Whether you work in commercial or residential real estate, it’s a relationship-driven industry. While some large-scale marketing investments are critical, thought leadership and credibility at the individual level are your top priority.
We recommend that you leverage these 10 key tactics as part of your marketing strategy:
Share Your Expertise on LinkedIn
Thought leadership is an ideal way to stand out from the plethora of other realtors in your area. To do this effectively, LinkedIn is your friend. Make sure your profile is complete and looking sharp, and share frequent content related to your city and industry with your own take, advice, or action item related to the article. Over time, people will begin to think of you as a source for timely and interesting content.
Bonus tip: Don’t forget about LinkedIn groups, but be sure you’re adding value to these conversations, not just selling your services to people who don’t know you personally.
Extra bonus tip: Write your own timely content to share.
Build Relationships on Facebook
No matter how you feel about Facebook, you can’t ignore it. Real estate requires personal relationships, and Facebook is the platform to support this. Your clients are browsing Facebook news feeds to connect with friends and family. Once you become Facebook friends, they’ll start seeing your name in the same place, and feel connected to you personally.
Take Advantage of Email Marketing
Email marketing continues to generate the highest ROI of all marketing platforms, but don’t rely on mass email newsletters. Be sure you’re tailoring your content to individual users.
Create Valuable Content
Share your expertise! Leverage blogs, articles, videos, case studies, and other content formats to demonstrate your thought leadership and build your credibility. Share this content on all platforms regularly.
Invest in Professional Photography
You know that photos sell properties. Don’t skimp on this. Make the investment in professional photography, and leverage that imagery long-term. Look for ways to repurpose it in other content formats, such as your website, social media, or email marketing programs.
Leverage Video Content
Video is the most highly-engaging type of content online. People move quickly, and their eyes are constantly online. Leverage video content to give them quick, easy-to-digest pieces of valuable content. Content could include tips on what to look for in a property, Facebook live tours, or a video testimonial from a satisfied client.
Connect with Others in Your Area
Community engagement and networking is the secret to success for many realtors. Check out your local Chamber and other organizations that provide opportunities to meet new people. Set a personal goal to hand out 40 business cards per week. Send out hand-written notes to your connections. Thoughtfully build relationships with other people, even if they themselves are not in the market right now.
Tap into Local Media
Speaking of connecting with others, your PR team and local media will be some of your best friends. Leverage your local media sources to share your expertise alongside local happenings.
Work on Your Online Reviews
When you have others talking about you, it is always more powerful than talking about yourself. Build this into your process to request reviews from satisfied clients. This can be in the form of Google reviews, Facebook reviews, website testimonials, or video content.
Don’t End with Closing
Relationships, relationships, relationships. This doesn’t end when the deal is closed. Build a solid process for ongoing relationships with your clients. If done well, they will become your best ambassadors.
When you combine these tactics, you’ll build a credible personal brand and develop long-term relationships that result in repeat clients and valuable referrals.
What did we miss? What else has worked for you? If you are ready to up your marketing strategy and need some help, let’s talk.
