Will you even be in the business in 2022? There is only one truth in real estate marketing: it’s constantly changing. This means that if you’re trying to keep up with the changes, you will always be second-guessing yourself. For example, you may wonder if the marketing methods you used last year will still be effective in 2022. Additionally, you may question whether you’ll still be in the real estate business in 2022.
We asked some of the best real estate agents and coaches in the country how they are blending old and new marketing ideas to build their brands this year. Here are 17 clever ideas for 2022.
Build a Rock Solid Marketing Foundation
Your real estate business will be more successful if your online marketing funnel is good at attracting new home buyers. 44% of all home buyers and 99% of Millennials go to the Internet first when finding properties for sale. So if you want to increase your revenue over time, you need a professional website.
When looking for a home, buyers want to find one that meets their standards for quality. They will also look for a REALTOR® who they feel best meets their needs. Tools that help you stand out include:
- Branded messaging and images
- Responsive design
- IDX integration
- Blog content
- Lead capture landing pages
- Area pages
If you want potential customers to know who you are and what you’re about, you need to have a strong brand. Your website also needs to be responsive, so that it can be easily accessed no matter what type of device someone is using.
The IDX system allows members of a multiple listing service to access and display their listings on their IDX-integrated website. The system uses high-quality images to give potential customers a clear idea of what they can expect if they purchase a home from the website’s owner.
17 Outside-The-Box Real Estate Marketing Ideas
1. Publish a local market quiz on your real estate website.
The website BuzzFeed is known for hosting quizzes on a variety of topics. Why not quiz your audience on something they might be interested in, such as local trivia or historical facts? This is a great way to gauge what your audience knows, and you can even make the questions broader and unrelated to your market or industry. This is a fun way to engage your audience and get them talking.
If you want to gain the trust of your leads, you could create a quiz for them on the topic of buying or selling a home. This would be a way to show them that you are the ultimate resource for this information.
2. 3x Views & Engagement With Vertical Videos
It is recommended that people who are creating videos introducing themselves and their property should take up as much space in the frame as possible before cutting to footage of their listing. This has been shown to result in a threefold increase in both views and engagement. Additionally, taking advantage of the Reels feature on Instagram is advised as it is more likely to lead to prominent placement of the video in followers’ feeds and on the explore page of Instagram.
3. Film an explainer video that goes into detail about your agency.
Make your real estate business stand out from the others in your market by using explainer videos. Dress like Steve Jobs (may he rest in peace) and explain your services in a clear and concise way. Be like a political candidate and tell people why you would be the perfect person for the job. Or, take a page out of the “Arrested Development” playbook and make fun of those terrible 1-800 lawyer commercials.
4. Hire a $54/Month Marketing Manager
If you’re a busy real estate agent, it’s probably not a good use of your time to spend hours each day creating content for social media. In 2022, smart agents will use services like Coffee & Contracts to help their social media accounts get a boost from the pros while they focus on selling houses.
Coffee & Contracts is a service that provides users with everything they need to post fresh content on Instagram and Facebook on a daily basis, without needing any design skills. They also have scripts for creating viral Reels on Instagram, as well as a private mastermind group with over 4,000 agents. This service is like having a dedicated marketing manager for less than the typical daily cost of coffee.
5. Answer buyer/seller questions on your blog
An effective way to get ideas for blog content is to identify questions your target market is asking. Two tools help you find these lists of questions:
- Answer The Public
- People Also Ask
Answer The Public is a free tool that generates a list of questions based on your keyword search. For example, if you type in “los angeles homes”, the questions received from this search may include:
- Should I buy a los angeles home?
- How much is it to buy a los angeles home?
6. Work With Local Clubs to Create Special Events for Your Listings
Local clubs are always interested in new ways to promote themeselves so work with them to see what you can do together.
7. Develop a blog post or video series highlighting great area restaurants and entertainment.
While property prices, size, style, and features are the main things that modern home buyers think about, more and more people are also taking into account things like whether the area has plenty of places to eat and things to do.
Sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor offer reviews and details about movie theaters, restaurants, and similar businesses, but it can be time-consuming to sort through them to find a well-written review or the right information. That’s where real estate agents, who are usually well-informed about local businesses, come in.
