37 Real Estate Marketing Ideas that Actually Don’t Suck

Jim Gray, Lead Generation Expert12/21/2023

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Marketing,Analysis,Accounting,Team,Business,Meeting,ConceptCompetition in the real estate industry is always fierce, but it’s only heating up more in 2023. That’s why it’s more important than ever to find a way to stand out from the pack. This can be done in a variety ways, including social media, cold calls, and even postcards through snail mail. It turns out that there are dozens of ways to increase your digital footprint without spending thousands of dollars.

There is only one real truth when it comes to real estate marketing: it’s always changing. If you’re trying to keep up, you will always be second-guessing yourself. Will the marketing you used last year still work today?

To find out, we asked some of the best agents and coaches in the country to find out how they are blending old-school and new-school real estate marketing ideas to build their brands. They say no matter what method you choose to go with, it’s important to keep it up if you want to bring in more leads. Don’t assume things will change over night, so keep at it to see the numbers start to trickle in. Here’s the very best real estate marketing ideas from our expert panel:

1: Utilize Facebook Ads

colby hager headshot

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 3-4 hours
Lead quality: Low (typically leads require lots of time and nurturing)

2023 is looking to be a crazy year in real estate for buyers and sellers and it might be a challenge to navigate for real estate professionals as well.  Marketing within the real estate space will be no different.  What has really been working well for companies that are willing to adapt has been utilizing Facebook ads to generate seller leads, buyer leads, and listing leads. 

You can purchase houses in need of repairs, list houses that are in great shape, and help buyers find their next home by using Facebook ads.  At a low cost per lead, Facebook ads have been a great source of business for many real estate agents.

Changes to the Facebook Newsfeed mean more agents are going to try their hand at buying ads in that space. That means more expensive ads. Even if they don’t go up, learning the latest techniques to generate leads from your Facebook advertising is a smart move to make moving forward. One way to get noticed in the coming wave of Facebook ads is to try Facebook Messenger ads. (from Colby Hager, Licensed agent for 12+ years)

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2: Market to Your Sphere First

chantay bridges headshot

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours
Lead quality: High (these are the people you know best)

Marketing is no longer just right in your local neighborhood, it’s all around the world..  You will never know where that buyer will come from.  Many interested parties shop everywhere.  While they may already have a home in their own area, it does not stop them from shopping for a vacation home or rental income in yours. A potential buyer may be interested in your property because of the area, the weather, the price.  Regardless of their reason, when you market, tell the world!

This works and works fast.  You never know who is out there searching for what you have.  If your home just shows up in a tiny zip code, you are missing out on all the potential clients in the world.  There are more than meets the eye.  Let’s say you were selling a book.  Would it do better if you marketed it to your city or every city?  It’s the same with real estate. 

Whether it’s Linked In, Twitter, Clubhouse, it doesn’t matter.  What does matter, is where your audience is at.  Wherever they are and you are, that’s what will work in marketing.  If they find you there and are interested in your topic of choice, they will also find what you are marketing.  House buyers frequently visit and view places where they can find the latest, newest, properties that are hitting the scene.  For some, it’s popular sites like Trulia, Zillow, why?  They have what they are looking for all in one place.  Market those properties, keep them coming online because that’s where the interested parties are at. (from Chantay Bridges, Licensed agent for 9+ years)

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3: Leverage Real Estate Specific Leads

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 30 mins-1 hour
Lead quality: Medium

One of the the top real estate marketing ideas: not all lead and marketing tools are created equal! Sure, you can make free tools work for a while, but at the end of the day, companies built for agents, by agents, will give you a better return on investment (ROI)

One of the best marketing strategies is to work exclusive leads. Companies like Ylopo allow you to be a unique lead buyer. Unlike other vendors who sell a lead to 5 or more agents, Ylopo allows you to buy exclusive leads. Because of that, there is less competition to land the client – easy!

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4: Become the Expert of Your Farm Area

Brandon Thomas Headshot

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: Months to years of building relationships
Lead quality: High (but time consuming)

The geographic farming technique still works very well in 2023. It is great for new or veteran agents.

