Halstead, a leading real estate firm in the New York metropolitan area, has announced the launch of its corporate WeChat account. According to the brokerage, this marks the first time a U.S. residential brokerage firm has established a verified corporate account on WeChat, the dominant platform in China for messaging, social media digital publishing and payments with over 1 billion active users. The announcement exemplifies Halstead’s commitment to international exposure and engagement. Halstead’s account is the first to be focused on domestic properties and content.
“WeChat is arguably the most important platform for connecting with Chinese-speaking customers here and abroad. It is a powerful tool that enables our agents to connect with clients in meaningful ways and we are proud to support this with a corporate presence and the continued publication of informative content in Chinese,” says Diane M. Ramirez, chairman and CEO of Halstead. “We are continuously looking for new ways to innovate and are excited to expand our global footprint through our WeChat account.”
Three out of the last five years, Halstead has been named “Most Innovative Brokerage” by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, the global network of 565 market-leading independent brokerages.
Halstead recognizes that real estate—both new development and resale—is a global asset class, and by supporting a corporate WeChat account, there is enormous opportunity to reach a new, engaged and highly-mobile audience who is interested in investing in New York and the surrounding areas. This tool also allows Chinese-speaking agents at Halstead to expand their personal businesses and offers a new avenue for marketing exposure.
“Halstead Development Marketing has successfully leveraged WeChat to reach Chinese-speaking customers for individual developments over the past two years,” says Stephen Kliegerman, president of Halstead’s New Development division.
Following this success, Halstead began the process to verify its own corporate account and has built content and steady growth in traffic over the last few months. The firm is also partnering with WeChat influencers as an additional strategy to further organically grow its audience.
“With over 1 billion monthly active users, WeChat is a marketing medium that can’t be ignored in our global marketplace,” adds Kliegerman.
The Halstead WeChat account showcases valuable content, all published in Chinese, and offers consumers an authentic way to discover information about New York City and the real estate market, as well as the opportunity to connect with agents on WeChat who can further assist them. Articles range from current events, market analysis and neighborhood information to practical tips on buying or renting in New York City. Videos feature interviews with Ramirez and Halstead agents about the latest news in the industry. Halstead partnered with multicultural consultants and translators in developing its WeChat account.
There are many Halstead clients who are Chinese-American and potential clients who are extremely active and highly engaged on the WeChat app in their everyday life. Halstead now has the opportunity to connect with them through an additional medium.
To view Halstead’s WeChat account, search the WeChat ID Halstead.
For more information, please visit www.halstead.com.
