In today's interconnected real estate market, local knowledge has never been more valuable. As property professionals, having an in-depth understanding of your community gives you a powerful competitive edge that can boost your digital marketing efforts, increase the number of visitors to your site, and extend your digital reach.
Once you’re in tune with what is going on, you’ll want to successfully demonstrate this across face-face viewings, and across all your online channels to attract a clients’ interest at home, and to prospective buyers from outside your State and perhaps overseas.
This article considers why local insights matter and how to use it to your advantage to position yourself as an authentic, trusted advisor in an industry where credibility matters.
Expand your online reach with community knowledge
Local expertise encompasses far more than just property values and school districts. Being the first to know about upcoming developments, community facilities, local events, and infrastructure improvements gives you valuable content that potential buyers—both local and distant—are eager to consume.
Consider the competitive edge gained by being able to inform clients about the new shopping mall breaking ground next year, the expansion of the regional airport, or the tech company opening a campus that will bring hundreds of jobs to the area. These community insights become powerful marketing tools that differentiate you from competitors who simply list properties without providing context about the evolving local landscape.
Smart real estate professionals are finding creative ways to share this local intelligence, and showcase insider knowledge via such channels as:
- Neighbourhood spotlight videos: Highlighting upcoming community improvements, their location, amenities and lifestyle benefits.
- Social media community updates: Sharing news and viewpoints on issues such as potential impacts to a change in property values, or compelling local council initiatives.
- Interactive maps: A key indicator of local knowledge, a regularly updated and accurately populated visual is a valuable representation of your expertise.
Recent studies suggest that 87% of realtors use Facebook for their business while 62% use Instagram, and 48% use LinkedIn. Any content and video pieces not only attract engagement from local followers but can also be read by out-of-area audiences researching your region for potential relocation or investment opportunities.
Create an authoritative and informative online presence
If you’re a business planning to expand across borders, whether that is in the United States or to an international community overseas, having a strong online presence and a high-ranking website matters more than ever. Research shows that a massive 96% of buyers start their home search online.
Furthermore, with increasing interest in property searches abroad, online platforms have made it easier for potential buyers to research properties and learn detailed information about specific areas quickly and with authoritative information. Your firsthand knowledge of local businesses and community events, when integrated into your online offering, builds trust and positions you as a true local expert. Trusted reviews, client testimonials, and in depth international property guides like this example by Windsor Consultants, local real estate agents in Spain, enable buyers to access key location facts without leaving home.
Therefore, in only a few clicks, the internet has expanded the scope of property searches and to source detailed, reliable and authentic information on different locations, residential properties and commercial buildings. This is the case for visitors conducting online property searches in their immediate surroundings, across US States, or the international market.
Tailor online content for multi-national audiences
Regardless of whether you’re a small and medium-sized enterprise, a large organization, or a specialized multi-lingual platform, your content, news, services, and listings can be viewed anywhere in the world. To capitalize on this trend, forward-thinking agents are optimizing their digital presence for discovery by out-of-area buyers.
Equally, the ongoing surge of interest in buying overseas real estate has been fueled by programs highlighting vacation properties and investment opportunities. The international real estate market has also normalized the concept of owning multiple properties in diverse locations with defined country pages, dedicated sites, and brochures. This includes ensuring listings appear on platforms with a known national and international reach, creating content that addresses particular concerns of clients located anywhere in the world.
Value culturally sensitive communication
For businesses expanding into territories or selling property on international property sites, it’s important that marketing material, content, and real estate details can be widely understood even in predominantly English-speaking countries. Businesses must recognize the significance of effective translation that can break down linguistic or cultural barriers. Your local insights play a key role here, especially understanding the influence local customs can have on property preferences.
Local knowledge allows you to translate property descriptions in a way that resonates with specific cultural requirements, emphasizing features and highlighting amenities of particular relevance. Such an eye for detail and cultural understanding is key if you want to achieve successful market expansion, maintain brand integrity, and retain customer engagement.
The trend to buy, sell or rent between locations in the US and abroad has accelerated thanks to the rise of remote and hybrid working arrangements. With geographic constraints more relaxed, the appeal of maintaining properties in different locations has grown. Some buyers now seek a primary residence in one area and a secondary home in another region that offers complementary benefits—perhaps a city apartment for work weeks and a coastal property for weekends and remote work days.
In today's digitally-connected real estate sector, your community knowledge represents far more than a selling point—it's a valuable differentiator in a crowded marketplace. By strategically showcasing your local insights across digital platforms, you transform yourself into a specialist agent who can help clients find properties at home and abroad, as well as respond proactively to the changing demands of global clients.
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