the picture of the future:

• new privacy regulations pose new challenges for advertisers;
• AI takes over all channels of communication and marketing;
• and social media remains a powerful channel for digital marketing and advertising.

Whether we like it or love it, technology is here to stay, and with it, every business, in every niche, must find ways to adapt to reach tech-savvy consumers wherever they are.  

In the following, we'll explore some of the numerous technological advances that continue to push digital marketing developments for realtors and other businesses. 

AI Is Everywhere

Looking at the following statistics, it is pretty evident that AI is here to stay and doesn't go anywhere:

• by 2024, the number of digital voice assistants will reach 8.4 billion units (Statista);
• the global AI market will reach 126 billion U.S. dollars by 2025 (Statista);
• 77% of the devices we use feature one form of AI or another (TechJury);

Organizations adopt artificial intelligence to obtain and sustain a competitive advantage. For example, real estate businesses already use AI in digital marketing to collect user data or use AI-driven audience modeling technology to create personalized experiences. 

To see an example of AI-driven digital marketing technologies for real estate, consider Hyro, an Adaptive Communications Platform. Hyro lessens the workload for realtors by deploying AI virtual agents ready to "step in" whenever necessary, capturing leads from call centers, SMS, and web-based inquiries. The platform also provides realtors with access to customer data and tools for optimizing digital channels to maximize conversion rates.

If you plan AI-driven email marketing, Lyne.ai is a robust solution, which, according to their website pitch, offers AI-powered sales personalization that will triple your cold outreach response rates. However, perhaps the most important advantage of using this AI email solution is that it will gather data about your prospects from podcasts, case studies, self-published content, and more. These are the tools you need for personalization and getting to know your customers and potential business partners better than your competitors. 

Privacy Updates Challenge Digital Marketing Strategies

Privacy updates will challenge and change the way digital marketers advertise across all platforms. 

Google's intention to phase out third-party cookies in the Chrome browser by mid-2023 and the iOS 14.5 update that ended automatic opt-ins to online tracking and data collection will force marketers who rely on tracking for advertising and retargeting to rethink their strategies. 

Consumers who value their privacy demand the ability to opt out of data sharing and tracking, and they will turn off ad tracking in apps, social media platforms, and browsers. 

So how are digital marketers coping with these changes? There are several options and the most reliable right now come from IBM and Quantcast.

The IBM Watson Advertising Predictive Audiences solution enables brands to "find and reach new audience prospects most likely to engage, all without browser constraints, 3rd party cookies or mobile ad identifiers."

In early 2021, Quantcast unveiled a new intelligent audience platform powered by Ara, the company's AI and machine learning engine. The Quantcast platform is another solution for digital marketing in "a world without third-party cookies."

Social Media Is Here to Stay

Digital marketing via social media may be nothing new, but it is here to stay despite those who predicted its decline. Even social media platforms adapt to recent marketing trends - integrating new customer experiences within their ads. 

For instance:

• TikTok added new ways its users can discover brands and shop on the social network through a partnership with Shopify;
• YouTube made its ads on connected TVs more shoppable: advertisers are advised to use video action campaigns and Conversion Lift beta tools.

Of course, social media digital marketing is complex and includes more than video ads. As a result, social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others will adapt their advertising offers to adjust to the new privacy requirements that drop cookie tracking. 

Digital marketers will also employ free tools to reach their consumers: posts, video, images, surveys, live video, and a suite of established strategies that worked in the past because the foundations of digital marketing will endure while the tactics evolve. 

Things to Keep an Eye on Soon in Real Estate Digital Marketing

Virtual reality and the metaverse are in their infancy for real estate digital marketing right now. Therefore, it makes no sense to invest in such technologies and software for small agencies that cater to low- and mid-income buyers. However, high-end players in the real estate luxury market should pay attention to emerging tech that will capitalize on SciFi-like digital marketing strategies. 

Consider this: the connected, intelligent home is already a reality, and while not many people can afford to install all the AI-powered devices that save energy, increase ality and comfort, or add a touch of luxury and "cool," there are buyers on the market to buy the homes of the future. These buyers are also likely to appreciate real estate companies that employ virtual reality or build worlds in the metaverse to showcase their listings.  

Interestingly enough, futurists expect a booming interest of consumers ready to buy metaverse properties. For example, Singapore's Mandopop star JJLin spent a fortune - S$ 120,000 (the equivalent of about 89,000 USD) - on a digital property in Decentraland, the first fully decentralized world on the metaverse. So while it may not make too much sense right now, buying and selling virtual real estate may be a thing of the future. A company involved in digital real estate already exists: Metaverse Proprety, the world's first virtual real estate company.