One important factor in successfully selling a home, other than pricing it correctly, is marketing. What are some real estate marketing tips for home sellers?
Some real estate marketing tips for home sellers include online marketing through platforms such as Zillow and Realtor.com, as well as offline marketing such as open houses and postcards.
Sellers who are unhappy with their real estate agent often complain that they don’t think their agent is marketing their home effectively or doing enough to promote it. Many top real estate agents utilize various real estate marketing techniques.
Some of these real estate marketing techniques involve promoting a seller’s home directly, while others don’t. However, all of them have a big impact on the overall marketing of a seller’s home.
Components of an effective real estate listing marketing plan
First, as a small or medium-sized real estate agency, you need a listing marketing plan that makes a big impression.
Why? Because you need every dollar to count. Although brand identity is important, it is not the only factor to consider when trying to sell real estate. Consistency is also key to successfully selling property.
Building a strategic marketing plan will increase your chances of success tenfold. So, where do you start?
It’s critical to understand that every element of your real estate marketing ecosystem should be connected, typically in more than one way. You move your audience through the sales funnel by providing value and building trust.
To create a successful plan, you will need to start by understanding how each element works together. A diagram will help to show how everything is connected.
To create a successful marketing plan, start by setting a goal and measurable objectives. Your goal should be your overarching vision for the plan. A goal for selling a listing could be to sell it at a value above the market value.
The objectives of the campaign could be measured by the number of attendees at the open house, or by the number of emails or phone calls received from the direct mail campaign.
Creative marketing ideas for your listings
Now that we have looked at the real estate marketing plan as a whole, let’s take a closer look at some of its individual elements. Always look for ways to connect your activities to selling, and ways to move potential customers through the sales process.
1. Door-knock in the local area
Before your listing is published, it may be beneficial to canvas the surrounding properties. Your sellers’ neighbors might know someone who is looking to move into the area. They may even be interested themselves.
After you briefly describe the house or property, ask if they are interested in learning more about it. Make sure you leave a card with your potential client so they can contact you later if they have any questions or want to discuss your services further. Your card should have all your contact information and be easily accessible to the potential client so they can get in touch with you whenever they need to.
2. Post a “coming soon” photo online
You can start marketing your listings by previewing them online or on social media before publishing the full feature.
The best way to show off your property is to take an appealing and well-lit photo. Post it with a caption that drives curiosity and engagement.
You will need to think about when and where you will release more information so that this part fits into your marketing plan that is all connected.
What steps will you take to ensure that any initial interest is followed up on? You may want to consider asking your audience to subscribe to a mailing list so they can be the first to hear more.
3. Hire a professional photographer
If you want to compete in today’s real estate market, you need to have quality photos. In today’s competitive market, it is important to publish high-quality images to capture consumer attention, especially online.
If you want people to buy your product, invest in professional pictures that accurately depict your product in a positive light.
4. Use as many photos as possible
If you want your listings to be more appealing, include at least 12 photos. In fact, the more the better. You can use more than 20 or even 30 if you want.
It is advised that you take pictures of each room from different angles, as well as the exterior of the building from various viewpoints. Upload photos of the views from the front, back, and outside of the property.
Do whatever you can to help potential buyers see themselves living in the property.
5. Use video
If the majority of buyers and sellers prefer agents who use video, why aren’t more agents using it?
If you want to be ahead of the competition, offer video tours and 360-degree images or clips of your listings. If you do this, it will help you to stand out online and attract more interest. Additionally, it will help potential buyers to feel more familiar with the listing.
6. Be descriptive and emotive
Make it easy for buyers by including lots of detail in your listings. This will help them connect with the property. Look for opportunities to add character and memorable details. Use language that evokes positive memories and emotions.
Most importantly, remember that effective advertising copy does not just list the features, it sells the benefits. If you want to connect with your potential buyer on an emotional level, paint a picture of how good life or business could be for them. Help them envision a future in which they are successful and happy, and you’ll be sure to make a lasting impression.
7. Produce quality marketing materials
Don’t forget that there are other channels that are just as important. Whilst direct marketing in the form of flyers, brochures, letters or postcards sent to mailboxes or posted through doors may not be as popular as it once was, it is still an effective means of marketing. In fact, it can even yield higher results.
If you want your marketing materials to look professional, invest in high-quality paper and use professional photos. Keep your branding consistent across all channels to create a cohesive look.
