Often real estate professionals avoid marketing because they don’t know what direction to start with. Many decide to just do some sort of “branding” in the hopes of getting more business, only to be told that they must do more “branding” before they will get phone calls. A focus on real estate marketing means getting results from every ad, mailing piece, or website page that is placed. Marketing doesn’t have to be difficult, as long as you have the right ideas to put into action.
Part of your real estate marketing strategy should be to put into action ideas that generate calls for business every month. This doesn’t mean trying “gimmicks” , it just means taking time to understand your market and meeting their needs with the right messages. Take into consideration the following marketing ideas to generate more calls and start closing more business.
- Place ads on transactional words– Instead of placing pay per click ads on generic words like “my area real estate” consider placing ads on transactional words. These keywords are often overlooked and will result in leads who will act quickly. Adding transactional related keywords like “buy” and “purchase” will help you to focus on buyers who are ready to get out in the field and take action.
- Get Interviewed – With a large array of podcasts available there are numerous opportunities to get your voice out and expertise heard. Podcasters need to put out fresh content on a regular basis (some daily) and are often in need of finding new guests to interview. Take the time to reach out to a few podcasters and share with them why you could be engaging for their audience (make sure you have a specific aspect of value so they understand it isn’t a sales pitch). Don’t forget to listen to a few of their episodes before you reach out to tailor your email or calls when you engage with the hosts.
- Write Blog Posts for a New Audience – Let’s say you have been successful in the luxury market in your area; try expanding your content into new areas. Craft content that focuses on smaller multi-family properties that could be in a nearby city with higher rents that could be a transition for someone to end up into a luxury property. Or consider crafting content for luxury condos that could be AirBnB rentals that are within your market area if you have been primarily focused on single family homes. Writing for a new audience can help expand your client base and keep your creative juices flowing.
- Find an Event Sponsorship – There are events in your local area ranging from regattas, golf tournaments, and much more and they are craving sponsors. Many of these events hit up traditional companies such as local banking institutions, insurance companies or specific product companies but they sometimes forget about the field of real estate. Now, don’t just take a “I’ll place an ad” approach, rather find an event where you can show up and have a chance to have conversations with potential prospects. For example if you sponsor a golf tournament, maybe you sponsor a specific hole and you can offer drinks to those who come to your tee; a fun way to get fresh conversations going.
- Send a postcard around a popular listing – In any market there are listings that receive multiple offers. Whether it is your listing or not, send a postcard to the closest 200-300 homes in the area. Don’t send a postcard that states that you are a “neighborhood” expert, rather send a postcard that focuses on saving people time and money. You can even be so bold as to share how fast homes are selling or if they are selling at a price above their listing price to help potential seller’s know what is possible should they list their home with you.
- Try a Different Medium – Consider trying a new medium like video for your real estate business. With platforms ranging from TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and more allowing for different length videos there are nearly no limits. Don’t concern yourself with having to knock out “high quality” videos initially, it’s more important to get comfortable in front of the camera recording engaging content.
- Place a new magazine ad (print and online) – Magazine ads are often one of the quickest buyer systems that you can implement. Don’t place the traditional magazine ad about yourself, rather, put a series of listings in your ad, with powerful copy that compel people to pick up the phone to get more information. When you put in listings that are of interest and use a simple 1-800 number tracking service you can get 20+ phone calls from just 1 ad! 20 phone calls can easily be turned into 2 or more transactions when you use the right scripts.
For an ad on an online magazine site consider putting an extremely unique property in the ad. It doesn’t have to be for sale, you can direct the visitor to a landing page that helps to answer the question “wouldn’t you want to find a home just like this?” where you break down the reasons why most buyers miss out on the most unique and engaging properties.
Real estate marketing doesn’t have to be expensive; it just has to have the focus on generating leads. Too often ads are placed without the concern for what the return will be. With every marketing idea that you put into place take time to consider how many conversions you will need to have a minimum 7 times return on your investment.
