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7 unique marketing tips you might not have thought of


  • January 27, 2017
  • Stephanie Lai

Designed by Freepik


Pens: check! Calendar: check! What else do you need? Well, if you want your name and your homes to stand out in the real estate market, you should be doing more. And you should be doing it differently than other agents. “Real estate agents are in a unique position, compared to other industries, because they are in a very saturated market,” says Jennifer Roy, creative director at StandAlone Marketing, which has real estate clients. “We all have competitors, no matter what industry you are in. But real estate agents are in the thick. How do you stand apart from everyone else? Whenever you are in a saturated market you have to be very unique in how you advertise.” Here are seven unique and effective ways to market yourself and your clients’ homes.

1. Brand yourself personally.
“You have to visit your values, what’s important to you, and how you get that message out to people,” says Roy. This is what will set you apart from other agents. Perhaps it’s your personality, your approach to the buying and selling process, or even your demographic. To some, knowing this comes easily, but for others, the skills of a marketing consultant can help. It’s about thinking outside of the box and differentiating yourself, says Roy.

2. Create a branded website
So, your realty office or agency has a website. And you have a brief bio page. That’s good, right? According to Roy, that’s not enough. First, under SEO practices (search engine optimization), because of the site’s name, and other factors that play into building a website, it’s great for people to find your agency, but it’s not the best way for someone to find you specifically. Not only will your own site help people find you directly, it also gives you the opportunity to brand yourself online, create other marketing tools like linking to your social media and creating a blog, and show potential clients who you are.

3. Keep in contact, but do it in a fun way.

“A real estate agent is involved in a very important point in someone’s life,” Roy says about the impact purchasing a home has on your clients’ life. “There’s no reason a relationship can’t be built.” You might think referrals are the cheapest marketing tool. And it can be for those natural, word-of-mouth client acquisitions. But you’ll have to invest to stay in touch, and keep the contact personal. Give a thoughtful closing gift, like something for the home (a Home Depot gift certificate) or something to help celebrate (a bottle of bubbly). Also check in annually (or more often), and surprise former clients with an unexpected point of contact. “How many people expect to get a valentine from their agent?” asks Roy.

4. Perfect social media
“Pick one area of social media and do it really well,” says Roy. Sometimes if we’re spread thin over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others, we just end up doing a mediocre job on all of them. So here are a few tips: If you do lots of blogging or online home descriptions or tools, head to Twitter. The homes you sell are a decorator’s dream? Instagram and Pinterest will provide the photogenic visibility you need. You’re bold and confident in front of a camera, take a stab at Facebook (especially for Facebook Live) and YouTube videos. Don’t worry about a lack of presence on the other social platforms. You can easily link them all in your “sharing” settings or create a sharing chain for all of your social accounts on ifttt.com.

And stick with it. “Don’t underestimate the power of time,” says Roy. “You can’t do Facebook for three months and say it didn’t work for you. You have to commit to it. Market the heck out of it. The phone will eventually start ringing because of the legwork you have done. If your voice is there, you will eventually be heard.”

5. Learn how to make video work for you.
The biggest trend right now for real estate marketing is videos, especially in communicating with clients, creating online (hopefully viral) ads and home tours. Now, you don’t have to be as risqué as this Australian realtor, or as highly produced as these videos. With social media’s immediacy appeal and authentic approach, you could do the bare minimum and use your smart phone. There are lots of apps you can use to adjust speed, add music, and even cool graphics. Play around and have fun with it.

6. Have fun with your marketing.
Speaking of fun...Inject your personality into all aspects of your marketing and communications touch points. That’s the most distinctive thing you can do for your marketing. There are a select few agents doing this in creative ways, for example, describing homes using song lyrics on Facebook posts and real estate blogs or poking fun at yourself with a video. Be true to who you are, and that will attract clients, too.

7. Don’t overlook the small (free!) marketing tools.
Being friendly, posting status updates, giving former clients a quick call to say hello are all effective marketing tools. Don’t forget to use your email signature to not only list your contact details, but also your website, your headshot, your marketing tagline, or anything else you think is appropriate. Roy says that it takes a consumer seeing something seven to 10 times before they retain the information as applicable to them. So, a branded signature at the end of your correspondence is a simple but effective tool, too.