While real estate agents are still key in the home buying process, buyers are increasingly looking to do more leg work online before involving the experts. The competition is fierce, and these days you’ll need expert online and offline marketing skills to set yourself apart from the pack.
A study from the National Association of Realtors in USA showed that 92% of buyers use the internet to begin their house hunting quest, driving home the vital need for real estate agents to have an active online presence. If you’re not active, engaging, and networking online, then you’re missing out.
Here are the best real estate marketing ideas for those looking to win the real estate marketing game.
Set Yourself Up For Social.
Make sure you have social media accounts on all the big networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram to name a few, so you can snap a lot of house pics, Interact with users, share good press, and promote your properties.
Add Social Sharing To Property Pages.
Chances are, home shoppers are eager to share their top housing pics with friends and family, so make it easy for home buyers to email and share various properties online by adding social sharing buttons.
Keep An Eye On The Competition.
Put your contact info on every page of your website. Ideally, make an impressive contact us page that grabs attention and add quick chat icons so people have quick access contacting you.
Create a Killer Business Card.
If you haven’t done that already, get an awesome looking business card and hand them out like pizza flyers on a Friday night.
Create an Irresistible Content Offer to Capture Leads.
Consider producing an ebook like “X number of things new home owners should consider before buying” or “X most valuable features of a new home.” Offering free ebooks in exchange for an email address, especially this period, is a great ans super easy way to capture leads.
Hire a Photo Pro.
Successful real estate relies heavily on great photography. Bad photos will diminish interest in even the greatest of properties. It’s absolutely vital that you have gorgeous photos of your properties. Hire a professional photographer (preferably with experience photographing homes and architecture), or, if you have sophisticated equipment and are confident in your abilities, have your own hand at it and then use a photo editing service to make your photos look awesome and attract client’s attention.
Create a Virtual Tour.
Your clients’ time is precious, and they want to understand as much as possible about a property prior to visiting in person. Virtual tours are a great way to give a comprehensive, accurate preview of the property for potential buyers.
You can upload videos with Virtual Tours on your website and also on your Social Media accounts . A great way to stand up from your competition is to use 360 videos (VR technology) or to craete an appointment with your clients so you can preview the property to the potential buyer without loosing the interaction that a conversation offers. After all this is the most important thing when you want to close a deal.
Local Sponsorship.
Consider helping sponsor local festivals, sports teams, or school events. Signing up as a local sponsor often means getting your business a spot on t-shirts, program pamphlets, or flyers. This is not always the best choice but in some communities that is a great way to advertise your company.
Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly.
This does not need explanation! Tech-savvy consumers spend tons of time on their mobile devices. In fact, a recent study has shown that 80% of Internet users use their mobile devices for online activity. It’s paramount that your website is mobile friendly. Even better, consider creating a mobile app that potential buyers can use to review listings.
Create a Newsletter.
Email marketing is one of the best strategies for building client relationships if it is done correctly. Collect emails from your website, local outreach, or any other methods you can think of. Send your email subscribers the stuff they’re looking for – notices about upcoming open houses, new houses on the market, news about seminars you’re offering in the area, etc. (Note: if you work in different geographical areas, you’ll want to segment your newsletter subscribers based on their location, ensuring that they only get relevant emails and updates from you). Always use catchy Titles and Headlines so you can attract reader’s interest and your email don’t end up in the trash can.
Start an Email Nurture Campaign.
Like Newsletters, nurture campaigns are like the breadcrumb paths of Hansel and Gretel, except instead of a gingerbread house at the end, clients find their dream home (hopefully without a resident evil witch).
Leave your clients a trail of high-end panko breadcrumbs by tailoring your interactions with them based on previous actions they’ve taken. If they first attended an open house with you, send them an email detailing other nearby houses on the market. If they attended your first time homebuyer’s seminar, send them your “10 Things Every New Homebuyer Should Know “ ebook. Deliver content that will help your clients take the appropriate next step, depending on where they are in their journey.
Build Your Google My Business Page.
