We know that many estate agents require assistance in reaching out to their audience or engaging with clients, and therefore, we are happy to present 50 marketing ideas for estate agents.

50 Marketing ideas for your Estate and Letting Agency:

1. Analytics give you a great starting point Whatever you do, you will find that analytics, data and information are essential. With google Analytics being available for free, this should be the starting point of what you use, and you’ll get a good feel for how projects are faring. It is important to learn how people find you and what they are looking for from you. This will provide you with the basis of your future campaigns and dealings with your audience.

2. Ensure people take notice of your listings When it comes to good listings, there are many things you need. Having a great image is important, because this is what stops people from scrolling. A few good images is even better but even then, you need to provide more information.

Be sure to offer key details about the property and if there are key features of the home, make sure you list these aspects. You will find that using at least 150 characters is of benefit as this means your listings are more likely to be recognised by Google.

3. Video is essential You only have to look around you to see how many people use their smartphones to access the internet and these users want video content. As an estate agent, video content provides you with a fantastic chance to reach your audience by offering property walkthroughs, explainer videos and videos that focus on your local area. You should find that you can create excellent quality videos without having to spend too much time or money on the process.

4. Competitions work well on social media When it comes to expanding your reach, social media is important, and you’ll find that people love entering competitions on social media. This makes sense because who doesn’t love winning free stuff? The nature of social media competitions may well have changed with the Facebook algorithms of 2018 but there will always be a way to present a competition and get people involved.

It is the engagement and involvement of your audience that brings the key benefits, placing your brand in front of a wider yet relevant audience.

5. PPC campaigns The way social media marketing is going, it is likely that social media advertising is going to be more prominent. This will annoy many people, social media was a wonderful way to reach people for free, but with changing algorithms, organic traffic is becoming ever more difficult. However, the initial cost and return on investment of Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns are such that you can justify using these methods.

6. Be a sponsor in your local community Most estate agents should be keen to develop awareness in their local community. A good way of achieving this is to be active in your community, support local groups and play a part in making the area a nicer place. An effective way of achieving this is through sponsoring a local team or event. This could be buying football kit for a local team and placing your name on it, paying to keep an area of a local park tidy or buying instruments for a school or local youth group.

This form of advertising is effective because it showcases your brand in the local area but it also shows that you care about what happens in the local area, which means people are more likely to care about your company.

7. Create a newsletter If you want to develop an audience and make sure that you are the expert estate agent people turn to, you need to reinforce this idea. You need to be in regular contact with your audience and you want to ensure you provide valuable information that people need to know.

The newsletter is a fantastic lead magnet, allowing you to collect contact details, but in the long term, a high quality newsletter will reinforce your position as a trusted expert. You can also include property listings in the newsletter, ensuring your property is seen by your audience.

8. You must carry out SEO work SEO or search engine optimisation, is essential for your business. SEO helps you to be better ranked and found for the right terms, which can only be good for your business. This means that your website, your content and social network activities should be carried out with SEO as a focus.

It is wrong to make SEO your sole focus, you need to create content that is of value to your user, but if you want to be found by these users, you need to appeal to search engines. SEO can seem like a daunting task for many people and many people decide to seek professional assistance for these matters.

9. Social networking isn’t just Facebook or Twitter – consider Instagram Facebook and Twitter are very popular and important social networks but as an estate agent, you may find that some of the other social platforms are of benefit. Instagram is a platform that is dependent on excellent quality images and video content, making it perfect for your needs. Set up an account and share brilliant images and tips for your audience.

10. Social networking isn’t just Facebook or Twitter – consider Pinterest Pinterest is another highly visual platform and again, this is a perfect one for your estate agent. You can position yourself as a local expert, an industry specialist and as someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to homes and the property market.

11. Provide people with what they need to know Buying or selling a home is a huge decision. This means people want to be as informed as possible before making a decision but research can be difficult and tiring. This means many people want someone else to do the research for them and they will be very grateful to the people or company that provide this information.

As an estate agent, you will have information relating to property prices, catchment areas, crime statistics and many other figures that your audience needs to know. If you share this information or provide some of the information, you will be seen as an expert, you will provide people with information they need and you will be seen as the best expert to call on for support.

