Overview of Real Estate Marketing

Advertising, social media promotion, and traditional methods such as open houses and print marketing are just a few of the proven strategies real estate agents use to attract potential buyers.

It’s always a good idea to combine strategies to maximize success. For example, you can use digital marketing and traditional strategies to achieve the benefits of both.

Having an online presence allows you to reach a wider audience. And using data-driven methods gives you the ability to personalize your marketing strategies according to your audience’s interests.

8 Powerful Real Estate Marketing Ideas

The following marketing strategies have been proven to help real estate professionals drive website traffic, increase buyer interest, and build a strong referral network.

1. Optimize for Mobile

In 2022, 73% of homebuyers used mobile devices to search for properties. So, even if you use a computer for your real estate digital marketing strategies, potential clients are likely to view properties on mobile devices. You’re sending potential clients to your website to get in touch with you. So, optimizing it for mobile is crucial.

A mobile-friendly real estate website features a:

• Responsive design: When someone visits your site on a smaller screen, it automatically adjusts to the proper dimensions.
• Fast loading times: A mobile-friendly website should load within 2–5 seconds.
• Simple navigation: Menu structures like hamburger menus take up less space, making them easier to access and use on smaller screens.
• Scannable content: Headers, bold print, and white space enhance readability and make it easy to scan your content.

To make sure your site is mobile-optimized, you can use tools like Google Search Console’s mobile usability report. These tools give you the ability to gauge your site’s mobile-friendliness and make the necessary adjustments to improve mobile optimization.

2. Create Relevant, Optimized Content

Content marketing has been a highly effective marketing strategy for businesses in several industries. It works by providing potential customers with the information they’re looking for online, which helps build trust.

Real estate agents can also use this tactic to attract potential buyers or sellers and provide them with solutions or answers to their questions about real estate.

Topics will vary according to your area of real estate. But let’s imagine that you work with sellers of single-family homes.

Topics for your content might include:

• Local real estate news and developments
• FAQs about selling single-family homes
• Virtual tours and video walkthroughs
• Seasonal maintenance checklists
• Neighborhood spotlight articles
• Home staging tips and guides
• Home improvement tips

Open Air Homes, a property management system for short-term rentals, offers neighborhood guides about different areas in Southern California.

The below screenshot shows an article about the Palm Springs area, which demonstrates the company’s knowledge of Southern California’s unique features, attractions, and lifestyle offerings.

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3. Develop a Social Media Presence

Social media offers an excellent opportunity for companies to connect with their customers and build a loyal online community.

And because most social media platforms are dominated by visuals, real estate agents stand to gain significant advantages by showcasing properties on their profiles.

They can also post content about local attractions and showcase the unique lifestyles of different neighborhoods.

Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to share visually appealing images and videos and to connect with potential clients and industry colleagues.

Encourage interaction through contests, polls, and ask me anything (AMA) to gather market research and increase engagement.

Here are other ideas to consider for your real estate agency’s social media content:

• Behind-the-scenes glimpses of your daily life as a real estate professional
• High-quality images and virtual tours of properties
• Educational videos on various real estate topics
• Interactive content like polls, quizzes, Q&As
• Client testimonials

Alex Maloney, a real estate agent based in Texas, uses Instagram to showcase properties to potential homebuyers.

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With compelling property descriptions, strategic hashtags, and captivating visuals, Alex is able to build engagement with his followers and potential buyers.

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3. Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Because most real estate dealings are local, it’s important to have a Google My Business profile.

GMB profiles show up in Google search engine results pages (SERPs) when someone searches for a local business.

They typically feature a company’s name, address, phone number, hours of operation, website link, images, reviews, years of being in business, and other important information.

Optimizing your Google My Business profile increases the chances of your profile showing up in the SERPs. Do this by:

• Adding relevant keywords to your business description
• Posting regularly (e.g., updates, promotions, events)
• Encouraging and responding to customer reviews
• Choosing the correct category for your business
• Including high-quality descriptive photos
• Ensuring your information is up-to-date
• Utilizing Google’s Q&A

To truly understand the power of Google My Business for your real estate company, take a look at the below screenshot.

Imagine a potential client looking to buy a house in the Atlanta area. They perform a Google search using the keyword “real estate agent near me.”

They see a list of businesses to choose from. These are Google My Business profiles. When they click on one, they get even more information, including the list of services an agent provides and detailed reviews by clients.

To ensure searchers get as much information as possible during their first impression of your real estate business, include your business hours, contact information, and website URL.

4. Geo-Targeting

Location, location, location. You’ve heard the expression. It really does matter in real estate. Buyers want to live in the best neighborhoods. An area’s safety, quality of schools, and other factors often have a strong influence on property purchase decisions.

In the same way location matters in real estate sales, it also matters in real estate marketing. Location-based marketing, also known as geo-targeting, allows you to reach potential clients and personalize your marketing efforts based on where they are.

How does it work?