When you want to include a call-to-action in your text, think about what you want the reader to do afterwards. Should they visit the website or call you directly? How will you move them through the sales process?
8. Feature the listing in your newsletter
To get the most exposure for your listings, use every channel you have available.
If your agency’s newsletter is managed well, it should be a direct line of communication to your most engaged audience. This means that there are potential buyers on your mailing list who are waiting to hear from you.
Make sure your listing is featured in the next edition to take advantage, and let everyone know where they can go to get more information. You should aim for a marketing strategy that is well-connected.
Social media
Real estate and social media work well together. As a seller, you should expect your real estate agent to be using social media to market your home.
Some of the social media websites that top real estate agents are using to help their sellers’ homes get additional exposure are:
There are not very many people remaining who are unaware of what Facebook is, or even better, do not have a Facebook profile. Facebook provides an excellent way for real estate professionals to reach many local prospective customers.
As a seller, it is important to use Facebook marketing to your advantage. Facebook is a powerful tool that can help you sell your home. Many real estate marketing plans include Facebook marketing, but it doesn’t always need to be focused on the newest listing in XYZ neighborhood.
The best real estate agents will have their own business page that is regularly updated with listings as well as high-quality real estate advice.
With Facebook ads, real estate agents can target potential home-buyers who live in a specific neighborhood.
If you’re selling a home, you can tell if an agent is using Facebook effectively by looking at how they’re using it. If there is little interaction on a business’s page in the of comments, likes, or shares, it is likely that the business is not active.
If you are thinking of selling your home, you should expect that your agent’s real estate marketing strategy will include Twitter.
While you’re unlikely to find a new home by searching on Twitter, the platform can be a great way to build up your local community if used correctly. When a person is recognized by others as an expert in their field, this is referred to as online “authority.”
One of the most common social media mistakes made by real estate agents is only using Twitter to post their newest listings.
As a seller, you should be aware that your real estate agent is expected to have a strong local presence on Twitter. Furthermore, they should regularly provide helpful information, not just listings.
The idea that you need to give something to get something is a good way of thinking for real estate agents who are using Twitter as part of their marketing plan to sell a house.
If an agent gives their followers high-quality real estate information, they are much more likely to contact the agent when they are ready to buy a house.
A seller’s real estate agent will often try to sell their own listings first, as these are usually the most profitable. However, a buyer from Twitter may be just as interested in the property.
High-quality photos are an important part of a successful real estate marketing plan. Pinterest is a great way for real estate agents to promote their listings and other content.
Although Pinterest is a great place to look for home inspiration, it is unlikely that you will find your dream home on the website. A potential buyer may be interested in a particular neighborhood or be looking for high-quality real estate information.
The best real estate agents will not only have great information about the local communities they sell in, but will also have useful general real estate information on Pinterest.
Pinterest is beneficial for real estate agents because it enables them to demonstrate their expertise to potential buyers, which increases the likelihood that a buyer will contact the agent.
LinkedIn is a great place for real estate agents to be active. LinkedIn can be a great platform for building relationships and credibility with local residents.
It’s important for your real estate agent to use LinkedIn to connect with potential local homebuyers.
LinkedIn has local groups for residents of any community. Real estate agents should not share listings on LinkedIn, but it can be helpful if they share information related to local communities or upcoming events.
An agent may not get buyers and sellers immediately from LinkedIn, but building their authority can result in future clients. Therefore, it should be part of their real estate marketing strategies.
Google Plus
The majority of sellers are not aware of or familiar with Google Plus as a social media site. Some top real estate agents are using Google Plus as part of their marketing strategy. Google Plus can be beneficial for a number of reasons, including the ability to connect with a wider audience and to create a more engaging online presence.
If you share something on Google Plus, it is more likely to be found by a search engine.
If a domain gets a lot of shares on Google Plus, it is more likely that Google will view it as a reliable source of information. This ultimately means that more buyers will be able to find a seller’s home through online searches.
Like LinkedIn, Google Plus is a site where people can connect with others in their area. There may be a few or dozens of local community groups in any city. Local communities present another opportunity for real estate agents to show off their expertise to the people who live there.
Side notes
To build an effective real estate marketing plan, you need to connect all of the different elements and components. Making connections with potential clients and guiding them towards your end goal will result in seeing consistent results and a strong ROI.
