According to the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO), there are currently about two million active real estate licensees in the United States. And while that’s certainly a sign that the industry is thriving, it’s also an indication of the intense competition you’re facing as an agent. Today’s potential buyers and sellers have more options than ever when it comes to choosing an agent – so what can you do to make sure that you set yourself apart?
Modern-day real estate clients have more know-how and higher expectations than those of a few decades ago, and thanks to the accessibility offered by the Internet, most of them have already begun their buying or selling journey long before they’ve signed on the dotted line. For you as an agent, this means that having an active online presence and digital marketing strategy is vital. Otherwise, you’re missing critical opportunities today to reach the individuals that could turn into long-term clients tomorrow.
When it comes to maximizing your business and distinguishing yourself from your fellow agents, savvy marketing strategies are a key difference between success and mediocrity. From advertising your next open house to connecting with first-time buyers or sellers, it all comes down to finding the best way to get the right message to the right people.
We’ve assembled a list of our 35 best real estate marketing tips and ideas to make it easy to get started with your marketing plan. With this go-to guide, you’ll be ready to revamp your approach to marketing yourself and your listings so you can grow your business and your client base now and in the future.
35 Creative Real Estate Marketing Ideas That Work
Are you ready to construct a successful real estate marketing strategy that serves your individual business goals? Here are 35 marketing ideas to jump-start your growth and help you get ahead of your competition.
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Establish a solid social media presence across all the major platforms.
According to the National Association of Realtors, about 75% of realtors are already using social media for professional use – so if you haven’t already, sign up today. One of the best ways to connect with potential and existing clients is via social media, specifically Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Social media is considered the top tech tool for high-quality lead generation, which makes sense when you consider its powerful presence in our everyday lives.
Social media is a veritable treasure trove for real estate businesses, but starting with a thoughtful strategy is vital – winging it simply won’t cut it. Because each social media platform has its own unique features, you’ll want to devise an individual approach to each. Here are some ideas for the type of content that’s an ideal fit for your social media sharing:
- Property photos: Aim for high-quality photos that will garner “likes” and “shares.”
- Client testimonials and success stories: Tell the stories of your happiest clients through text and even video.
- Business milestones: Build trust in your track record by highlighting major accomplishments or awards.
- Market and industry news: Show existing and potential clients that you are an active, informed member of the industry by sharing helpful content and updates about the real estate market or industry.
- Home tips: Even after you’ve completed a sale for a client, you can maintain a presence in their digital world by providing useful information and engaging content.
- Upcoming events: Share the details for open houses and other important business events.
However you choose to incorporate social media into your marketing plan for real estate, here are a few quick tips to keep you on track for positive results:
- Make sure your contact information is easy to find on all your profiles.
- Enable messaging features to give potential buyers or sellers an easy way to contact you – and stay on top of prompt replies.
- Utilize the option to maintain a business profile (instead of a personal profile) because it will typically give you valuable tools not otherwise available.
- Be proactive about engaging in online conversations and interactions.
- Promote your social media accounts as much as possible: on your website homepage, in your email signature, and on your business card.
- Post high-quality content regularly.
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Enable social media sharing options to your property listing pages.
Once you’re active across the major social media platforms, it’s important to use these platforms to their maximum potential.
The National Association of Realtors has found that 99% of millennials and 90% of baby boomers start searching for their next home online. So, if you want potential buyers to see your homes for sale, you’re going to need to make sure you take your listings digital.
Social sharing is a great way to let potential and current clients do some of the digital marketing work for you. By adding social sharing buttons to your listing, you make it easy for them to share their favorite housing photos with friends and family through email, Facebook, or another online channel.
Homebuyers can have valuable conversations with their inner circle about various listings, and sellers can help spread the word about their property for sale – for the agent, that’s a win-win.
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Stay aware of what your competing agents are doing online.
Another major benefit of the digital world is that it allows us to keep an eye on the competition in a way we never could before. Odds are, you have a fair idea of who the closest competitors in your area are.
By browsing their real estate website and social media, you can take notes on what they’re doing right – and where they’re making mistakes. Try to view their online content and marketing efforts from the perspective of a potential client, then use that to improve your own strategy.
