As many people around the world begin to embrace the new norms of social distancing and self-isolation, property marketers need to adapt how they appeal and respond to customer needs and focus on keeping their community connected and engaged.

While it’s true that visiting display villages and homes, attending community events and booking one-on-one appointments is becoming less of an option for customers, there are so many ways developers and builders can continue to engage and entertain potential and current customers by harnessing social media, content marketing and online video platforms.

If you’re floundering for ways to engage your community, here are a few low-cost and simple ideas:

Offer virtual tours and appointments over FaceTime and Skype. This gives customers the option to video call a sales representative who can show them around a particular display home or sales office while communicating the USPs of the project or product.
Create a Facebook group to reduce loneliness within your community. You may like to use your current Facebook page, or create a new one dedicated to community engagement during COVID-19, where residents can post about the things they’re doing at home. Parents can exchange activities to entertain the kids, dog owners can share their favourite walking trails and you (the developer or builder) can share videos, ideas, tips and tricks to help your community feel supported and connected. You can also use this platform to support small businesses and connect your community with helpful services. If someone in your community is offering online piano lessons, share their page. If your local coffee shop is offering take-away coffees and meals, share their updates. If a local personal trainer or fitness instructor is hosting online classes, share their timetable.
Utilise video. Your community is likely to be consuming a lot of content right now. Instead of scrambling to create brand new content, use the materials you already have to create highly engaging videos. Some ideas include:
- Respond to FAQs in a video
- Turn a selection of photos into a slideshow and add music and a voiceover. If you’re a builder, these photos can be of facades, bedrooms, kitchens, laundries and other spaces within your homes.
Host a competition. If you’re a builder, encourage your customers to take a photo of their favourite room or their favourite feature in their home. If you’re a developer, ask residents to take a photo of their favourite place within your community. Ask participants to post these images to your Facebook page, or use a specific hashtag on Instagram, and tag your account. Narrow down your top three favourites and host a poll for the community to vote for their favourite. The winner receives a prize of your choice. This initiative not only helps to keep your community feeling connected and engaged, it also opens an opportunity for user-generated content.
Host a First Home Buyers webinar. Instead of hosting a seminar at your sales office, host a webinar for FHB online. Throughout the session you can discuss how the current climate has impacted FHBs and interest rates, how your brand can support them during this time, and what buying your first home in the current situation looks like. If you’re a developer, get your builder partners to participate and discuss their product. If you’re a builder, get your interior designers and suppliers involved to talk about the unique features and inclusions of your homes.
Write useful and insightful blogs. Cut through the clutter and help deliver inspiration and education by creating content that really matters to your community at this time. It could be about interest rates and finances, activities to entertain the kids at home or ways to make your at-home study more thought-provoking.

If your property business needs help implementing any of these initiatives, the Property Republic team can help. Not only are we experts in content marketing, we’re also passionate about customer experience and helping property business connect with their customers.

If you’d like a free 15-minute phone call to brainstorm some ideas, get in touch.

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