There is nothing more exciting than signing a great new listing. But while some may think this is the time to celebrate, we put the champagne on ice and get down to work.
Representing a home is not just about having the listing agreement signed and putting it on the MLS. It is about finding the right buyer for the right home.
In doing so, there are so many facets of the home you will need to showcase on various channels in order to reach the right audience. Below we have outlined eight items we make sure we are thinking about when it comes time to make our ultimate marketing checklist.
Location, location, location
It’s true what they say in real estate that location is paramount. As listing agents, you will want to learn everything you can about the location of a new property to make sure that you are highlighting all the nearby amenities to potential buyers.
We always research the history, city services, schools, walkability factor and more. We want to make sure we sell the location as well as the home, and your marketing materials should include a comprehensive overview of all that’s on offer nearby. Try a local neighborhood map calling out the hot spots in a brochure or a fun Instagram story highlighting the region.
Get your (historical) facts right
As with knowing every nook and cranny of the neighborhood in which your new listing is situated, it is important to familiarize yourself with every single detail of the home. This will help when you show the home, but also when it comes time to create unique marketing pieces to showcase all the stand out features of the property.
Be sure to capture data including what year the home was built, any significant renovations completed and if they were completed by a well-known name, and check the title to see if there were any significant prior owners. This can all factor into the marketing and publicity of the home and add cache.
Think outside the box
For some homes, we include creating a brand for the property as part of our marketing checklist. Sometimes a home is deserving of its own branding suite including a custom name, logo, typography, website, coffee table book and more.
When thinking about what that brand would look like, we always incorporate elements of the home into the overall look and feel of the marketing materials.
For instance, we recently had a beautiful listing in Los Angeles that featured intricately patterned wooden elements throughout. We took this pattern and incorporated it into our logo and overall design to create a bespoke and relevant brand for the home to draw a buyer’s eye.
Lights, camera, action
One item that should be front and center on any marketing checklist is photography and videography. It’s so important to be able to showcase the home in the best possible light and to truly capture the essence of the property and the lifestyle that it would afford the new owner.
If the home is already staged, we make sure that it is impeccable from floor to ceiling ahead of the shoot day and add elegant touches including florals and other accessories. If a home is not staged, we spend time with the owner to get it just right or work with a staging company.
We include daytime and evening photography to show how the home looks at both times of day. Finally, we curate a selection of photos and create a video that will help elicit interest and showings.
Social media strategy
An absolute must-have on any marketing checklist is a social media strategy that is ready to deploy across all platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok.
When the time is right, we launch the listing on social media utilizing post and story features and continue to post photos throughout the term of the listing.
This is where you can utilize all the unique elements you gathered about the location and history of the home, any publicity garnered, great photography and videography.
Interactive ideas
A great way to really capture the minds and hearts of potential buyers is to take your social media strategy to the next level and include interactive elements.
We do Instagram live tours and invite our audience to participate in Q and As with us to further promote the property on social media.
Our goal is to make the audience feel that they are there and literally walk them through the property and answer questions and share exciting elements about the home as we go.
Broad advertising outreach
A well-rounded marketing plan will include an advertising plan that incorporates a variety of media forms across a broad geography. We make sure we include print and digital media in our marketing campaigns and incorporate a mix of local, national, and international platforms.
Connections are key
Once you have created all your marketing content and have strategic plans in place, it’s time to start sharing the listing with your sphere of influence.
One of the major components and always our first step in networking and sharing the listing, is spreading the word amongst our colleagues. If we know an agent is representing a buyer looking within our price point, even if it’s in a different area, we make sure they are aware of the property and share with them all the pertinent information.
We also like to share with our curated list of past clients, friends, family and all relevant parties. Be sure to always keep your lists up-to-date as your sphere of influence is always an important first step in showcasing your new listing.
There are many facets and avenues you can explore when creating your ultimate marketing checklist and each approach should be tailored to the home you are representing.
Having the above eight tactics on your must-do list is a great place to start building out a strategy that is unique and captivating when it comes time to list a property.
David Parnes is a director at The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram. James Harris is a director at The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram.
