21 Marketing Lessons For Real Estate Companies
We compiled the best ways how you can turn your real estate company into a powerful lead-generating brand.
We made this definitive guide for real estate companies, agents, and brokers who are trying to grow their brand presence online.
We made a list of 23 actionable steps that include:
- Best practices from leading Real Estate companies
- Sample social media posts you can build on
- Social media strategies you can apply
- Strategies from other industries that can amplify your brand’s growth
Let’s get started.
The Advantage of Real Estate Companies
When you’re in this industry, nobody expects you to care about customer service. It’s a sales-driven industry, and that’s alright.
I know that if a broker or agent is talking to me, it’s just a matter of time until he makes a pitch. It’s not a problem. It’s exactly what I expect.
What I am quite sure of is that once I’m done with the purchase, my agent is off to the next sale, and sadly, for me, it’s alright.
I don’t really expect them to have after-sales customer service.
In fact, if something does go wrong, I’d even justify it as me making a bad decision rather than blame my agent.
What’s the advantage?
Well, because the bar has been set so low, it’s not that difficult to stand out and become remarkable.
It means that a slight change in your effort to make people feel important and valued will shatter their wildest expectations.
All you have to do is to make a sincere effort to care about the customer. These steps are not necessary in making a real estate company successful, but they definitely will make you stand out and increase chances in reaching the top.
Paint a clear picture of what it’ll be like to live there
Often times, what agents would put on their ads are details such as “dog-park nearby”, or “only a 3-min. walk from a supermarket”. This is fine, I guess.
But what if instead of telling it, you show it?
The Downtown Dubai Twitter account could easily just say “this condo unit is just 2-min. away from the country’s highest rated restaurants.”. Instead of talking about it, they actually went to the restaurant, ordered some food, and captured the experience.
Make it easy for your prospects to imagine what life will be like if they were to live here.
Start exploring, capture the experience, and give people a glimpse of how great life can be.
Promote the district
You’re not only selling a house, you’re selling the location as well.
One way to create content that’s not “salesy” is to help people discover new things to do in the city.
If there are events to attend, or new things to try, share it!
When selling properties, there is a lot of value in the community living in a location so take advantage of this by creating content around these hotspots.
Only in San Francisco’s Twitter account does a great job of sharing to the world that their community is thriving.
This type of content make you feel that there’s so much room for discovering and experiencing new things.
Downtown Houston takes it a step further by actually inviting people to get a chance to experience living in the area by running a contest giveaway.
If you can somehow agree on a deal with a local hotel then you definitely should give it a shot since contests have a significantly bigger reach.
Use Facebook Live or Instagram Live to Discuss Frequently Asked Questions
Are there common objections that buyers usually run into that makes them hesitate?
Take advantage of Facebook Live, and Instagram Stories to hold a live discussion covering questions clouding people’s minds about investing in properties.
Main discussion points should cover frequently asked questions, or resolving issues that past clients may have had.
Learn from Veronica Seva who is doing it right as she makes use of Facebook Live to discuss a secret tip when handling renovations.
Tyler Whitman from the Whitman Team used Facebook Live to talk about tax information on real estate investments.
This is a high impact post because it is worth sharing even if you’re in the market to invest in real estate.
Another example is from the bed company Leesa. It’s not Real Estate related, but the format of the content is spot on.
They’re using Instagram Live to answer common questions that their prospective buyers have that’s keeping them from buying.
They took it a step further by inviting prominent figures to answer questions from their audience.
If hopping in on live video is too much for you, you can keep it simple by doing a quick Q&A series on Twitter.
Buffer has been doing an exceptional job running this type of series with #BufferChat.
Buffer helps marketers, and so their #BufferChat covers the challenges of becoming a better marketer.
They would regularly schedule these sessions ahead of time, and to prepare, they would compile a list of topics that they will go over during the chat.
Asking your own community for challenges they need help resolving is a nice touch because you’re actually solving a problem your own audience has.
Moments > Transactions
Make it a special moment. It’s easy to forget that people aren’t just buying homes, they’re also stepping into a reality they’ve been dreaming of since they were little.
This example says a lot about how the folks at Ray White treat their buyers.
They’ve figured out how to make these moments very special.