12. Banner ads are still an effective way to reach your audience While social media has changed the way that many firms operate online or reach their audience, there are many older ways that are still effective in engaging with potential clients. The use of banner ads on the right website or forum can place your company in front of the right audience, allowing you to generate a great return on your investment.

13. Share reviews and testimonials from clients You need to offer proof of what you do because in the social media world, many people are sceptical of the claims that companies make. As an estate agent operating in a competitive marketplace, you need to offer proof to your clients that you can help them and what better way of doing this than by sharing reviews from clients who you have already helped.

Social proof is an integral part of our social media activity, so be sure to engage your audience, seek reviews and share them as and when they come in.

14. Utilise live chat Your website is where you welcome guests and you want to provide as strong a welcome as possible. No matter the time of day or night, with live chat facilities, you can greet guests and answer any questions they have straight away. You’ll find that there is a range of questions that your guests normally have, and these can be answered with live chat, ensuring you seem an expert. You’ll also find that live chat facilities are great for generating leads and gathering contact details.

15. Have a blog and think about guest blogs As an estate agent, you have a lot of information to share and people want to hear from you. This is why you should have a blog page. A blog will help you to drive traffic to your site and provide you with content that can be shared on social media, but it also helps to develop your brand.

If you offer opinions and people agree with your opinions or find your comments insightful, they will trust you. Trust is one of the most important things for a modern business, so anything which helps you to generate trust has to be seen as a good thing.

Once you are comfortable with blogs, consider the idea of guest blogs. This allows you to present your content to another firm’s audience. Make sure that it is a firm that you share an audience with but who you are not directly competing with. You can tap into this audience while the blog site owner gets content and the chance to tap into your audience, so everyone benefits.

16. Run a Q&A We have said a few times that as an estate agent, you have the answers to questions people have. You want to help people and you want to be seen as an expert, so combine these aspects and run a Q&A session. This can be carried out online or in a venue, whatever is best for you. In fact, with some proper organisation, it can be run online and offline at the same time.

When you develop an awareness of the questions that your audience has for you, you will be able to answer quickly, and this will help you move forward.

17. Send out press releases While there is a feeling that traditional newspapers are dying out, the internet has created a huge number of news outlets who are all keen to find news they can share with their audience. These outlets are desperate for news so by creating a press release, you can provide them with the news that they are looking for. As an estate agent, you can offer great advice for local residents or people related to the property market. There is also such a level of demand for news about the overall property market that you could find your press releases are taken on by a wider audience.

All estate agents want to be seen as experts in their field and being seen in the media is a good way to develop this reputation and image.

18. Generate a press release A press release is a fantastic way for an estate agent to reach out to your local audience, particularly when the press release is provided to local news sources. Local news sources are always looking for stories that are relevant to your audience and a press release provides a good return on investment. You’ll find that appearing in local media will position you as an expert in your field and area, which will increase awareness of your company and will convince many people to choose your company and services.

19. High quality images are essential As an estate agent, you should understand the importance of high quality images. A good image stops people on social media and it can help people to fall in love with a home they haven’t stepped foot inside. This is why it makes sense to take your time and learn how to take great images, or hire someone who can.

Staging the home in a certain manner, utilising as much natural light as possible and shooting from certain angles can help to create images that capture people’s imagination and attention.

20. Speak at property seminars Property seminars are very important in the property industry and these events are a fantastic way to network in your sector. You will also find that speaking at a property seminar can help enhance your business and develop your brand. If you are going to speak at a seminar, you will carry out a lot of research, which will help your business. However, it is the talk itself that will position you as a specialist that can be relied upon, and which sees you seen as the local estate agent that can be trusted.

21. Build a list There is an old marketing saying that the “money is in the list” and this is true. You will find that having an email list of interested clients is the ideal way to reach your audience and communicate in an effective manner.

With this in mind, you should create lead magnets that persuade people to share their details with you. You need to make sure that you provide people with content that is relevant, of interest and which will position you as someone they trust.

Within this list database, you should segment your list so you can reach out to people in a tailored manner. Personalising your communication is the best way to achieve success with an email list, so take this step.

22. Have a direct mail campaign While there is a lot to be said for developing your email list and reaching out to your audience, you also need to make sure that you have a direct mail campaign. Reaching people in their own home with a flyer or leaflet will help you to engage with people who don’t use social media or email, and it can help you connect with people.

