Marketing Archives - Elevation Property Marketing

David Clare / July 21 / Marketing

Wikipedia: the rules for property marketers

Wikipedia is a top 10 website on the internet. It means that when people search for a brand or property development, they will look on Google first, and Wikipedia next.

As a marketer, it may be tempting to set up or edit pages yourself. But this can have drastic consequences, tarnishing brands, being banned from Wikipedia and doing far more harm than good, with the bad publicity that follows.

So, with help from the CIPR Wikipedia best practice guide, here are our top tips for approaching the site in marketing.

Avoid writing about yourself

Wikipedia pride themselves on their neutral point of view policy. An article should not promote you (or the brand), it should take into account both the good, the bad and the ugly.

Even if you were to create or edit a page, the chances are it will be deleted within minutes of creation. It will be super obvious and flagged to the editors.

This doesn’t mean you can’t create a page or edit within the site itself. You just have to make sure all editing is carried out honestly and in an open manner.

Avoid editing the competition too

There is a fierce rivalry between competitors in business. You might be thinking editing their Wikipedia page will make you look better, but you’d likely come worse off.

Wikipedia is not there for marketers to influence their client’s image – if you have something you want to say about a brand then send your request to Wikipedia themselves who will edit it accordingly.

How do you go about that? Simply go to the ‘Talk page‘ and it’ll alert the editors to your request.

Reference everything

Wikipedia makes it clear that they require inline citations for all and any material as well as all quotations. They want each point or fact made through Wikipedia to be seen as a reliable source of information so all references, therefore, have to be reliable too.

This is a good thing and means that if you do want to edit a page, and will actually be truthful in what you write, you shouldn’t have any problem at all in backing it up.

Dealing with disputes

If edit wars are taking place and a dispute is ongoing you can ask for a page to be protected. According to CIPR there are various stages in this process, from full protection, where only a Wikipedia administrator can make an edit, to semi-protection, where only Wiki editors who have been registered on the site for more than four days and have made at least ten edits are allowed to make changes.

Again, as with edit requests, you can ask to protect a page on the ‘Talk page’, but as always, you must present your case for why it should be so.

To find out more, download Best Practice Guidance for free.

David Clare / July 15 / Marketing, Property

State of Real Estate Market: July 2016

Each month we report on the current state of real estate, but this month has been dominated by one single topic: Brexit.

Yes, on June 24th we discovered that the UK will be saying ta’ra to the EU, leaving the world in a state of shock. And you can be damned sure that this has affected the state of real estate in July.

Property trusts suffer hard

There is often no better long-term investment plan than a property trust. But by their very nature, they will collapse in the event of mass-withdrawals. Post-Brexit, too many people have been trying to withdraw cash from these trusts, resulting in suspended accounts until the properties can be sold.

Commercial property is boosted

It’s not all doom and gloom, and a real boost to the commercial property market was delivered when the developers of the Cheesegrater in London (aka Leadenhall Building) announced that the building had been filled. With rent in the building reaching up to £100 per square metre, this is a real post-Brexit blues boost that the property sector has been needing.

Investment opportunities are rife

A US private equity firm this month announced it will be investing £1 billion in UK property, following the cut prices available, both to residential and commercials real estate. The opportunity for buyers is clear, and great deals are available among the uncertainty. We all know property bounces back, so now is the time to buy.

So there you have it. July 2016 was the month that Brexit dominated the property market. Let’s hope next month gives us respite and something else to talk about. But remember, now is the time to buy!

David Clare / July 14 / Marketing, Property

Serviced offices market to dramatically increase

According to the latest issue of Estates Gazette, the serviced office market is to see a sixfold increase in value over the next 10 years. This follows from strong levels of growth over the past decade, which saw a 67% increase from 2005 – 2015.

With a current value of £16 billion, and a projected value of £126 billion by 2025, the services offices market is certainly a good opportunity to be looking at right now. But why the rise?

