As a brand new real estate agent, you’re learning a lot at a fast pace. It can be tough to nail down exactly what you need to do and what you should let go until you get a little more experience.
To help you sift through the many strategies you’ll see, we’ve narrowed down a few tips and highly underutilized marketing tactics to help you stand out in your first year as an agent.
Get a personal website
Most agents think of their personal websites as a place for clients and prospects to search for homes. It’s nearly impossible for an individual agent to create the same user experience on his or her site to match a page like Zillow.
Instead, focus on making your personal agent website a place clients and prospects will actually visit and use. And you do this by generating great video and written content to your site and promoting it through your social media channels including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Medium.
This way, you build direct relationships with your audience through engaging content not just post about newly listed homes or upcoming open houses.
Leverage influencers
Influencers might sound like people who have millions of followers on their social media accounts, but they don’t have to be. They can be anyone who fits the profile of your ideal client, regardless of the number of social media followers they have.
This strategy is perfect for your first few clients after you’ve given them a super memorable experience.
When they share the awesome experiences you created for them on their social media, it’s an amazing form of advertisement for you as a new agent. With their permission, you can even use their post to run targeted Facebook ads to reach an even bigger audience.
Create Facebook ads
Facebook gives you the ability to reach a very specific target audience for your ads. Not only can you target by the typical demographics like age, gender, location, but now you can even identify people who are likely to buy, sell or move based on the site’s extensive algorithms.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Use Canva to create an eye-catching graphic to promote
- Create carousel ads to show multiple properties or rentals in one ad
- Promote open houses with Facebook ads
- Post a promotion like part of your commission going to a local charitable organization
- If you work out of a nice office, post behind-the-scenes photos of your office and its location
Always remember to promote these as ads on your Facebook business page — not your personal page.
Craft Facebook Messenger campaigns
Many people don’t feel comfortable giving out their email in exchange for free content anymore. Even when they do, there’s a good chance they’ll either ignore or immediately unsubscribe from marketing emails. It’s called “email fatigue,” and it’s a real thing.
Marketing campaigns through Facebook Messenger, on the other hand, can deliver big results. With over a billion people using Facebook Messenger every month, you can be sure your ideal customer is definitely on there.
Here are a few articles to help you get started:
- The Facebook ad campaign that won’t let leads forget you
- How to grab your ideal clients with Facebook’s target audiences
- How to build (and use) a Facebook Messenger chatbot for real estate
Shoot lots of video
It’s all about creating interesting content people actually want to engage with. Don’t be like every other agent who just talks about the latest listings and open houses.
Instead, tell stories that people actually want to read, watch or listen to. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Do a two-minute video to inform your audience of the worst potholes in the neighborhood
- Interview local small business owners
- Tour various schools in your neighborhood (arrange a meeting with the headmaster or principal to make it even more engaging)
- Run a Facebook Live webinar to answer real estate questions
Keep in mind, once you create a video, it can easily be repurposed. You can write a blog post about it, shoot a Facebook Live video hyping it or even post a couple snippets on your LinkedIn page.
Invest in a videographer
It can be intimidating to pull out your phone and start recording video of yourself. However, it’s a lot easier when you have someone else shooting the video.
If you’re familiar with Gary Vaynerchuk, you probably know his awesome videographer David Rock (aka DRock).
You don’t even need a full-time videographer initially. With a little networking and patience, you can find the right candidate to help you on a part-time basis one or two days a week.
Try speaking with the admin staff at your local film school to see if a student there would be interested in an internship with you.
Send modern handwritten notes
A common tip for agents in all stages is to send handwritten notes to clients and prospects. It’s super memorable. For advice on creating the best handwritten notes to keep in touch with clients and generate leads, check out:
- 12 thank-you notes guaranteed to generate real estate leads
- Dear real estate: A little pen and paper goes a long way
Yes, it’s true that people love receiving handwritten notes. But let’s face it, sometimes it’s a big hassle to go out and buy a card, find a stamp, write a nice note in your best handwriting, find an envelope and then go out of your way to find a mailbox to actually mail it.
Luckily, I’ve found a better solution: the Felt iPhone app. This awesome app lets you create a personalized card with a photo and handwritten note on it. You can even handwrite the address on the envelope using the app.
Once you’re happy with the way everything looks, Felt will mail it out for you. Simple as that! You can even add flowers, chocolates or gift cards all with just a few taps of your phone.
A good digital marketing strategy can act as a catalyst to your new real estate business. Being consistent and regular in your digital marketing strategy will help you to increase your visibility.
Remember to be authentic with any of these strategies. It’s a long-term investment, but once you establish your online presence, you’ll build a reputation for yourself that’ll take you much further than other agents.
Shayan Jalali is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Boston. Follow him on Facebook, or connect with him on LinkedIn.
