Last year was a difficult year for many realtors. With the COVID-19 pandemic, marketing for realtors changed to meet the new safety and health needs of a cautious public and realtors conducted more of their marketing online than in-person.
This year, we expect there to still be a focus on health and safety, and your marketing should continue to reflect this change.
This guide has 10 tried and true strategies that you can use when marketing for realtors. Whether you want to learn a few new techniques or brush up on your skills, keep reading to see the best real estate marketing strategies.
1. Use Social Media
If you are not using social media marketing strategies for real estate agents, now is the time to get started. Start by creating an account on each of the bigger social media networks, like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Post regularly and engage with your followers. Many realtors have found success using video content, like Stories and other quick videos, that give information potential buyers and sellers are looking for in a concise and fun way.
Do not just post “house for sale” and “house sold”. Take time to create other types of content that your potential customers will be looking for, such as moving tips, decorating tips, and showing off different sections of a town or location businesses.
Set aside a specific amount of time each day to actively engage and post on social media. A little bit of consistent work can go a long way on these platforms.
2. Include Your Contact Information Everywhere
Now that you have your profiles set up, make sure your contact information is in the “about” or “bio” section of your social media pages. Including your contact information everywhere will make it easier for people to do business with you.
Gone are the days where the only place that listed your contact information was your business card. It is one of the best real estate marketing strategies to have your contact information listed everywhere as often as possible.
Here is a list of some suggested places to include your contact information besides your business card:
- Your website
- At the end of your videos
- In your email signature
- Online directories
- On marketing collateral
- Social media posts
Getting in the habit of including your contact information in all of these places regularly can help make the phones ring and drum up more business.
3. Showcase Your Expertise
These days potential homebuyers can do a lot more on their own without the help of a real estate agent. They can look up houses and see pricing online without you, and most buyers do a fair amount of research on a property before they call the agent for a tour.
That is why it is important for real estate agents to showcase their expertise. Create marketing content that tells potential buyers what the benefits of different floor plans are or which neighborhoods are best for home buyers with school-age children.
Showcase your knowledge and expertise of different sides of town or talk about various construction techniques. You can talk about anything that shows your value and reminds people why they need to work with you versus simply looking up properties online on their own.
4. Hire a Professional Photographer
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but if you are posting low-quality or poorly lit photos to your website or social media channels, you are not sending the right message.
There are so many marketing tools available on your cell phone that can help you easily jazz up a photo before you send it, and those are great for pictures on the fly, but nothing can replace a professional photographer.
Hiring a professional photographer to take pictures of your properties will set you apart from the competition and help your listings stand out. A professional photographer knows all the right angles to use to make your properties look their best and to help people to picture themselves in your homes.
Companies like Hommati strive to help agents make their listings stand out over their competition, and that begins with capturing the house in the best way possible.
Believe us, once you hire a professional photographer, you will never be able to go back to pictures you used to use before you hired them.
5. Create Virtual Tours
As a realtor, you must value your clients' time. People want to learn as much as possible about a property before visiting to make sure it is a good fit.
With the pandemic, many real estate agents are turning toward digital marketing strategies like virtual tours and drone aerial footage to give a preview of the property. Virtual tours allow potential buyers to see the property without leaving their couch.
Create a video that shows the outside of the home, what it looks like when you step inside, and gives a tour of each of the rooms.
Working with a company like Hommati means that you have access to these services. You are also able to rest assured that you will be working with professionals. The team at Hommati has gone through all the necessary training to capture the best 3D virtual tours and taken all of the extensive testing in order to get the best drone aerial footage to make you listing stand out above the rest.
6. Get Involved in Your Community
Getting involved in your local community is a great way to meet potential buyers and sellers and show clients that you are an active member of the community. Whether you sponsor a little league team, help a local non-profit, or join a running club is up to you.
There are many ways to become involved. One of the best ways to show your commitment to the neighborhood is by volunteering. Make some contacts and figure out where the needs are, and then come up with a way that you can help.
When a growing family decides it is time for a larger home, you might just be the first person they think of to call.
7. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
According to a survey, over 53% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, and that number is just going to grow. If your website is not mobile-friendly, it is time to take care of that. Making sure your website is mobile-friendly is one of the marketing strategies that will set you up for success today and in the future as well.
A mobile-friendly website is one that is easy to use on a mobile device. Here are a few tips that you can use to upgrade your site:
- Make website speed a priority
- Simplify large blocks of text to make it easier to read
- Keep your design simple
- Place important information (like your contact information) at the top
- Make your buttons large enough to work on mobile
With a little bit of work, your website can be ready for mobile users and make sure they have a great experience.
8. Start an Email List
If you do not already have an email list, it is time to make one! Email lists allow you to own your followers. The rules of social media can change at any point in time, and platforms will fall out of fashion.
One way to make sure you do not get left behind in the dust is to have a substantial email list where you can always reach your followers.
Add call-to-action buttons on your Facebook, and include links on YouTube and Instagram so people can easily sign up to get your newsletter. Once you have their emails, be sure to send emails regularly and stay in contact.
Send helpful tips and information that people want to receive. Lastly, do not spam your email list. Sending spam messages or too frequent messages is a quick way for people to hit unsubscribe.
9. Use Digital Advertising
Digital advertising is the perfect solution for real estate agents because it can allow you to target your ads to your specific buyer, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money.
Facebook ads allow you to target different groups of people based on age, location, and interest. You can select the amount of time you want your ad to run for and choose your budget.
Paid search ads with Google or Bing are another great advertising tool. Search ads are served to users when they search on Google and Bing. If someone is in the market for a home, you can bet they are doing online research.
This makes digital advertising tools, like search and social ads, the perfect options for real estate agents.
10. Gain Publicity
Lastly, gain some free publicity for yourself and your business. One way to do this is to write a column in the local newspaper.
You can also simply go to the television station and introduce yourself. Then, whenever they have a story that needs a comment from a real estate agent, they will call you for a quote.
Submit your award and achievements to local business magazines and newspapers. It is okay to brag on yourself as long as you do it tastefully.
Use These Strategies When Marketing for Realtors
Marketing for realtors can be challenging, especially since the pandemic has changed the way consumers shop for property. Use these strategies to give your marketing plan a boost, and you will have the phones ringing in no time.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out our other articles with tips and tricks for real estate agents.