It makes you feel that they’re as excited as you are. It makes you feel that they understand that buying a home is not just a transaction, its a life changing event.
It’s entering a new stage in life.
It’s the start of a new chapter.
Make these moments special and at the end of the day, that’s all the marketing you’ll ever need.
Talk About the Story Behind the Sale
When dealing with buyers, talk about the “Why”.
What’s the reason for this purchase? Often times there’s a story worth sharing behind decisions as big as purchasing a new home.
Compass does a great job of sharing the story as to why their buyers are moving in to a new home. This is the type of content that social media was built for.
It gives me the impression that the company cares about their buyers beyond the transaction.
Create a Twitter Account for Customer Support
Do people expect a real estate company to have a channel for customer support? Nope.
The fact that no one else in your industry thinks this is important is a great way to position your company as one that will do more than they’re required to to make the customer experience better.
Personally, when I see a brand responding to complaints it makes me feel at ease that if I do deal with this company, I’ll be in good hands.
That’s exactly what the world’s best brands are doing — creating social media accounts dedicated primarily for customer support.
Take it further: Create an account dedicated to answering people’s questions on where local brands are located.
It’ll be like an online version of those tourist/customer information centers you see in the mall.
Zappos, a company with an award-winning customer service record, has once again done a tremendous job responding to customer inquiries that have nothing to do with their services.
Sponsor a Podcast
This is a paid tactic, but it works.
Podcasts are ridiculously highly targeted.
It’s not difficult to find podcasts that cover the most niche of subjects.
There’s a podcast talking about pens and pen accessories, and there’s also one talking about beef production. It’s about as niche as you can get. Think of an interest or a topic, and there most likely is a podcast with a passionate group of listeners.
The power of the podcast stems from the fact that its listeners may have listened to every single word that host says, whereas they may simply glide through ads in a niche magazine.
Podcasts are now learning how to create ads you would actually not be annoyed enough to skip.
This makes sponsoring a podcast a great option for you to get in front of your target audience.
Check out this article on why Mizzen+Main founder Kevin Lavelle describes sponsoring a podcast episode of Tim Ferriss ended up becoming one of his best decisions in an effort to grow his brand.
You don’t have to sponsor the highest rated podcasts to reach the right people.
You just have to identify what your audience is passionate about, and find podcasts that love discussing things related to it.
Sponsor a newsletter
Another paid tactic that works.
The beauty of the newsletter is that people will either be batshit crazy about them—reading every line of each email—or they can go the other end and not care any less about those spammy newsletters.
So if you’re into real estate, and you find yourself performing best when selling to male business owners who love playing golf, then run a Google search on websites, publications, and individuals who golf lovers pay attention to.
Often times, the top of the bunch will have newsletters sent regularly. Sort out the ones with the most subscribers and note down the ones that actually push quality content.
You wouldn’t want to sponsor a newsletter that people follow only for the product discounts and promos. Pick a couple of them, and ask about sponsoring the next edition of their newsletter.
Although you won’t reach as many people as you would on other platforms, you are able to reach the correct target audience, since certain newsletters attract like-minded individuals.
If you know who exactly you’re looking for, sponsoring the newsletter they’re paying attention to can make an impact.
Turn Your Friends into Micro-Influencers
Isn’t it so much easier to establish common ground when you’re introducing yourself to someone who’s also friends with a friend of yours? Absolutely.
Take a page from the influencer marketing strategy that brands are doing to reach more people and boost sales. In the past, celebrities would be the only ones considered as influencers.
Brands would pay them for endorsement deals to associate themselves with the brand’s products.
On the other hand, influencer marketing involves individuals that have a big following on social media with high levels of engagement from his or her community.
Influencer marketing is highly effective because of the level of trust an audience has with the influencer.
Influencers are protective of the audience they have built, and so they do not usually associate themselves with brands that do not fit well with what they believe in.
Micro-influencers takes it a step lower but only in terms of reach. Everyone is a micro-influencer because everyone has a group of friends that trust them.
Apply the same strategy brands use on influencer marketing by making sure the world knows that you’re friends with this person and that person.
When you’re hanging out with a friend or a group of friends, make sure you document these moments.
Take memorable photos that you can share online. On your company’s Facebook page, share these photos so that the world will know that you’re friends with this person.
