The real estate industry is competitive. Like really competitive.
According to ARELLO, there are more than 3 million realtors in the United States—you may not need to compete with every single one, but there are still a bunch of real estate professionals vying for attention in your local market.
This is where a great real estate marketing strategy comes into play.
A solid marketing plan helps real estate agents connect with more home buyers, increase sales, and ultimately, put more money in their pockets.
Today, I’ll share everything you need to know to sell more, including a (metaphorical) truckload of real estate marketing ideas to experiment with.
Now, you may not do every one of these things on a daily basis—but take two or three of the ideas that fit your target audience, available resources, and personality, and you’ll see the new leads go from a slow trickle to a full-on waterfall!
Note: While the advice in this guide is geared towards individual real estate agents, there’s no reason why full-fledged brokerages can’t use these same strategies!
How is Real Estate Marketing Different From Other Types of Marketing?
Real estate marketing is the act of strategically promoting a real estate business and/or the properties the business represents with the goal of increasing sales.
Unlike selling a new pair of jeans or converting a SaaS client, real estate marketing requires getting to know your clients on a deeper level. You need to know what they want in a home or commercial property, and you might even be selling to two or more clients—or a whole family looking for their forever home.
You’re also likely to nurture leads for a long period of time. For example, you might interact on Facebook with a lead for years before they are ready to buy or sell their home.
In addition to being more personal, real estate marketing is generally more location-based. Most of your clients will live within a few hundred miles of where you work. That means your pool of potential leads is a lot smaller than a global company.
The tips below were developed with an eye toward the nuances of the real estate field. They’ll help you improve marketing efforts, generate high-quality leads, and increase the number of real estate listings in your portfolio.
1. Build a Well-Optimized Website
Every real estate agent needs a good website. Once you build yours, you can connect with potential clients on a platform you control, which means you can do whatever you want with it.
Social media, for all its benefits, is not an owned platform—and you can’t control the rules or changes they make. On the other hand, you can make your real estate website look, feel, and read the way you want—no strings attached.
What will you do with this freedom?
Here’s what real estate agent Guy Yarkoni did with it:
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Adapt your website to your ideal clients: in Guy’s case, this means adapting his website for luxury real estate.
Show visitors why they should work with you instead of the competition. Display your listings and share testimonials from past clients for more credibility.
Beyond just having a website, you’ll also want to lean into search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. This will help your website to appear in search engine results pages, like Google. Here are a few best practices to get you started:
- Optimize on-page elements such as titles, headings, meta descriptions, and URLs with your target keywords.
- Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and offers a seamless user experience on smartphones and tablets.
- Use clean, descriptive URLs that make it easy for both users and search engines to understand the page's content.
- Include relevant internal links to guide users to other valuable pages on your website.
- Link to authoritative and relevant external sources to support your content's credibility.
- Keep your content up-to-date and relevant to maintain its SEO value.
Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and staying updated with industry trends and algorithm changes is crucial for long-term success.
2. Use Local SEO to Drive Traffic to Your Listings (and Website)
Speaking of SEO, there’s a nuance to SEO that real estate agents need to understand—local SEO. This means going beyond basic terms like “real estate”, and digging into the terms that narrow the focus to your local area.
For example, you want your website to rank for terms like:
- “Real estate agent <your city>”
- “New homes <your city>”
That’s where local SEO comes into play.
Start by claiming your Google Business Profile and making sure it's fully filled out. This includes your name, where your business is located, your website, phone number, and hours of operation. As a real estate professional on Google, you can also add the services you provide, and the areas you serve.
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Once you do this, you can use your Google Business Profile as a place to interact with your potential clients by creating posts, responding to reviews, or even sending and receiving direct messages.
As you build this profile, and especially when get more reviews, you’ll have a much better chance of showing up when someone searches “real estate agents near me.”
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You’ll also want to include the city or metro area your real estate business serves on your website.
3. Create a Real Estate Blog
This is another great way to optimize your site for local SEO. Just pinpoint the specific keywords your target audience searches for, then publish articles about these topics.
For example, you might find that your potential clients regularly search for phrases like “How much does a home inspection cost?” or “Best neighborhoods in [Your City].” If so, write blogs about those topics.