You set up pay-per-click (PPC) ads on Google or social media platforms. Then, you adjust your targeting settings to include the geographical location of your target audience. This ensures your ads show up for people who live in the particular area you’re targeting.

In the screenshot below, you see an example of geo-targeting the city of Boston, Massachusetts. There are many options to choose from after typing in “Boston,” including the entire city, sections of the city, or a radius from a specific point.

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This real estate marketing strategy works so well because it allows agents to reach a more relevant audience. As a result, those who see the ad are more likely to convert by clicking on it and initiating contact. This, in turn, maximizes return on ad spend (ROAS).

5. Email Marketing Campaigns

As a real estate agent, you know the importance of networking and making personal connections to build client trust.

And even if a prospect isn’t in the market for a real estate agent, they can refer you to someone else. That’s the beauty of networking and making connections. 39% of home sellers find their real estate agent through a referral from a friend or family member.

As you promote your services through emails, you’re increasing your network. This increases your chances of coming across someone who may need a real estate agent or who knows someone who needs an agent.

Start by creating an email newsletter that offers relevant, valuable content in exchange for prospects’ emails. Use email sign-up forms to grow your contact list.

Offer lead magnets like ebooks, how-to guides, or checklists to incentivize prospects to share their email with you.

Set up an email sequence that starts with a welcome email. In this email, you want to thank leads for joining your newsletter and explain what they can expect from being a subscriber.

You can share whatever content you want in your email newsletter. This might include a link to your latest blog posts.

Or, you might write separate content that’ll go into the body of each email. This content might cover relevant topics like home maintenance tips, market updates, or featured listings.

To further drive engagement, make sure to include images of properties, videos, and virtual staging. You can use email marketing automation tools like HubSpot or Mailchimp to streamline your process and deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.

Be sure to include a clear call-to-action throughout each email, whether it’s encouraging recipients to schedule a consultation, view a property, or get in touch

6. Be Active in Your Local Community

As we mentioned earlier, networking is critical in the real estate industry. You must build a strong network before you even meet potential clients. This involves connecting with other agents, industry professionals, and local businesses.

These connections can provide valuable opportunities and referrals. A great way to build these connections is by attending local community events like local meetup groups and associations.

Being active in your community allows you to experience face-to-face interactions with other people in the industry, helping you to more easily build personal connections, trust, and credibility.

To stay up to date on real estate events in your area, regularly check event sites and platforms like Eventbrite, subscribe to newsletters from industry publications, follow industry blogs, or join real estate groups on social media.

This screenshot from Eventbrite’s platform shows upcoming real estate events in Chicago, IL. You can filter results by location to search for events in your area.

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7. Create or Join a Referral Network

You’ve probably been in the world of real estate long enough to know that referrals are huge.

Create a referral network by reaching out to top-producing agents. Doing so can help you expand your reach, gain insights, and increase business opportunities.

Look for agents in your area with a strong track record and a positive reputation with clients. When reaching out, craft a personalized and concise introduction. Mention that you admire their work. Explain why you believe collaborating with them would be beneficial. Make it clear that you want to form a mutually beneficial referral relationship.

Luxury Presence’s exclusive real estate networking app can connect you with other professionals in your area if you don’t know where to look for reputable agents.

You may also offer incentives to previous customers (to increase referrals for prospective buyers), such as:

• Subscription services (e.g., meal kit deliveries, streaming services, fitness memberships)
• Home services package (e.g., home cleaning, landscaping, interior design)
• Discounts on future services
• Vacation getaways
• Tech gadgets
• Gift cards

Also, consider designating a central coordinator to track referrals and determine who’s next in line for a referral in a buyer’s region.

8. Virtual Staging and Tours

Virtual staging is one of the best real estate marketing ideas out there. Why? Because it enhances the visual appeal of your listings and helps potential buyers envision the full potential of a space.

This helps to increase the perceived value of a home and sell properties faster.

You can use virtual staging software for virtual tours to appeal to buyers online and those who may not be able to visit the property in person.

Virtual Staging AI provides an easy-to-use platform that allows you to upload images of a room and see the results of a fully-furnished space in seconds.

Virtually Rendered with VSAI

The best part? The room doesn’t need to be empty. The decluttering tool will remove the current furniture, and voila. The results are night and day. A bonus room with one lone sofa can quickly transform into a dream office or living room.

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Transform Your Sales Approach with Unique Real Estate Marketing Ideas

In the competitive real estate landscape, standing out from the crowd is essential. Implementing creative real estate marketing ideas is key.

Leveraging channels like email, social media, events, and referrals can help you build connections with potential clients and foster loyalty.

Other tactics like geotargeting, updating your Google Business profile, creating a content marketing strategy, optimizing your site for mobile, and virtual staging can strengthen your online presence and help you reach more potential clients.

Including high-quality content and visuals is also essential to successful real estate marketing. Virtual Staging AI provides high-quality visuals for real estate marketing at a low cost and fast turnaround times. Try Virtual Staging AI today for free.