Realty and the Dawn of Virtual Age

Realtors are moving a step forward towards digitization; their information is now just a click away. The move seems to be inspired by the call for digital India. This digitization offers information to prospective customers, current investors as well as residents who have moved into newly handed over projects. It creates a platform on which the developer and the customer canstay connected. This is a significant initiative in the field of customer service taken by the developers in the real estate industry.

It has been observed that more than often builders lose interest subsequent to handing over possession to the customers. As a result, the resident or investor who has bought the property remains clueless about the developments in the vicinity and has to run from pillar to post for basic amenities in the area.

Digitization means establishment of a complete framework that allows access to information through technology and would eventually replace physical centres. NRI’s and expats are extremely benefited by this initiative; as this enables them to not onlyhave the facility to know about the latest happenings in their housing societies, rather they can participate in discussions and contribute to the same without actually being present at the location.

Facebook and Twitter are the major platforms being utilized by the developers to connect with the customers. However, Facebook seems to be the preferred medium due toits wide presence and giving developers the opportunity to communicate via photographs, videos, etc. This gives a feel of an enhanced living experience to the residents of the township by keeping them engaged through online presence.

Some of the developers like DLF, M3M Group, Vatika share actual photographs, elevations, lifestyle videos of the development in and around their respective projects. They also post updates on current road networks and future connectivity planned by the government for the area.

The residents of housing societies are not only able to access the information, but can even share their concerns. Going online with a redressal forum is a risky proposition with the kind of hyperactivity online portals face these days. But some realtors are taking this step to infuse a fresh wave of faith and belief in their residents. DLF assures a real time solution for the complaints through a dedicated team for complaint redressal; and monitoring the social platforms.

Ms. Monica Kalvani, AVP- Sales & Marketing, DLF stressing on the need to engage through social media said, ‘Social Media has brought about the dawn of a new age, an era in which one’s presence on the virtual world is not merely expected, rather considered a necessity. Taking a cue from this current scenario, DLF Gardencity has come up with its own Facebook page. It is a step to reaffirm the idea of DLF being a realtor which cares and believes in overall area development and customer satisfaction by effectively using this mechanism for customer grievance redressal also’.

Ms. Kalvani further stated,‘This is the gen next age where everything needs to be done at the click of a button.As a result, it is essential for realtors to move ahead with the times and adopt modern technology’.

"M3M has always been at the fore front when it comes to embracing new technology and we firmly believe Digital is the way to go. While we appreciate the importance of traditional modes of Marketing, we strongly believe Digital Media will play increasingly important role in the times to come. We are in the midst of Digital Revolution and its importance is surely to increase manifold. We have recently revamped our website with latest technology making it accessible over various gadgets – desktops, laptops, handhelds; and operating systems. Mobile will play a key role in how people browse information and access it over the Internet and therefore, we have recently launched our own Mobile App to make information about all our projects easily accessible at the click of a button and at the same time, keeping things absolutely transparent. The Android version of our Mobile App (in beta) is already live and shortly, we will roll out the IOS version. The share of spends on Digital Media in our overall Marketing mix is increasing every month and we will continue to embrace this trend. It has several advantages over traditional mediums – Accuracy, Measurability, RoI-centric and at the same time being flexible. At the same time, the digital landscape keeps changing very dynamically and we strive to keep ourselves abreast with latest developments and opportunities." - Spokesperson from M3M's Marketing Department.

Social Media in today’s market has become one of the strongest tool for promotions and for customer connect. Most of the people today are net savvy and regularly visit facebook, twitter, linkedin etc. Anyone looking to buy anything, inadvertently, goes on the net to search for the product. Therefore, presence on these platforms for reaching out the prospective buyers, is of utmost importance. Social media, today, has become an important channel for quality lead generation by focussing on the right TG. It is not only important for getting in new buyers but is also very effective in maintaining the connect with existing clients who are the real brand ambassadors." - Mr. Anupam Varshney, Head Sales & Marketing, Vatika Ltd.