This begs the question, how do you find the right keywords? Free tools like Ubersuggest and Google Analytics will help. If you really want to invest your resources in this area, paid tools like Semrush and Ahrefs will provide all the keyword-related data you could ask for.
At the end of the day, blogging allows you to drive traffic to your site, demonstrates your expertise to homebuyers, and builds trust with future customers. But it’s only one of the content marketing channels available to you. Let’s talk about another.
4. Create Useful Real Estate-Related Calculators
This real estate marketing tip is a little out of the box—but that’s what you need if you want to stand out. (It's also a strategy we use here at Close!)
Instead of just writing a blog post about topics like “how much house can I afford” or “how to save money for a down payment,” build a tool that can give users the answer! They can be gated to gather leads or SEO-optimized to drive traffic to your website. Here are a few ideas:
- Rent vs. buy calculator: Help users decide whether it's more financially advantageous for them to rent or buy a property, considering factors like rent costs, mortgage rates, and expected duration of stay.
- Property value estimator: Provide a tool that lets users estimate the current value of their home or a property they're interested in selling. This can help generate leads from potential sellers looking to assess their property's worth.
- Closing cost calculator: Help potential buyers estimate the closing costs associated with purchasing a property. Users can input information such as the purchase price, loan amount, and location to get an estimate of closing expenses.
- Property tax estimator: Provide a calculator that helps users estimate property taxes for specific properties or regions. This can be particularly valuable for buyers interested in understanding ongoing costs.
- Down payment savings planner: Offer a tool that helps potential buyers set and track savings goals for their down payment. This can encourage users to take actionable steps toward homeownership.
Here’s an example from Realtor.com:
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Creating these types of tools doesn’t have to be super complicated, either. Companies like Outgrow and Summit build custom calculators you can use to gather qualified leads—and deliver real value to your customers.
5. Build an Effective Email Marketing Strategy
Your email list is an incredibly valuable marketing asset, as it allows you to contact hundreds, or even thousands of people at once—at any time.
That’s one of the reasons why email marketing generates $36 for every $1 spent. Nice!
Of course, sending random messages to subscribers won't help you close more real estate deals. You need to take a strategic approach. These four tips will help:
- Keep a clean list: Don’t purchase email lists. Most of the contacts you acquire will be subpar, and emailing them could hurt your sender reputation. Also, clean your list on a regular basis to remove inaccurate addresses and low-engagement subscribers.
- Pay attention to your subject lines: If your subject lines don’t grab subscribers by the metaphorical lapels and make them think, “Wow, I need to open this email ASAP!” you’ll never succeed with email marketing. Keep your subject lines short and to the point. Then, spice them up with an element of urgency or curiosity.
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- Create must-read content: Your subscribers should look forward to your email marketing campaigns. So, send valuable and entertaining content. Update them on your local market. Show them real estate listings they might like. Link to your latest blog posts and testimonials. Do what you can to grab their interest.
- Message subscribers consistently: Lastly, make sure you reach out to your subs on the regular—like, at least once a month. This will help your target audience remember who you are and keep your real estate business top of mind.
There are plenty of online marketing tools you can use to email subscribers in bulk. Mailchimp is one of the more popular options. But if you’re going to invest in CRM software (which you should definitely do!), check to see what email marketing options are built-in to the software you purchase.
Psst… check here for our curated list of the top CRMs for real estate.
6. Get Active on Social Media
Social media platforms aren’t owned channels (meaning you’re at the whim of the social media overlords), but that doesn’t make social media marketing a waste of time. Real estate agents who use social media well can see incredible results.
How so? Networks like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are amazing lead-generation tools. If you post quality content that your target audience wants to see, you’ll build a following. You can then convert these followers into website visitors and email subscribers. This makes it easier to build trust or drive traffic to your listing pages.
Fortunately, social media marketing isn’t rocket science. Just do this:
- Craft quality content: Your social media posts have to be good. Share valuable information about your local area, tips homebuyers can use to qualify for larger mortgages, ways existing homeowners can earn bigger paydays when they sell, etc. Just remember that social media sites are very visual, so fantastic imagery is a must.
- Use hashtags: Hashtags are basically keywords for social media platforms. If you include the right ones in your posts, your content will reach a much larger audience. Research top hashtags in the real estate industry, as well as the ones competitors use in your local market. Then, add them to your social media posts.