On your company website, you can share snapshots of the people your team members enjoy hanging out with the most. I personally would be less hesitant in meeting someone new if I had a heads up that this person is friends with someone I trust and care about.
Joining Facebook Groups
The crucial element: Give first
In Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Jab Jab Jab Right Hook, he explains a fundamental element of creating lasting relationships on social media: Give first.
The title of the book is a metaphor of how the more powerful right hooks can only take effect on the opposing fighter if it is set up by the initial cluster of weaker but consistently landing jabs.
In this case, the jabs are the times when you’re giving value, and the right hook being the times when you’re asking for something. People will most likely respond to your ask, because of the value you’ve given them prior to this ask.
Give Actionable Advice that results to Quick Wins
Quick wins are tips that are so easy that people won’t hesitate trying them, and their impact is almost always guaranteed.
Spend at least 20–30 minutes everyday on Facebook Groups giving other people “value bombs”. Groups work best for givers not lurkers.
Lurkers are silent members of groups who are there just to sit back and consume content, while givers are people that speak out and share valuable information that others might find helpful.
Becoming a giver in Facebook Groups is the fastest way for you to build relationships online.
A great example of a quick win is this article by Ramit Sethi. He wrote a blog post that teaches people how to optimize their phone bill.
The steps were so easy but if it worked, the long term savings would be huge. It made people try it out because hey, what’s the worst that could happen if it didn’t work?
Surely enough, it did work, and the result is thousands of grateful people who are now part of this community. Talk about a great quick win.
Also, enter these groups with the “ How can I help these people?” vs. “How can I get them to buy from me” mindset. A simple change of how you approach networking can have a profound impact on you as well as your impact on others.
Do a “A Day in the Life of a _______” series
People love seeing behind-the-scenes videos of what actually goes on on your typical day.
Use Facebook Live or Instagram Stories to give your audience a sneak peek of properties you’re visiting, or people you’re meeting.
You can go the extra mile and compile all of your footage into a Youtube video. Facebook’s algorithm ranks videos higher than other forms of content allowing it to reach more of your audience.
Create a “What’s It Like to Live Here” series
If you’re trying to sell a house, use Facebook Live or Instagram Stories to share what it can be like to live there.
Is there a park nearby? Is there a mall in the area? Is there a Church a block away? Instead of sharing how the property is the center of many community-driven locations, show them.
From the site location, take a walk to nearby restaurants, schools, or malls, and use Video to capture this.
Publish them on your company’s social media pages and organize them into albums so that buyers can easily find this content.
Organizing them into albums also make it easy for your team members to share these videos with their clients.
Do a House Tour
Why use photos when you can use video? Using Facebook Live or Instagram Live, you can give your audience a first-person view in and around the property. If you own a smartphone, there are no excuses.
Below are two videos you can easily take with your smartphone. Add some info in there about the property, a little editing, and your own personal voice to make it more valuable.
Start Capturing Emails from Day One
If I could go back in time and do it all over again, the one thing I would do differently is to start building my email list right off the bat.
I simply can’t stress this enough.
If you’re thinking that this is something you should be doing but not necessarily what you should be doing yet, think again.
The long term value of gathering emails is huge.
“Building a House on Rented Land”
I used to ignore the warnings of other marketers that you shouldn’t rely too much on building a big following on Facebook and other social media platforms because it’s like building a house on rented land.
Think about it, you use to be able to publish posts and reach your entire audience for free but as soon as Facebook changed it’s algorithm, organic reach now has little to nothing in terms of impact.
The lesson? You never really know what these platforms plan on doing next. They can make changes at any given moment.
If your business relies on these platforms, I don’t know how you sleep at night. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is email.
Email is still one of the most powerful ways for you to truly communicate with an engaged and targeted audience.
Facebook’s advantage is reach and awareness, while email’s advantage comes in the form of depth in engagement.
First thing on the list is to create your list by asking for the email address of people you meet offline.
Getting Emails Offline
When you’re out on the field dealing with prospects, find a way to get their email address. All you have to do is ask. Either ask for their business cards since it would normally be on it, or tell them that you would like to send them something they would find helpful as they go searching for their next home.
People are more likely to give away their email address rather than their contact number when you’re talking them to face to face so take the chance to gather them all up.
