A NEW digital advertising platform that promises to hand more marketing power to Australian families selling their home will be launched in the Sutherland Shire and St George.
Following a successful pilot in Newcastle, this smart technology is being rolled out across the suburbs.
Media company Australian Community Media (ACM) and The Today Business will launch the Today Acquire platform in partnership with real estate agencies across the Sutherland Shire and St George area.
Antony Catalano, a co-founder of The Today Business and the executive chairman of ACM, the publisher of this website, described the new platform as a "digital revolution for mum and dad vendors selling their greatest asset".
Today Acquire uses smart technology to place property ads on news websites and social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn in view of people who are not actively looking to buy, but have been identified as potential buyers from their online search history.
"This type of targeted digital media has traditionally only been available to large-scale advertisers, but now we're making it available for individual listings, large or small," Mr Catalano said.
The pilot will use direct buyer-acquisition software combined with print campaigns to drive awareness in view of boosting residential property sales.
Mr Catalano, the former chief executive of property listings portal Domain, said Today Acquire's objective was to help vendors sell their properties faster.
"Combining the awareness driven by the ACM publishing platforms with digital activity that targets relevant buyers in environments they frequent will help push buyers along the path to purchase quicker," he said.
Sutherland and St George Leader Sales Manager Daniel Cratchley said he was excited about the possibilities the new platform will offer readers.
"If people are thinking of selling their homes this new product could sell their home faster with less marketing dollars spent," he said.
"If I was thinking of selling my home, this would grab my attention."
Trent Casson, general manager of residential at The Today Business, said Today Acquire used a "sophisticated multi-channel approach" that included multiple forms of advertising, ranging from displays to video format.
"The platform puts advertised properties in front of active and passive buyers anywhere they appear online - from news websites to LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and eBay," Mr Casson said.
Users who match the buyer profile for a property are targeted and directed to the real estate agency's website, allowing the agency to build its brand, business intelligence, buyer data and expand its client database.
Mr Casson said the product's performance was "measured not just on reach and click through rates but conversion of those clicks through to inquiry".