5 Easy Real Estate Marketing Ideas That Don’t Break the Bank

Strangely enough, it’s true that real estate marketing is both easier and harder than ever. With the reach of social media and other digital tools that makes it easy to get your message in front of more people, you’ve got a leg up on all those real estate agents of yesteryear that had to pound the pavement, posting signs and billboards, as well as working their contacts for prospective clients. After all, you can reach hundreds more people from the comfort of home without even breaking a sweat. 

But therein lies the problem. Because it’s so easy and anyone can do it, everyone is doing it, and now the biggest problem isn’t reaching more people, it’s actually breaking through and getting someone to pay attention. Sure, more people may be buying and selling houses than ever, but they’re being inundated with more messages than ever too, which makes it vastly more important to reach the right people with the right message — sheer numbers just doesn’t cut it anymore.

And if you think your competition is going down — think again. Ever since the bottom was hit in 2012, National Association of Realtors membership is up over 40 percent to a whopping 1.4 million. That’s 1.4 million Realtors competing for a slice of the pie, as well as many other non-registered agents and others — and if you’re not busy growing your network, your piece will invariably be shrinking.

What you need is real estate marketing that works. Whether you’re full or part time, it’s essentially you against the world out there. The right actions can increase your standing, but the wrong ones can jeopardize your relationships, sending that great listing into the hands of your competitors — or, worse yet, into their own hands as they attempt to make sense of it all.

That’s because more homeowners are spending more time online, soaking up information before they ever engage with a real estate broker. In fact, the National Association of Realtors reports that nine out of 10 homebuyers begin their search for a new home online, not with a local real estate agent. 

If only you could leverage that thirst for knowledge into a steady stream of clients. With these real estate marketing tips, you can!

1. Ignore Social Media at Your Peril

Precisely because everyone and anyone is on social media these days, it’s important to have your own presence online. If you don’t, it’s like you don’t exist, and no agent ever made a sale by being inconspicuous. You don’t have to join every network out there, but being on the big ones can make a real difference. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram are all great platforms to amplify your message, but you’ll also want to avoid spreading yourself too thin. 

2. Emulate, Then Move Beyond

If you’re a new agent, it can be hard to know where to start. Everybody’s got to start somewhere, and there’s no better place to start with real estate marketing than to emulate the best. Take a look at other agents in your area and start evaluating what they’re doing. Are they on social media? How do they interact with others? Do they have a website? What’s their angle or the key to their success? You’ll get some ideas to run with, and after a bit you’ll start developing ways to go further.

3. Remain Easy to Contact

Whether you spend your time on social media or you’re building out a website to capture leads, you must remain easy to contact at all times. You never know when that great lead is going to come in, and if there’s any confusion around how to get in touch or how you work with clients, you may not get that all-important first touch upon which you can build a real relationship.

4. Develop a Memorable Business Card

While business cards aren’t quite as important these days with the ease of digital interactions, a business card is so much easier to hand out when you’re talking to someone in person. It should have your contact info, your social media and website, as well as a picture and any other important information. It may seem trite, but business cards do work whenever you’re out and about — and it only takes a couple seconds to hand one over.

5. Create Valuable Content and Share It

If you have any insight and knowledge to share about what you do or your market area, share it. But don’t make the mistake of giving it away. If it’s worthwhile information, homebuyers will jump at the chance to drop an email and zip to gain real insight into the home buying process. And the best part is that you can turn around and offer them tailored advice about their unique situation. After all, they’re looking for advice and you’re just the right real estate agent to give it to them.

Introducing ReadyToGoNewsletters

Here at ReadyToGoNewsletters, we know that it’s hard to capture attention and stick out amongst all the noise out there. Even if you have valuable things to say, who has the time to organize and compile it all, especially on top of showings, interacting with prospective clients and finalizing deals. That’s why we created our pre-prepared real estate newsletter — for real estate agents who want to reach out and keep in touch but they can’t find the time.

With ReadyToGoNewsletters, we give you a turn-key real estate marketing solution that allows you to keep up with everyone in your sphere without lifting a finger. We create and send relevant content to your subscribers, giving them useful information and an excuse to see if they’re ready to take that next step towards a sale. Click here to request a sample or join the many other real estate agents that leverage real estate marketing newsletters to help expand their real estate business.