Category: Marketing

This week, FocalAgent, the creators of PropertyBox, published their most recent report:

10 listing tips to win more instructions

If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, here’s the link you need.

The report outlines step-by-step everything you need to do to craft property listings that secure instructions to help you dominate market share.

We don’t have time to cover all the topics discussed in the report, so instead, we’re sharing our 5 top takeaways:

1. The importance of best-in-class property photography can’t be underestimated.
2. Presenting unique property marketing examples during market appraisals is crucial for standing out and building trust with potential vendors and landlords.
3. Property videos work wonders for extending your reach on social media, allowing you to engage with potential landlords, sellers, house hunters and tenants.
4. Your vendor’s photographs are considered personal data under GDPR and need protection accordingly. 
5. Watermarking your property photos, floor plans, and videos keeps your brand front and centre on property portals, increasing the likelihood of potential vendors and landlords noting your agency and associating it with first-rate property marketing.   

Below, we’ll explore each of these takeaways in more detail:

1. The positive impact of best-in-class property photography

If there was any doubt about the influence high-quality property photos have on the effectiveness of property listings, these stats set the record straight. They prove just how vital first-rate photos are for securing instructions:

• Property Academy’s latest ‘Home Moving Trends, Landlord and Renter Survey’ found the top reason sellers picked their agent was that they ‘felt confident in their ability to market [their] property’ (this included property photos).  
• In the same survey, 75% of sellers rate ‘quality of images’ as important when visiting an estate agent’s website. 
• As many as 80% would click on a property listing because the first image was enticing.  
• Almost 60% would skip properties with an unappealing initial image.

Thankfully, AI-fuelled property marketing platforms like PropertyBox make enhancing images taken on your smartphone or camera a breeze.   

It’s not uncommon for estate agents to view AI as sub-standard or somehow scary. However, in the case of PropertyBox, we’re not an off-the-shelf solution. Instead, we have years of professional property photography knowledge that we’ve funnelled into producing our AI enhancements.  

Below, we’ve listed just a few of the many ways your images could benefit from AI property photo enhancements:  

1. Instant object removal  
2. Automated privacy blurring  
3. HD upscaling  
4. Blue sky replacement  
5. Vertical adjustments  
6. Boosted shadows  
7. Colour enhancements  

…and more!

2. Present unique property marketing examples during market appraisals

There are plenty of ways to elevate your property marketing to stand out from the rest. Our most recent report lists the following methods:

• Dusk shots
• Drone photography
• Elevated pole photography

Below, we’ll explore each in turn:

Dusk shots

One of the main benefits of dusk shots is introducing a point of differentiation between you and your competitors. In your prospect’s living room, you can show examples of dusk shots you’ve listed. This works wonders for instilling confidence in the vendor because it demonstrates you know how to make properties stand out online when people are scrolling at pace on portals. 

Best of all, when you use an AI dusk shot feature post-production (like the one PropertyBox offers), you can make the image look like it was taken at golden hour within a matter of minutes. 

Drone photography

The remarkable thing about drone photography is that it can capture a property’s unique vantage point from 120 metres high, making it an excellent choice for shooting panoramic views and unveiling hidden gems that traditional photography can’t achieve.  

A single dramatic shot of your client’s property can be the driving force that attracts the right attention to your listing. In fact, property listings with drone photography enjoy a 54% increase in engagement compared to listings using traditional property photography alone. 

So, if your budget allows, why not consider drone photography – especially for luxury properties? Clients selling first-rate properties expect the best, and there’s no denying that drone photography will capture your client’s property in all its glory, which is likely why properties with aerial photos sell 68% faster than those using just standard images. 

Elevated pole photography

If drone photography isn’t viable for your agency or the area, elevated pole photography is worth a second glance.  

It costs less than drone photography, and although a pole doesn’t reach the sky heights of a drone, you can still capture shots from 6m+ above ground level, making it superb for capturing winning exterior shots.  

3. Extend your reach on social media using video

Video offers an immersive experience, transporting prospects directly to the heart of the property. Not only that, but videos often increase your social media reach in the local area, engaging with potential landlords, sellers, house hunters and tenants who aren’t yet on the market.  

