The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted almost every industry across the United States and around the globe. The real estate industry, in particular, is facing unprecedented challenges, so we are going to outline a few marketing tips for Real Estate Agents.
Many sellers have decided to pull their homes from the market and a large number of buyers are holding off on making decisions while waiting to see what the future will bring. This is leaves real estate agents with a huge amount of uncertainty about their financial futures.
As you look for ways to make it though this downturn, chances are that you’re examining possible opportunities and exploring options for cutting back on your expenses.
Through this process, you may have started taking a hard look at your marketing budget. While this may seem like an obvious place to scale back, doing so could be a huge mistake! Here’s why.
Marketing Builds Trust and Authority
Finding new clients and closing deals is great, but marketing is about more than just sales. Done right, your marketing campaign will establish you as an industry authority and show your current and potential customers that you deserve their trust.
Unfortunately, some real estate agents won’t survive this crisis. By stepping up your marketing efforts now, you’re sending a clear message that you’re committed to your profession and plan to be around for the long term. You’ve worked hard to build up trust, and if you pull back on your marketing now, that will quickly fade.
There’s a reason why all of the biggest brand names commit huge amounts of money to marketing year after year. People have short attention spans, and if you’re not constantly getting your name out in front of them, they’ll move on to the next best thing.
Make sure you’re reaching out to your clients and letting them know that they’re an important part of your business. Show that you have empathy for the uncertainty they’re feeling right now, but, even more importantly, show them that they can trust you to take care of them even when times get tough. This will help to reassure them and build brand loyalty.
Stretch Your Marketing Budget by Improving Efficiency
While it’s clear that marketing is important, if you’re struggling financially, you might not have a choice when it comes to scaling back your marketing budget. That’s okay!
You can make some cuts to your budget and still achieve the desired effect – as long as you learn how to make the most out of each dollar you spend. The key lies in marketing efficiently. Done right, this will allow you to deliver a message that either sustains your business or positions it for long-term growth. The following tips will help you get started.
There are many affordable social media marketing options available especially here at Rohring Results.
Control & Maintain Your Online Presence
People are spending more time online now than ever, and if you’re not on there with them then you’re missing the boat. It’s important to note that while some marketing efforts will impact your bottom line directly, others have more of an indirect influence.
Even if you have to scale your marketing back a bit, you’ll want to make sure that you do enough to make it clear that you’re still around. If you’re not showing up in social media feeds and search engine results, people will assume that your business is struggling.
Reconsider Your Target Client
Every real estate agent has a vision of their ideal client. Usually this is someone who is looking to buy or sell high-value property and is relatively easy to serve. However, when trying to land these clients, you’ll face a lot of competition and may need to put some serious effort into convincing them that you’re the best choice. If they choose to work with someone else, you’re left empty-handed.
When trying to stretch your marketing dollar, you might find that you’re better off focusing on the “low-hanging fruit.” These are the clients who are much easier to attract and require less effort to close. Once things get more stable, you can always go back to working on landing the “big fish.”
Choose the Right Marketing Channels
You might think it’s a great idea to maintain a presence on all of the popular social media channels, local networking groups and other online platforms, but trying to do so will usually backfire. You’ll stretch yourself too thin and end up wasting time and effort.
Instead, do some research to find out which platforms your potential customers are active on. Choose one or two you’re comfortable with and then focus your efforts on fully engaging with your followers.
Customize Your Real Estate Social Media Marketing
It’s also important to note that each social media channel has its own demographics. It’s rarely a good idea to create one message and post it across all of the various platforms. You’ll find that you get much better results if you customize each post so it appeals to the people who are most likely to see it. Don’t stress- Brittany Rohr, our founder has developed a system that gives you daily customized content on 4 platforms for under $150/month 😉
Also make sure you customize your call-to-action. For example, on sites with a younger demographic, like Instagram, it’s important that you make it easy for them to contact you online, through chat, or by sending text. On Facebook or LinkedIn, you’ll want to include a phone number for people who aren’t as comfortable with other contact options.
Ask for Client Feedback After Each Sale
In the real estate industry, referrals are the lifeblood of business growth. If your clients aren’t happy, they certainly aren’t going to refer their family and friends. Consistently asking for feedback will allow you to learn what you’re doing well and where you have room for improvement. Asking for feedback also opens the door for you to request a positive review.
Gathering reviews is one of the most effective and least expensive marketing methods! It’s an excellent way to build trust in your brand and has been proven to increase conversions.
A professional real estate marketing agency will have many options that are free and effective to drive clients to leave you a review.
Pay Attention to Your Website
Almost all real estate transactions now begin online. Clients may begin their journey with a simple Google search or on popular sites like Zillow. Ultimately, however, the goal is for them to land on your website. Paying attention to your site’s search engine optimization (SEO) will help ensure that you’ll show up in the first page of search results.
You also want to make sure that once a client reaches your site, they have an incredible experience. If your site looks outdated, is slow to load, or has other problems, they’re likely to get frustrated and move on to a site hosted by your competitors. Spend some time looking at your site from the client’s perspective or contact a real estate marketing agency for a professional opinion of minor changes that can make a big difference. If you notice issues, you’ll want to get them fixed as soon as possible.
Evaluate Your Message
No matter how much marketing you do, it won’t make a difference if your message isn’t on point. Now is the ideal time to evaluate all of your marketing and make sure that it reflects your brand’s vision and the story you want to tell.
Since things have changed so much in such a short time, it’s also a good idea to check to make sure your message is still relevant for today’s market. If you’re not sure, try tweaking it a bit. Just remember that things will continue to evolve over the next several years, so you’ll want to repeat this exercise at least every six months.
Rohring Results, A Full-Service Real Estate Marketing Agency is Here to Help!
This is a scary time for real estate agents, and there’s a chance that things will get worse before they get better. Luckily, with the right marketing strategies in place, you can position yourself to weather this storm and come out ahead.
We offer a variety of marketing solutions that are both affordable and results driven to meet your needs. Contact us today and chat with our founder Brittany Rohr to learn how we can implement these marketing tips for real estate agents and get you listings!
