If you are a new real estate professional, or even an experienced realtor looking to attract new clients, you might be feeling overwhelmed with marketing your business. 

With the vast array of marketing options and the rapidly changing digital landscape, you may feel unsure as to where to best place your time. Not to mention, real estate competition is fierce, and you need to figure out how to stand out from the crowd.

The good and bad news when it comes to marketing right now, is you have a lot of options. The question is — should you create a fancy website, dance it out on TikTok like your teenage niece, stick with traditional direct mail campaigns, or host an event in your area? The answer is “yes.” 

The most effective marketing program for a real estate agent in 2021 is multi-pronged. You need to develop a comprehensive online and offline strategy. There is no need to be overwhelmed though. Here is a guide to real estate marketing in 2021.

Table of Contents

• Have a Strong Online Presence
• Leverage Google Adwords
• Utilize Social Media
• Direct Mail Isn’t Dead
• Networking Is A Must
• Get Started With Real Estate Marketing

Have a Strong Online Presence

You must first understand that, according to the National Association of Realtors, 90% of home buyers start the home buying process online. Therefore, a strong online presence is critical to your success.

Start by creating a quality website. A website can serve as the hub for your business. Most of your marketing efforts should funnel through your website. Your goal is to make your website an easy place for potential customers to learn about the benefits of working with you. 

You can use your website to feature all of your available listings, your contact information, relevant real estate news, community information, and much more. Make sure to use excellent photos and video walkthroughs of your properties to help prospects see your listings in a favorable way. Make all of the information on your site socially shareable, so readers can share what they like.

You can also use your website as a powerful lead collector. Create a great offer like an ebook entitled, “The Top Ten Things Every Prospective Home Buyer Needs to Know.” Use this ebook as a way to collect prospects’ contact information. 

You can then send these prospects a regular e-newsletter chock-full of beneficial information like new listings, blog posts, educational materials, and community news on a regular basis. The key is getting contact information, so you can nurture a relationship with potential clients over time as you engage in real estate marketing.

You can drive more traffic to your website by creating a blog. You will want to offer valuable content on your blog that is SEO optimized with relevant keywords to drive traffic to your website. Make sure to make it easy for readers to navigate back to your site. Feature your contact information prominently throughout your blog and website.

Leverage Google Adwords

Use Google Adwords to increase relevant traffic to your website. With Adwords, you can advertise with keywords to a highly targeted group. You can use these keywords to market to people based on where they are in the home buying process. You can also use geographical targeting to focus on certain neighborhoods. 

Make sure to send the leads from an Adwords campaign to a landing page optimized for conversion. In other words, you don’t want to simply send visitors to your home page. You want to provide them the information they need based on where they are in the buying process.

For example, if you are trying to capture leads searching for Scottsdale real estate for sale, it will be useful to have a landing page with information pertaining to that specific search term. 

Utilize Social Media

You definitely can’t overlook a social media marketing plan when it comes to your promotional efforts. The question is, should you focus on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or TikTok? All of these platforms are a great way to brand your business, showcase your listings, get involved in your community, and engage with potential customers. 

The key is to pick platforms in which you can consistently add something of value every day — if not multiple times a day. Continuously delivering great value and engaging with your followers is the key to social media success. Each of these platforms also offer paid advertising features you might want to consider.

If you haven’t thought about using TikTok yet, you might want to give it some thought. TikTok is the newest platform that has caught the world’s attention and is 800 million users strong. TikTok users specifically login to the platform to share and consume content. TikTok can be a great way for real estate agents to tap into a new audience. To see how other real estate professionals are using TikTok, follow the hashtag #realestate.

Another way for you to use social media in your real estate marketing mix is to work with a local social media influencer. You could find an influencer in your area potentially looking for a new home. You could video a walkthrough of a few properties with him/her. When that influencer shares that content on their platform, you could potentially draw attention from a brand new audience in your area.

Direct Mail Isn’t Dead

With all of this talk about digital marketing, you might be asking yourself if direct mail is dead. But, you should know, direct mail is alive and well and typically boasts a high ROI. The key is to develop a mailing piece with a robust offer and a clear call to action. 

Real estate postcards can be super effective when they work in conjunction with your digital marketing efforts. You can create a call to action that brings prospects to your website to fulfill the offer and engage with your business. 

When choosing who to use for your direct mail needs, it’s important to choose a company that focuses on real estate. They should provide full-color templates that are easily customizable, no order minimums, and allow you to select a target mailing area.

Networking Is A Must

Do not overlook the power of networking in your marketing scheme. As the years go by, your network will probably be your largest source of business. It’s safe to say the number of quality relationships you have directly correlates to your success. 

Since this is a long-term effort, your focus needs to not just be on people looking to buy or sell now. Everyone you meet is someone who could buy or sell in the future — or, may know of someone who could be your potential client down the road.

Hosting an event, whether in-person or virtually, is a powerful way to establish yourself as a marketing guru within the community and elevate your brand. You could host or sponsor a community fundraiser as a way to get your name out there, connect, and give back within your community.

During these times, you might also want to consider hosting a virtual networking event. You could gather eight or so people who don’t know each other well to meet and connect virtually. How about hosting a virtual wine tasting? You could deliver a few bottles of wine ahead of time to each participant to open and drink during your event. Use your creativity when hosting a virtual event to make attendance for your guests really appealing.

As part of your marketing efforts, you don’t want to miss out on the times when you can have personal connections. Handwritten cards are still a great way to thank potential clients and various networking partners. And, when you close a deal, thanking customers with a beautiful basket to encourage referrals or repeat business is also a great touch. 

Get Started With Real Estate Marketing

This is an exciting time for you with lots of ways to market and grow your real estate business. To be successful in your efforts, develop a program that contains both online and offline strategies, stay consistent with the strategies you choose, and work hard to create and build a brand that powerfully tells your story.