There’s nothing like the art of buying and selling properties, but with over two million licensed real estate agents in the United States, you have to go above and beyond to stand out. One way many real estate agents are doing this is by leaning into modern technology. Marketing a property used to mean newspaper ads, yard signs, and open houses; while those things are still important, in 2021, traditional methods alone aren’t enough to stay ahead of the curve. 

In fact, according to the NAR (National Association of Realtors), “48 percent of all real estate firms cited keeping up with technology as one of the biggest challenges facing their firm in the next two years”. To show off your properties in the digital era, you’ll need to utilize the best real estate mapping software around. 

How to Elevate Your Marketing With The Best Real Estate Mapping Software: 

Dynamically Display A Property

Create A Show-Stopping Website

One of the most critical aspects of marketing a property is a show-stopping website. 93% of interested homebuyers search for housing information online; without a site, you’re hidden from a hefty chunk of the market. Of course, any old website won’t do - it has to blow away the competition. One way to do this is by embedding beautiful photography and maps of the property. Most people wouldn’t buy an article of clothing without seeing a picture of it first, and a house is a much larger commitment than a t-shirt.  

Utilize Mobile

One of the pillars of marketing is to make yourself as accessible as possible to your audience; in many cases, that means accessible by smartphone. The NAR found that almost three-quarters (73%) of interested homebuyers used mobile devices as a source for information. Though most smartphones work with desktop sites, optimizing your site for mobile is an excellent opportunity to wow prospective clients. 

Of course, realtors need to utilize mobile for themselves too. With Land id’s (formerly MapRight) mobile app, you can track your location and movement through the property, take and attach photos to your location, and save maps for later use. Even better? You can send your clients driving directions to the house or specific points on the property with the tap of a finger. While most real estate mapping software works well on desktop, the best real estate mapping software isn’t limited to just one form.

Sell The Whole Picture

You’re never selling just a house; you’re selling everything that makes that house a home. For many people, that’s schools, walkability, safety, shopping, dining - you name it. Accordingly, the best real estate mapping software should allow you to show off the entire area, not just the house. Land id™ has a plethora of features to help you go the extra mile when sharing your maps with clients. With our intuitive map-making tools, you can:

• Embed images and videos directly to the map—This will help your clients get the look and feel of the property in reference to location.
• Create panoramic images—This will accomplish the same thing as an image will, but clients will actually be able to move around it, giving them a more complete view of the property (and a beautiful panoramic photo is a great way to pique a client’s interest).
• Place labels and icons on the map—This lets your clients quickly identify where key features are located. 
• Include parcel data—This is absolutely essential for selling a property to someone who wants to utilize or build on the land. With Land id™, you can provide a more comprehensive overview of the land.
• Include GIS Layers—With Land id’s built in GIS layers, you’ll really be able to paint a picture of the land, including the different soil types and their capabilities, the topography, water features and more.
• Give GPS directions—This is a great way to highlight the property’s proximity to local places of interest on your maps, and of course, make your client’s lives a little easier. 

Share Properties In Several Ways

Share Maps Directly to Clients

Land id™ offers a number of ways to share your maps with clients. You can send maps via email, export them as a PDF or PNG, and even share them directly to a client’s phone. If you’re hoping to share maps online, Land id™ provides an embed script for every map to make uploading as fast and easy as possible. Since our maps automatically update when you make a change, you never have to worry about old versions circulating the web.

Share Maps In Your Content Marketing

A common tactic for marketing property is to share it with as many potential buyers as possible. But beyond mailing lists and paid media outlets, who do you share them with? Though you may not be talking about the properties directly, a blog positions you as an expert (and beautiful maps and property photos may inspire readers to seek your services). 

For those who enjoy writing, a real estate blog is an excellent place to start. You can write about anything related to real estate and add some flare with photos and maps of properties. Currently, only 11% of real estate agents under 50 have a blog (even less for those over 50), making blogging an undersaturated area to market your properties. 

Share Your Properties On Social Media

Social media marketing isn’t everyone’s favorite activity - but it’s effective. Social media has proven to be a surprisingly powerful tool for gaining high-quality leads. Almost half (47%) of real estate businesses identify social media as the top tool for finding qualified leads. Many people find housing in their area through Facebook groups, LinkedIn, and Instagram. As an agent, creating business pages on these platforms can be a goldmine for new leads. 

If you choose to conduct paid marketing online, sharing your properties through social media ads is an excellent route to take. On most sites, you can target an audience by age, location, and even interests - meaning the people who see your properties are more likely to be the people interested in buying them. 

Another benefit to social media is that it provides a platform for clients to write reviews and testimonials. 69% of people who had recently sold a home said they would be happy to write a review for their real estate agent; social media sites, especially Facebook and Yelp, are prime places for people to post them.

Share Your Properties On Listing Sites

Listing sites such as Zillow and Redfin are undeniably some of the most impactful places to share your properties. In fact, sites like these account for nearly half of all website traffic for real estate searches online. The problem many users have with those sites is that they tend to gloss over the details on a property. With Land id™, you can embed maps on your property profiles, so that the people who see your listings feel they have all of the necessary information to take the next steps in the process.

Aid In Offline Marketing Activities

Learn About The Area

Buying a home can be nerve-wracking, but an agent’s expertise can assuage those fears. Of course, any good agent will know about the neighborhood they’re selling in, but great agents understand the ins and outs. Land id’s GIS data is an overflowing source of information for you to utilize in your marketing, so you can make smarter decisions and show that you really know your stuff.

You also have the option to create your own database with Land id™. Realtors can use these custom databases to visualize, well, anything. You can find undeveloped commercial real estate, local hot spots, important infrastructure, and track comparable sales (just to name a few options). This tool isn’t just for GIS professionals, our platform makes building databases attainable for anyone - novice or expert.

Partner With The Locals

Digital marketing is becoming more and more essential, but that doesn’t take away from the importance of building your reputation in-person. This is especially true for agents who work in one specific area; you’ll always need the support of the community you’re buying and selling in. Reach out to local coffee shops, boutiques, and other places of interest in your target area. You’ll likely need snacks or small giveaway items for your open houses, which opens the door for a partnership with local shops. You buy their offerings, they advertise your open house - it’s a win-win.  

Go Old-School With A Postcard

It’s easy to get caught up with digital marketing and forget about the classics, but good old-fashioned mail is a great way to make your marketing efforts feel a little more personal. With Land id’s postcard store, all you have to do to send a beautiful postcard is create a design, upload your mailing list (which can automatically generated by geographic location using Land id™), choose a mail by date, and submit your order - we’ll handle the shipping and printing.   

Getting Started

Real Estate is a cut-throat game, but the best real estate mapping software can set you apart from the competition. Land id™ offers a more holistic understanding of the area and impressive, shareable maps to back it up. Ready to elevate your marketing and wow your audience? Get started today with a 7-day free trial!

All statistics cited in this article are from the National Association of Realtors