- Engage in the social media community: You need to do more than just promote your real estate listings. You need to engage in the social community. Respond to the comments you receive, join local real estate-themed groups, and answer questions. Do your best to become a valuable resource for potential clients.
- Maintain consistency: Similar to email marketing, consistency is key to social media success. Post to your chosen platforms on a regular basis. If you don’t, your followers will forget about you and gravitate toward realtors who post more often.
One more thing: There are tons of social media platforms out there, and you should not be on them all. Choose a few that your target audience uses and focus your efforts there. It's better to excel at two or three networks than it is to be mediocre at seven or eight.
7. Create (or Optimize) Your Zillow Profile
It might be the bane of your existence, but Zillow attracts 212 million unique users a month. Which means it's worth it to play ball with Zillow.
A stellar Zillow profile puts your real estate business in front of a massive audience and helps you earn their trust. The best part is, Zillow profiles are completely free to set up and use.
Follow this simple guide to create your profile if you haven’t already. Just make sure to implement a few best practices: include a professional picture and bio, mention past sales you’ve made, and add your contact information. Then, connect your current real estate listings to your profile. Finally, monitor Zillow on a daily basis and connect with the leads it generates.
(Note: If you manage a real estate brokerage, or want to in the future, Zillow provides unique features you can use to set your agents up for success.)
8. Use Video Walkthroughs to Attract Buyers 🏠
Bring the house-hunting adventure right to your prospect’s couch with virtual tours and 3D walkthroughs. These tech tools let buyers wander through properties from the comfort of their screens. It's like house hunting in your jammies; no shoes required!
With 360-degree virtual tours and 3D walkthroughs, you're not just selling properties; you're selling an experience. Buyers get an up-close and personal look at the spaces, from the gleaming kitchen to the backyard BBQ spot. So, while you're sipping your morning coffee, potential buyers are imagining moving into their new home. Plus, it makes house hunting easy, fun, and convenient!
Tools like invideo make this process easy—you just upload your pictures and use their customizable templates to add branding elements, explainer text, and create videos that drive conversions.
9. Invest in Video Marketing
Video is the darling of the digital marketing world. Why? Because it works.
Case in point: 91 percent of consumers want to see more online video content from brands. As a real estate agent, you’re in a perfect position to capitalize on this trend.
For example, you can create video testimonials by recording past clients as they gush about your real estate services. Then, publish those on your website and social media.
You can also host virtual open houses—which have grown in popularity because they allow potential clients to view real estate listings from the comfort of their home.
You can also use video to educate your target audience as well. Post quick clips of yourself to Instagram and TikTok, talking about the real estate industry in your local market. Or host a full-fledged webinar to distribute even more valuable information. Tom Ferry is a well-known real estate coach who does this well, with over 500k subscribers on his YouTube channel.
But even if your audience is smaller, you can still post really good content that attracts potential real estate clients.
10. Run Paid Advertising Campaigns
All of the real estate marketing ideas I shared above will help you meet potential buyers and sellers organically. Want to speed up the process? Try your hand at paid advertising.
Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, as well as search engines like Google, feature advertising platforms, which you can use to promote your real estate business.
Choose who you want to see your ads, what the ad will look like, how long you want it to run, and the amount of money you’re willing to spend. Then, test the ad to see if it boosts your lead generation efforts.
Facebook ads can be particularly effective because the targeting capabilities are so advanced. Want to sell to 30-something-year-old luxury buyers, who live in Miami, FL, and own dogs? No problem. What about elderly couples who want to settle down in an affordable 55+ community? Easy peasy.
No matter which advertising platform you use, test your ads to make sure they work. Then, commit to optimization so they work better. Also, keep an eye on your budget. If you don’t, you’ll spend way more money than you planned to. (Been there, not doing that again.)
11. Give Away (Useful!) Branded Swag
Sometimes, the best way to make a lasting impression is by offering something useful—in the form of swag. Think beyond the standard branded t-shirts that no one will wear. Instead, think about items that potential clients will integrate into their daily lives, serving as constant reminders of your brand.
Want to make this truly personalized to your type of business? Why not send out common home items, like high-quality cutting boards, kitchen utensils, bathroom accessories, or storage boxes, all with your logo (and a business card!)?