These stats speak volumes about the power of video:  

• 50% of all content viewed across Meta’s platforms (predominantly Facebook and Instagram) is video, so embracing video is essential for getting your agency in front of as many prospects as possible. 
• 92% of mobile video viewers ‘share’ videos
• 73% of sellers are likelier to list their property with an agent who uses video  
• Property listings with video generate 403% more inquiries. 

To hit the ground running with property videos, you can use an AI property video generator (like the one PropertyBox is about to launch). 

This is an excellent alternative to professional videography if you’re working on a budget or don’t have time to schedule a professional.  

Such a tool takes your static property images and transforms them into engaging reels, perfect for sharing on social media. Just drag and drop photos onto your video timeline and add captions (if you wish), taking inspiration from PropertyBox’s prompts. Then, wait a few minutes for the videos to render before sharing them on your agency’s website, social media, Rightmove, Zoopla, or property portal of your choice. 

4. Ensuring your property marketing meets GDPR standards is absolutely crucial!

Did you know your vendor’s photographs are considered personal data under GDPR?  

Protecting your customers’ data is of the utmost importance. That’s why agents spend their precious time manually blurring out sensitive data in their property photos – for example, people’s faces in personal photographs and vehicle number plates.   

However, not only is such a system laborious, but it’s also prone to human error. It stands to reason that if you manually edit hundreds of property photos each month, things will inevitably fall through the cracks.   

Similarly, some agencies use non-property-specific editing suites for these tasks. It can sometimes take between 6 and 10 minutes to blur a single registration plate.   

Fortunately, there’s a quicker, more accurate solution:

An AI property photo enhancer like PropertyBox automatically blurs faces, personal photographs, and car number plates. 

By automating these kinds of tasks, you can use the time you’ve saved to make your listings really sing. For example, removing unwanted objects from your property photos, adding a dusk sky, writing more compelling property descriptions, etc.

5. Sidestep property portal branding restrictions with watermarking

As an estate agent, you’ll know how frustrating it is that your agency’s brand gets little to no recognition on popular property portals – especially when prospects view listings via mobile.  

Considering that almost half of property searches are done on a mobile, that’s a huge opportunity to market your agency’s brand lost! 

This is where adding a watermark to your property visuals becomes an asset.  

This ensures your branding remains front and centre of the listing, increasing the chances of prospects remembering your agency.  

Want to learn more?

Although we hope you found these insights helpful, this blog post only scratches the surface of the advice given in our full report:

10 listing tips to win more instructions

For a deeper dive into crafting property listings that increase market share, download our free report and put everything you learn into action! 

Almost 95% of house buyers do online research, and when you couple this stat with the fact that Google’s top 3 search results get more than 50% of clicks, one thing becomes crystal clear: your website is of the utmost importance.

A well-designed and optimised website is more than just an online portfolio; it’s a powerful platform to represent your brand, attract leads, establish credibility, and drive those all-important sales.

Samantha Aitken, Territory Owner at Yopa Glasgow South, says it best: ‘If you were looking for an estate agent and they had an awful website or bad photographs, how could you trust them to present your property for sale well when they can’t even present themselves.’

We couldn’t agree more! 

So, with that said, if you want to elevate your estate agency website, here are 5 quick fixes you could implement today:

1. Publish customer reviews

Customer reviews play a pivotal role in influencing buying decisions. In fact, research from Capterra reveals that 62% of consumers consult online reviews before buying, valuing customer reviews even more than the opinions of experts or their friends.

With customer reviews acting as powerful social proof, you should leverage them throughout your estate agency’s website, particularly on pages encouraging prospects to contact you.

By prominently displaying positive feedback and testimonials from satisfied vendors, you establish trust and credibility, reinforcing the value of your offering.

We recommend working with a customer review site specific to the property industry, such as ESTAS. ESTAS is exclusively dedicated to property-related customer reviews from genuine consumers providing feedback at the end of their transactions.

A quick tip: Plenty of platforms are available to help you launch automated email and/or text sequences asking clients to leave a review. Not only does this save you time, but once these workflows are up and running, you should enjoy a steady stream of customer feedback.

2. Loading speed

When it comes to user satisfaction and website performance, your site’s loading speed is vital. A study by Kissmetrics revealed that 47% of web users expect pages to load within 2 seconds, with 40% abandoning sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load.

