You’re too busy hustling to get new leads, investigating neighborhoods, and dealing with the paperwork to give your marketing strategy the attention it deserves.
But if you want to stay ahead of the curve and attract new business, you need to get creative with your marketing efforts.
We spoke with Jonas Gordon, a Realtor who specializes in managing luxury vacation rentals, to get his top tips on marketing your real estate business. Find out how Jetstream helped Jonas scale while providing a seamless experience for his clients.
Table of contents
- How to create a real estate marketing plan
- How to market yourself as a real estate agent
- Attract, nurture, and convert leads with these creative marketing ideas
- Frequently asked questions about marketing yourself as a real estate agent
How to prepare your real estate marketing plan
Your marketing efforts should focus on your target market and your unique selling proposition (USP). For example, Jonas carved out his niche in Canmore, Alberta, by boosting his clients’ revenue with vacation rental bookings.
“Jetstream helped explore the opportunities and how they can fit in with my business model,” he says. “We realized quickly that it could be a pretty good option to align with someone like me [a Realtor] and bring units together to maximize revenue.”
Once you’ve identified your USP, you can start working on refining the message you want to communicate and brainstorming ideas for how to reach your target market.
Try these 6 simple steps for getting started with your marketing plan.
1. Identify your target audience
Identifying your target audience is crucial for effective marketing
Who are you trying to attract with your investment property listing? Are you looking for homebuyers, sellers, foreclosed homeowners, investors, or something else entirely?
“There are a lot of Realtors out there, so you need to be creative to attract new business,” says Jonas. “You need to be able to show potential clients why they should choose you over someone else.”
When you think about your target audience, consider their age, location, income level, family size, and interests. Show them that you understand their specific needs, pain points, and desires, and focus on the marketing channels they engage with the most.
Consider social media, paid advertising, direct mail, local business partnerships, or even community outreach to communicate with your target audience.
2. Set goals and objectives
What are you trying to achieve with your marketing efforts? If your objective is to generate more leads, you might set a goal to generate 50 new leads per month within six months. Or, if your goal is to earn supplemental passive income, you might want to aim to have 25% of your portfolio be made up of vacation rentals within 5 years.
Your goals should be clearly defined, with a timeline for completion.
3. Communicate your unique selling proposition (USP)
Whether you are a buyer’s or seller’s agent, you work with investors, or are an agent for rentals, you need a USP beyond the real estate license you earned to do your job.
“I work with CIR Realty as a real estate agent and then I have my own brand called Gordon Real Estate, along with a few other things in my local town,” says Jonas. “So, when I market to people, I try to show that I have a more complete package than just being a real estate agent.”
Having multiple passive income streams for real estate agents adds to your credibility, so if you can show that you manage a portfolio of properties in different locations or have other real estate-related businesses, this will give you an edge over the competition.
4. Set a budget
You need to spend money to make money, and that’s especially true in real estate. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in the business for years, you need to set a budget for your marketing efforts and stick to it.
To set a budget, consider how much revenue you want to generate and how much it will cost to reach your target market effectively. Compare this to an accurate cash flow forecast to see what you can afford.
5. Assess the competition
One of the many sales skills for real estate agents is understanding (and beating) the competition. Once you know what your competitors do, and how they’re doing it, you can make an effort to fill any gaps they leave behind. You should monitor:
- Their closing sales per year
- The type of properties they’re selling/managing (luxury, mid-market, budget)
- The structure of their website and how they’re ranking in search engines
- How their listings are formatted (videos, pictures, descriptions)
- The words they use in their marketing materials
Jonas adds, “the vacation rental market that I take care of, is very competitive—Canmore is a big tourist spot. There’s enough demand and you could get to 95% occupancy, or it could also be 45% depending on what I’m competing against.”
6. Seek out the right partnerships
Establishing strong partnerships will help carve out your market niche and raise awareness of your brand. It could also open you up to new revenue streams.
When Jonas first considered bringing vacation rentals into his real estate business, he thought managing occupancy rates, handling guest queries, and taking payments would be too time consuming. But then he found a partner.
“[Managing STRs] takes a lot of work and involvement to maximize revenue. That’s where Jetstream takes over,” says Jonas. Jetstream provides a cutting edge tech stack and around-the-clock guest communications to reduce admin while using industry expertise and current data to market your STR properties for maximum bookings.
11 Ways to market yourself as a real estate agent
Attracting business and generating leads can be tough, especially if you’re just starting out as a real estate agent. “You have to be really good at marketing and promoting yourself,” says Gordon, “It’s not enough to just sign-up and wait for the phone to ring.”
Here are a few ways to market yourself more effectively.
1. Nurture leads with customer relationship management (CRM) tools
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a valuable tool for tracking leads, nurturing them through the sales process, and keeping track of important details like contact information and purchase history.
With a good CRM, you can automate your follow-up process and make sure no leads fall through the cracks. A few great options are:
- Wise Agent
- Realvolve
- RealtyJuggler
2. Network with your local community
Networking helps build relationships and attract business. And getting involved in your community is a great opportunity to showcase your expertise and get referrals. Here’s how:
- Join a local business group
- Attend community events
- Volunteer for a local charity or non-profit
- Host or sponsor an event
Networking helps build relationships and develop a good reputation
3. Get active on social media
Setting up social media accounts is a no-brainer for real estate agents looking to market themselves more effectively. Choose your social media platforms based on what your target audience uses the most. Some of the big contenders are:
- TikTok
But it’s not enough to just set up an account and post sporadically. You need to be active, engage with your audience, and share relevant content on a regular basis. Try:
- Sharing branded assets and video content
- Using interactive content like polls
- Giveaways
- Account takeovers
- Social media advertising, eg. Facebook Ads and Google Ads
4. Invest in search engine optimisation (SEO)
While paid ads are a quick way to get in front of potential leads, organic traffic should also be a focus. The higher you rank, the more likely people are to find you.
