Let’s cut to the chase: promoting your real estate business is hard work.
Odds are you’re competing for business with hundreds of other realtors in your area – maybe even several in your firm – so figuring out how to build a reputable brand is crucial for your business (and bank account).
But, in order to do that, you must promote your real estate business smartly and consistently.
While real estate is a highly-competitive industry, it’s actually one of the easiest to market thanks to modern technology and client needs.
If you’re looking for new ways to promote your real estate business, then here are 15 tactics to use that every realtor can benefit from!
1. Utilize an SEO blog
You’re an expert in your field, but the average home buyer and seller can often feel clueless and intimidated with the process. That’s why starting a helpful SEO blog on your realtor website can be a great way to promote your real estate business while educating your audience on their most-asked questions.
When you write a high-quality blog that includes keywords or phrases your audience is searching for, your website becomes more easily discovered (which also means you discover more business).
But for an SEO blog to really work, there are a few things you need to keep in mind so your business is promoted properly and effectively:
- SEO blogs need to be updated and refreshed regularly.
- Each blog needs to be valuable to the reader.
- Keyword research is crucial for more organic traffic and high rankings.
- Once you have several blogs posted, don’t forget to internally link to other articles.
2. Post for free on social media
It’s 2024, and if you’re not following a social media strategy for your real estate business, then you’re missing out on a bookoos money… like, a possible whopping 10% of yearly sales amount of money.
Whether you’re a new realtor or experience one, you can’t afford not to be active on the best social media platforms for real estate. The best part is that you have tons of free options to be cost-effective for your budget, but don’t neglect paid ads for long. These helpful tools help you create a more targeted approach to promoting your business and see results faster than the free options.
3. Start an email newsletter
An email list is very effective for promoting your real estate business for several reasons. The first, it helps to nurture leads by keeping them in the loop of everything that’s happening in your business. And secondly, it’s a great way to inform subscribers about exclusive listings so your business stays fresh in their mind.
The hardest part about starting an email newsletter is getting people to sign up. After all, you have to make your audience want to hear from you.
Here are some ways to entice your audience to sign up for your newsletter so you can grow an email list fast:
- Have a sign up form on the home page of your website.
- Offer an incentive for signing up.
- Have an unsubscribe option at the bottom of every email.
- Create a landing page for your newsletter.
4. Mail print ads
Even though digital marketing gets all the love nowadays (and to put it bluntly: more revenue), that doesn’t mean direct mailers aren’t as effective.
Mailing print ads to homeowners in your real estate farm is still a high-converting way to win new business, especially when they’re exciting. You never know who in your area is ready to make the next step in the home buying or selling process, and your attention-grabbing mailers might just be the final push they need to inquire about your services.
5. Design an optimized website
Most home shoppers are using their phones or other technology devices now to shop for homes. While having a page on your website showcasing current listings is key for engagement, your site needs to be optimized to generate as many eyes on your site as possible.
Once your site is optimized with keywords, high-quality visuals, and mobile-friendly, Google will reward you with higher search rankings. These higher rankings (like the first spot on the first page of Google), makes your business discovered instantly by prospects who may just fill out that contact form!
6. Look for free press opportunities
There’s no such thing as bad press, especially in real estate. Sadly, this promotion tactic is overlooked by a lot of realtors.
Free press, especially in the form of contributing your expertise to articles, is a great way to promote your business while gaining backlinks to your site. Backlinks work by sending visitors to your website, and like we mentioned in the section above, more website visitors = higher search engine rankings!
So, to take advantage of this tactic, here’s what you need to do:
- Sign up for free sites like Qwoted.
- Look for free press opportunities (most of the time, this is answering questions for journalists to appear in articles).
- Contribute your expertise when needed.
- Gain backlinks for expertise that’s accepted.
- Constantly pitch new queries to continue promoting your business!
7. Go on podcasts
Similar to free press in the written form, appearing as a guest on podcasts is another effective promotional tool for your real estate business. There are now over 500 million podcast listeners worldwide, so there’s no telling how many ears will tune in to your insight on a popular podcast episode and search for business (hence why you need an SEO website up and running!).
To find podcasts to appear on, try these tips for finding the right match that has a lot of listeners in your target audience:
- Search for podcasts online and reach out directly.