These stats emphasise the importance of optimising your website for fast load times. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that a slow website could be why you’re receiving fewer enquiries than you’d like from your website. After all, when visitors encounter slow-loading pages, they’re more likely to become impatient and leave the site before completing any desired actions, such as submitting an enquiry form.

To assess and enhance your website’s loading speed, we recommend Google’s Page Speed Insights. This tool makes it easy to test your website’s performance and identify areas for improvement. You’ll also obtain actionable and personalised insights to share with your website agency or development team.

3. Mobile-friendliness

As many as 74% of home buyers research properties using their mobile or tablet. With so many using portable devices to fuel their house hunt, it’s imperative your website is mobile-friendly.

This means ensuring your site boasts a responsive design that seamlessly adapts to different screen sizes. This is essential for providing the optimum user experience across all devices.

Suppose you’re using a popular website builder like Wix or Squarespace to fuel your estate agency’s website. In that case, you might find that your website template is already responsive. However, if you need more clarification, we recommend contacting your web developer/the customer service team of your chosen website builder to double-check.

Furthermore, a mobile-friendly website is more likely to rank higher in search engines, which should translate to more eyes on your website! Google recommends mobile optimising your website as part of its broader push to prioritise sites offering a better user experience.

4. Offer a ‘lure’

A lure, also known as a lead magnet, is a valuable incentive you can offer potential customers in exchange for their contact information (or to encourage them to take a specific action).

A lure aims to attract, engage, and nurture leads while positioning yourself as an authority in your industry. All of this goes a long way to increase the likelihood of a conversion.

Offering a downloadable resource is an excellent lead magnet example—for instance, an eBook, guide, or checklist. Whatever downloadable you decide to give away, it should be relevant, informative, and address common pain points or questions sellers have.

For example, you could create a property selling guide outlining the different sales steps, staging tips, and negotiation strategies.

This kind of gated content not only enables you to capture more leads but also helps to establish you as an expert, which is fantastic for building trust and credibility with those interested in selling property.

5. Provide a live call-back service

Offering a live call-back service on your website empowers you to capitalise on the immediate interest of website visitors and increase the likelihood of securing their business. In fact, according to LiveCall, implementing their call-back service can convert 30% to 120% more web visitors into leads.

By promptly responding to call-back requests, you demonstrate to potential vendors that you value their time and are dedicated to addressing their needs. An immediate response sets a positive impression and allows you to engage in positive one-to-one communication.

This personalised interaction permits you to gain a more concrete understanding of their specific requirements and provide tailored advice, including addressing any particular concerns they have. It’s also a chance to build rapport, establish trust, and showcase your expertise, ultimately increasing the likelihood of securing the prospect’s business.

If you want to integrate a live call-back feature into your site, we recommend Convolo or livecall.io. This software makes it easy for prospective clients to request a call-back with your estate agency’s sales team and for your agents to respond promptly.

Now’s the time to elevate your estate agency’s website

With the UK estate agency market expected to grow by over 3% this year, competition is on the up, so distinguishing yourself with a first-rate website has never been so important.

With that said, we hope having read this blog post, you’re now filled with ideas for improving your estate agency’s site.

To recap, here are a few quick and easy website fixes:

Publish customer reviews, optimise load speed, prioritise mobile-friendliness, offer a valuable lead magnet, and provide a live call-back service. By implementing these changes, you take a massive step toward maximising your online presence and, subsequently, growing your agency.

For more ways to upgrade your property marketing game, try PropertyBox for free! We provide AI-fuelled photo enhancements, floor plan re-draws, automated property descriptions, and much more. Alternatively, if you have any questions, you can request a callback from our friendly customer support team (you’ll hear from us in under 55 seconds!) – speak soon!

PropertyBox is a cutting-edge property marketing assistant. It harnesses advanced technology to offer users instant improvements to their property photos, expertly redrawn floor plans, seamless removal of unwanted objects, and privacy blurring to safeguard customer information.

We love hearing our customer’s feedback

PropertyBox understands the value of customer feedback and prioritises actively listening and responding to our client’s needs. By taking our customers’ feedback onboard, we have significantly improved our platform. PropertyBox’s customer-centric approach is crucial because it allows our business to evolve and grow while tailoring our services to better meet the requirements of our users.