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Make it easy for people to contact you.
Although it might seem overly obvious, the importance of easily-accessible contact information should never be underestimated. In fact, you’d be surprised at just how many agents spend time and effort creating outstanding websites and social media profiles, only to inadvertently bury their contact details.
Suppose a user can’t quickly find your email address, phone number, and other pertinent information. In that case, you run the risk of losing them to another agent – these days, almost nobody is going to spend more than a few seconds searching for key details.
Place your contact information in a prominent location on your website, ensuring that it is visible on every single page. Also, build a top-notch “Contact” page that grabs online users’ attention and simplifies their experience from the start. Finally, double-check that your contact details are easy to find in all of your social media profiles, preferably highlighted in the “About Me” or “Bio” section.
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Have a business card you can be proud of.
While it’s true that digital marketing is the way of the future, that doesn’t mean that traditional methods have gone out the window. An excellent business card will always be an asset to your business, so create one that truly represents your brand.
Don’t be afraid to have one that stands out from the crowd because unique realtor business cards are a great way to make an excellent first impression. Of course, having an amazing business card isn’t enough – make sure you’re actually handing it out as well.
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Include local images in your marketing for real estate listings.
A successful real estate agent knows that it’s about more than selling just a home; you’re also selling an entire community, town, and lifestyle to buyers. Capture the hearts of home shoppers by highlighting the area surrounding your listings, using high-quality photos of landmarks, local businesses, and other familiar sites.
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Amp up lead generation with compelling content offers.
Using the power of content marketing, you can boost your lead generation efforts considerably. Consider putting together a free ebook or guide (for example, “X things to look for in a new home” or “X tips to get ready for selling a home”), then offering it to online users in exchange for their contact information. Not only do you gain access to new leads, but you also set yourself up as a source of helpful information and knowledge right from the start.
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Invest in professional real estate photography.
Ask any agent, and they’ll tell you that low-quality photography has the ability to take a great listing and make it virtually impossible to sell. No matter how desirable a property may be, bad photos will have a detrimental impact on everything from buyer interest to offer price. Avoid this all-too-common downfall and hire a professional photographer for your listings, preferably one that has experience working with home photography.
If you’re a beginner agent that doesn’t have a marketing budget that allows for a photographer just yet, consider investing some time into learning how to improve your own skills for the time being. Proper lighting, a good camera, and some know-how can help you take better photos until you can partner with a professional.
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Create virtual tours of your listings.
The average client wants to have a good sense of a listing before they ever set foot on the property, and virtual tours are an excellent way to get them familiar with a home or commercial space. There are various tools for generating virtual tours for real estate properties, some better than others – so don’t be afraid to be choosy.
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Become a local sponsor.
Getting involved in the community is a good idea for any type of local business, especially for real estate agents. Look into becoming a sponsor for a local sports team, school event, or festival. Oftentimes, signing up as a sponsor results in exposure for your brand: whether on a flyer, t-shirt, program pamphlet, or event sign.
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Consider animated video for a creative form of advertising.
According to Oberlo, about 96 percent of people trust video to learn more about a given product or service, and more than half of consumers want to see more video content from brands and businesses they support. Video marketing is undoubtedly transforming the way businesses think about advertising, including realtors who wish to buy or sell more properties.
A short, personality-packed animated video can be a fun tactic for your real estate business. Don’t feel like you have to produce the best video of all time; even a brief, cartoon-inspired piece can be a dynamic way to communicate information about your brand, a new property, or a specific area you’re working with.
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Use Pinterest for professional purposes.
Until recently, Pinterest mainly served as a way for crafters, DIY-ers, and home cooks to gather inspiration and ideas. But now, a growing number of businesses are putting the digital pinboard concept to use, including real estate agents. A Pinterest board is a handy option for organizing images and information about specific listings, keeping all the information in one easy-to-explore space.
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Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
We probably don’t have to tell you that mobile Internet browsing has replaced time spent on a desktop computer for most people. If your business page isn’t mobile-friendly, you can bet that online users are going to be clicking away to your competitor in seconds. There are different tools for running a mobile-friendly test on your site, including this simple one from Google.