This is super important that most of the people skip doing. Google My Business is the latest in Google location-based pages. If you’re feeling confused, don’t worry – it’s basically the same idea as Google Places for Businesses. Setting up a Google My Business account makes it easy for users to find you in Google Search & Google Maps.. You can add photos, contact informations, post your latest news or offers, create a basic webpage and many many more. Very useful tool for all professionals. Trust me, this one is a no-brainer.
Consider Going Niche.
If you’ve got some real estate marketing competition in your area, you may want to consider making yourself stand out by going niche. Become the go-to real estate agent for dog owners, families with kids, divorced individuals, whatever. Making a name for yourself in regards to a specific niche need can make you memorable, especially in saturated zip codes.
Use Emotional Storytelling.
Utilize emotional storytelling with compelling copy and powerful visual elements. Humans respond to stories – tell a good one and clients will flock to you.
Host a Webinar.
If you feel comfortable enough, hosting a webinar can be a great way to garner attention for your business. Host a “12 Little-Known Things to Look For In A New Home” webinar, providing a Q&A at the end for questions. Webinars can also be repurposed as YouTube videos, with can serve as valuable video content that can live permanently on your website! There are many free apps out there that can help you host a Webinar like Skype, Zoom or you can use even Facebook Messenger ( now support up to 50 participants ) and WhatsApp.
Saddle Up For Social Ads.
Don’t be afraid to dish out dough for paid ads on social media. With organic reach dwindling on many popular social networks like Facebook paid Ads or Instagram Ads are often the most effective way to get in front of clients. Facebook has tons of great targeting features that ensure you’re only paying to get noticed by your key target audiences. You can also hire an expert so you can customize your target audience to reach only potential clients and not random scrollers.
Become a Columnist in Local Magazines.
When it comes to real estate, it’s important that you get laser focused on local. Getting yourself in local magazines or newspapers is a great way to get the word out about you and your brand. See if you can write a column or feature for local publications. You don’t want to be blatantly salesy – today’s consumers don’t like to be pitched to. Instead, try to showcase your knowledge. Write about how rising prices of houses on the market shows that the town is doing well, or list the reasons why your regional area is becoming more popular (maybe it’s the revitalized downtown area or improved school system). You can also collaborate with your local tv channel and be their go to Real Estae expert to provide tips and latest news about the market to their viewers which is something that will benefit both of you.
Ask for Testimonials From Former Clients.
Testimonials are tremendous trust signals. Showing that real, live people endorse your services means the world to potential clients. When a homebuyer has had a great experience with you, reach out to them and ask for a testimonial. If possible, try to get a photo of them as well. Make the most of these testimonials by placing them strategically on your website and sharing them now and then on social networks.
Create an Awesome Website.
Today’s consumers like to do a lot of legwork themselves online when making major purchases, and that includes home buying as well. I myself have only rented, but even when renting a property I’ll Google Map the address, use Street View to get a feel for the area, see which businesses are within walking distance, look at home photos, and, ideally take a virtual tour of the property.
Make it easy for users to access all this information – make sure all your property pages have great photos, virtual tours, and easy access to Google Maps and Google Earth. List the hot spots nearby and their respective walking distances (mention the bus stop that’s just a five minute walk, or the Starbucks at the end of the block).
Make Your Site Easy to Navigate.
All the great property pages in the world won’t mean much if your site is a nightmare to navigate. Your visitors need to have a good experience on your website, so take the time to brush up on user experience design skills and information architecture.
Give a Local Care Package After Closing.
Your relationship with a client doesn’t end right after they close. You want them to remember your name so that hopefully they’ll share your info with friends, family, and acquaintances who might consider moving in the future. Send a local care package to clients after they close, with local movie or theater tickets, restaurant gift cards, etc.
Keep In Touch.
Stay in touch (even months and years later) with past buyers in order to build in that good relationship. Send anniversary cards, holiday cards, etc to stay fresh in their minds. When they have a friend who is ready to buy, they’ll pass along your info.