The art of digital communication in luxury real estate

Digital communication in the luxury real estate industry is an art. It is the art of excellence, elegance, relevance, but also of innovation and vision. Romain Angeletti, director of the BARNES digital agency, gives us some insight on luxury media 2.0.

Why does a luxury brand like BARNES International have an internal digital agency?

Having your own agency has you two major advantages: Complete mastery of technologies and content development, which is at its core the BARNES properties; and optimal control and implementation of the group’s strategy. The BARNES digital agency functions as both consultant and executor for the group. These two hats allow the group to construct an ambitious strategy and achieve it under the best possible conditions. Even more, this agency is essential to the strategic and technological foresight that will keep the BARNES brand at the forefront of the technology available.

What is the BARNES digital agency’s strategy and scope of intervention?

We administer digital content with a strong content marketing strategy. Our team is made up of international editors, SEO and e-marketing specialists, community managers, and web developers.

The selection of exceptional properties in the BARNES catalog are opportunities to tell beautiful stories. Destinations in France, Europe, and around the world where the BARNES network is present are also fantastic sources of content.

The content is “integrated” in the search engine index. The more strategic the keywords, the better the position it will have in the search engine results.

We also oversee the brand’s entire online social content (social media and networks), and as a requirement only use very high-quality content.

We implement targeted e-marketing campaigns so that BARNES is present where our international clients consume information that is relevant and consistent with our work in luxury real estate.

Finally, we create unique campaigns that showcase new developments and are targeted to investors around the world.

What does it take to of digitally market a luxury brand?

Adhere to the highest digital standards. Never settle, always seek excellence, an element of surprise, and innovation. Finally, be familiar with the codes of luxury and respect them.

What innovative initiatives have you put in place?

We have implemented an “Employee Advocacy” strategy for all BARNES collaborators, agents and consultants. We train each team, from each office and each specialty, on excellent social media practices and how to optimize their social network. The goal of this strategy, called BARNES2BARNES, is to promote the BARNES brand through the power of the thousands of voices that collectively make up the group’s online presence. The results are extraordinary, both in terms of organic reach, but also in team building.

Finally, we have developed a real media outlet called SoBarnes. This medium, playful and sometimes funny, introduces, explores, and promotes the BARNES mission to a new audience in a very innovative way. Very few luxury brands have been daring enough to create a real media outlet. With SoBarnes, we share unique (sometimes confidential) places, magnificent cities, and regions where the BARNES teams are present, in addition to featuring our favorite properties and encounters with personalities from the world of luxury. We talk about luxury real estate and places of interest centered around the art de vivre in dream destinations. This media platform is growing thanks to its newsletter, which has accumulated thousands of subscribers worldwide.

What’s the secret to the art of digital communication of a luxury brand?

The secret is that the communication of a luxury brand can only be done if the brand is clearly perceived as a luxury brand. The codes of luxury must have already been respected by the brand. Digital communication does not create luxury, it accompanies it.