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Start sending out an email newsletter.
Email marketing is one of our top recommendations for building quality relationships with new and existing clients and is also an effective way to strengthen your brand reputation. Build an email subscriber list that includes past buyers and sellers, owners of local businesses, and anyone interested in the selling or home buying process. Then, share newsletter content that addresses the content they’re interested in: new listings, upcoming events, educational opportunities, etc.
Make sure that you’re never spamming an email address; instead, only send quality information relevant to the subscribers.
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Begin an email nurture campaign.
Think of email nurture campaigns as perfectly-tailored paths for each subgroup of your target audience, guiding them along an email marketing journey that ends with them progressing in their relationship with you.
For example, you can launch an email nurture campaign for clients that attended a recent open house: the first email may be a follow-up on the listing, then a second may detail similar listings in the area. The goal is to nudge email recipients towards the next step in their interaction with you.
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Set up your Google Business Profile page.
Google Business Profile is a location-based service that provides online users with a set of relevant local business results when they submit specific search queries. When you have a Google Business Profile page, you increase the likelihood of a client finding you via an online search on Google, Google Maps, and Google+. So, when a client searches for “real estate agents in X area,” your listing and information will come up, making this tip an obvious must-do.
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Consider making the move to a specific niche.
Are you struggling to stand out in an area with a lot of competition? It might be time to go niche with your business, so you can better hone in on a target audience. Maybe you can be the go-to agent for clients with pets, couples looking to downsize, or large families with young children – it’s totally up to you. The right niche for your specific area could be a great way to make a name for yourself once and for all.
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Tap into the power of emotional storytelling.
Buying and selling a home is a uniquely human experience, and great real estate marketing utilizes emotional storytelling to convey that. Well-written copy and meaningful visuals will humanize your brand and appeal to clients in a memorable way.
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Host a free webinar.
Another way to strengthen your real estate business is to serve as a source of experience and knowledge through an educational webinar. The webinar topics don’t have to be overly complicated; in fact, versatile content can be repurposed as video content for your social media channels or website. Consider engaging topics such as “10 Tips for First-Time Home Buyers,” “How to Know if a New Construction Home is Right for You,” and other ideas that your target audience will find interesting.
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Try paid social media ads on for size.
It may be tempting to try to get away with a zero-dollar marketing budget, but investing in your advertising strategy can really pay off. Organic reach is losing steam on many of the larger social networks, while paid social ads are becoming the better option. In particular, Facebook has some excellent options for targeting your ideal audience, so you can be confident that you’re putting your money to good use.
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Don’t forget about mailers.
Digital marketing ideas make up the bulk of our list, but traditional advertising still has its place. Classic mailers for qualified leads and potential buyers in your area can be a simple way to increase brand awareness and reach new clients.
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Contribute to local publications.
Community participation is valuable for all local businesses, but perhaps none more so than real estate agents. Look into how to become a writer for a local magazine or newspaper, whether it’s a regular piece or a one-time feature. Rather than trying to “sell” yourself and your brand, focus on showcasing your expertise and industry knowledge and let that speak for itself.
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Host mini-seminars for new home buyers.
For first-time buyers, the process of purchasing a home can be intimidating, often leading them to put off a purchase for longer than they’d like. But if an uncertain buyer had a trustworthy source of information, they might be more likely to move forward in the process – so why not make sure that source is you?
Consider hosting free mini-seminars to make yourself available to the community, discussing topics such as mortgages, interest rates, and other elements of the home buying process. Much like a webinar, a local seminar is an excellent way to build relationships and demonstrate your expertise.
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Get set up with some branded products.
Branded items make it simple to get your brand into the hands of your target audience, and the widespread availability of branded goodies makes this one of the less expensive real estate marketing ideas out there. From pens and drink koozies to canvas totes and water bottles, look for useful items that you can put your information on and hand out at local events.
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Develop a relationship with other local businesses.
Networking with local businesses in your area is a real estate marketing idea that has been proven time and time again. This age-old tactic isn’t going to go out of style anytime soon, so start thinking about ways to partner with businesses near you: maybe you purchase an ad spot on a local cafe’s paper placement, ask to have a set of business cards available in a neighborhood preschool office, or offer your services at a discount to local teachers.
