How to Market Yourself in Real Estate

You signed up to buy and sell houses or commercial property, not start a TikTok account. Marketing for realtors has changed dramatically over the past two decades, moving from the Yellow Pages and newspaper ads into diverse, competitive digital marketing channels like paid search and automated emails. The shift triggered an entire industry offering marketing tools for real estate agents without one crucial element: how to differentiate yourself from other agents.

We’ve put together a few tips on how to stand out as a real estate agent in your community and grow your brand for the long haul.

Marketing for Real Estate Agents: A Crash Course

There are over 2 million licensed real estate agents in the United States, roughly 1.5 million of whom are National Association of Realtors members.

So, who are you?

That’s marketing. Real estate agents compete with hundreds, potentially thousands of in-market competitors for every client, many of whom will buy an average of three houses during their lifetime. Every lead is valuable, but it’s challenging to be all things to all people. Instead, focus on identifying your ideal audience and developing a strategy to consistently and convincingly stay in front of your ideal clients.

How to Market Yourself As a Real Estate Agent

Before you make another piece of content for social media or buy another ad in the local paper, take a big step back. Consider the type of person you can help the most and the type of client that best serves your business goals.

1. Do Your Homework

Evaluate your current market by accessing city and county demographic information. Look at factors like age, income levels, number of children, education level, and other factors that might influence real estate trends in your area.  

Don’t forget about your own data. Look at the demographics of your social media accounts and email lists and see if any particulars stand out. You may be well on your way to establishing a niche without realizing it!

2. Consider Client Challenges

Communities with a population trending older might signal increased demand for smaller homes or condos as seniors downsize. Younger populations might push toward the suburbs’ big yards and multiroom homes. Lower-income communities might respond well to content explaining the loan process or potential rebates for first-time homebuyers. Connect demographic information to the messaging that is most effective for the audience.

3. Develop Buyer (Or Seller) Personas

Once you’ve identified your target audience, start to compile the challenges your clients face. Creating two to three personas will help you determine the most effective marketing channels and messaging to connect with your clients. Using the information you’ve gathered, create a profile of each persona that includes information like:

• Age
• Income
• Type of buyer (first-time, move-up buyer, real estate investor, luxury/upscale, downsize, etc.)
• Core challenges, including financial barriers, emotional concerns, or lack of education on the real estate process

4. Choose Your Channels

Market efficiently by focusing your time, energy, and budget on the channels that provide ready access to your ideal customer. Creating engaging videos or writing long-form resources can be incredibly time-consuming, so make sure the type of content you’re creating and the channels delivering it make sense. Don’t rely on a hunch; current social media demographics, for example, show Facebook isn’t as “old” as you think, and housing-hungry Millennials are just as likely to be on YouTube as on Instagram.

5. Test, Tweak and Try Again

First, make great content – or get some help in that department. Some marketing channels, like paid search and paid social, can have an immediate impact, while SEO might have a bigger, longer-lasting impact but needs a longer runway to gain momentum. No matter where you’ve focused your efforts, evaluate the results and double down on what’s working.

Two Can’t-Miss Advertising Ideas for Realtors

Social media and email marketing are the proverbial bread and butter of real estate marketing, but most agents don’t use these channels to their full potential. Here are two ways to get more out of social media and email to stand out among the real estate crowd.

The Smart and Social Expert

The real estate process can be painfully slow for anxious buyers and nervous sellers, especially when the macroeconomic environment shifts or local markets change. Instead of posting listing after listing on your social channels, give monthly or quarterly updates on the current housing market that include telling indicators, including:

• Median list price
• Median price per square foot
• Median time on market
• Market average home value
• Mortgage rate trends

Sharing valuable information makes you a reliable resource that clients turn to repeatedly as they start the homebuying or selling process.

Personalize Your Email Experience

Most real estate brokers have automated systems that send updates on property listings that match a client’s preferences, including price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, or location. In addition to keeping those profiles and listings up to date, take it one step further – contact clients personally.

Whenever someone views a listing more than twice in two or three days, reach out via email or phone and offer to swing by the property with them or discuss it over coffee. This personal approach is a huge differentiator that shows you’re on top of things – and they’re looking ready to buy.

Take Marketing Off Your To-Do List

Oneupweb brings real estate expertise and robust digital marketing skills to every project. We’ve helped property management companies and individual realtors streamline their marketing efforts and improve results. Focus on your clients and your listings; we’ll make sure your phone keeps ringing.

Let’s get started; get in touch or call 231-922-9977 to speak with a marketing expert today.