The real estate industry has had some interesting ups and downs over the past decade - NAR (National Association of Realtors) membership hit its all-time high back in 2006 with 1,357,000 realtors before dropping dramatically with the housing financial crisis. However, since its rock bottom in 2012 (with 999,000 members), it has been steadily increasing, and with nearly 1,100,000 members in 2014, the competition among realtors is heating up.
The competition is fierce, and these days you’ll need expert online and offline marketing skills to set yourself apart from the pack.
marketing for real estate
While real estate agents are still key in the home buying process, buyers are increasingly looking to do more leg work online before involving the experts. A study from the National Association of Realtors showed that 92% of buyers use the internet to begin their house hunting quest, driving home the vital need for real estate agents to have an active online presence. If you're not active, engaging, and networking online, then you're missing out.
Here are our 35 best real estate marketing ideas for those looking to win the real estate marketing game.
1. Set Yourself Up For Social.
Make sure you have social media accounts on all the big networks (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and even Instagram if you snap a lot of house pics). Interact with users, share good press, and promote your properties.
real estate marketing tips
2. Add Social Sharing To Property Pages.
Chances are, home shoppers are eager to share their top housing pics with friends and family, so make it easy for homebuyers to email and share various properties online by adding social sharing buttons.
tips for real estate marketing
3. Keep An Eye On The Competition.
What are other realtors in your area doing? What do their websites look like? How active are they on social media? Take note of what competitors are doing – then avoid their mistakes and replicate their success!
4. Make Yourself Easy to Contact.
Put your contact info on every page of your website. Ideally, make an impressive contact us page that grabs attention.
5. Create a Killer Business Card.
Get an awesome looking business card and hand them out like pizza flyers on a Friday night.
6. Make Use of Local Images.
In many ways, you’re not just selling a house, you’re selling a whole town or area. Showcase the best that your area has to offer, with high-quality, beautiful photos of local town landmarks and familiar sites.
real estate marketing 101
7. Create an Irresistible Content Offer to Capture Leads.
Consider producing an ebook like “X number of things new homeowners should consider before buying” or “X most valuable features of a new home.” Offering free ebooks in exchange for an email address (and zip code, in the case of real estate) is a great way to capture leads.
8. Hire a Photo Pro.
Successful real estate relies heavily on great photography. Bad photos will diminish interest in even the greatest of properties. It’s absolutely vital that you have gorgeous photos of your properties. Hire a professional photographer (preferably with experience photographing homes and architecture), or, if you have sophisticated equipment and are confident in your abilities, have your own hand at it. Just remember this is one of those scenarios when it pays to bring in the professionals.
real estate marketing
There are tons of great resources that provide in-depth detail about real estate photography – this guide from Digital Photography School is helpful (so long as you have some basic photography experience under your belt already).
9. Create a Virtual Tour.
Your clients’ time is precious, and they want to understand as much as possible about a property prior to visiting in person. Virtual tours are a great way to give a comprehensive, accurate preview of the property for potential buyers.
Here’s one example of a virtual tour (although you’ll find some aspects of this video are quite outdated). If you make your own, I’d beg you to not use music that resembles the soundtrack of The Sims.
The competition is fierce, and these days you’ll need expert online and offline marketing skills to set yourself apart from the pack.
marketing for real estate
While real estate agents are still key in the home buying process, buyers are increasingly looking to do more leg work online before involving the experts. A study from the National Association of Realtors showed that 92% of buyers use the internet to begin their house hunting quest, driving home the vital need for real estate agents to have an active online presence. If you're not active, engaging, and networking online, then you're missing out.
Here are our 35 best real estate marketing ideas for those looking to win the real estate marketing game.
1. Set Yourself Up For Social.
Make sure you have social media accounts on all the big networks (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and even Instagram if you snap a lot of house pics). Interact with users, share good press, and promote your properties.
real estate marketing tips
2. Add Social Sharing To Property Pages.
Chances are, home shoppers are eager to share their top housing pics with friends and family, so make it easy for homebuyers to email and share various properties online by adding social sharing buttons.
tips for real estate marketing
3. Keep An Eye On The Competition.
What are other realtors in your area doing? What do their websites look like? How active are they on social media? Take note of what competitors are doing – then avoid their mistakes and replicate their success!
4. Make Yourself Easy to Contact.
Put your contact info on every page of your website. Ideally, make an impressive contact us page that grabs attention.
5. Create a Killer Business Card.
Get an awesome looking business card and hand them out like pizza flyers on a Friday night.
6. Make Use of Local Images.
In many ways, you’re not just selling a house, you’re selling a whole town or area. Showcase the best that your area has to offer, with high-quality, beautiful photos of local town landmarks and familiar sites.
real estate marketing 101
7. Create an Irresistible Content Offer to Capture Leads.
Consider producing an ebook like “X number of things new homeowners should consider before buying” or “X most valuable features of a new home.” Offering free ebooks in exchange for an email address (and zip code, in the case of real estate) is a great way to capture leads.
8. Hire a Photo Pro.
Successful real estate relies heavily on great photography. Bad photos will diminish interest in even the greatest of properties. It’s absolutely vital that you have gorgeous photos of your properties. Hire a professional photographer (preferably with experience photographing homes and architecture), or, if you have sophisticated equipment and are confident in your abilities, have your own hand at it. Just remember this is one of those scenarios when it pays to bring in the professionals.
real estate marketing
There are tons of great resources that provide in-depth detail about real estate photography – this guide from Digital Photography School is helpful (so long as you have some basic photography experience under your belt already).
9. Create a Virtual Tour.
Your clients’ time is precious, and they want to understand as much as possible about a property prior to visiting in person. Virtual tours are a great way to give a comprehensive, accurate preview of the property for potential buyers.
Here’s one example of a virtual tour (although you’ll find some aspects of this video are quite outdated). If you make your own, I’d beg you to not use music that resembles the soundtrack of The Sims.
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