For real estate agents, marketing has to go beyond a website and business cards. There are always new marketing ideas emerging for agents, as potential clients can be found in both traditional and nontraditional ways.
As markets fluctuate over the years, it’s important for realtors to have a consistent presence and client base in local communities to grow their business. Below are marketing ideas for real estate agents to market themselves to their target audience.
Social Media
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter are wonderful ways to build an online presence in your target market at little or no cost.
If you do want to purchase ads, make sure you’re consciously targeting the correct keywords to the correct markets.
First you need to know where your target audience is. If your audience is primarily on Facebook but hardly on Twitter, you should focus on Facebook and skip Twitter. It doesn’t matter if you consistently post riveting content on Twitter if the right people aren’t seeing it.
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Boost your social media exposure by partnering with local influencers who already have a trusting, loyal following of community members. Influencers can also be present on a smaller scale and have a local niche audience. Find local influencers by searching hashtags that are relevant to your specific area. Establish a long-term, working partnership with them.
A few content ideas are to have them tour the property you think is best suited to their audience and make a Youtube video about it. Have them post photos of your properties on their Instagram.
Take a nice picture with them or send them a nice headshot of yourself for them to feature on their social media channels. It would be an advertisement for you to any of their followers looking for a realtor. Professional photography is key here in all of these instances.
Video
Videos are a great tool for real estate agents to better promote themselves and connect to people. There are many different types of videos you can create, but it’s easiest to think of them in terms of longform videos and short video clips.
Longform video content on YouTube can help you really portray your personality and show your expertise. Look at YouTube as an opportunity to elaborate on topics you’re knowledgeable in.
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This allows people to get to know you better on their own time, and therefore feel more confident in choosing you as their realtor. A few of the videos you could consider making would discuss the home-buying process, house hunting tips, and more about you.
Shorter video content is perfect for your social media channels like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. You can put out little snippets about major changes in the real estate market or your new listing that just came on the market on your various profiles.
People are still able to connect with you on their nightly scroll through social media before their short attention span keeps them scrolling past you.
Print Advertisements
Local newspapers and magazines are a great opportunity to reach a large, local audience. Research which newspapers and magazines are most popular in your area and if you have the budget for it, take out advertisements. When considering buying an ad, ask questions about their subscription numbers and how many people they reach. You want to make sure this is a worthy way to spend your marketing budget.
Beyond purchasing advertisements, look for creative ways to have your properties written about. Do you have a historical property that’s been restored to its original glory? Look for a unique backstory or feature about a property that would make an interesting story.
When thinking about which publications to take out an ad in, consider visitors who are just looking for a vacation home. Do you live in a beach town where people from nearby cities look to buy condominiums? Consider buying advertisements in publications in those areas, or having your listing featured in a local vacation magazine.
Billboards
Even though it’s a more traditional idea, billboards are still an option for reaching a large, local audience. As a realtor, you know the busiest streets in your city. You know the most common routes for the morning and evening commutes. You know the main roads in and out of your city.
Choose billboards in the areas that make the most sense for you, and keep your visuals consistent across all of them.
This creates consistency and helps potential clients remember your messaging. They know every time they drive into downtown, they’re going to see your face on a billboard.
Community Involvement
As a real estate agent, you’re a recognizable figure in the local community. You can take certain actions to make yourself a more prominent person who almost everyone knows.
Choose to volunteer for leadership positions at organizations that align with your interests. If religion is important to you, sign up to be a greeter at church services. You’ll have a chance to introduce yourself to everyone who walks in the door.
If you are skilled in a specific sport, sign up to be a coach for a local school’s team. You’ll have the opportunity to meet the parents of each player and network with the people in the crowd after games. If there is a main parade or event every year in your city, sign up to help plan next year’s event.
If you can’t commit to a long-term or demanding position, consider one-off volunteer opportunities at local nonprofits. There are usually volunteer opportunities available at animal shelters, libraries, and food pantries. The key here is to make yourself a consistent presence.
Events
In addition to immersing yourself in the community, help bring the community closer together and closer to your business. Host events for your past and present clients, and encourage them to bring potential new clients along.
In the summer, host a casual barbecue which allows you to interact with people and build rapport. In the winter, schedule an event at an ice skating rink, complete with hot chocolate afterwards.
The key to hosting a successful event for your clients is to come up with something fun and memorable that people will want to attend and talk about after it’s over.
Conclusion
Real estate agents need to continuously come up with fresh ideas for marketing themselves to their target audience. There are many traditional, inexpensive, and unique marketing ideas which can help realtors grow their business as markets fluctuate. The key is creativity.