When first starting out in the business of real estate, finding new clients and customers can prove to be difficult. Marketing can assist in reaching new clients and customers when done correctly. Continue reading below to learn more about five marketing musts for new, and even experienced, real estate agents.
1. Digital and Social Media Marketing
In the age of technology, a digital and social media presence is becoming more and more important. Many people spend their days browsing social media or the internet. With so many individuals utilizing these technologically based platforms, digital and social media marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reach new customers and clients.
In considering social media marketing, be sure to have a business profile for each social media platform. Some of the most popular platforms include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Utilize hashtags and keywords to direct people to your page. Ask friends and family to share your business pages to continue reaching more and more people.
Another method of digital marketing is to set up a blog and website. Promote this blog and website through your social media pages. Write posts that interest people and provide information that is relevant to people. This could include little known things about your city, housing trends, do-it-yourself housing projects and neighborhoods in your city. You could also encourage the search optimization of your website and blog by utilizing keywords.
2. Word of Mouth
Another very important method of marketing is through word of mouth. Any client you receive should be treated with the utmost appreciation and respect. Encourage friends and family members to spread the word of your new business when encountering someone looking to buy or sell a home in your area.
When gaining a new client, be sure to only utilize the greatest customer service skills. Treat each client as a person rather than just a potential sell. Continue the customer service with even past clients by sending birthday cards or regular newsletters about things happening in your area. Customer service skills make customers want to return to utilize your services again, which could include sending new clients your way.
When starting out in the business, it is important to remind friends and family members to mention your name when talking to someone who is looking to buy or sell a home. Give them business cards to give out to people, which you can give out to people as well, that has contact information for you on them for easy communication.
3. Get Involved in the Community
One of the ways to make potential clients appreciate you more as a person is to get involved in the community. This will give you a positive view for many of your potential or current clients. They will want to refer more clients to you when they see that they are a good person who cares about the community at large.
There are many ways to get involved in the community. One of the first ways is to give to charity. You could run a promotion in which a portion of the funds you make from a sale will be given to a charity of your choice. Another potential way to do this is to volunteer with charity organizations in the community such as serving food at the homeless shelter or taking care of a local park.
With any of the charitable things you do, ensure that there is good coverage. Make sure that there is a public relations agency that is willing to promote the good work you have done on your behalf. Some of the information they write about your charitable deeds could even be put on newsletters that you send out.
4. Direct Mail
As mentioned, it is important to keep up-to-date with your current and former clients. Send them birthday cards and newsletters about the happenings you have been doing or that your community is doing. You could also send out invitations to special customer appreciation days you are having if you so choose to do this.
There are ways to streamline the direct mail marketing process. Wise Pelican is a direct mail company that caters specifically to realtors. It allows you to create mailing lists that are customizable to you with all potential clients, current clients and past clients listed on it. There are hundreds of templates available for your use as well depending on what you are creating, whether it be an invitation, newsletter or birthday card, for example. There are no order minimums on anything, so order as many of whatever product that you need in order to effectively market utilizing real estate postcards.
5. Print Advertisements
When utilizing direct mail marketing, you could also engage in print advertising. Anything that you send out could have your logo or slogan on it. This is the same for any print advertising you do, however.
Print advertising is one of the oldest methods of marketing. You could have a promotion or information about your services put on a billboard, for example. Another method of print advertising is to create posters and displays. Have your name and picture out wherever there are locations available, even if it is on a baseball field fence.
Many real estate agents also utilize print advertising in the signs that go in front of homes to show that they are for sale or sold. Put your name, your company and your contact information on the page. When a potential client is driving by the home, they will call you directly for more information on it. This will increase your clientele as well as someone who becomes interested in the homes you are selling.
There are many ways real estate agents can market to build a customer and client base. One of the ways that implement into all five of the methods listed above is the direct mail method. This method will allow you to publicize your logo, publicize your social media, promote your customer service and spread the word to grow your business.
