Most Real Estate Agents need help with marketing whether they realize it or not. This hasn’t changed in the 30 plus years
I’ve been buying and selling property and although I haven’t bought or sold anything for a few years, it hasn’t changed. I put together these 5 marketing tips to help real estate agents differentiate themselves from other real estate agents, grow their database and automate the whole process.
I recently took up cycling again after a 25 plus year hiatus…It’s been fun but a challenge. Since I do not have quite as much energy as I did 25 plus years ago and am not a total die-hard, driving cyclist my rides have been a little more leisurely- usually on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Along the way, I’ve taken advantages of open houses and have used them as an opportunity to rest for a few minutes and wander through houses in new neighborhoods.
To my disappointment most real estate agents still do not know how to differentiate themselves or tailor a marketing plan to their prospective clients, are terrible at follow-up and do not sue technology to automate the process.
If you are a real estate agent and want to distinguish yourself from all the others here are 5 tips that you can implement and will set you apart from the others.
1. Know what Buyer Personas you are targeting.
Whether a first time buyer, first time seller, high-end buyer, high-end seller, commercial or residential real estate investor, each is unique. The more you customize your message and approach to appeal to each buyer persona, the more likely you will connect with a higher percentage and increase sales.
2. Create at least 2-3 killer USPs that will appeal to your Buyer Personas.
Some USPs may overlap and others may be specific to the buyer personas you are going after. The USPs have to blow people away and set you as far apart from what your competitors offer that the decision to use you is a no brainer for your prospective clients.
3. Have a system in place to conduct a follow-up campaign.
Recognize that only a very small percentage of people you come in direct contact with are ready and interested in selling or buying. Make it a point of collecting email addresses and names ta minimum and if possible addresses and phone numbers. Remember, social media sites will come and go, but if you build your own database you control your destiny and ability to stay in touch with all those in your database.
4. Know the how, what and where of your buyers.
If you do a good job developing your buyer personas you will have a very good idea of how they look for information, where they go to find information and what types of information that is of most interest to them. The better you target your buyer personas and give them great, meaningful content, the more likely they will contact you when they are ready to buy or sell.
5. Automate the process.
We cannot be in all places at all times, but if you have a system in place that is fully automated, delivering great content, tools and useful information to your contact in your database a percentage of them will contact you when they are ready. The second biggest mistake realtors make (the first not capturing contact information) is not having a system in place to maintain contact with prospective clients. Think about it, someone shows up at an open house, a name may or may not be collected and if it is, most times the realtors does not send out a follow-up email or make contact again and if they do it is only 1-2 times, before you never hear from them again. How powerful is it if the agent has a series of marketing messages, using email, direct marketing, social media, their own app and other vehicles for maintaining contact with prospective clients. All of it automated so the realtor does not have to think about making calls or trying to determine how to drive traffic to an open house.
As a Realtor, your opportunity is there for the Taking.
Great opportunities exist for realtors today, if they learn how to implement the key steps outlined above. Consider the impact you can have if you implement the above suggestions, while your competitors continue to meander aimlessly through their profession, hoping the right buyer/seller will walk through their door, call them or be referred to them by a friend or family member. Meanwhile you have a steady pipeline of buyers and sellers that you maintain and foster a relationship with.