What improvements has PropertyBox made?

We’re thrilled to share that our efforts have resulted in a faster app, improved AI accuracy, and a significant increase in usage of PropertyBox’s object-removal tool.

1. Accelerated speed for effortless efficiency
   • We are delighted to share that our app is now twice as fast as before. As mentioned above, we have listened to your feedback and prioritised enhancing the application’s overall speed, which will benefit our users. Through dedicated development efforts, we have optimised our app’s performance and speed, allowing you to accomplish tasks swiftly and seamlessly.
2. Enhanced AI accuracy
   • We have enhanced AI accuracy through customer feedback. With a remarkable AI accuracy rate of 98%, PropertyBox ensures that your photo enhancements meet the highest standards of precision and reliability. The feedback allows us to learn from user interactions, adapt to evolving needs, and deliver exceptional results. By leveraging the power of AI and customer input, we have taken a significant step forward in providing users with reliable and accurate photo enhancements, which will ultimately improve your online presence and save you valuable time and resources.
3. Object removal
   • Capturing appealing property photos can be challenging due to various factors, such as unwanted objects or clutter. Our object removal feature has been a game-changer, as demonstrated by the remarkable usage rate of 89% among our subscribers last month. This powerful tool lets you seamlessly remove unwanted elements from your images, resulting in visually appealing listings. Presenting your properties in the best possible light has never been easier.
4. HD upscaling
   • PropertyBox is thrilled to introduce an exciting new feature called HD upscaling. Aimed at providing our customers with a remarkable advantage in property marketing. With HD upscaling, your property photos are automatically converted to HD, transforming ordinary images into stunning visuals. Agents can now win more instructions, boost sales, and achieve higher property prices, solidifying their market position and surpassing competitors

The improvements mentioned throughout this article will help our customers have a competitive edge over their competitors. The enhanced AI accuracy ensures that the photo enhancements provided by PropertyBox are precise and of high quality, which will allow customers to showcase their property at its finest. PropertyBox is dedicated to helping its customers stand out in a crowded market.

Why choose PropertyBox?

PropertyBox is here to help. Our fantastic team has expert knowledge of property marketing which will help your estate agency stand out from the competition. Whether you’re looking for photo enhancements, floor plan redraws, object removal, privacy blurring, or automatic branding, our team can assist with this.

It’s time to take your business to the next level, try ProperyBox today!

We know you are constantly juggling tasks to make sure you can focus on the important aspects of winning instructions and progressing sales but, without eye-catching photography and clear floorplans, your agency is instantly at a huge disadvantage. That’s where PropertyBox comes into its own, saving you time and money by producing these vital tools of estate agency service super quickly and within budget.

It couldn’t be quicker

You have just 2.7 seconds to grab someone’s attention online, but it can take considerably longer to achieve professional quality photography for your listings if you’re trying to do it yourself, often with just a smart phone. How do you make your skies bluer? Is your photography lacking in oomph and just a bit colourless, languishing in the shadows? Now you can upload your shots via our client portal and, in just one click, our AI photo enhancement software will transform your photos in seconds, ready to be instantly uploaded to Rightmove and Zoopla. It couldn’t be quicker.

We’ve asked our partner agents how long it would have taken before using PropertyBox to touch up their own photography and the answer is, “hours – and that’s without interruptions to deal with important call and queries”. How much time could you save to concentrate on securing valuations, client relations and progressing sales by switching to the country’s leading photo enhancement service?

Stand out at valuations

Homebuyers spend 80% of their time looking at property photography and just 20% reading the description. You can prove to potential clients at the valuation stage that you are prepared to go that extra mile to ensure their property stands out from competition, sells quicker and for a higher price, by showing them your outstanding listings.

Not only that, but do you do the most you can to protect your clients’ privacy? PropertyBox automatically blurs faces, personal photographs around the home and car number plates. That’s peace of mind you don’t have to make more time for.

Try before you buy

We can help to build your brand to show that you always present your properties for sale or rental to the highest standard. We’re so confident you’ll love our service that you can even ‘try before you buy’. Just upload a selection of property photographs for enhancement to see the results before signing up to one of our highly competitive packages.

Book a demo with Vince to find out more.