Make It Easier to Book a Visit
Lockwood Luxury Homes makes booking so much easier by having a website that includes a form which people can fill up if they want to see the property.
Instead of asking someone for their credentials, agents of the company can just send prospects a link to this website and they’ll be able to get the necessary details.
It saves the company a lot of time, makes the brand more credible, and makes the buying experience seamless.
Let Your Website Do the Selling for You
Why do some agents withhold crucial information about the properties they’re selling? Wouldn’t it be great if you actually just told me everything I needed to know online, so that I’ll know if this property is what I’m looking for, and you’ll know if I’m the right buyer.
It’s going to act as a filter that’s going to stop both parties from wasting each other’s time.
Wouldn’t it be easier if you can just send prospects to a page where they’ll be able to see everything you’re going to pitch them?
Give visitors a tour in and around the property, background of the neighbourhood, advantages of the location, and the selling price.
Get a Professional Email Address
So, you’re trying to sell me a house that’s going to cost me upwards of six to seven figures, and yet you can’t buy yourself a business email address for $3 a month? C’mon, man.
Having a professional email address won’t guarantee that you’ll get leads but it does say a lot about your commitment to doing your very best in this field of work.
You’ll be going out there telling the world why they should do business with you, and yet you’re sending them an email using your anna.unicorn_16@yahoo.com account.
Plus, it’s a quick win! It’s going to feel great seeing your anna@company.com email address on your business card.
Get yourself a business email from Google. It’s fairly simple. Here’s a video on how to set it up.
Get a professional headshot
You’re not really doing yourself any favors by not having a good headshot for your social media accounts.
As I was doing my research in order to get content for this article, I’ve noticed a pattern.
It seems like the only pages that I was visiting was from realtors or real estate agents who had a professionally shot profile photo.
It’s not like I was actively selecting pages. I guess my mind just naturally filtered out the pages who had headshots of people which were not at par with the quality of the others.
If budget is the issue, then you can do it yourself. There are lots of Youtube videos teaching people how to play with lighting and posture to capture the perfect photo. Here’s one video that could help you out.
If the budget isn’t the issue. Go get yourself a professional to take your head shot. It’s a once-a-year investment that’s you’ll be glad you made.
Hire a Professional Photographer
Choose someone who specializes in interiors and architectural photography, not just anyone with a DSLR camera.
Whereas lighting plays the biggest impact in product photography and portrait photography, this may be the one field of photography where one’s gear and equipment actually makes a sizeable difference.
Although this investment can be expensive, consider the fact that visually stunning images can amplify the impact of your advertising activities online.
The Corcoran Group invests in top-notch photographers not because they’re lush with cash, but because they know these photos trigger people’s aspirations. It elevates the brand. And it makes people justify high price tags.
Create Checklists that your Buyers can use
Checklists are great lead magnets that get people to sign up. Process Street is giving a ton of value by having a several checklists are beneficial for both buyers and real estate agents. Here’s a couple of them:
- Home Inspection Checklist
- House Viewing Guide
- Real Estate Sales Process
Check out the lists they made here.
Although there are a lot of these checklists online, what you can do as an agent is to make it specific and keep it local.
You don’t have to create a list that everyone in the world can use, you just have to create a list that a buyer from your city will find helpful like a checklist of restaurants to eat at when visiting your city.
There’s so many things locally that are unique to where your property is located so it’s up to you to use that as an advantage.
Create an Official Referral Process (And Publish it)
People can make a living off of referral fees. Having an official system for incentives may entice your network to be more proactive in sending prospective buyers your way.
Make it clear to your friends, family, and network that you’re giving away a referral fee, or freebies if you are able to successfully close a deal with someone from their circle whom they referred to you.
It can be for your company, for your team, or even for your sole use. Having an official document that is legally binding makes people aware that you’re taking this seriously, and that you will fulfil your end of the deal.
We have actually made one just for you. Head on over to this link and you‘re free to use that document in whatever way you like.
Get your copy from this Google Docs file
You can even take it a step further by publishing your company’s referral system on your website and on social media. Having it published on your company’s website makes it all the more credible.
Podcast: Brand Origins
Thanks for reading! By the way, we have a podcast: Brand Origins. We talk about Brand Disaster stories as well as the origin stories of brands. Find us on any podcast app.
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