As realtors, you lead small-but-mighty teams. So it makes sense that between juggling phone calls, showings, and paperwork, it’s easy for marketing to fall by the wayside despite its importance to real estate success. Ultimately, you need simple yet effective ways to market your business and keep prospects flowing.
In this post, you’ll learn 10 straightforward and creative strategies to increase traffic to your listings and your website, including upgrades to your branding, design, content, and more.
1. Go mobile
We live in an increasingly mobile world, so it makes sense that home buyers spend time looking at home listings on the go. By designing a user-friendly mobile site, you can give prospective buyers a top-notch user experience that stands out from your competition and makes them more likely to choose your business.
Having a mobile-optimized site is also better for your search engine rankings in general. Google has begun rolling out mobile-first indexing, meaning that no matter how good your desktop site is, a poorly designed mobile site can still hurt your rankings. Better SEO means better chances of both buyers and sellers finding your website. Designing a mobile-friendly website is definitely an investment, but your business will benefit in the long run.
2. Build branding around your market
It goes without saying that knowing your target demographic is important for digital marketing, but it’s also crucial for building your brand and credibility. Let’s say you sell properties in a trendy city that attracts creative millennials. You don’t want a busy, outdated website that skimps on good design. Instead, go for something sleek, simple, and easy to navigate that highlights the features millennials care about most. Then, be consistent across all your channels.
Citi Habitats is a great example of effective real estate branding. They cater to millennials in New York City, so their website features sleek design and photography that emphasizes trendy urban living. Even better, they make it easy to find resources whether you’re buying, selling, or renting.
3. Upgrade your photography
Long gone are the days of low quality, pixelated flip phone cameras. People are used to creating high quality photography on their smartphones, so low quality images on your website won’t stand out from the crowd. It may be a small investment, but high quality photography can make all the difference in showing off your properties. You don’t necessarily need to hire a professional, but consider investing in a quality camera and taking some beginner classes.
When taking photos, think about the key features each property has and center your photography around flaunting them. For example, if your property boasts a spacious deck, don’t take a picture of it in the daytime. Instead, add some warm lighting and wait until dusk. It’s the difference between this:
And this:
These two similar decks look completely different just from adding lighting, changing the angle, and waiting until dark to take the photo.
4. Go for video
Video content is an extremely effective way to get prospects interested in your properties. In fact, listings that include video boast a 403 percent increase in inquiries than listings that don’t. A video tour of a property offers a better feel for the layout and size than does looking at photos alone, and it makes it easier for prospective buyers to imagine themselves making it their home. You can also emphasize the features of the property via voice narration or text overlays.
For inspiration, check out this cinematic masterpiece of a property tour from Woodley. Not only does this high-definition video emphasize the beauty of the home, it also highlights key features like a heated garage, saltwater pool, and Brazilian teak flooring. But perhaps most importantly, the video employs a cinematographic perspective that makes the viewer feel like they’re right at home.
Pro tip: If you’re posting video to social media, upload the file directly to the social media site whenever possible. Social media algorithms tend to favor content that keeps users on their site, so use your judgment when linking out to YouTube or other video hosting sites.
5. Put the ‘social’ in social media
You may find that simply posting listings on your social media channels doesn’t earn the engagement or results you’re looking for. Think of it like a conversation: if you only talk about yourself, the other person will feel disinterested and disengaged. Social media is no different.
In addition to posting to your accounts, join real estate interest groups on social media — or create some of your own. This is a much more effective way to talk to real people and build relationships, as opposed to sending out content to the nameless users you’ll see as numbers in social media analytics tools. You can establish yourself as an industry and area expert, allowing you to build trust and clientele in the process.
6. Use listing websites strategically
Websites like Zillow and Trulia have a bit of a bad rap, but when used strategically they can help bring interested prospects to your website. Some buyers may look for properties before they look for realtors, so listing websites can actually be an effective way to get in front of these buyers.
The goal is to use listing sites to find buyers who have expressed interest in a specific property. If they click through to your site, they’re probably interested in learning more. To help facilitate clicks to your site, make sure you provide detailed information about the property and plenty of photos.
Additionally, ensure that when the buyer clicks to your website, they land on a relevant page. This could either be a landing page for that specific property that includes additional photos or videos, or it could be a contact page to schedule a showing.
7. Don’t leave prospects hanging
When it comes to real estate, chances are there’s only a handful of people on deck to help—or it’s just you! Given such a small team, it’s understandable that you’d be unable to answer or return every phone call, but that doesn’t mean you have to let those prospects fall off the radar.
Enter, call tracking software. Call tracking is a simple and inexpensive way to score your phone call leads and make sure nobody falls through the cracks. With CallRail in particular, you can use Automation Rules to analyze your voicemails and determine which leads need follow up ASAP. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg — check out these call tracking tips for real estate to learn more about what you can do with call tracking.
8. Have a way with words
Which sounds more appealing, “Beach front home, must sell” or “Beautiful beachfront home that makes every day a Mediterranean vacation”? Words matter, and they’re especially important for attracting buyers to your listings.
Instead of focusing on highlighting every feature, focus on the ones that stand out or are unique (e.g. beachfront property, granite countertops, original wood flooring, etc.). But above all, paint a picture of what it feels like to live in the property. Give prospects imagery that enables them to envision themselves making your property their home.
9. Get involved in your community
You’re in the business of buying and selling homes. By nature, this involves a degree of community-building, but you can take it a step further by sponsoring community events. It’s a way to genuinely give back to your community while also promoting your brand.
The creative potential is endless, but here are some examples to get your gears turning:
- Sponsor a little league team
- Host a tour of homes
- Host a happy hour for new residents to your city
- Sponsor a DIY craft event with local artisans
- Host a historic tour of your city (check out Manhattan real estate agent Jeff Goodman’s tour)
10. Stay top of mind after closing
It’s easy to fall off past clients’ radars after closing, but don’t forget the importance of referrals for generating traffic to your listings. By maintaining strong relationships with past clients, you can stay top of mind and increase your chances of a referral. To do this, give past clients a reason to continue following you on social media and staying in touch.
Here are a few creative ideas:
- Thoughtful housewarming gifts — It’s not uncommon for realtors to send housewarming gifts, but you can make yours more personal than a bottle of nice wine. Pay attention to details in the buying process to give your client a gift they’ll remember. For example, if your client mentioned they plan to fill the house with greenery, get them a unique house plant from a local nursery.
- Content — Share content to your social media channels that recent home buyers would find useful. Think: DIY projects, renovation tips, decor inspiration, etc.
- Warm fuzzies — People love feeling special, so remind your past clients that you’re thinking of them. You can send well wishes on major holidays and special occasions. If you’re friends on social media with past clients, you could send a small care package for major life updates, like having a baby, getting married, or even adopting a dog.
