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A challenge faced by many agents is trying to sell a home that has generated little interest for several months. However, one agent has used an innovative digital platform to combat this issue, enabling him to find a suitable buyer for a stagnant property in just over a week.
For LJ Hooker Cessnock-Kurri Kurri principal Bryce Gibson, the task of selling 1 Burnett Street, Cessnock seemed like an impossible task.
The property had been on the market since October last year and had generated little to no interest, even after back-to-back open homes and a lowering of price.
After seeing just two potential buyers at the beginning of this year, Mr Gibson decided he needed to expand his horizons and become more creative with his marketing approach.
He enlisted the help of his network, LJ Hooker, and took advantage of the company’s exclusive digital platform, One Click Away.
LJ Hooker’s One Click Away program launched to its network of offices and agents in March 2015. It’s described as an "automated, social media and search engine advertising platform".
It works by allowing users to place property details into a purpose built website with the LJ Hooker link, and then it builds a comprehensive social media and search campaign for Facebook, Instagram, Google and Bing.
The campaign ad is constructed by LJ Hooker’s team of digital experts and offers access to analytics that reveal how many people see and engage with the ad.
Mr Gibson claims One Click Away enabled him to expose more than 44,000 people to the property, selling it in just eight days after using the program.
"In eight days with One Click Away, we’d hit 44,000 views on the Facebook ad, 81 comments, 16 shares, lots of likes, and most importantly, had just under 9,000 people click on the link to the LJ Hooker website," he said.
"For that month, it was the most popular listing in the LJ Hooker network."
According to LJ Hooker, Mr Gibson’s use of its exclusive program saw the property go from having two people interested, to six inspections and three offers, with two of them being competitive. Eventually, an interstate owner-occupier secured the property at a sold price of $365,000, the network told REB.
"For just $395, One Click Away provides you with ads for social media and search engine platforms which have nine times the volume of engaged users than any real estate website in Australia," Mr Gibson added.
"We had more enquiries and activity than we’d ever seen in the likes of a listing, and 9,000 people click on the link."
LJ Hooker head of digital Marcus Freeman said the network’s "cutting-edge" platform saw LJ Hooker generate over 75 per cent of all digital leads during the group’s national marketing campaign in the first quarter of 2015.
"The unique nature of our One Click Away program is that it seeks out buyers using a highly precise formula, whereas online portals only work if the customers come to you," he said.
“It is so important to be easily found in the social media and search channels, and our program enables our agents to deploy ads within minutes.
"Our agents work hard for their customers and this ensures, complimentary to their marketing campaign, that they find every last buyer."
Programs like One Click Away are at the forefront of LJ Hooker’s digital marketing initiatives, Mr Freeman said.
"Research shows a significant 88 per cent of people go online to search and find their real estate agent," he said.
"Digital marketing is a highly specialised area. However, offices and agents are focused on listing and selling real estate and don’t want the complexities of formulating these strategies.
"The One Click Away program ensures we are found across social media and search engines by the right people at the right time and puts our agents ahead of their competitors."
[Related: Number one agent reveals long-term strategy]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Ryan
Emma Ryan is the deputy head of editorial at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, and has since been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia, including across the legal, mortgages, real estate and wealth industries. In addition, Emma has launched several additional sub-brands and events, driven by a passion to deliver quality and timely content to audiences through multiple platforms.
Email Emma on: Emma.Ryan@momentummedia.
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