Tips to empower your real estate marketing efforts every day.
By Donna Shryer
Marketing your brand involves a variety of strategies, from automatic, consistent emails to memorable face-to-face strategies. Here are quick looks at some of today’s most influential marketing practices. However you choose to market your brand, do it with gusto. “For me, the big takeaway is consistency and frequency,” says David D. Gilmore, CRS, broker with Coldwell Banker Morris Real Estate in Bend, Oregon. “If you aren’t dedicated to your marketing program, the door is wide open for your competition to move in.”
EMPOWER Your Emails
Build permission-based email lists to increase email visibility with subscribers. Permission begins with someone sharing his or her email address with you in writing. (No, handing over a business card does not count.) Without permission, people are more likely to report your emails as spam, which triggers spam filtering or blacklisting and may make it impossible for legitimate subscribers to receive your emails. Written permission is usually gained at your website with a pop-up box, a sign-up form under the contact menu tab or a link within your e-newsletter that takes the reader to an opt-in form.
Invest in email marketing automation software. Digital Commerce 360, which covers e-trends, reports that 33 percent of new email subscribers who receive a welcome message are more likely to become long-term fans. However, responding to every new lead is time-consuming. Perfect the process by filtering new leads through a marketing automation platform, which flows leads into your CRM and email marketing software.
Optimize your email campaigns for mobile devices. 2016 stats from the email analyst Litmus report that around 55 percent of emails are first opened on a mobile device. In addition, 75 percent of email subscribers are “highly likely” to delete emails that do not present well on mobile devices.
Add a GIF or other interactive element to your emails for a higher conversion rate. Interactive emails encourage users to engage with your email, such as clicking a dropdown menu for navigation to your website, taking a short quiz or enjoying an animated GIF. According to Email Monks, an email design and HTML coding company, emails with an animated GIF have a 26 percent higher click-through rate and a 103 percent higher conversion rate.
Provide prospects with valuable information by emailing monthly market reports. “All past clients want to know what their house is worth,” says James Daniel, CRS, senior broker associate at Coldwell Banker Residential in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “What you need to do is have an automated monthly email report sent to your clients, which keeps your name in front of them.” One app is Cloud CMA, which CRS recently teamed up with to help REALTORS® generate CMA reports.
FORTIFY Your Listings
Stay on top of leading-edge trends that can generate homebuyer interest. Rely on builders, remodelers, architects and interior designers for cutting-edge listing content before trends hit the mainstream. For example, yesterday’s energy-conscious homebuyers looked at appliances and HVAC systems. Today’s homebuyers have new energy-wise buzzwords, from an attic thermal energy shield to solar glass roof tiles that provide passive heat gain.
Take advantage of “coming soon” listings. Two days before going on the MLS, Lori Fontyn, CRS, associate broker, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Arvada, Colorado, pre-markets listings on Zillow and Trulia as “coming soon.” It works on the premise that homebuyers typically search online with fewer must-haves than they tell their REALTOR® about. During the two-day period, buyers see listings that their REALTOR® isn’t looking for, and once on the MLS, the REALTOR® won’t highlight these listings because of missing requisites.
Invite your sellers to get personal with their home listing. A Zillow study cites that a personal story tucked into a listing’s content increases views. Going beyond traditional listing text, a “What I Love About This Home” paragraph might mention space for the in-laws, a detached garage/workshop combo for “big-boy toys” or an artist’s dream studio flooded with natural light.
Focus on using professional-quality cameras for listing photographs. With better-than-ever smartphone cameras, it’s tempting to point-and-shoot. However, according to Redfin, a professional camera is still best for wide-angle shots, sharpness and light. Redfin reports that homes priced between $400,000 and $499,999 sold three weeks faster when photographed with a professional camera.
Find your sweet spot for listing photographs. Point2Homes, an online real estate marketplace, reports that a listing with 10 to 15 photos has the best chance of generating leads. Too few photos won’t hold a potential buyer’s interest and a flood of photos may decrease incentive to contact the listing agent.
CLIMB The Social Ladder
Write a killer social media bio. According to social media marketer Social Media Examiner, 90 percent of all marketers say their social media efforts generate more exposure for their businesses. When someone clicks “About” on your professional Facebook page, your “Story” needs to ring with authority, experience and knowledge.
Post a weekly two-minute video about your community. Mary Beth Eisenhard, CRS, REALTOR® and owner of The Eisenhard Group, Long & Foster REALTORS® in Gainesville, Virginia, posts a weekly video called Monday Business Spotlight on her business Facebook page and YouTube channel. “In the video, I introduce myself and ask the business owner a few questions,” Eisenhard says. “The business owner and my colleagues share the video on their Facebook page. My goal is to promote business owners, so they in turn will keep us in mind for referrals.”
Choose a social media management tool for consistent and strategic postings. Managing daily Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram posts are a time-gobbler, which is largely why RISMedia, a content management strategist for the real estate industry, reports that a mere 32 percent of real estate professionals devote quality time to social media—even though 95 percent consider social media essential. Social media management tools, such as Hootsuite, Buffer and SproutSocial, enable you to schedule all posts in one place.