The physical nature of these flyers stops people in their tracks, making them more likely to pay attention to what you have to say. There is also the fact that a direct mail campaign allows you to focus on localised areas, which can reinforce the fact that you are a local estate agent.

23. Enable social sharing on your site When it comes to helping people share your content or making sure your content is seen by as many people as possible, there are steps you can take. You will find that adding social sharing buttons to your blog and website makes it a lot easier for people to share your content. These aspects also act as a reminder that you are active on social media, and can encourage guests to check out what you have to offer.

24. You must have a mobile friendly site In the present day, if you don’t have a mobile friendly site, you are likely to lose business. Your website should be responsive as this will provide your guests and visitors with the best user experience.

25. Keep your website up to date If your website is out of date or the content hasn’t been updated in a while, this can create the wrong impression with your audience. You should look to freshen up your website on a regular basis and by adding new content on a regular basis, you provide people with a reason to come back more often.

26. Develop the right branding Branding is hugely important for businesses, and while your logo or corporate colours are important, branding is about so much more. Your branding should be what people think of when they see your name or hear your company spoke of, and you want to make sure that your branding represents you and appeals to your audience.

27. Recycle content When you create great content, it would be a shame to use it once and then never use it again. This means you should recycle content and use it in a number of different ways. There is a chance for you to create blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts and so much more, all from the same content or information.

This helps to reinforce the idea that you are an industry specialist, it allows you to reach out to more people and it means that you are more likely to reach more people. If you have a great idea or have created great content, it makes sense to share it with as many people as possible.

28. Take advantage of business directories People look for estate agents in different ways and many people still use business directories to find a suitable firm. These directories are now online, so they have moved with the times, but the fact that so many similar firms from the same industry are linked together is great news for your audience.

These sites often provide your audience with the chance to write a review of your services, and this is a good thing in the modern era. You should encourage users to leave reviews of your services on these sites, as this will hopefully drive business to you.

29. Infographics are of immense value You know that you don’t have a lot of time to engage your audience these days, especially on social media. Images provide the best way to reach people at short notice but many images don’t provide a lot of information. This is where infographics are different and through infographics, you can share valuable information with your audience in a quick and simple manner.

You can brand infographics to ensure that if the content is shared beyond your account, you can still receive credit for the work.

30. Have a presence in online forums Estate agents know that they need to have a presence in the local area but having a presence in online communities can be of benefit. There are many social networking groups or forums based on the property market or for local communities, and you should be active on these forums. This will show that you care about the local community, that you are willing to help and you can hear what questions people have for your business. However, these forums aren’t an opportunity to promote your business so don’t engage in activity that would be classed as “spam”.

31. Use a signature In online forums and n your email account, you should use a signature that provides information about what you do or which directs people to your site. There is a lot to be said for taking advantage of the various opportunities that are available to you in spreading awareness of what you have to offer, and a signature is a simple yet effective way to let people know about your estate agent services.

32. Engage local shops and suppliers If you are creating flyers for localised direct mail campaigns, you can also consider placing flyers in local shops or places like doctors surgeries. Having a presence in these places will help you to reach a different audience from the standard online community and you can reinforce your local credentials.

33. Move beyond pop-ups Pop-ups used to be an effective way to grab people’s attention on websites but in 2018, they are obtrusive and annoying by many people. This means you should look to move beyond this activity and think of other ways you can get people’s attention online. You will often find that the more you offer people, the more interest they will have in what you have to offer.

34. Say thanks Manners cost nothing and saying thanks or showing gratitude to your audience is a good idea. This shows that you are a pleasant company or agent but it also provides you with the chance to re-engage with your audience. It is important to stay in touch with people you have served, because these are the people most likely to provide you with recommendations or who will use your service again in the future.

35. Utilise your surroundings If you have a physical store and there is a lot of foot-traffic in your area, act on this. Place adverts on billboards or be more creative in your advertising to make sure people know that you are a local estate agent and that you can be found in the local area.

36. Make sure you are active on social media It isn’t enough to have social media accounts, you need to be active and engaging. Ask questions and respond to people who speak to you. Don’t just promote, talk about many aspects of your local area and what is of interest to you. You need to show more of your personality when it comes to making an impact on social media, so be active and offer insight into what you do and who you are.