To get started, you need to simply pick out a neighborhood (or a few neighborhoods) that have a total of at least 300-400 homes in the chosen area(s). 

Then, you want to start targeting the list of homes in the neighborhood with postcards and flyers. Even hand-written letters at times will get the most attention of the homeowner. If you can do this at least once quarterly throughout the year, you will start getting recognized in the neighborhood as the local market expert.

Yes, I know some are saying snail mail is a thing of the past but they are wrong.  Direct mail cards, real estate postcards, flyers can still be a major player in marketing for 2023.  There is a segment of the population that prefers to get something in the mail.  They are not online like everyone else, many seniors, parents, grandparents own homes but when they are looking to sell or buy, basically, if there is a business card, or something else right in front of them, they will consider it. (from Brandon Thomas, Licensed agent in Maryland)

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5: Share Your Expertise with Local Publications

gluch headshot

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 6-7 hours
Lead quality: Medium

Realtors need to be a consistent and widespread voice of hyper-local real estate information. We are flooded with information about rising home prices, what COVID has done to the markets, and more, but nearly all the news outlets and their coverage on real estate are not applicable at a hyper-local level due to their macro trend coverage.

Do the hard work of finding real-time data on how your market is being affected right now and today in your neighborhood and share it constantly with local magazines or newspapers. You can then share those published articles on your social media, or highlight them by sending out regular emails to your entire database.

You can also send leads to a landing page with the latest updates designed to capture their info. It just requires the work, but because you’re sharing what your customers and community are desperate for, you should come out on top as a go-to source of information in your region. (from John Gluch, Licensed agent for 12+ years)

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6: List Unique Contact Info on All Ads

Matt Bigach headshot (1)

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours
Lead quality: Low (leads are likely unqualified and need a lot of nurturing)

My real estate marketing idea? Serious buyers always jump in to call and get all the details of a new listing. A contact number available to call is a quick way for buyers to verify all the information they see on an ad or a social media post.

It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many agents leave this out. This is arguably one of the most important details to include and it should always stand out.

Aside from a cell phone number include your email address, office number, WhatsApp details, all social media sites where you are active, etc. Making it easy for your audience to reach you is an effective marketing technique to generate real estate leads. You want to be as easy to reach as possible. So always think outside of the box when looking for prospects. (from Matt Bigach, Licensed agent for 11+ years)

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7: Create Videos That Sell a Lifestyle

Eric-Headshot

Difficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 5-6 hours
Lead quality: Medium

Use Instagram to showcase your listings to followers and browser alike. Create a video of the home to create a lifestyle that people will want to attain if they purchased the home.

Falling in love with a property is less about square footage and fixtures—HGTV has taught us all that we can do things like update a kitchen or knock down a wall. Now, it’s all about how the home and neighborhood will make them feel—what daily life could be like in this new place. Always highlight the nice features of the neighborhood to help them feel like this could be home.

Videos catch people’s attention and do a great job conveying emotion—especially short, well-lit videos that display well on social media. We tried this out recently and received a fantastic response, and put even more focus toward the concept. (from Eric Nerhood, Licensed agent for 7+ years)

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8: Use Words That Sell

mike-branson headshot

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours
Lead quality: Low (it likely won’t change the quality, but it will get you more interested buyers/sellers)

When it comes to marketing your listings, the words you use matter. Simple, direct language works best, but adding evocative words can help paint a picture for prospects—making it easier for them to daydream about actually living in that home.

For example, if the living room in your listing gets lots of light, you could just call it ‘sunny’ or you could call it ‘sun-soaked.’ While ‘sunny’ does get the job done, which room would you rather spend your weekend mornings drinking coffee in—a ‘sunny’ room, or a ‘sun-soaked’ room?

Think about the descriptions and the words you use to describe features of the homes you are listing to best generate interest. Other words that peak interest are ‘airy’, ‘lofty’, and ‘private’. (from Mike Branson, Licensed agent for 17+ years)

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9: Use PPC Advertising Campaigns

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 8 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium (typically leads are interested and looking, but not set on choosing your services)

Real estate marketing ideas don’t have to be groundbreaking…they just have to work! When looking to buy or sell a home, many people start their journey with a Google search. The search engine allows agents to harness this behavior to serve their advertisements to these buyers/sellers.

