Real Estate Marketing – Real Estate Worldwide

Success in real estate is all about marketing. So which are the best forms of real estate marketing to use now?

TYPES OF MARKETING FOR REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Real estate agents, investors, mortgage companies, and other professionals all share many of the same types of marketing. The main difference between advertising and lead generation for these professionals and businesses is the disclosures required for licensees. Realtors may also have some additional channels open to them such as the MLS, Zillow, and other websites and other agents. All of the following options can be utilized by all individuals and companies in this industry.

The First & Most Important

Regardless of what your role is; agent or investor, there is one common first and most important marketing task to tackle. This is aside from determining your naming and branding which should be top priorities before launching your marketing plan.

If you are new to real estate, or have skipped this step; get on it now. Use your sphere of influence and the buzz about you getting into the business to gain traction. You’ve only got one opportunity to be new.

Your first real estate deals typically come through those you know, so why delay getting paid? Why ignore your biggest fans? Send them cards and letters, direct message them, invite them to sign up to your email lists, roll out some PR, and seriously consider a launch party.

Get that buzz going and load up your pipeline with leads even before you hit the ground.

Print & Mail

Print and direct mail continues to be among the core staples of real estate marketing for real estate professionals. For some this may seem old school. Yet, there are two powerful factors to remember here. First; because so many of your peers are focusing on cheap online marketing there is less competition in the mail box and in magazines. Secondly consider that direct mail and magazine ads continue to be one of the top choices of marketing for the largest banks and multi-billion dollar funds. They have clearly done their homework, and have probably spent millions on researching whether this is still a good avenue. It is.

With more vacant homes out there, more fund and bank owned homes, and an increase in out of area owners, buyers, and investors, direct mail and even print advertising can be one of the few ways to target your best prospects directly.

Also, take advantage of the SMART system – an online real estate database that integrates mailing of leads through its discounted mail house and proven direct mail letter templates with multi-touch campaigns (ready-to-go). Click Here for more information.

REAL ESTATE SIGNAGE & FLYERS

Next to direct mail signs and flyers are two of the most common forms of real estate marketing that you have probably witnessed in action.

Flyers offer one of the most affordable and versatile forms of marketing available to new investors and agents. This is a great way to put real guerrilla marketing tactics into play. Be bold with them. Pin them up at local coffee shops and sports clubs, leave them on the subway, place them in local businesses along with your business cards, pass them out, leave them on tables where you go, and see how much they cost to include in local community newspaper.

There are endless options when it comes to signs for real estate marketing. Bandit signs may be the most obvious for investors. You’ve seen those “we buy houses for cash” signs around town. They may not suite every neighborhood and you may burn through a few of them, but bandit signs can be incredibly rewarding. They are inexpensive and the ROI is insanely good.

Those serious about dominating their markets will go even beyond the classic yard sign and bandit signs. This might include bench ads, subway advertising, billboards, and even car wraps. Data shows that some types of signs can be among the top choices for ROI. Just make sure you do the math carefully to create a sustainable budget.

Your Phone

Today voice is just one of many ways we can use our phones in real estate marketing. Video is becoming an increasingly important tool. Then there is text and SMS messaging. Text messages have incredibly high open and response rates. Sending bulk texts can be a very efficient way to reach numerous prospects instantaneously, no matter where they are.

Then there is social, mobile apps, and mobile ads.

REAL ESTATE WEBSITES AND EMAIL MARKETING

Online marketing really should just be called ‘marketing’ today with as much time as we spend connected. There are many types of marketing and advertising in this category. Two of the most popular continue to be real estate websites and email marketing.

Real Estate Websites

Having a website continues to be a must. Without a website real estate players and companies just don’t have any credibility. It’s as if they don’t exist. Website design trends and what consumers expect from them change every few years, and it’s good to be up to date, but you don’t want to be caught without a website. Real estate websites have become less expensive and faster to put up too. So make sure you have one.

Your real estate website is the hub of your business. It’s where many of your leads will comes from, how you’ll stay in touch with past clients, and receive referrals. It’s where you build lists of contacts and clients and financiers and business partners. It is a key tool in automating your business, closing more deals, and doing so profitably.

Email Marketing

Email marketing continues to be one of the most important tools in real estate. It is very affordable, can deliver substantial returns, is easy to manage, and can be scaled almost effortlessly. There isn’t much difference in the time, cost, and effort required to send 10,000 emails compared to just 1. That can’t even be said about cold calling or sending postcards. It’s fast, flexible, and makes follow up marketing a breeze. Obtain lead lists or build them by attracting new subscribers, then plug in a strong series of emails to go out until they become clients, and ultimately repeat clients and referral partners.

Social Media Marketing

From Twitter to Google+ to LinkedIn and Instagram there are many different social media networks that we’re plugged into every day. Some people are more engaged in the social media than email or using their phones for calls. Implemented well social media can provide real deals, and lots of them. It appears that social is only becoming more important as time passes too. Social provide separate platforms for building and communicating with different audiences, and getting them to help you spread the word. Post videos, text updates, images, even run live video feeds, post polls, and unleash paid ad campaigns.

Real Estate Blogging

Running a real estate blog is one of the best power tools for agents, investors, and other independent professionals and businesses in this industry. It is often undervalued, but can deliver far more benefit than most ever realize. If your real estate website is the heart of your businesses, your blog is the heart of your website. It connects everything together from offline marketing to email campaigns and social media. And this is still a channel which can give individuals a significant advantage in the marketplace. Use your blog to feed and support your other marketing efforts, and to convert more leads and gain more visibility.

In Person Marketing

Real estate is still a people business. Technology can make you and your team far more effective and efficient, but there are always opportunities to connect in real life too. The more connections you can make, and the strong you build those relationships the better your business will thrive.

There are many ways to connect face to face today. Attend local meetup groups, real estate networking events, investors clubs, tradeshows, expos, conferences, seminars, mastermind groups, holiday events, and open houses. Be creative and try to network every week.

The Key to Getting More from Your Real Estate Marketing

Remember the 80/20 rule to consistently get more out of your real estate marketing. There are literally hundreds of types of real estate marketing tasks that can help. Just remember that 80% of your results will come from just 20% of your actions. In fact, that may even be a 90/10 split today. The more you can automate and systemize, the more you can spend your time simply focusing on the tasks that are putting the most dollars in your pocket. Let technology or assistants do the busy work for you. This will give you the maximum return on investment on your time and marketing. Then simply keep scaling your marketing and grow your income and wealth.