The number of real estate agents in the market in 2016 has grown to 2.5 million. As of February of this year, there are over 190,000 active agents in California alone.
That means the market is competitive for buyers and sellers looking for real estate advisers.
Every day, consumers are inundated with marketing from agents and companies pitching their services and looking for their next transaction. The vast majority of these materials are not only boring but also totally ineffective.
So what can you do? How can agents take their real estate marketing and career to the next level?
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1. Be more than an agent; be an adviser
One of the main reasons that people hire a professional in any field is that the experts know more than they do.
In real estate, this is no different. Don’t be someone who just opens door; showcase yourself as an expert in the marketplace, as an adviser to their needs.
Push market statistics and neighborhood info, and show that you understand the process inside and out.
Information is easy to find in today’s world — you need to show that you know more than just the facts people can easily find.
Dominate an area by knowing sale prices and the details about every sale in an area.
Paint a picture of what it’s like to actually live in a home and in a neighborhood rather than simply pointing out the features of the home. Advise all along the way, and you will build clients for life.
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2. Give some thought to your brand image
The importance of curb appeal tells us that first impressions are oftentimes the name of the game.
Take time to think about and develop a brand image that represents the target you want to attract and is consistent among all your marketing, including social media.
If you focus on first-time homebuyers, for example, make your brand inviting, more youthful.
If the luxury market is more of your focus, look at what luxury companies are doing around the world and think about how you can represent yourself in comparable ways.
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Once you have this brand developed, push it in all your email campaigns, print collateral, social media, etc. Execute consistency in color, images, logo and everything that you piece into your brand.
3. Refresh your bio and presentation on review sites
Get rid of the cliche words that most agents use in their bio statements and showcase your personality.
Don’t be afraid to put your true nature out there in your social profiles and in other arenas where you display your personal brand.
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Building this personal connection can be a key component of quickly perpetuating a relationship with potential clients and getting complete buy-in from them.
4. Stop with the one-off, random ads and mailers
Your advertising needs to be part of a full campaign that features numerous touches to the people you target.
One-off ads have very little return on investment and are rarely worth the cost.
Developing full campaigns that address who, what, when and how you want to reach your target market is key to producing maximum results.
5. Develop interesting and beneficial calls-to-action that appeal to your market
CTAs or calls-to-action are an important part of getting people into your sales funnel and converting them into leads.
If you are not familiar with the term, spend some time researching how others implement these on their websites.
For real estate, some of the most effective CTAs are market statistic reports and off-market listing campaigns. These drive a strong amount of submissions comparatively.
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Think about what might work for your market, and test it out.
So few agents take the time to put a plan in place that will allow them to dominate an area. Stop being boring, and start taking your marketing efforts to the next level.
Gregory Kiep is the director of marketing at Charlesgate Realty. You can find out more about him at GregoryKiep.com or follow him on LinkedIn or Facebook.