PPC campaigns can drive consumers searching for home listings on Google, Bing, and other search engines directly to your personally branded IDX website. If you don’t have one yet, consider checkout our list of the best real estate website builders.

Market Leader uses specially placed real estate ads on Google, Bing, and other search engines to push traffic into a home valuation page for possible buyers or a search-enabled landing page for likely buyers.

On these pages, the visitors must input their information, which gets passed directly to you. They never sell the same lead twice, and they offer a more significant number of tips for their price than other sites. Therefore, you will be getting a guaranteed amount of leads per month. Easy, right?

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10: Create an Actionable Plan to Get More Testimonials

matt woodward headshotDifficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 7-8 hours of initial setup time
Lead quality: Medium (typically leads are interested and can convert, but may require nurturing)

Old-school client testimonials are a great marketing strategy, and one that comes easily and organically.

For instance, if you’ve built up a rapport with a customer and they’ve come to trust you, they’ll inevitably tell their friends and family about their experience working with you. They’ll then likely recommend you and send new prospects your way.

Ask these clients to put into writing what their positive experience was like working with you and what it meant to them, and use these written testimonials as content on your site, blog, or social media. For example, if you went above and beyond to help them, ask them to put it in writing.

The more you have, the better. Smart agents know that maximizing the number and quality of reviews on the sites you want them requires an actionable plan. (from Matt Woods, Licensed agent for 12+ years)

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11: Give Thoughtful Gifts That Keep You Top of Mind

Marcias HeadshotDifficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours per client
Lead quality: High (these are clients who already know you)

One marketing technique that has lasted the test of time has been mailing clients gifts throughout the year. Nothing expensive, just something tangible.

Many clients will then call to say how much they appreciate their pocket calendar every December, or the “Forget-me-not” seeds they get sent every Spring. Reaching out just 4 times a year is a low budget and very effective way to let these clients know that you care for them and remember them.

When it comes time to selling or recommending a realtor, it helps them remember you and the positive experience. (from Marcia Castro Socas, Licensed Broker for 20+ years)

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12: Collaborate With Influencers to Drive Social Engagement

Talia-McKinney HeadshotDifficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 3-4 hours of collaboration time
Lead quality: Medium (typically leads are interested and can convert, but may require nurturing)

You can leverage social media through your connections. It doesn’t all have to just be your face people see. Not everyone is in the market of selling multi-million-dollar properties, but if you have something that’s a unique aspect of your listing, market it towards some social media influencers.

They are always looking to create unique content, and as real estate agents, we can certainly provide! If you have connections who may have a greater following on social media than you, invite them to your property and have a content-creation session. See what kinds of trends are relevant in the social media sphere and build your own following around that.

Just as influencers promote products, they can promote real estate agents by getting the agent’s name and expertise out to a wider audience. (from Talia McKinney, Licensed Agent in New York City)

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13: Connect with the Community You Serve

stephanie sDifficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 4-5 hours a week
Lead quality: Low to medium

Using fun events like ice cream parties at properties, you can connect with the local community through their families. Some of the great community linked marketing proven to be successful are flower organizing parties at a unit close to a flower garden, or children’s games for a home close to a school. Not only will you get great feedback from the community and have the chance to network with many potential clients, you may also get some publicity in the press!

It also helps if you have an annual event or two that people can look forward to. For example, a BBQ with fireworks in the summer time where families can all come out and enjoy the fun, or a back to school event where you provide backpacks or school supplies for kids returning to school. (from Stephanie Sandurosa, Licensed agent for 6+ years)

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14: Team Up With an Agent in Another State

david tullyDifficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 7-8 hours a week
Lead quality: High (if you can get referrals, these are great leads!)

There’s no hard and fast real estate marketing rule you can only promote yourself or your business . You can try giving some assistance in other forms outside your services yet relevant so that it makes your brand look very friendly. But what it does is, actually convert business leads while developing any sort of relationship with the target audience.

