Like any other market, the real estate market has its ups and downs. Sometimes, the market is on fire, and it seems as if leads and sales just walk through your door. Other times, the market is tougher. In good times or bad ones, marketing for real estate is incredibly important. That being said, when the economy or real estate market is slower, it is even more important.
Thankfully, there are many proven strategies that can help a real estate agent survive, even in the toughest market. Here’s a look at some of those techniques.
Leverage Your Social Media
There is no question that there are absolutely incredible and easy ways that real estate agents can take advantage of social media. Of course, done wrong, social media can not only be a giant time suck, but it can hurt your image and make you look too desperate. So we should know a thing or two about some strategies used like apartment marketing solutions.
So, how can you use social media to your advantage?
- Set up a separate Facebook page for your real estate presence. While there is nothing wrong with leveraging your personal profile from time to time, you don’t want to overdo it – people who are interested in your listings or content can like your page. This is an easy trap for realtors to fall into.
- Don’t just use social media to sell. Instead, use social media to give out value-added content, like advice on selling, the best ways to present your home for sale, and more.
- Remember, these days, images rule. Take advantage of Instagram or Pinterest, and use those services to drive traffic back to your website.
When it comes to social media use and marketing for real estate, remember, you need to make sure that you create interesting content that contains great advice and keeps people engaged. This will ensure that people come back to you when it is time for them to buy or sell a house, or make a recommendation to a friend about the same.
Send Thoughtful Postcards
It is counterintuitive, but marketing in the real estate market often has nothing to do with actually selling. Instead, it is about making a solid connection with customers – or prospective customers – and making sure that they think of you when the time comes to sell your house.
One way to do that is to send postcards. These cards don’t have to be about home sales – in fact, they shouldn’t be. Instead, they should be about building a genuine connection with someone, doing something nice for them, and making sure they know that you value a relationship with someone beyond a simple sale. There are many types of postcards you can send. For example, wisepelican.com has fantastic and timely examples that contain positive messages. They also have a variety of templates that you can customize and personalize.
Whatever you do, remember, this aspect of marketing is about building a relationship with someone.
Be A Source of Information
As a realtor, you likely know a great deal about a topic that is hugely important, complex, and difficult for outsiders to understand. This puts you in a position where you can successfully use your knowledge to help other people.
As such, put yourself out there. Make sure that others know you are a source of information. How can you do that? Easy: Ask. You can leverage all of your networks – like your social media network – and make sure that people know you are available to answer questions. You should also make sure that you are using your social media to answer common questions and give advice. This will help position you as an expert in the field of real estate, and this, in turn, will help make people ask you more questions.
Additionally, it may be a wise idea to hold basic seminars or webinars. These can be on common real estate-related topics, like “Selling Your Home 101” or “Why This Is the Best Time to Buy.” Make registration free and no commitment. This not only enables you to be a source of information but can help you collect Email addresses that you can use at a later date.
Volunteer
Don’t underestimate the value of volunteering in your community. There are a variety of ways to do this, but the best is to find a popular non-profit that is relevant to you or your community. You can also join a local Chamber of Commerce and use those connections to give back to the community. Not only will volunteering enable you to do a good thing, but it gives you opportunities to network within the community at large. It is also a great way of getting your name out there.
Leverage Your Network
As a realtor, you probably know quite a few people, including customers, brokers, other agents, repair services, cleaning services, and more. That network can be very useful. When someone is looking for a recommendation, always make sure to chime in with someone you know and respect.
That person may thank you for a recommendation later down the line by returning the favor. Leveraging your network the right way also allows you to position yourself as someone who knows people. This will keep people coming to you, looking for help with their various projects, and that means that your name will get out there more.
Conclusion
Marketing can be exceptionally difficult during the best of times, but in a downturn, it can be a nightmare. That is why it is vitally important that you are always marketing and building relationships. This can help make sure you always have a steady flow of business – even during difficult real estate markets.
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