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Invite satisfied clients to submit testimonials.
Positive reviews and testimonials are among the most powerful methods of real estate marketing because they serve as a huge indication of trustworthiness for potential clients. When you are confident that a client has had a good experience working with you, ask if they would mind writing a short testimonial for your website or social media. Sometimes, offering a gift card or other small “thank you” rewards in return for a review can be a good motivator.
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Give your website a makeover.
Are you still using the same site you built as a brand-new realtor? Or maybe you haven’t yet launched a website for your business. A high-quality site is an important ingredient in a solid online presence and a non-negotiable in our digital age. Your prospective clients expect to be able to browse listings, photos, and information about the area online, as well as use your site to learn more about you as an agent.
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Ensure that your site is easy to use.
Focus on making your site simple for users to navigate first, then add personality and creativity from there. One of our most important marketing tips is to look at your site through the eyes of an everyday online user: is it easy to find what you’re looking for, or do you have to click through a complicated path of links? Aim for a clean website structure that organizes information in a way that makes sense.
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Incorporate local keywords in your copy.
Your target audience is most likely people in your geographical area, so it only makes sense to tailor your copy for local search. Use locally-oriented keywords (such as the city and town names, neighborhoods, and local landmarks) in blog posts, on landing pages, and throughout your site to help your content be found by the users searching in your area.
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Get an account on Zillow.
Zillow is easily one of the biggest and best real estate apps out there, offering an array of benefits for buyers, sellers, and agents alike. A huge amount of activity goes on within the Zillow app, so you don’t want to miss out on the chance to claim your piece of the virtual pie. You can sign up as a real estate agent, build out your portfolio of listings, and even get rated by users to solidify your digital footprint.
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Use a tech-savvy shared scheduling app.
Another great way to improve your real estate marketing strategy is to optimize the client experience as much as possible – something you probably already know. But did you know that there are now apps specifically designed to streamline scheduling for real estate viewings? A shared scheduling app will allow you to easily coordinate times to show houses to potential buyers, eliminating the frustrating back-and-forth and making everyone’s lives less stressful.
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Give the gift of a post-closing care package.
Remember how we just mentioned the value of the client experience in an excellent real estate marketing plan? A thoughtful care package is a wonderful way to show your appreciation to clients after they close, as well as cement your name in their memory for the long-term. The gesture of giving a client a restaurant gift card, box of chocolates, or even local theater tickets to celebrate closing could earn you multiple recommendations to their family and friends in the future.
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Stay in touch with clients.
Keeping in touch with past buyers or sellers is one of the best-kept secrets of leaders in the real estate industry because it requires little effort but has a major impact. Set up reminders to send holiday or anniversary cards to past clients, and you’ll maintain a great relationship and keep your name fresh in their minds to pass along to others.
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Set up a referral system.
By providing incentives for your past customers to refer you to new ones, you can expand your marketing reach. Use referral cards or the system of your choice to keep track of who is recommending you when, and watch your lead generation take off on its own.
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Utilize call tracking.
The real estate industry relies heavily on call tracking to measure the success of paid search campaigns because the majority of people make a phone call to contact a realtor for the first time. Make sure you’re leveraging call tracking to determine the ads and keywords that are working well and which ones are not.
Partner with an Expert in Realtor Marketing Strategy
Marketing for real estate agents can be a complex and nuanced art, especially as the housing market, buyers, and sellers evolve at a rapid pace. Competition can be fierce, even for the most seasoned agents out there – so why not take advantage of every opportunity to make yourself stand out from the crowd?
V Digital Services is a digital marketing agency with a diverse range of specialties, including experience in effective real estate advertising. Using your business goals and brand as a jumping-off point, we’ll help you develop a smart marketing strategy. Our team is creative, knowledgeable, and ready to put the best real estate marketing ideas into practice now. Together, we’ll make sure that you have a marketing plan that connects you with the clients that are right for you.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your professional journey as a real estate agent and start reaching more potential clients, contact the V Digital Services team today.
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