An example would help. You’re a real estate firm that sells only in Florida but you often find people who are interested in buying properties in Canada or any other State in America where you’re not available. You start providing free consultancy on the best places to find rental places, leasing properties, and houses using your networking strength. These people refer you to other buyers as reliable, and helpful. Plus, you can regularly email them your existing listings and they can share them in their networks and with relatives. (from David Tully, Licensed agent in Nevada)

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15: Boost Engagement on Instagram Stories

diego anderson headshotDifficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 4-5 hours a week
Lead quality: Low (lots of nurturing required)

Engagement is absolutely key, so use the Polls or Q&A stickers within Instagram Stories. Ask lots of questions, use GIFs, and make the content as easy to engage with as possible. The more people are engaging with you, the more they will remember you, and the more you train the IG algorithm that you have great content. Instagram will then reward you with more organic reach than if no one ever engaged with you at all.

You can also try running contests and giveaways within IG Stories. Master how to get people engaged and coming back for more, and it will be a sure win.

QR codes are a great way for people to find your social media platforms because you can add your very own custom QR code to flyers, stickers, or business cards that will direct people to a website, Facebook page, Instagram profile, or anything you want people to see.

Having something unique that makes you stand out and be memorable is key. For example, one successful agent wore patterned suits with fruits, balloons, and even Batman on them for all of his IG stories, and people knew the suit guy! Silly, but it worked. (from Diego Anderson, Licensed agent for 3+ years)

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16: Partner with Local Businesses

Seth WilliamsDifficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 7-8 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium (the more real estate related the business is, the better)

You can use your connections to partner with local businesses. You can partner with the local clothing boutiques, coffee shops, and home décor showrooms to promote your listings.

You can even arrange an open house event and invite them to participate in it. To further encourage the prospects to participate, you can set up pop-up shops in different rooms of the house. This will not only attract your prospects but also encourage potential buyers to explore each room.

This partnership means that you are cutting your costs down, but also creating a theme or an event. You can then promote the open house or the event on social media and have the local business you’re teaming up with do the same. That will help get more eyes on the event ahead of time, which means more prospects will be in attendance. (from Seth Williams, Licensed agent for 15+ years)

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17: Create a Marketing Plan to Pitch Homeowners

David-Parnes HeadshotDifficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 6-7 hours
Lead quality: Medium (this really depends on your execution)

A marketing plan is one of the most powerful tools you have to get new listings. After all, marketing skills are probably the main reason most homeowners hire an agent to begin with. If they knew what they were doing, they’d do it themselves, right? So before you run off and pitch your next homeowner, make sure you have a comprehensive marketing plan to show them. This will remind them that you are the right one to get the job done. If your plan is successful, it will also show that you are an expert in the area.

First, come up with your list of goals and what you’re hoping the outcome will be. Use examples as pointers, not rigid rules.

Typically a successful marketing plan will include the following:

  1. Executive summary
  2. Mission statement
  3. Marketing objectives
  4. SWOT analysis
  5. Market research
  6. Market strategy
  7. Budget
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18: Virtually Stage Local Listings

dean lee headshotDifficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 1-2 hours per listing
Lead quality: Medium (this goes back to showing a lifestyle)

How can you attract a prospects attention? Give them a sneak peek of the interior. You can stage a property virtually and save time and money by doing so. An analysis of more than 4,200 properties revealed that 83% of furnished homes sold for an average of 6–25% more than empty or un-staged homes.

With the technology available, it’s a no-brainer to give it a shot. If you or another listing agent in your farm area has an empty listing to sell, spending a few bucks to have it virtually staged is a great way to increase interest and show buyers what it might look like staged differently.

