Real estate can be both challenging and lucrative. The 2020 study of the National Association of Realtors showed that 88% of buyers purchased their homes through a broker or agent.
This study also found that 73% buyers only interviewed one real estate agent while they were searching for a home. This shows how important it is to build awareness and get in front of potential buyers as soon as possible. Anyone in this field should have a good understanding of real estate marketing.
Below are some real estate marketing tips often employed by real estate professionals focused on staying competitive. These tips can help you make a marketing plan that works, even if you’re new to the real estate field.
1. Make a website
Consumers often search the internet for information about products and services before making a purchase. A website for your real estate business will allow you to show potential clients what you have. Keep prospects coming back to your website as they search for properties.
2. Create a blog
A blog can be created and SEO-optimized content . Your posts will appear in prospect search results all the time. Tools such as Google Analytics or Ahrefs will help you identify the keywords and search terms your target clients are searching for. They also inspire you to come up with new topic ideas.
It should be easy for them to access your main website. Also, link to their profile pages from other real estate websites so that they can learn more information about you and your company.
Don’t forget to include interesting images in your posts. This infographic is a great addition for any blog post or email campaign.
3. Create email marketing campaigns
Send out a roundup of blog content each month, and contact contacts whenever new listings become available. Link to the full listing or a virtual walkthrough of the property.
4. Virtual staging is an option
How can you attract buyers’ attention? A virtual staging site gives buyers a preview of the home’s appearance. Online staging is more efficient than physically staging your property. A 2018 study of 4,200+ properties found that staged homes sold at 6-25% less than those unstaged.
5. Experiential marketing is a great option
Experience marketing allows prospects to “interact with a business in real-world situations.” You can host a tour in the area where you are selling, teach local homebuyers about buying a home, and arrange an open house inviting buyers to see the property.
6. Get involved with local businesses
To promote listings, make use of your local contacts and work with coffee shops, clothing boutiques, and home decor showrooms to partner. Invite them to an open-house event. Pop-up shops can be a great way to get prospects to your open house.
Potential buyers will be encouraged to look at each room and to work with local businesses to find discounts for home buyers.
7. Run paid Instagram promotion
You can also use Instagram to reach home buyers, promote listings, and build your brand. Your most stunning images can be seen by more people if you do a paid promotion.
Instagram ads let you choose a target audience, budget and post type (e.g. Image, video, carousel, and length of the promotion are all options. You can also use targeted hashtags so that posts reach the people you want.
8. Use drone photography
Use drone photography to capture stunning aerial shots of your home’s exterior. Buy a drone Or use a drone service like HomeLens and Sold By Air to get the perfect shot.
Photos can be used to enhance your listings. You can add video to your virtual tours and walkthroughs. It also shows exterior features such as patios or pools.
Do you lack the drone photography skills to showcase your clients’ homes? Drone Base has thousands of professional photographers who specialize in residential and commercial real-estate photography.
9. Make a Zillow account
Zillow offers the chance to put your business in front 188 millions monthly viewers . This Zillow resource lists how to create your profile. Your profile will allow you to share your listings and connect with potential buyers, increasing your chances of finding a buyer.
10. Ask for recommendations
Did you know 41% of the sellers who used a real agent found them through referrals from family or friends? You should ask for referrals if you aren’t already.
You can follow up with buyers after they have settled in their new home for a few months to inquire about their health and send a referral request.
A few realtors offer to host a housewarming party and invite their guests to the party to help them meet potential buyers.
11. Create your own videos
It is no secret video is a powerful tool that realtors can use. It doesn’t need to cost thousands. Video can help you stand out from the rest, whether you choose to make a professionally produced video such as the one below that features client testimonials or to use video software to record a message on your laptop pitching your services for potential clients.
12. You can also co-host a webinar
You want to make it easier for buyers and sellers to understand your local market. A local title company, lender or staging service can help you host a webinar about a topic that is relevant to those who are thinking about making a move in real estate.
You might partner with a local service for home improvements to host a webinar about the five most important improvements that sellers can make to their homes in order to increase sales. This information is not available online because tastes and changes can vary from one state to the next.
13. Display and collect testimonials
Recommendations from satisfied clients can be a great resource to help you build trust and credibility through your real-estate marketing. Contact the clients you have helped to make a sale and give them a short blurb about how you helped.
