It’s Time to Invest in Your Business
I believe an old Chinese proverb says it best: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Of course, this adage relates specifically to arborists, but we all know it applies to more than just its literal interpretation — like real estate.
The pandemic has made for a challenging year, and there is an abundance of agents flooding the industry. Your business needs you more than ever, and relying on antiquated strategies and old-school marketing is lazy.
Before you feel like the window of opportunity is closing, there is still some hope. But, as the Chinese proverb suggests, the time to invest in your real estate business and plant seeds is now.
Invest in Your Real Estate Business
New year, new you. Right? That’s how many people view the calendar turning, but consider going above and beyond by taking that one step further: New year, new business (plan).
Here are five simple strategies — when executed well — that will significantly help as you build (and grow) your real estate business.
1. Increase your use of social media.
Without a doubt, social media is the least utilized source of marketing in the real estate industry. It also has the most potential.
With the recent explosion of personal brands, savvy agents and teams are starting to see the value and embrace the inevitable: consumption of social media is exponentially growing.
Using technologies such as Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, and YouTube can put you in front of potential buyers and sellers. That’s where a majority of them hang out anyway, and what better way to land a client than to do it while having some fun.
2. Prioritize building your personal brand.
According to the National Association of Realtors, there were more than 1.4 million licensed real estate agents as of October 2020. To put that into perspective, if you filled each of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, you would still have 170,000 agents without a place to sit.
If you think that operating under the status quo will suffice, you have another thing coming. Instead of hoping to build your real estate business, you need to start building your real estate business.
While you may enjoy representing a large brand (such as Compass, Century 21, or Keller Williams), you are still responsible for getting new clients and selling more homes. Hence the need to build your personal brand.
3. Leverage the power of multiple digital properties.
Real estate websites can serve several purposes. They can be the source of detailed property searches, hyperlocal content, live videos, virtual tours — or a combination of them all.
Younger buyers and sellers have a short attention span and, in some cases, want to use their experience as a way to vet potential agents.
They can also be simple and used as a digital version of a business card. That means, in some cases, all you need to have is a sophisticated and mobile-optimized digital presence to get the job done.
Savvy real estate agents and teams often deploy several digital properties to appease all types of consumers — and that’s a strategy that has proven to work time and time again.
Either way, do what works best and feels right to you. Because if you can prove that you make it easy to do business with you, you might be the one getting the call when a buyer or seller is ready to move forward.
4. Establish yourself as a local expert.
When it comes to real estate, there is no better way to attract buyers and sellers than to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of, in some cases, love for, a local area or neighborhood.
Your best chance at standing out might hinge on the value you bring to the table — quite literally — by knowing and recommending the best places to grab a bite to eat or a late-night drink.
Buyers are looking to move quickly, and sellers want their house listed right away. Both are hungry to find the perfect real estate agent to get the job done, and among a sea of faces, you need to stand out.
5. Think long-term with your content efforts.
What would you say if I told you that it was possible to capture leads and procure new business while on vacation with your family at Disney World?
A well-developed content strategy can bear fruit to anyone willing to invest the time and energy to make it happen. By focusing on some relevant keywords and phrases, your inbox or CRM could see quite the influx.
Examples of this evergreen content are neighborhood guides, restaurant reviews, overviews on schools and education, and local areas of interest. This strategy pairs nicely with establishing yourself as the local expert.
A New Year, A New You
The amount of success you experience this coming year will be relative to the amount of time you spend investing in your real estate business.
There is no better time than “now” to plant your tree.
We believe the future of real estate is digital. We are developing a tool that will help allow you to create a free profile, launch a personal website, showcase property listings, connect with buyers and sellers, help you manage your team.
That means more prospects, more clients, and maybe a few additional closings every year. That would be a game-changer, and we’d love to help make that happen. And the good news? It’s easier than you think.