For example, a spare bedroom might look great virtually staged as a nursery, but staging it as a home office might appeal more to buyers who work from home. If you’re showing the listing and you know what your buyer’s needs are, you’ll have a picture ready to show them. (from Dean Lee, Licensed agent for 4+ years)

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19: Make Sure Your Videos Have Captions

catina headshot (1)Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 30 mins
Lead quality: Low (but also low effort)
To take video a step further, video blogging about neighborhoods is a great marketing and promotional strategy. Just record a video of the area and record yourself explaining the most recent sold price or median sale price in the area. Make sure the video has captions, that way people can still read the content even if they are in a public place and don’t have the audio on. When prospects are bored, they may click on the video and follow along. Captions have been proven to help boost engagement.
One of the out-of-the-box marketing ideas that still work is having a YouTube channel. Start a channel giving tips or showing houses; the buyers and sellers will find you from there. Plus, you can embed a YT video on pretty much any website or social media platform, making it really versatile. (from Catina Willis, Licensed agent for 10+ years)
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21: Set Yourself Apart With Drone Footage

Nathan HeadshotDifficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 2-3 hours per listing
Lead quality: Medium

Drone photography and videography is an excellent source of content creation and can help you redefine your engagement and relationship with potential home buyers. Visual content is undoubtedly what people want to see and it can help you target audiences across social media platforms.

This can also include tips and tricks, debunking real estate myths, and hosting live webinars that allow you to directly engage with viewers. At the same time, realtors will also need to personalize the experience they have with clients by going out of the way to make them feel taken care of. Whether it be a bottle of wine, branded promotional materials, or a welcome home basket filled with goodies, these extra steps can set your brand apart from competitors.

Afterward, you can also review your experience with clients and post about it on your social media channels for others to see and engage with. (from Nathan Adorjan, Licensed agent for 15+ years)

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22: Host a Real Estate Seminar

eric tyler headshotDifficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 7-8 hours
Lead quality: High (if you can get referrals, these are great leads!)

A unique marketing idea to build brand awareness and generate new leads is to host a local real estate seminar. This method can be promoted in various ways, for example, you can host an event aimed at first-time home buyers, or you can host an event geared towards teaching homeowners how to get the best value when selling their homes.

There are numerous spins that you can put on this marketing idea to target different segments of clients. The seminars will be free but attendees will have to register and provide their information which you can add to your lead pipeline.

You can also do this virtually and host the seminar on a digital platform like Zoom. This method provides you with new leads and it shows a level of interest that they are committing time to attend. (from Eric Tyler, Licensed agent for 2+ years)

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23: Start a Podcast

peter lucas headshotDifficulty: High
Time it takes: 7+ hours a week
Lead quality: Medium to high

A podcast is a great way to show off your industry knowledge and give prospects a taste of your personality. It is also a great way to share industry trends, build your profile as a thought leader, and create a following of engaged fans. Starting a podcast is relatively simple, and can be a great addition to your content marketing strategy.

If you’re not sure where to start, try interviewing other local professionals in the real estate industry, or discuss common pain points and how to solve them. You can also engage in a question-and-answer program with your listeners to further establish your credibility.

A blog can accomplish this as well, but podcasts are becoming increasingly popular because people can listen to them on the go. (from Peter Lucas, Licensed agent)

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24: Don't Ignore Zillow

mike-branson headshotDifficulty: Low
Time it takes: 2-3 hours a week
Lead quality: Low

Millions of users search for homes every day on Zillow, it’s a good idea to throw your name in the running. Set up a profile on Zillow so you can be listed with other local real estate agents. Zillow also allows users to rate real estate agents (basically like Yelp for businesses) which could be helpful to you and your agency.

With that many visitors, ALL of your leads are going to be on Zillow at some point during their search, and many will never leave. That means marketing your services as a buyer’s agent or listing agent on Zillow is still crucial for success in 2023.

Yes, it may be convenient, and event trendy to hate Zillow, but at the end of the day, leads are still leads. Getting in front of them early and often is more important than likes on Facebook groups. (from Mike Branson, Licensed agent for 17+ years)

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25: Anticipate Those Looking for Convenient Housing

noaam blum headshotDifficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 1-3 hours
Lead quality: Medium

I’ve had success networking with the HR department of large corporations or hyper growth companies on hiring sprees. Having rentals that are within a close commute to their office can get rented quickly if they’re relocating employees to their office and want to help them find housing.

If you’re near a university, posting on the school’s page or posting flyers around campus can help. Those people will often be looking to rent instead of buy, but it could still work out in your favor. 

