20 Marketing Ideas For Real Estate Agents and Buyers Advocates
Are you a brand new Realtor looking for your first client? Or maybe you’ve just hit a rough patch and need to step up your marketing. Real estate marketing can be fun and inexpensive while still being effective.
Here are 20 marketing ideas you can start today to help you grow your real estate business:
1. Door Knock
One of the oldest tricks in the book is door knocking. Having a face-to-face conversation about the real estate market is an easy way to introduce yourself to homeowners or renters in the area you’d like to work in. If you don’t want to actually knock on the door, that’s okay too. Walk the neighborhood when you know that people will be outside, like Saturday morning, and hand out your business card.
2. Open House
Open houses are still an incredibly effective way to get new clients. Yes, you will have a lot of looky-loos coming through, but you may also have motivated buyers who aren’t yet working with a real estate agent. Build a personal connection with the people who come through your open house, and make sure to follow up.
3. Take Charge In Instagram Stories
Social media is an incredibly powerful tool, and Instagram stories may be the best way to connect with your followers since it offers them a behind-the-scenes look at you and your business. One way to increase engagement is by doing a giveaway or contest. Have your followers interact via your stories and give a winner something related to your business.
4. Start a Blog
Blogging is an incredibly underutilized way to build your business. It does take quite a bit of work at first, but it is easy to maintain once you get the blog up and running. You’ll want to write at least one weekly SEO-optimized blog which will draw potential clients to you. Your blog posts can be real estate related, round-ups of local events, or local business spotlights – the possibilities are endless.
5. Hit Up Your Sphere
If you’re looking for some quick business, reach out to people you already know and let them know you are currently taking on new clients. Chances are, they’ll know someone who is looking to buy or sell a home in today’s market.
6. Send a Note
Handwritten notes hold so much power. Get into the habit of sending out handwritten notes every time you meet someone new.
7. Partner With a Local Business
Partnering with a local business to share marketing costs and to help promote each other is a great way to attract new clients while also forming a smart business relationship with someone in your area.
8. Throw a Party
Want to be everyone’s favorite real estate agent? Find a local restaurant and host a meet and greet. Depending on your budget, offer to pay for everyone’s first-round or maybe a free entrée. Make sure to go table to table to introduce yourself or reconnect with the people at your meet and greet.
9. Sponsor a Team
Sports teams are always looking for sponsors, and you might be surprised at how lucrative being a sponsor can be. Call the local high school to see how you can become a sponsor and what your sponsorship will get you.
10. Create a Facebook Group
People love talking about old homes or strange findings while they’re out and about. Get creative and create a niche Facebook group. It could be something like “Unusual Architecture” or “Is It Haunted?” and make it specific to your area.
You’ll need to have patience with this strategy, but as long as you interact with the posts and aren’t too over the top sales, this should be an excellent strategy for picking up some buyers.
11. Partner With Out Of State Agents
Find out where people in your area are moving from and find agents in those areas to exchange referrals with. For example, Arizona has seen thousands of new residents coming from California and Washington. Partnering with agents to help the clients move a little bit easier will be a great way to earn extra money.
12. Look For Renters
Look on social media for people complaining about their landlord or rental prices and show them the value of purchasing a home. They may not realize that homeownership isn’t out of reach for them; they just need someone to guide them through the process.
13. Start a Podcast
A great way to establish yourself as an expert in the real estate industry is by starting a podcast. You can provide current market stats and some interesting stories about your job.
14. Get Your Swag On
Have we mentioned that people like free stuff? Create branded swag like water bottles, nail files, or oven mitts and hand them out to past clients. This will provide them with something useful and keep you top of mind when it’s time for their next real estate transaction.
15. Be The Neighborhood Expert
Get to know a specific neighborhood and visit every single home for sale. Join local Facebook groups and introduce yourself as that neighborhood’s real estate expert. Make sure your card and pamphlets are inside every business in the community.
16. Join a Club
Marketing doesn’t have to be boring. Find an activity to love and join a club. Make sure you let the other members of the club know you are a real estate agent and that you’d love to help them with their real estate needs.
17. Create a Google My Business Page
Having a Google My Business page will make your website and information show up when someone searches for a real estate agent in your area. This page will show your reviews and an about you section which will draw leads to you to answer the questions they have.
18. Host a Webinar
Create a webinar related to real estate. Some topic ideas could be “Easy Home Upgrades To Increase Your Home’s Value” or “5 Things Every First Time Home Buyer Needs To Know”.
19. Take Advantage Of Holidays
Don’t let any holiday go to waste. Create a simple holiday flyer or leave a small gift on the doorstep of your past clients, FSBOs, or in areas you’d like to work.
20. Pick Up The Phone
When all else fails, pick up the phone. Cold calling is not the most fun, but if done properly can result in some new clients.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you stay consistent, and remember the fortune is in the follow-up!