Go Live! A major trend in video marketing is live-streaming, which lets you communicate via video with homebuyers in real time on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Consider live-streaming a virtual open house. Or, consider a live Q&A session for first-time homebuyers. Trending live-streaming apps include Periscope and Meerkat (both available on Google Play and the App Store), as well as Facebook Live.
TAKE ACTION With Videos
Post video presentations on your company website, business Facebook page and always on your personal YouTube channel to improve search rankings. Google owns YouTube, so the search engine tends to see YouTube videos faster. Also, YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google, with almost 5 billion videos viewed every day.
Invite home shoppers to take a web-based, virtual tour of the neighborhood. Today’s homebuyers are as interested in a property as they are with the surrounding community. When planning a video shoot, step outside the property’s boundaries and zoom in on local hot spots. Roll the camera as you stroll through the neighborhood—perhaps illustrating why the community consistently earns a high walking score. If possible, ask passers-by why this neighborhood is a great place to live.
Eliminate geographic issues with virtual reality (VR) headsets. If your listing is in San Diego but your client is in New York City, a virtual reality headset closes the 2,760-mile gap. The headset, often paired with a smartphone, is worn as you would a pair of goggles.
Handle all visual listing presentations in one fell swoop. HouseLens, a provider of real estate visual marketing services, unveiled an online marketplace where real estate agents can hire photography, video, 3-D model and drone tour providers from one central online hub. This allows REALTORS® to connect directly with local talent, request project quotes, put shoots out for bid and download content as its produced.
BOOST Your Website’s Power
Add a chat feature to your website. It feels like everyone wants immediate feedback, which makes a live-chat website feature worth considering. Forrester Research reports that the number of U.S. online shoppers who look for and use live chat hovers around 58 percent.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. If you don’t have a website specifically designed for smartphones, it’s time to consider one. According to the National Association of REALTORS® Real Estate in a Digital Age 2017 Report, 72 percent of home shoppers search for information at some point on a mobile device.
ADD That Personal Touch
Increase facetime with your clients. Never underestimate one-on-one engagement, says Anthony Clark, CRS, owner/broker of Clark Partners Realty Group in Fayetteville, Arkansas. “Long after a transaction ends, I stay in touch with clients by inviting them to join me for a cup of coffee, lunch or happy hour,” Clark says.
Try the drop-in. Eisenhard likes to tie client appreciation into holidays. “I pop by at least 50 homes the week before Mother’s Day and deliver flowers to our favorite moms.”
Set yourself apart with old-world, snail-mailed personalized cards. The SendOutCards website and app make it easy and fast to select a template online, write a personal message and then hand the project over to SendOut Cards, which prints, stuffs, stamps and mails everything for you.
Tie customer appreciation gifts to unusual holidays. There are a lot of wacky holidays out there, such as National Pancake Day or National Ice Cream Month. Send client gifts commemorating these holidays. You’ll stay top-of-mind while also enticing a smile from your clients. Check out Holiday Insights for bizarre, unique, special and otherwise different holidays.
Send past clients new listings in their neighborhood. People are always curious about new homes that go for sale nearby. “When I see a new listing pop up in the MLS in a client’s ‘hood, I send it to them personally,” Daniel says. “Then in the email, I ask how they’re doing. Real estate is a people business, not a tech business. The personal touch will always be important.”
PROSPECT For Gold
Tap into expired listings. Look for underserved markets, treat them with the best possible customer service, and they’ll be loyal for life, says Mark Frye, CRS, REALTOR® with RE/MAX Whatcom County, Inc. in Bellingham, Washington. “I personally call expires and FSBOs in my market. These are people who’ve expressed an interest in selling, but aren’t getting it done. And my competition in these areas is little to none.” Gilmore finds “tremendous opportunity” in the absentee owner niche. “These property owners rarely have an existing relationship with active brokers,” he says. “I reach out to them primarily through print direct mail, and listings follow.”
Host happy hours for homebuyers. To leverage their sphere of influence, Skye Michiels, CRS, principal REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty in Philadelphia, and his team regularly host happy hours for homebuyers. Invitations are emailed, posted on social media, phoned in and sent by snail mail. “We deliver a brief presentation on the homebuying process and answer questions—which gives us an opportunity to generate leads and strengthen client relationships,” Michiels says.
Meet with other agents to market your listings and buyers. Ginny Ollis, CRS, broker associate, with Woods Real Estate Service in San Diego, prospects by strengthening ties with her peers. “I started a weekly meeting for REALTORS® in 1983—and we still meet today. We pitch our buyers and sellers, discuss industry news and sometimes have a speaker,” Ollis says. “To help our businesses and our clients, we built a team bigger than any one brand.”
Join social networks specific to your area. Look for Facebook groups and Google groups specific to your market. Also check out Nextdoor (nextdoor.com), a private, localized social network. Present yourself as the source for local knowledge, real estate answers and current market data. It’s a strong opportunity to promote free, local events you sponsor—just be careful to not spam these social networks with advertisements.
Foster relationships with new businesses sooner rather than later. New, local, small businesses are always in need of word-of-mouth marketing, and as a REALTOR®, you know a lot of community members. In exchange for word-of-mouth recommendations, ask the business owner if you might offer clients a discount along with your recommendation. This way, you stay top-of-mind with clients, clients get a good deal and the business owner gains customers.