Apartments within 10-20 min walking distance to a hospital can source good leads by connecting with a Residence coordinator. Those are all just easy paths to start with, as there are lots of people in a small area all looking for a place to live nearby. (from Noaam Blum, Licensed agent for 10+ years)

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26: Send a Text Rather Than an Email

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 5 mins
Lead quality: Same as before

Many realtors target home buyers and sellers in their database with email blasts, which have their place in real estate marketing. However, text messages have an open rate as high as 98% when email open rates are lucky to get over 20%.

When you are working with warm to hot leads, text messaging keeps your name in front of them and constantly engages with them. When a home seller or buyer has a question, they would rather text for a quicker response than go through their emails and wait for the answer.

However, if you are going to send an email. Be sure to nail the subject line, the introduction email, and have the best ideas for email marketing content. It’s also crucial to master the follow up emails if you go this route.

(from Josh Steppling, Licensed agent in Florida)

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27: Interact with Your Farm Area

Chris Heller HeadshotDifficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 4-5 hours a week
Lead quality: High (these are great leads)

This is the most simple and powerful way to build a real estate business—yet most agents refuse to do it. The classic door-knocking for FSBOs and expires. This old-school method is still one of the best if you know how to approach each seller and provide value at their door, and it’s an excellent way to build a fantastic business.

Everyone loves a good giveaway, so why not use this as an opportunity to attract new leads and build brand awareness while you are knocking on doors? You could host a contest on social media, give away a free home appraisal, or even offer a free month of your services.

Just have people sign-up by giving you their contact info while you’re talking to them. Just be sure to promote your contest ahead of time and choose a prize that will appeal to your target audience. (from Chris Heller, Licensed broker in California)

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28: Join Local Organizations to Meet New Prospects

jasen edwars headshotDifficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 7-8 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium (may require lots of nurturing)

Get involved in your community. There are many ways to get involved in your community and build brand awareness at the same time. You could volunteer for a local charity, sponsor a youth sports team, or participate in community events.

Giving back to your community is a great way to build goodwill and attract new leads. You could donate a portion of your commissions to a local charity, offer free or discounted services to families in need, or partner with a local organization to help with their fundraising efforts.

If you’re looking for a more high-profile way to get your name out there, consider sponsoring a local event. This could be anything from a 5K race to a community festival. Not only will your brand be visible to event attendees, but you’ll also have the opportunity to connect with potential clients. (from Jasen Edwards, Licensed agent in Texas)

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29: Use a Joke or a Great Slogan

Talia-McKinney HeadshotDifficulty: Low
Time it takes: 3-4 hours of initial branding time
Lead quality: Medium (at least it’s memorable)

Summing up your value add in one short sentence isn’t always easy, but the benefits to your brand and marketing materials can be enormous. Coming up with a catchy slogan you can use on all of your marketing materials is a great way to do that. It may sound cheesy, but it’s memorable.

Great slogans are often short, and will help you look more professional. It can be something as simple as “Client Focused. Results Driven.” Just a clear, concise summary of your success.

If slogans aren’t your thing, try coming up with a joke or a pun that will help you remain top of mind. (from Talia McKinney, Licensed Agent in New York City)

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30: Build Up an Online Community

judith huntley headshot (1)Difficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 7-8 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium to high

Starting Facebook groups based on your interests or niche is a great way to market yourself in your farm area.

For instance, one successful agent manages a Facebook group called “The Naples Moms Group (2.0)” with almost 19,000 members. While the focus of the group is a place for local moms to connect, share recommendations, and discuss life in and around the Naples community, this group has been the primary lead generation for Judith.

Judith has so many inquiries from this group, she started a woman-owned real estate company with a partner in order to handle the leads. Positioning herself as a trusted resource for local moms has been key to her growth in the real estate market. (from Judith Huntley, Licensed agent for 16+ years)

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31: Send Conversational Messages

cody smith headshotDifficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours a week
Lead quality: Low to medium

One of the things that takes a long time to understand is being PERSONAL in your marketing. Many new agents think that everything needs to be professional and market related (as most do) by just doing ads and market reports.

Through multiple successful courses and comparing results, it turns out that honest, down-to-earth, personal marketing elicits the best responses. Telling personal stories, or how you goofed up one time, those types of things really humanize you and make people comfortable with you.

