Having built a niche in the luxury real estate market that encompasses the North Shore of Long Island, N.Y., from Manhasset to the North Fork, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty is aspiring to an even greater goal in 2016: 1 billion online real estate visitors.
While the Sotheby’s brand itself speaks to luxury and international marketing—of high interest to the New York luxury sellers served by the firm’s 27 offices—Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty has recently formed several alliances to strategically position itself in front of both a regional and international audience.
Zeroing in even further, the firm has also put together some specialized programs to reach the high-end audience many of Long Island’s properties appeal to, including a combination of online and offline marketing directed to the international and high-end markets.
This year, as realtor.com® is working out cross-promotional strategies with other media companies under the News Corp umbrella, Daniel Gale’s listings will be made available in notable luxury and international media, including The Wall Street Journal Mansion, WSJ.com, Mansion Global, realtor.com® and realtor.com® international on the web.
As the luxury market continues to trend internationally, with foreign clients paying nearly twice as much for a home when compared to the overall U.S. average house price—according to the National Association of REALTORS® 2015 Profile of Home Buying Activity of International Clients—it’s a logical move for a company focused on high-end properties to seek regional and international exposure.
As Jon Evans, chief technology officer at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty explains, the firm’s investment in realtor.com® and The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, including Mansion Global, MarketWatch and Barron’s, was largely driven by their global exposure and reputation for luxury marketing.
“Marketing through these channels is a big part of what we do,” says Evans, who goes on to explain that utilizing these marketing avenues has gone a long way toward swaying sellers who may be on the fence. “We highlight everything we do for our customers during the listing presentation when they’re looking to engage, and we use our relationship with The Wall Street Journal and realtor.com® to get them to work with us.”
While promoting listings overseas through realtor.com®’ s international site is a key component to the firm’s success in reaching a broader audience, Evans notes that the site’s data is an integral piece of the puzzle. “Data accuracy is huge, and their data are updated more frequently and more accurately than their competitors,” says Evans. “In addition, the realtor.com® URL has a great reputation, and since being acquired by News Corp, it’s only served to elevate the brand and image in the eyes of the consumer.”
But it doesn’t end there. In fact, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty leverages its marketing channels when recruiting talent into the office, as well. “When meeting potential agents, we show them everything we offer, including our marketing partnerships,” says Evans. “Not only do the agents love it, but they’re also extremely appreciative.”
For those looking to get into the luxury market, Evans can’t stress enough the importance of knowing the market and the inventory available. “In the luxury market in particular, there’s typically a lot less inventory,” says Evans, “so take the time to go into every property that’s for sale and learn the rooms and how to speak to the house as a whole.”
As consumers continue to turn to the internet for their real estate needs, it’s more important than ever for brokerages to be visible in the places they consistently engage—both online and offline. “In today’s tech-driven world, it’s becoming increasingly important to find consumers offline, in that we need to be seen more than once in order to get them to engage,” says Evans.
“There was a time when people thought the web would eclipse print, but what’s interesting is that it never happened,” concludes James Retz, senior vice president, Marketing & Technology, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty. “Consumers use virtually every single tool available in today’s world. The biggest advantage I see for News Corp’s Mansion Global is the same throughout the web. Unlike print, there are absolutely no geographic borders inhibiting web searches.”
For more information, visit www.realtor.com/luxury.