Imagine—every time they whip up a meal, or when they’re packing up their belongings, they’ll remember the thoughtful real estate agent who helped them find their dream home.
Another option is to use a tool such as Canva Sticker Maker to create customized stickers with personalized phrases to thank customers for their business or referral. Use these stickers on thank-you notes, postcards, or closing presents to enhance customer connections and encourage repeat business.
Here’s a great example of a closing gift you can get on Esty:
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Consider keeping your branding minimal so your audience will use the swag long-term.
12. Partner With Local Businesses
Good news: You don’t have to do this real estate marketing thing alone.
Partner with other local businesses, combine your resources and skill sets, and help each other reach more of your target market.
For example, you can connect with local contractors and agree to refer your clients to them. In exchange, they’ll give your clients a discount, which will increase client satisfaction and the opportunity for word-of-mouth marketing.
Or maybe you partner with a local restaurant to create a city guide, which directs readers to your area's best neighborhoods, schools, attractions, eateries, etc. At the back of the guide, you'll insert a plug for each of your respective businesses. Then both you and the restaurant will promote the guide to your online (and in-person) followings.
You can even partner with other real estate agents in your market. Maybe you can start a podcast together to talk about the real estate trends, educate listeners on various real estate investing tactics, and promote specific properties you have listed.
(Note: This partnership strategy usually works best between individuals who serve different target audiences, or solve different needs. That way, you’re not competing with each other for leads.)
The only thing standing between you and an amazing partnership with another local business is your imagination. Dream up a few collaboration ideas and see if you can implement them.
13. Sponsor Local Groups
Sponsoring local groups or non-profits is a great way to stand out and support your local community. Depending on your area, this might mean donating to help build a local park, sponsoring a kid’s little league team, or donating to a school fundraiser in exchange for mentions of your business.
This real estate marketing strategy is good for marketing your business – and it may also have tax benefits, depending on which group you support and your location.
14. Host In-Person Events for Past Clients
Hosting events for your past clients can be a powerful word-of-mouth marketing strategy. These events offer an opportunity to express gratitude for their trust and support while also encouraging them to become enthusiastic ambassadors for your real estate business.
Consider organizing gatherings like client appreciation parties, homebuyer workshops, or neighborhood mixers. These events not only provide a platform for reconnecting but also create a warm, friendly atmosphere where clients can share their positive experiences with friends, family, and acquaintances.
Word-of-mouth referrals often stem from genuine connections, and when your past clients have a delightful memory associated with your name, they're more likely to recommend your services. So, don't underestimate the value of hosting events as a means to foster client loyalty and encourage those valuable referrals that will help your real estate business thrive.
15. Run Contests
Thanks to software platforms like Referral Rock, you can run contests that encourage people to talk about your business. Just set up a contest, promote it to your email list and social media followers, and watch as new leads pour in.
According to the National Association of Realtors, 67 percent of sellers find real estate agents via referral. So, you’ll definitely want to test this marketing tip ASAP.
16. Nurture Leads Long-Term
You’ve implemented the real estate marketing ideas above, and high-quality leads are pouring in.
Congrats! Now, it's time to make sure you have a reliable way to nurture these new leads. In other words, get yourself customer relationship management (CRM) software that makes it easy to send emails and schedule follow-up calls.
If you’re not familiar with this all-important business tool, CRM software allows users to manage leads better, communicate with prospects, and assess important sales-related metrics. With a CRM like Close, you can set up automated workflows that nurture new leads over time—set your own email, SMS, and phone touchpoints at set intervals to make sure those leads never go cold.
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There are a ton of real estate CRMs on the market, but some are better than others. This guide on the best real estate CRMs will walk you through all the options.
Win With Better Real Estate Marketing
Implementing the real estate marketing ideas in this article will help you better connect with potential clients, boost your property listings, and, ultimately, sell more homes. What more could a real estate agent want?
How about a tool that helps you keep track of leads and stay connected with prospects? A quality CRM will help you do just that. And there’s no better CRM for real estate professionals than Close. Adding our tool to your tech stack will help you track leads, build automated email campaigns, and monitor sales metrics.
Start your free trial of Close today and see why it's the right tool for real estate professionals.