Of course, growth in business is behind the expected increase, especially so in people-powered workplaces. Small firms and start-ups, for example, have grown massively in the past decade, thanks to numerous accelerator programmes, both private and government funded.

The growth in professional services and the communications sector has also seen a need for serviced offices, as has more flexible and accommodating work habits, with internationalism playing a big part.

If you’re a UK based firm, then this next bit of information may help in choosing where to direct your efforts beyond London. Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, respectively, are hotspots for people-powered business, and should be key targets for setting up serviced offices.

But don’t forget, internationalism is behind this trend, so make sure to set your sights further than the UK alone. Brexit or no Brexit, we’re a global economy.

David Clare / July 14 / Marketing, Property, Websites

Why traditional realtors still reign

Realtors, or estate agents as we call them in the UK, have experienced a shake up in recent years, due to the increase in online property portals and online versions of the service they offer. The likes of Rightmove are essential for selling a property, but is an online estate agent, or realtor, really the best way to go?

The draw towards online estate agents are clear. Lower prices. With either lower selling fees, or set fees (as opposed to percentages of the sale figure), are left with more cash in your pocket at the end of selling your home. Add to this that most people start their property hunt online, then why on earth would you need a physical, store fronted estate agent?

Well, I’m going to argue there are more benefits to the ‘old-fashioned’ approach. Here’s why.

1. Higher stock

A high street realtor is likely to have much more local stock than an online agent. In my experience of selling a property, this is most certainly the case. But why is more competition a good thing?

Whether you like it or not, there will be competition – just look at RightMove. The best tactic for selling your home is to be with the agent with the most stock. This way, when people do enquire about another property, they can lead the prospective buyer to your home.

More people coming through the door means more opportunities for your home to be put in front of them. Sure, they’ll be shown others too, but with an online agent, it is likely they’ll never be shown your property as an alternative anyway.

2. Human interaction

Try booking a viewing through Purple Bricks. It is an awful experience. You request a time, and then wait. You receive text messages to say they’re checking with the vendor, but they do this too through text or email.

Picking up the phone is much easier, and your traditional estate agent will do this – speaking to a person just takes less time.

The best part – your high street agent may have keys and be available to take you there and then, plus, they are more likely to accompany viewings, so you can get expert advice.

Sorry internet, but human interaction still works in 2016.

3. Internet isn’t exclusive

This is obvious, but often overlooked. The listings and advertising techniques used by online estate agents are in no way exclusive to them.

That’s right, your traditional, store fronted realtor can also use the internet too! And, they will (mind blown!)

So, there you have it. Unless your going to save thousands and thousands by using online only, I’d suggest you take a walk down the high street.

Do you run an estate agents and want to see how online marketing can help grow your business? Get in touch and we’ll show you how.

David Clare / July 13 / Marketing, Property

Property in the UK after Brexit

52% of those reading this article will be thoroughly chuffed to see that the UK is moving away from the EU. 48% of you might be a little less chirpy.

Either way, PM Theresa May has said ‘Brexit means Brexit’ so it looks like we’ll have to deal with it and move forward.

So, we ask how this is affecting the property market in the UK, in the immediate aftermath of the unexpected result.

Firstly, what’s happening now? A lot, is the simple answer. For one, it turns out that some purchasers had ‘Brexit-clauses’ written into their contracts, that have allowed them to walk away from deals when the result went the way it did.

This, combined with smaller interest in property currently, has meant zero growth in the London property market, and a standstill during the Brexit period.

It has been widely reported that property trusts aren’t doing all too well either, since attempts to withdraw cash means property must be put up for sale. This takes time, and so some trusts have had to suspend withdrawals, due to too high demand.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom. For Britons looking to buy, now is the time! With prices not increasing, and less demand overall, a good deal on a property can be brokered.

So if you were a Remainer but were also in the market for a new home, look on the bright side and grab a bargain!

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