There is one very simple rule to remember when it comes to real estate marketing. It's not long, it's not complicated, it's really not more than one sentence. That rule is: the primary purpose of all your real estate marketing should be to generate real estate leads. It doesn't have to be your only purpose, but it should be your main purpose.
If your real estate marketing doesn't cultivate leads, it is most likely a waste. A waste of time, a waste of money, maybe even a waste of a good idea that with a few tweaks actually COULD generate leads. Whether you're at the beginning of your career or half way through it, if you're not making the kind of income you want, it is most likely time to start beefing up your marketing. The one thing about real estate marketing is that you shouldn't ever stop (with VERY few exceptions). Many agents stop once they feel they have enough leads coming in - that is the wrong way to go about things.
As a matter of fact, a slow period is exactly the time to start beefing up your marketing. After all, it means you don't have enough leads to convert into a steady stream of clients and income. Therefore you must make sure your real estate marketing is in full gear so that you will always have a full pipeline of leads to follow up with and convert into actual clients.
One of the easiest ways to generate leads with your real estate marketing is via your website. Since 80% of consumers go online to start researching a real estate need, it is important that potential clients in your area can easily find your website. But more importantly, your website needs to pull them in and give them a reason to leave you their contact information.
There are several ways to set up your site to generate leads. One of the most popular is to offer free home value estimates, which consumers can only get from you, or by paying an appraiser. By putting a simple form on your site asking for property and contact information, you can easily cultivate leads simply by offering a free CMA to visitors. Offering information they can't easily find on their own is always a good real estate marketing tactic to use to suck in your visitors.
Your website is just one type of real estate marketing you can do to generate yourself more leads. You can also pay for an online lead generation service to supplement your own lead generating tactics. This can save you time and the hassle of setting up various forms of lead generation online. One pitfall of these services however is that some lead generation services are giving your lead out to other agents as well, so you may be competing for the same client with three other agents.
If the internet isn't really your cup of tea, there are still many traditional real estate marketing tactics that attract leads. While many agents hate it, cold calling for a few hours every other day is a prime source for new, and often hot, real estate leads. Advertising your listings in local real estate magazines is also a great lead generating tactic. The only thing is, you have to make sure you leave OUT the price and MLS number of the home, or else interested buyers have no reason to contact you for more information!
There are plenty of relatively easy ways to market yourself as a real estate professional and generate leads. It is simply a matter of being willing to do some things you may not like, such as cold calling or manning open houses as well as working hard at the things you do enjoy about the process, such as helping a client to find a new home or walking a client through the selling process. The main thing is to always remember that the purpose of all your real estate marketing techniques should be to generate more leads for your business.
If your real estate marketing doesn't cultivate leads, it is most likely a waste. A waste of time, a waste of money, maybe even a waste of a good idea that with a few tweaks actually COULD generate leads. Whether you're at the beginning of your career or half way through it, if you're not making the kind of income you want, it is most likely time to start beefing up your marketing. The one thing about real estate marketing is that you shouldn't ever stop (with VERY few exceptions). Many agents stop once they feel they have enough leads coming in - that is the wrong way to go about things.
As a matter of fact, a slow period is exactly the time to start beefing up your marketing. After all, it means you don't have enough leads to convert into a steady stream of clients and income. Therefore you must make sure your real estate marketing is in full gear so that you will always have a full pipeline of leads to follow up with and convert into actual clients.
One of the easiest ways to generate leads with your real estate marketing is via your website. Since 80% of consumers go online to start researching a real estate need, it is important that potential clients in your area can easily find your website. But more importantly, your website needs to pull them in and give them a reason to leave you their contact information.
There are several ways to set up your site to generate leads. One of the most popular is to offer free home value estimates, which consumers can only get from you, or by paying an appraiser. By putting a simple form on your site asking for property and contact information, you can easily cultivate leads simply by offering a free CMA to visitors. Offering information they can't easily find on their own is always a good real estate marketing tactic to use to suck in your visitors.
Your website is just one type of real estate marketing you can do to generate yourself more leads. You can also pay for an online lead generation service to supplement your own lead generating tactics. This can save you time and the hassle of setting up various forms of lead generation online. One pitfall of these services however is that some lead generation services are giving your lead out to other agents as well, so you may be competing for the same client with three other agents.
If the internet isn't really your cup of tea, there are still many traditional real estate marketing tactics that attract leads. While many agents hate it, cold calling for a few hours every other day is a prime source for new, and often hot, real estate leads. Advertising your listings in local real estate magazines is also a great lead generating tactic. The only thing is, you have to make sure you leave OUT the price and MLS number of the home, or else interested buyers have no reason to contact you for more information!
There are plenty of relatively easy ways to market yourself as a real estate professional and generate leads. It is simply a matter of being willing to do some things you may not like, such as cold calling or manning open houses as well as working hard at the things you do enjoy about the process, such as helping a client to find a new home or walking a client through the selling process. The main thing is to always remember that the purpose of all your real estate marketing techniques should be to generate more leads for your business.
About the Author:
The author, Carina Healey has been in marketing for over 15 years, with an emphasis in real estate and financial services marketing. Her passions include real estate marketing, customer service techniques, internet marketing, SEO and copywriting. You can find out more about her professional experience from RealEstateMarketing.net.