You could create a series of blog posts or videos highlighting the best restaurants and businesses in your area for potential home buyers.
8. Order unique business cards that stand out.
You will always need business cards to hand out at in-person meetings and events. But, a boring card that only has your business name and contact information in small, plain font will not be remembered.
You should consider ordering some original business cards that few people have seen before. For example, ViralNova has some great examples of business cards that are unique and eye-catching.
You should research the best business card creation services and try to find one that will make you a distinct and memorable card. Marketing for real estate agents has become very competitive, so even a small touch like this can make a big difference.
9. Market Your Listings by Creating Videos That Sell a Lifestyle
Buyers are looking for that sense of community and connection that was so prevalent when we were kids. Homebuyers today are more interested in how a property and its surrounding neighborhood will make them feel on a day-to-day basis than in its physical features. They want to find a sense of community and connection, like the one they had when they were growing up.
Videos are a great way to get people’s attention and show emotions. We recently tried this and it worked great. We are now focusing even more on this concept.
10. Create a Detailed Listing Marketing Plan to Pitch Homeowners
If you want to get new listings, marketing skills are important to show potential clients. Having a comprehensive marketing plan will make you more likely to get hired. Check out the 47-point listing marketing plan below for more ideas.
11. Fine-tune Your Marketing Messages With Predictive Analytics
If you want to know which homeowners are most likely to sell their homes in the next 12 months, you can use SmartZip. SmartZip uses a predictive algorithm to identify which homeowners are most likely to list their homes for sale, giving you the ability to reach out to them in your farm area.
12. Post ideas and tips for homeowners, buyers, and sellers in Reddit.
Reddit is not just a website where people post random things. It has a lot of different corners with different purposes. For example, there are sections where people post things related to real estate. This can be helpful for marketing purposes, as people are already discussing topics related to buying and selling homes.
13. Create in-depth graphs, guides, charts, or maps.
Any good real estate marketing plan should include graphics. You can improve your Photoshop skills or hire a professional graphic designer to add images, charts, graphs, and other visual elements to your blog and social media posts. Make sure your graphics are valuable to your audience by explaining things like the best parts of your local market.
This infographic from Startup Seattle, an organization dedicated to helping local startups, provides a great introduction to the current startup landscape in Seattle.
You can also create less comprehensive, more humorous graphics, like the one from Kind of Normal’s Truth Facts comic. Home buyer and seller jokes may seem corny, but they could lead to more clicks on your website and more leads in your contacts database.
14. Capitalize on the popularity of the latest internet memes.
While you may see memes as a time-wasting internet trend, they can actually be used as a fun marketing tool for real estate agents. Memes are just now starting to become popular with agents and can be used to get a laugh from your audience.
As soon as you see a (politically correct and work-appropriate) meme online, think of a way to post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, or even on your blog. Creating a post titled “10 Feelings All Home Buyers Have During the Process” and filling it with memes could help you connect with your target audience.
15. Anticipate Emotional Seller Objections & Address Them in Your Marketing Materials
Benjamin Franklin said that if you don’t prepare, you’re preparing to fail. The same is true for objections that sellers might have about working with you. Instead of waiting to address these objections until you’re on the phone with the seller, address them in your marketing materials. You can create an educational video series or drip campaign explaining pricing strategies or commissions, or better yet, address their objections in your listing presentation before they can even make them.
16. Send Handwritten Notes
A handwritten note inside a mailed envelope offers your prospects and clients a unique experience.
In addition to using the home valuation tool, you can also send handwritten notes to any home valuation leads that did not enter their email address.
17. Create a referral system
As you work to increase your online presence and the number of leads you generate, don’t forget to get referrals from satisfied clients. The simplest way to get referrals is just to ask. Make sure your prospects have a smooth experience throughout the entire home-buying process, and then ask them if they know anyone else who might be interested.
If you want to encourage your customers to refer you to their friends and family, focus on providing them with helpful tips and content on a regular basis. This will keep you at the top of their mind when they hear that someone they know is looking to buy a home.
