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Have you received your license, found an agency to work with, and you’re finally ready to be a real estate agent? Congratulations!
Now you’re ready for the next step of your journey: finding leads and landing clients. And to do this, you need to promote yourself, build a credible portfolio, and build a reputation as an industry leader.
But how exactly do you stand out when marketing yourself as a real estate agent? Check out these eight tips from the pros.
How to Market Yourself as a Real Estate Agent
1. Find a niche and master it.
Knowing and understanding your target audience will be crucial in your marketing campaigns. That’s why it’s important to gather as much information about them as possible and use the data to tailor-fit your messaging.
Who are they? What’s their style? What kind of homes or neighborhoods are they interested in? What are their interests and hobbies? Answering these will help you create targeted content that will appeal to them and potentially drive them to take action.
Similarly, you need to consider your specialty area – whether commercial or residential. Each has its own pros, cons, and opportunities for growth, so it’s best to learn about them before so you can curate your marketing materials.
2. Set up your social media channels.
If you want to be visible and searchable online, then social media channels — such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter — are where you should be. Do note though that your business accounts should be different from your personal ones.
Be sure to post relevant and valuable content frequently, like market updates. Share images and videos of homes that signify what you’re representing. Respond to comments, contribute to local social media groups, and connect with clients – all geared towards building a reputable following.
If you’re new, start with one or two platforms that most of your clients use and you’re comfortable using. From there, begin to offer high-quality, valuable content consistently.
3. Develop a website and promote your story.
If you want to appear as a trusted name to people, then you need to have a website that clearly shows who you are, what you offer, and what you can do for them.
As the primary hub of your real estate business, your website should have complete and updated information. This can include your bio or story, contact details, services, areas and communities, current listings, and a portfolio of sold properties.
When sharing listings and properties, make sure you give accurate details about them. Consider including photos, videos, or 360* tours to give page visitors more information on what they need.
It should also be well-optimized around people’s searches and needs. You should use the right keywords in your content so you’ll appear higher in users’ search results. Plus, make sure the site is mobile-friendly. This will give you better chances of attracting people who are searching for their next home online.
4. Create great content.
One great way to market yourself as a real estate agent is by creating and sharing valuable content.
Homebuyers and sellers are always looking out for informative, helpful blogs that give them more knowledge. So it’s best to post content about your market area, local community, and industry-related news. You can even turn these into videos, infographics, photos, and other content types.
Ultimately, creating relevant and valuable content on a consistent basis is a great way to establish your expertise, build trust, generate leads, and showcase your personality.
5. Invest in email marketing.
Email marketing is an opportunity to directly connect with your customers, clients, and leads. But first, you need to build your email list with contacts who want to learn more about your business or the industry.
One way to do this is to create a lead magnet, which is a freebie that you can offer people in exchange for their email addresses. And with their permission, you’re able to email them marketing materials.
For example, you can create a “Step-by-Step Guide for First-Time Homebuyers.” With this content, you can build and nurture relationships with leads once you get them on your email list.
When you’ve built an email list, stay connected with your leads by sending newsletters, updates, and following up on inquiries on a consistent basis. Always remember that your content should provide relevant information to people interested in real estate.
6. Connect with your community.
When marketing yourself as a real estate agent, forming and maintaining relationships with people from your local community can contribute to your success.
One way to start is by sending out weekly email updates to community members who have opted in. Whether they’re current or prospective clients, keeping them posted (with industry news) can position you as a local influencer. Plus, it helps keep you top-of-mind when people are in need of an agent.
Connecting with your community also involves:
- Attending seminars.
- Going to local meet-ups.
- Joining business groups.
- Participating in networking events.
- Volunteering with charities.
Pro tip: When networking face-to-face, don’t forget to bring your stack of business cards to pass out when you can. It should include all your contact details, and try to choose a design that stands out from the rest.
7. Seek and publish testimonials.
People value customer online reviews and word-of-mouth information. That’s why testimonials are effective for marketing for real estate agents.
If you’re new to the industry, you can collect testimonials from your colleagues. For others, you can ask satisfied clients to write or record a brief review of how you helped them. Once you have these, you can include them on your website, social media channels, and other marketing materials.
When utilizing testimonials, it’s important to stay authentic and factual. It’s all about earning the trust and endorsement of people who can become leads and clients.
8. Hold creative campaigns.
Real estate seems like a more formal, conservative industry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come up with fun, interesting campaigns to get your business out there.
You can hold weekly or monthly contests with enticing prizes to get people excited for your promotions. For instance, you can create social media contests to encourage your followers to like and share your post, and tag a friend in the comments section to count as an entry to the contest.
You also offer creative, eye-catching, and free informational materials to your neighborhood/area. Give freebies to your followers such as checklists and guides, fun infographics, interior design tutorials, postcards of your local area, or videos of the neighborhoods.
When marketing yourself as a real estate agent, it’s important to be accurate and factual. This means you must identify yourself as the agent in ads and listings. Also, disclose the name of your licensing company and provide the complete business address and contact details.
More importantly, even with outstanding marketing strategies, it’s vital to provide excellent customer service to your clients – both current and potential ones. The power of word-of-mouth marketing and referrals is limitless when marketing for real estate agents. And when you treat your clients right and build a reputation for your services, you’re on your way to making it pro in the industry.
If you liked this post, you might be interested in learning how to market a house to sell fast.
