Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
The real estate industry is nothing else if not incredibly competitive. That makes it imperative that you get your name out there as a real estate professional if you want to be successful. It doesn't matter how great a realtor you are if nobody knows who you are, after all.
In other words, you've got to market yourself as a realtor if you want to grasp that success. There are a number of ways you can do so, but some work better than others. To make it easier, here's a list of twenty of the most powerful real estate marketing ideas for anyone looking to grow their realty business.
First things first -- if your real estate practice doesn't have its own website, now is the time. Get this set up first before taking any other steps. Part of marketing is to leverage your agency's website to draw prospects in. Make sure these potential clients are wowed when they click that link!
Your website should have your agency's name, address, and phone number. That's standard. You need to do better than that -- provide value to your site visitors by offering content like the ability to search through your MLS listings or home ownership-relevant blog content.
Nowadays, everyone uses the internet for practically everything. In most cases, that means turning to Google to search for realtors in their area. Enter your business details into Google My Business, the search engine's free listing service, as this will ensure your real estate office will show up in web searches as well as Google Maps searches.
Google My Business is a great start, but that's not the only business listing you should be on. You could -- and should -- list your real estate business on sites like Yahoo! Local, Bing Local, Citysearch, Yelp, and others. Make sure that your name, address, phone number, and website address are identical across all your business listings to make it more likely you'll be found in local searches.
Love it, hate it, can't get enough of it -- Zillow needs to be part of your marketing strategy. The all-encompassing real estate site is the most popular, so you can't miss out on such a crucial opportunity. In this case, consider becoming a Zillow Premier Agent to ensure you -- and only you -- are listed on your MLS listings. Don't get lost in a sea of competitors if you can't help it.
Google My Business, Google Maps, and other business listing sites like Yelp allow you to provide lots of information to your online profiles. This includes the ability to provide pictures, which can be of your offices, your staff, or anything else you want to use to represent your real estate business online. Make sure these pictures are high-quality to give off a professional vibe.
Harness the power of technology and capitalize on prospective home buyers' desire to learn as much as possible about a property before visiting it. One unique way to do this is to create a virtual tour through services like Matterport. Being able to view a home from every angle can be a major selling point for interested buyers.
Business listings are great, but you'll supercharge your marketing efforts by embracing social media. Having an official Facebook page and at least a Twitter or Instagram account will allow you to reach many more prospective home buyers thanks to the sheer number of people on these platforms.
Once you've got your social media presence set up, it's time to start leveraging your accounts. You'll need to learn targeted content strategy for social media, which includes providing added value without directly marketing to prospects. A good rule of thumb is 80% educational or entertainment-based content and 20% traditional marketing posts.
Real estate is all about developing relationships with home buyers. Capturing email addresses from site visitors and then sending weekly or monthly newsletters is a great way to build that relationship. You can use the opportunity to update them on local news or share content you've posted on social media or your website directly.
You want your real estate business to be part of the community, so put your money where your mouth is. Take some of your marketing budget and use it to sponsor a local charity or event to increase your brand awareness.
Speaking of brand awareness, if you do have the opportunity to contribute to your community, make sure you have some properly branded merchandise to give away for free at events. Pens, mugs, bags, t-shirts -- the sky's the limit.
Digital is great, but putting glossy postcards in the mailboxes of prospects living locally can be just as good. Choosing targeted addresses is ideal, such as specific ZIP codes where qualified leads or potential buyers live.
Local print magazines and newspapers love to have content to fill their pages. Offering to write a column on real estate or home ownership for these periodicals both raises awareness of your agency and provides value to readers.
Band together with other local businesses. Is there a high-profile diner in your neighborhood that has placemats that feature local businesses? Secure yourself a spot for maximum visibility. That's just one example on a good local partnership.
People love asking questions in person. They also like getting information for free. Combine both with a free seminar on real estate at a local community center or hotel conference room. Make sure to have plenty of branded merchandise on hand to give away!
Do you love pets? Is family everything to you? Do you love the outdoors? Leverage your interests and specialize in certain types of real estate. Becoming known as the best realtor in town for parents with young kids, for example, will drive plenty of prospects to your door.
Little personal touches speak volumes when it comes to building local relationships. Providing a "welcome to the neighborhood" basket filled with things like local take-out menus, gift cards to the neighborhood movie theater, and other thoughtful gifts.
Had a home sale that went swimmingly? Ask your clients if they're willing to leave a short testimonial on your website, your social media page, or your print marketing flyers. These can make a major difference in convincing prospects!
Even months or years after you close, keep yourself in your clients' thoughts. A card sent for holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries will build some serious goodwill -- and make it more likely you'll get some referrals as well.