You can also improve your SEO by:
- Claiming your Google My Business listing
- Creating keyword-rich blog posts
- Creating compelling blog titles and meta descriptions
- Optimizing your images with keywords in the caption or alt text
And if you don’t have the expertise or time to do it yourself, consider working with an agency that specializes in SEO for real estate agents.
5. Create an email marketing strategy
Building an email list is a great way to keep your leads warm and nurture them through the sales cycle. You can do this by offering valuable resources like e-books, white papers, or tipsheets in exchange for their email address.
Once you have their contact information, you can stay in touch with monthly newsletters, special promotions, or new listings. Email marketing platforms like Constant Contact and MailChimp make it easy to create beautiful email newsletters, manage your contacts, and automate your email campaigns.
6. Get listed on real estate directories and portals like Zillow
Zillow enables potential buyers to view and save listings and reach out to realtors.
Real estate directories and portals are a great way to get in front of potential leads. Zillow profiles cover the basics like:
- Your name, contact information, and website
- Current listings, past sales, and price history
- Detailed customer reviews
The Zillow Premier Agent program lets you rank higher in search results, get featured on listings, and run ads on Zillow. You earn a premium placement on Zillow‘s networking sites like Trulia, StreetEasy, and RealEstate.com which can boost your visibility and help you attract more leads.
7. Strategically design and use business cards
While it may seem old-fashioned, business cards are a great way to get noticed and remembered by potential clients. You can leave them with businesses, hand them out at events, or even put them in strategic locations like coffee shops or grocery stores.
When designing your business card, be sure to include:
- Your name, title, and contact information
- Your headshot or company logo
- A call-to-action (CTA) like “call me for a free consultation” or “visit my website for more information”
- QR code that links to your website or social media profile
A compact, stylish business card is more attractive than a bulky one that’s over crowded with information. Keep it simple and to the point.
8. Collaborate with other local and influential brands
Getting featured on other people’s social media, podcasts, blogs, or webinars will raise your brand’s visibility and help to build relationships with local businesses.
For example, if you’re a real estate agent in Los Angeles, you could collaborate with a home staging company, mortgage broker, or home inspector. You could do a joint webinar on the home buying process or host a contest giving away a free home staging consultation.
Not only will this help you attract new leads, but it will also help you build your credibility and authority in the industry.
9. Leverage referrals from past clients
Your past clients are some of your best marketing assets. They know, like, and trust you. So when they refer you to their friends, family, and colleagues, you’re more likely to generate new leads and close more deals.
There are a few ways you can encourage referrals from past clients:
- Send them a thank-you note or gift after closing
- Ask them to write a review or testimonial that you can use on your website or social media
- Invite them to refer you to their friends and family with a referral program
10. Set up a strong website
Your website is one of your most powerful marketing tools. Not only can it help you generate leads, but also allows you to communicate your USP and establish authority within your industry.
Jonas loves the website he created with Jetstream, because it allows him to showcase his industry knowledge under his own branding. It’s also a space for him to secure vacation rental bookings for his clients without the commission charged by sites like Airbnb. “Booking.com is like 15% plus 3% credit card fee. And that cuts into my margin,” he says.
Jetstream can optimize your website for direct vacation rental bookings.
11. Let testimonials speak for you
When you get positive testimonials, be sure to showcase them prominently on your website and social media. This is called ‘social proof’, and will make potential clients more likely to trust your brand.
If you don’t have any testimonials yet, now’s the time to start collecting them. Here’s how:
- Include a section on your website for customer reviews
- Send an email to past clients asking them to write a review
- Post a question on social media asking your followers to share their experiences
Attract, nurture, and convert leads with these creative realtor marketing ideas
The sooner you start marketing yourself properly, the sooner you’ll see results. Focus on creating digital content that educates and informs your audience, making the most of social media, and leveraging strong partnerships in your local community.
And if you’re looking for an opportunity to generate passive income by managing STRs, Jetstream can help. “There’s no magic solution for generating leads. There’s a lot of work involved with getting set up. But with Jetstream, I don’t spend too much time on property management. I can be focused on other things,” says Gordon.
Frequently asked questions about marketing yourself as a real estate agent
What’s the best way to market yourself as a Realtor?
The best way to market yourself as a Realtor will vary depending on your target audience and goals. However, the best real estate marketing plans include:
- Understanding your target market
- Researching your competitors
- Establishing a USP
- Creating a consistent social media presence
- Optimizing your website for search engines
- Tracking your marketing efforts and analyzing your results to improve your ROI
How do new agents get clients?
New agents can get clients by asking for referrals from family and friends, reaching out to local businesses and organizations, and joining a real estate team or brokerages with a proven track record of generating leads, attending local networking events and open houses and advertising online and offline.
How do you introduce yourself as a real estate agent?
When you introduce yourself as a real estate agent, be sure to mention your unique selling proposition (USP). For example, you might say something like, “I specialize in luxury homes” or “I work with first-time home buyers.” You should also briefly explain your experience and success in the industry. Finally, be sure to mention how you can help your potential clients achieve their real estate goals.
How do you increase customer satisfaction in real estate?
To increase customer satisfaction in real estate, provide quality customer service at every transaction stage, maintain near-constant communication through a CRM or other communication platform, and follow-ups. Create a VIP experience for your clients by exceeding their expectations.