37. Offer certification and proof It is likely that you will have certificates and qualification which outline your skills and expertise as an estate agent. You need to share these with your audience. If you are a member of an industry body, share this information as people want to know these things, as it can help them decide to hire you. People are looking for peace of mind when they make decisions in the property market so knowing that you have plenty of experience and skills will be a great starting point for your audience.

38. Make predictions Everyone wants to know what is going to happen next in the property market. It is impossible to say for sure but given your expertise and experience in the market, it is likely that you have some insight to offer to your audience. This is why you should make property market predictions and share them with your audience.

39. You can be controversial but back it up We’ve all seen people who make a career out of being controversial, and controversial views grab headlines and make people take notice. You can therefore see why some estate agents would choose to make controversial points about the market or local area online or on social media. There is nothing wrong with being controversial, as long as you can back up what you say. If you are able to make an argument that justifies your opinion, you can be controversial. However, if you say controversial things just to be controversial, you will find that people form a negative opinion of you and this will harm your business.

40. Online webinars are a great way to show off your expertise Online webinars provide you with the chance to talk about a subject you know well, showcase your expertise and help people take a new step with their home. All of this means estate agents should consider the benefits of online webinars in developing their brand and marking themselves out as the local expert that people can trust.

41. Offer a book When it comes to being regarded as an authority on a topic, writing a book on the subject is a smart way to go about it. When you have a book about a topic or subject matter, people will see you as a source that can be relied upon and who knows what they are saying. This means your audience is likely to gravitate towards you.

The book can also be presented to potential clients as a way of showcasing your skills and informing them of how good a match you would be for their needs.

42. Offer a podcast A podcast is an option, much like a book, that allows you to share your expertise in your line of work. Creating a podcast provides you with a focus that will help you in your line of work but the podcast itself will help you to connect with your audience, it can drive traffic to your business and it will position you as a trusted specialist in your field.

43. Offer a business card Not everyone is online and there are still many opportunities for estate agents to meet people and potential clients in person. Having a business card available when you meet people increases the likelihood of re-connecting at a later date, which means that the cost can be recouped in no time at all.

44. Utilise GIFs and memes If you use social media, you will know that GIFs and memes are very popular. You can use these or create your own to get your opinion across and showcase your lighter side. There are many ways to connect with your audience and you don’t always need to promote. In fact, showcasing a different side to your character will help you to develop your brand and reach an audience.

45. Show your true self When it comes to social media, there is a great deal to be said for being honest and engaging in a true manner. Being yourself makes the process easier and you should find that it becomes a lot simpler to maintain consistency in your posts and how you engage with people.

46. Ask people what they want As an estate agent, you need to know what people want from you, so ask them. Ask questions on social media, ask questions on your website and ask people when you speak to them in real life. If you can answer a question, that person will be glad of the response and will think positively about you. Also, if a lot of people ask the same question, this is likely to be a question that many potential clients want to receive an answer for, so if you can answer the question, people will trust you.

47. Offer discounts There is no two ways about it, people like saving money. This means you should look to provide discounts where suitable. This can be done online, offline or through a combination of these methods. When you make your service cheaper, people will take an interest and hopefully they will like what you do, which means they will come back for more at a later date.

48. Have a local presence No matter how well you are doing online, you want to make sure that you have a visible local presence. This is hugely important for estate agents that specialise in a local area, so make this a priority. There are many ways that you can be visible in the local area, suitable for all manner of budgets, so make sure that you are seen by the right people in the right places.

49. Encourage loyalty A lot of companies offer great bonuses for new clients but the real trick to business success is creating repeat customers. You want to ensure that people like what you do and want to come back to you time and time again. If you can encourage loyalty amongst your audience, you will make sales and receive recommendations, which should ensure that your estate agency flourishes.

50. Have a story People are interested in other people and they are interested in stories. It is likely that you have a story as to why you are the specialist people can rely on, so make sure that people know this story. This will form the backdrop of your brand and will be a key feature in how you engage your audience online and offline.

Marketing is an activity that many estate agents find difficult, it can be of benefit to receive a helping hand. If you need help with marketing then please get in touch by clicking here or download our Managed Marketing Service Factsheet.

Thanks for reading we hope you found it useful and good luck!

#SocialMedia #Facebook #Pinterest #Twitter #YouTube #Instagram #DirectMail #EmailMarketing #EmailMarketing Source: Agent Media