We all know that a career in the real estate industry can be profitable. However, the truth is that the market is crowded. The National Association of Realtors has over 1.6 million registered realtors across the US.
With such stiff competition, you can’t afford not to stay on top of your marketing game. There’s no time and energy to waste on outdated marketing strategies.
More than 85% of real estate agents fail in their first five years. Part of the reason why they fail is that they can’t keep enough clients in their pipeline. This is where smart marketing strategies come into play.
Without a smart marketing strategy, you won’t generate enough leads. Without enough leads, you won’t convert a significant number of them into clients. Without clients, you won’t make enough money to keep your business afloat. This is how important marketing is in real estate.
In today’s article, I’m going to talk about some smart marketing tips that every real estate agent needs to know. These tips will determine your career’s success so be sure to read the whole article.
Building a realtor website shouldn’t be seen as a suggestion but as a necessity. In this digital age, the majority of buyers and consumers first search the internet before buying any product or service.
Your real estate website should show your visitors who you are, what you stand for, what you have to offer, and why they should choose you. Let your visitors know what makes you stand out when they visit your website.
That said, don’t just create a generic website simply to tick it off your list. A bad website can be ineffective and sometimes worse than not having one at all.
You must prioritize your website’s design. It is estimated that 75% of visitors to your website will judge your credibility based on the website design. First impressions always make a huge difference. Your homepage should be captivating enough to compel your audience to stay on your site longer and eventually hire you.
In addition, you want to ensure that your website is easy to navigate. While your site design may be captivating, users won’t appreciate it if they find it hard to navigate from one page to another. Ensure that potential customers have a great experience on your site.
Remember, your website should also include what you have to offer, such as property listings with comprehensive property descriptions and high-quality images. Include Google Maps and Street View so visitors can get a feel for the neighborhood.
Another insider secret to ensure your website is effective is to offer an unexpected perk to help your website stand out. For example, you can include a mortgage calculator so that your visitors can see the monthly payments they can expect to make should they take out a mortgage to pay for a particular listing.
2. Maximize Social Media
Having a social media marketing strategy is essential for your real estate business. If you aren’t already using social media for client outreach and to establish yourself as a leader in the industry, now is the best time to do so.
Firstly, start with the basics. Ensure that you’re present on popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. When setting up your account, fill out every field to make it easier for your audience to find you.
Being present on these platforms isn’t enough. You need to establish yourself as a leading real estate agent. Earn your following. You can only do so by creating and posting engaging content.
For example, you can provide real estate selling or buying tips for your audience. You can regularly post local real estate market news, trends, or insights. You can also use Facebook, Instagram, and even Youtube to do virtual home tours. Live Q&A sessions are also an effective strategy to engage your audience. Of course, you can also promote your new listings on your social media pages.
You need to include relevant hashtags in your posts to increase your visibility. The hashtags can be based on your local area such as #NewYorkRealEstate, or your post’s topic such as #PropertyBuyingTips.
Also, you need to realize that video marketing is really big nowadays. Integrate TikTok and YouTube videos in your social media strategy to see big results. You can create video content to educate your audience on your local market and offer real estate buying and selling tips.
Social media ads can also do wonders for your social media marketing strategy. Ads may not be the best organic tool for all platforms, but will greatly help you when it comes to targeting. If you want to target a certain demographic or group, social media ads can help you do that.
3. Create an Authority Blog
Creating a blog borrows a leaf from sharing posts on social media. Content marketing is an effective strategy when you want to establish yourself as an authority. Publish relevant content to appeal to your target audience.
For example, first-time homebuyers are often confused and overwhelmed by the home-buying process. You can start publishing content relevant to this specific audience and give them tips on how to navigate the process. Publish posts with titles such as “Everything You Need to Know About Buying Your First Home”.
Another benefit of content marketing is that it helps you with on-page and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to using relevant keywords in your blog’s title and text. Off-page SEO refers to the process of getting other authority blogs to link to your blog posts.
These strategies will help your blog rank on search engines and ensure that you appear on search results every time a user searches for keywords relevant to you. Don’t forget to include relevant images to make your blog posts easier to consume.
4. Follow-Up
Following up has always been an effective strategy to building a relationship with your clients. Real estate clients are more likely to give business to realtors they know.
How do you follow up?
Start by collecting email signups on your website and local industry events. Your goal is to keep in touch with your audience through an email newsletter. Send them your new listings, upcoming local industry events, local real estate market news, buying and selling tips, new posts on your blog, and more relevant content.
You can also start an email nurture campaign. Email nurture campaigns are follow-up organic emails that are sent out based on your previous interaction with the user. You can use this strategy to inform your audience about upcoming offers and motivate them to take a certain action.
The best thing about email nurturing campaigns is that they can increase your sales funnel. It can help you turn prospects into clients since you communicate with them based on their position in the funnel.
For example, if you first met a certain prospect at an open house, you can send them an email to notify them of other listings within the neighborhood. If you met them in a first-time homebuyer’s workshop, you can send them your blog on “10 Vital Tips for First-Time Homebuyers”.
Your goal with email nurturing campaigns is to deliver content to help your subscribers take the next step based on where they are in their journey. This is how you guide them through the funnel.
Don’t limit yourself to only following up via email. Collect their phone numbers as well and regularly send them SMSs as well.
Don’t forget to personalize. Your clients will love it when they feel like they have a personal relationship with you. Send out personalized emails and SMSs during their birthdays or season greetings on holidays such as Christmas. A simple gesture can make a huge difference.
5. Use the Right Marketing Tools
Not using the right marketing tools can lead to poor results and stunted career growth. Besides, your listings can stay on the market for longer and even sell for a lower sales price. Make sure you’re using the right marketing tools.
At SoldOutHouses.com, we equip you with the right marketing tools to help you generate leads, convert clients, and close deals. Our Pro Membership provides you with these tools to help you reach your career goals. Visit soldouthouses.com/pro and access a 14-day free trial.
I became a realtor when I was 25, Right now I’m a digital marketing expert helping realtors, brokers and real estate agents generate more leads online.