Conversational video text messages are a great way for you to humanize yourself and stay in touch with potential leads, as they are short messages that are more likely to be viewed without feeling too sales-y or bothersome. The key is to ensure that when you are drafting the text of the message, you sound genuine and not pre-scripted. (from Cody Smith, Licensed agent)

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32: Ramp Up Your Postcard Game

tyler demando headshotDifficulty: Low
Time it takes: 3+ hours
Lead quality: Medium

Many clients still love cards that come in the mail. You’d be surprised by how many referrals you’ll get off your snail mail. Birthday? Send them a card with a $1 Lotto scratch off ticket.

Home-a-versary? Send them a tiffs treats box of cookies. Holidays such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, send your clients cards with Starbucks gift cards or car wash gift cards.

The ROI is well worth the small investment. Clients will post the card on Facebook, or send you a thank you text. It helps keep you top of mind and earn more referrals without blatantly asking “Hey do you know anyone looking to buy or sell a house? (from Tyler DeMando, Licensed agent for 9+ years)

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33: Build a Brand-Focused Website

dean lee headshotDifficulty: High
Time it takes: 6+ hours of initial setup
Lead quality: Medium to high (you know they are coming to you, so there’s less convincing involved)

According to the most up-to-date data, mobile devices account for more than 40% of all real estate searches. If your site is not mobile-friendly, then a large portion of your advertising and marketing budget may be wasted.

Boosting your site’s visibility through SEO practices will draw more people to it. The problem is that SEO algorithms are always evolving. Consequently, you should keep up with the latest revisions of the converted algorithms. You also need to be aware of the importance of keywords to search engine optimization. When searching for something on the Internet, “target words” are the words that people actually type in. Do thorough keyword analysis and use the terms effectively in your posts.

You want to create a website that everyone can use, even if they aren’t tech savvy.

These tried-and-true methods for making a site mobile-friendly are provided as examples:

  • Use a convenient tone as well as a basic act of language
  • Pick your colors with care
  • Web design should be kept to a minimum of complexity and user frustration
  • Put data into a bit-size format that’s easy to read and understand
  • Publicize your site’s structure to boost search engine rankings and traffic
  • Incorporate data to make your site more intuitive
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34: Create a Referral System

catina headshot (1)Difficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 4-5 hours a week
Lead quality: High (if you can get referrals, these are great leads!)

Making a referral program is a long-term marketing strategy that is perfect for e-commerce firms. It’s a clever strategy to use happy customers to drive continuous sales. Existing customers are greatly encouraged to recommend you to others by receiving discounts, free trials, and other incentives.

With a comprehensive brand advocacy campaign that encourages continued promotion from devoted clients, larger brokerages may take this one step further.

These connections are perfect for presenting your business to new prospects, whether through one-off campaigns or mass collaborations. Make sure your sphere of influence always has you top of mind so that they refer them to you when they are looking to buy or sell. (from Catina Willis, Licensed agent for 10+ years)

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35: Keep Past Clients Engaged With Experiential Marketing

jennifer spinelli headshotDifficulty: High
Time it takes: 3-4 hours whenever you reach out
Lead quality: High

Engaging your clients with experiential marketing “invite[s] an audience to participate with you in a real-world context” Give a tour of the neighborhood you’re selling in, host a seminar to inform prospective buyers in the region about the home-buying process, or host an opening party and invite potential buyers to see the property.

As most experienced agents will tell you, five minutes of in-person engagement is worth hours of engagement on social media. That’s why many top-producing agents today are offering their former clients exclusive offline experiences like dinners, wine tastings, educational seminars, or charity drives. In the marketing industry, this is called ‘experiential marketing,’ and it is one of the hottest trends of the year for Fortune 1000 marketers.

How hot is this trend? Well, one study showed that a whopping 98% of consumers created content like pictures or videos at live events, and 100% of those people shared that content on social media afterwards. (from Jennifer Spinelli, Licensed agent for 10+ years)

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36: Hire a Marketing Manager

jasen edwars headshotDifficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1 hour
Lead quality: High

It can be pricey, but if you’re a busy agent, spending hours each day creating content for social media is probably not a good use of your time. Many smart agents are starting to use services like Coffee & Contracts to give their social media accounts a boost from the pros while they concentrate on doing what they do best: selling houses.