Once you have the content and permission from clients to project it, you can put it on your site so that prospects can see how you’ve served them in their past positions.
14. Make use of traditional advertising media
The digital revolution has not been without its impact on the real estate market, but there are still some traditional marketing strategies that can be used to make a real estate marketing plan. Traditional media such as billboards and print ads can provide an important boost for real estate agents’ marketing efforts.
15. Mobile optimization of your website
This is a crucial point for all business owners who maintain websites, and real estate agents should be aware of this. Your web experience should be seamless. Prospects shouldn’t have to navigate a complicated, “desktop condensed onto an iPhone screen” mobile website to learn more about you business.
16. Make active use of social media profiles
A social media presence that is active and engaging can help you position yourself as a trusted advisor to prospects, generate interest, or connect with potential clients. You can join local Facebook groups and answer any relevant questions.
Your followers can also benefit from your sharing of useful content. You can establish yourself as an authority by showing that you are knowledgeable in your field. Prospective clients are looking for agents who understand their practice, their niche and their areas. Your social media presence will show that you can do that.
17. Keep an email newsletter
You can keep in touch with potential clients by signing up for a newsletter. This will help you stay top of their minds. You can send them relevant content, update them on local real-estate news, and report on any new listings. It doesn’t need to be complicated or long. Just enough to keep them thinking about you and let them know that you are keeping up with trends in the local market.
18. Make your business card stand out
Real estate professionals have a number of ways to show professionalism and get their brand out there. These cards can be easily distributed and help you make the most of any in-person meetings you have with potential clients. These cards are essentially micro-marketing tools and can be used as immediate calls to action in prospect conversations.
19. Film walkthroughs
Immersive experiences are very popular with modern consumers, especially when it is about getting to know the homes they may buy. You can increase the credibility of your real estate marketing by conducting video tours of your properties and sharing those clips with your listings.
20. Invest in branded swag
People love to get free stuff, from keychains to mugs and pens to can openers and more. If you are given the chance to offer swag, take it. This is a great way to promote your brand and keep your services top-of-mind when you are trying to attract and retain potential clients.
How to create a real estate marketing plan
You have some marketing ideas. Now, what’s your plan? It’s hard to measure success without clear goals for your estate business. When developing your marketing strategy, consider the following:
1. Make a vision statement
What are your long-term goals? To identify your goals, create a vision statement. This will make it easier to outline the steps needed to achieve your business’ vision.
2. Identify your target customers
Who are you targeting? Are you marketing to first-time buyers, sellers, renters or renters? This will help you to identify the people that you are selling to and to whom to market to.
3. Set goals
Set goals for your marketing efforts and then summarize the strategies you will use to achieve them. What are your business goals? What criteria will you use for determining if your business goals are met?
4. Determine your unique selling proposition
Consider what makes you different from your competitors. These are some questions to consider when creating your proposition .
- What can you offer others that they can’t?
- What does your unique approach and personality do to create value for prospects
- What are the most recent pricing, selling and buying trends in your area?
- How do you communicate these trends with prospects (including the numbers?
5. Identify tools and budget for each strategy
Choose the best marketing ideas for your company, selling proposition, or ideal market. Calculate how much budget you should allocate for each strategy.
6. Measure performance
Once you have identified the tools that you will use to market your company, you can start to write down key metrics that will help you measure their success. Set a time frame and a goal for your campaign or strategy. Let’s take an example of a paid Instagram advertisement:
Campaign: Instagram promotion
Promotional length: 3 weeks
Goal: The post must gain 1,000 impressions with a click-through rate at 1%.
Do I need a real-estate marketer?
This is a difficult question. One, it’s not clear what “real estate marketer” is. A number of marketing ideas that could be used by real estate professionals do not need to be assigned to a consultant. For example, a quick walkthrough in an apartment is enough without a marketer.
Real estate professionals often lack the resources and time to take on certain marketing responsibilities. These can be outsourced to contractors.
You might consider hiring someone to help you with web design, content creation, SEO, and any other creative or technical process.
Create your real estate marketing plan
These marketing ideas will help you impress your customers and draw them to your business. Develop a clear marketing plan so you can establish your goals and outline the steps needed to achieve them.
