How E-Marketing is Transforming Real Estate in Africa

From recovery to expansion to hypersupply and finally recession, the real estate industry in Africa has enormously grown. This has been made possible through the advancement of technology and the inclusion of marketing through digitization. E-marketing has promoted understanding and raised awareness, particularly on matters relating to real estate. They include sustainable housing, mortgage acquisitions, decor and interior design, land and property valuation, and home renovations, among others.

Real estate is no longer just about brick-and-mortar properties; it's also about embracing technology and digital platforms. E-marketing is the process of utilizing electronic mediums to carry out marketing activities to achieve the desired marketing objective for an organization. E-marketing, also known as digital marketing or online marketing, has grown rapidly in many African nations, corresponding to the increase in commercial websites.

The real estate industry in East, West, North, South, and Central Africa is undergoing transformation due to the adoption of modern real estate technology. Considering that digitalization has become the icing on the cake for global business, it's clear that it will be of greater merit for youngsters interested in real estate job opportunities to acquire vast knowledge and skills on matters revolving around technology.

According to research conducted by the Journal of African Real Estate Research (JARER), it's revealed that many African cities have already incorporated the use of digital tools and channels in real estate marketing. South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Egypt, Rwanda, Madagascar, Mozambique, Morocco, and Kenya are some of the countries that have heavily included digital tools. Regionally, Nairobi's capital city of Kenya has been ranked by Jones Lang La Salle, a global real estate firm, as one of the fastest-growing global real estate markets, displacing cities such as Miami and Monaco from the top-notch position. 

The field of real estate uses different online features and sites to popularize properties, attract buyers, and revolutionize the real estate industry. However, digital marketing as a branch can be divided into specific genres such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing (SMM), affiliate marketing, email marketing, and content marketing. All these strategies can be used in marketing real estate property according to one's preferences and understanding of it.

1. Search Engine Optimization 

Abbreviated as SEO, it has been traditionally used for a long time in marketing by African real estate marketers. It is the process of bringing traffic to one's own website by fully optimizing keywords. A well-planned and properly implemented search engine optimization campaign helps drive more leads to your website. Search engine optimizers in African real estate consider different aspects when optimizing web pages, including user engagement, quality content, and mobile friendliness.

2. Social Media Marketing

One of the most creative and tactful ways of maintaining and interacting with prospective clients is through creating a habitat on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Youtube, the common Facebook, and the trending TikTok. Social media marketing not only involves posting on media pages but also paying for ads that show up in the news feed section and on social media sites such as chat rooms, blogs, and social networking pages. It's key to note that tools should be chosen based on the social media habits of participants and the trends in the given market. Currently, nearly nine out of ten real estate professionals in Africa use social media to sell homes.

3. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting someone else's product or service in return for a commission due to their marketing efforts. An affiliate marketer promotes real estate products and services through various techniques. They can come up with a website or blog post that promotes the service. Furthermore, they can partner with specific companies under the umbrella of real estate, after which the marketer refers clients to those partners.

4. Email marketing                                                                                                         

Electronic mail has been mostly used for communication over the years. When enlightenment about a real estate product or service is sent through email, it is defined as email marketing. Most African real estate companies consider email marketing to be cost-effective. It's an interactive channel that can be used to attract new customers, maintain current customers, and build brand loyalty by sending emails with product descriptions, special offers, attachments, and links to websites.

5. Content marketing 

African real estate agencies are using celebrities or influencers to market homes and pieces of land, which attracts potential buyers. Content marketing uses endorsements and product nods to give the company greater credibility and market reach. Content in the real estate industry should develop connections, provide insights, and guide potential clients. The aim of content marketing in African real estate companies is simply to turn leads into paying customers.

Marketing any real estate property digitally comes with enormous benefits for real estate agents across Africa, including:

Giving access to a wider audience

Digital tools give one the luxury to come across different personalities and build customer loyalty; digital marketing provides one with unlimited options in terms of targeting the right clients at the right time. In East Africa alone, there are over 53.81 million mobile subscribers and at least 15 million web users, while Nigeria is the leading country in the entire continent with more than 122 million Internet users.

Monitoring and engaging with potential property buyers

Digital marketing puts one in direct contact with customers' emails, instant messaging, website content, videos, and social media posts. All these tools allow you to interact with your audience, and they also help you reach different African people in different segments of your targeted market.

Brand awareness and credibility

Through establishing a strong online presence via social media pages, websites, and email marketing, African real estate agencies have gained trust and credibility with potential buyers, contributing to more leads and sales.

Cost-effectiveness 

Digital marketing is cheap as compared to other methods of marketing such as TV, radio, and billboards African real estate marketers opt to use social media platforms and email marketing to reach potential buyers across Africa without having to spend large amounts of money conducting advertising.

In conclusion, consider embracing and leveraging the use of digital tools such as mobile marketing, web solutions, search engines, and social media platforms in Africa. In essence, the Internet has made great inroads into the African continent, and this signifies that real estate marketers can only make a greater impact on the ever-growing African population through digital forums.

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