- Market yourself as saying you’re looking for podcasts to appear on.
- Find websites that connect you to podcast hosts, like PodMatch or PodcastsGuests.
8. Try paid ads
We mentioned earlier that every realtor needs a social media strategy to promote their business nowadays and with this, paid ads need to be in the conversation. Social media can be a very cost-effective way to promote your business with all the free advantages each platform offers, but if you really want to scale your revenue, then investing in paid ads should come into play.
Paid ads offer several benefits that free posts don’t match. For instance, while free social media ads can be successful in their own right, they often require organic search results to pay off. Paid ads allow for a more customized approach to reaching your audience at a faster rate, plus you get more customizable features to make your ad even more converting.
9. Target prospects directly
When marketing your services as a realtor, your business is only successful when the messaging falls on the right ears. Your business isn’t tailored for everyone, which means your messaging isn’t either. So, when it comes to promoting your services, how can you be sure you spread the word to prospects that align with your offer? Tools like Cole Realty Resource make it possible to discover homeowners in your area that are a perfect match for your campaigns.
Through specialized services, you can find prospects in your area to target with custom criteria that also brings up valuable information like names, contact information, and much more.
10. Go door-knocking
Yes, an in-person door-knocking strategy still works for realtors in the modern age. How? For several reasons:
- You build relationships with those in your community.
- You’re able to pass out tangible marketing materials.
- You’re better able to demonstrate your knowledge about the local market.
A key part in becoming a leading realtor in your area is connecting with those in your community. But, we understand how intimidating this strategy can be since it does require face-to-face interaction. That’s why we created this helpful guide with the best tips and scripts to use when creating a door-knocking strategy.
11. Ask for referrals
Asking clients for referrals is a smart way to promote your real estate business for two reasons:
- It builds social proof prospects need to feel convinced to work with you.
- It gets your clients to market your services for you.
Marketing yourself as a realtor takes consistent effort and time on your end to spread the word whether it’s through social media, an email list, or door-knocking visits. Asking clients if they know of anyone looking to buy or sell their home gets them to talk to family and friends to say, “Hey, I know this amazing realtor who helped me buy or sell my home. Are you looking to move or buy anytime soon?”
While you might not get any immediate business, this is a great tactic for landing future clients when the time is right for the homeowner.
12. Sponsor a local youth team
At its core, real estate thrives on the connection you build with your local community. Sponsoring local youth teams is an excellent way to build a good rapport with those in your area while promoting your business at the same time. Since this tactic increases your positive perception with those in your neighborhood, it’s a big win and a smart marketing strategy!
13. Team up with local businesses
Another way to engage with those in your community is to team up with other local businesses for a giveaway. For instance, you can team up with a coffee shop to host an event with raffles, a local interior designer for home makeover tips and gifts, or a local contractor to share home improvement ideas with those in your neighborhood.
14. Start a YouTube channel
With a lot of prospects having questions about the home buying/selling process, or all that real estate involves, starting a YouTube channel is a must for any realtor looking to subtly promote their services. This tactic gives you the opportunity to answer questions your audience is asking while using the platform for a variety of content ideas that establishes a connection to your ideal client, like:
- Walking through current listings.
- Filming a “day in the life of a realtor” series.
- Conducting a Q&A session.
- Showing home staging tips.
- Informing those in your area that you’re looking for new clients.
Plus, you can use the sharing feature YouTube offers to encourage viewers to share the post to other social media channels like Facebook to reach a wider audience.
15. Leverage print ads in your community
Lastly, you’ve probably noticed a bench in the community before that had a wrapping of a realtor ad, or a billboard off the side of a highway promoting a real estate firm. These local ads act as another opportunity to show your face + your business name and brand basics to everyone in the community. Just remember to have some kind of call to action on your print ads that state the best way for prospects to contact you to learn more about your services!
The Bottom Line
The best way to promote your business so you constantly have a revolving door of clients and closings is to utilize more than one platform. Not everyone in your community may be receptive to a door-knocking strategy but react better to a social media post, or vice versa.
To know what works best for your business in terms of promotion, the key is to test out a variety of platforms. See which one(s) tend to produce the best results/engagement, and don’t be afraid to test out other channels as your business grows!