For a flat monthly fee, marketing companies can give you everything you need to post fresh, engaging content on social media every single day—no design skills necessary. Some of them even have scripts for creating viral Reels on Instagram and a private mastermind group with over 4,000 agents included. It’s like having a dedicated marketing manager for less than what you probably spend on business cards or flyers. (from Jasen Edwards, Licensed agent in California)

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37: Get Specific in Your Marketing Materials

Considered ContentDifficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 30+ minutes
Lead quality: Medium

A lot of listings either don’t provide enough information or leave out crucial details. If a prospective buyer visits the house and finds something that makes it inappropriate for them, it wastes their time as well as yours. If the property is described accurately, it may attract more serious purchasers.

Great images that highlight the property’s best features are essential if you want to attract buyers. Professional real estate photographers have the know-how and tools necessary to make a listing stand out. People who are looking at houses from afar might also benefit from video tours because it gives them a sense of the property without having to see it physically.

Including a map of the surrounding area is a terrific method to show interested buyers the various amenities that are in close proximity to the property. You can also use this space to include an existing local guide or blog post on your site. (from Jason Ball, Licensed agent)

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How to Find the Right Real Estate Marketing Strategy For You

As a realtor, finding the right real estate marketing strategy is crucial for attracting potential clients and growing your business. Here are some steps to help you identify and implement an effective marketing strategy:

  1. Define Your Target Market: Identify the specific market segment you want to focus on. Consider factors like demographics, location, income level, and buying preferences. Understanding your target market will help you tailor your marketing efforts to reach the right audience.
  2. Set Clear Marketing Goals: Determine your marketing objectives. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or promote specific listings? Clearly define your goals so you can develop strategies to achieve them.
  3. Research Your Competition: Study your competitors to understand their marketing approaches and identify gaps or opportunities. This will help you differentiate yourself and develop unique selling propositions.
  4. Build an Online Presence: Establish a professional and user-friendly website that showcases your listings, provides valuable information for buyers and sellers, and enables easy contact. Utilize search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve your website’s visibility in search engine results.
  5. Leverage Social Media: Create business profiles on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Share engaging content such as property listings, market updates, and helpful tips. Interact with your audience, respond to comments, and use targeted advertising to reach potential clients.
  6. Develop Compelling Content: Produce high-quality content that educates and engages your audience. Consider writing blog posts, creating videos, or hosting webinars about real estate trends, home buying/selling tips, and local market insights. Valuable content helps position you as an expert and builds trust with potential clients.
  7. Utilize Email Marketing: Build an email list by offering valuable resources, such as e-books or market reports, in exchange for contact information. Regularly send informative newsletters, personalized property recommendations, and updates about the local real estate market to nurture leads and maintain client relationships.
  8. Collaborate with Influencers and Partners: Partner with local influencers, complementary businesses, or community organizations to expand your reach and tap into their networks. Collaborative marketing efforts can include hosting joint events, cross-promoting each other’s content, or sponsoring local initiatives.
  9. Attend Real Estate Events: Participate in industry conferences, trade shows, and networking events to establish connections and stay up to date with industry trends. These events provide opportunities to meet potential clients and learn from other professionals.
  10. Monitor and Analyze Results: Regularly review your marketing efforts to assess their effectiveness. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) like website traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, and social media engagement. Use analytics tools to gain insights and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Remember, finding the right marketing strategy may require experimentation and adaptation. Stay up to date with emerging marketing trends and technologies to remain competitive in the ever-evolving real estate industry.

Sources & Additional Resources:

About the Author

Jim Gray got licensed in 2013 and sold 57 houses in his first year. Over the next 6 1/2 years he went on to sell 437 homes with a small team. He went on to manage the lead generation department of the 13th largest expansion team at Keller Williams and designed lead generation and conversion systems for 60 agents in 7 locations in 4 states that drove 600 home sales in a 2 year period. Jim currently does real estate team development and coaching for some of the largest real estate teams in the country.

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Last Updated: 12/21/2023