The real estate market is a highly complicated one, and the good news is that there are some tried-and-true ways to get your listings seen by those who might want to buy or sell. With this list of 12 steps, you’ll be able to start marketing like an expert in no time!.
The “12 month real estate marketing plan” is a guide that helps you to create a successful 12-month marketing plan. The first step in the process is to create your own goal and then set up your timeline.
Every real estate agent understands that successfully promoting their listings is critical to assisting buyers and sellers in closing on their ideal house or selling an existing one. We’ve put up a list of 12 steps to help you establish a successful real estate listing marketing strategy. This translates to more properties sold and more homes purchased, as well as an increase in referrals, which will help you grow your company.
The methods listed below are a sure-fire strategy to get more people to notice your listings:
1. Photographs that have been professionally staged
Photographs of the property and its features are your most significant marketing tools when advertising a home. This is due to the fact that the human brain processes visuals more quicker than words. You want to demonstrate to the purchasers that the house they’re buying is worth every penny per square foot. As a result, cutting pennies on photography is not an option when planning a budget for advertising a home—you must employ a professional.
However, any professional photographer will not suffice. The expert you select should have prior real estate experience. Inquire of photographers how they capture the soul of a house during interviews. Pay attention to details like how they employ lighting to create an appealing atmosphere in the house or how they showcase the property’s features.
Make an appointment with the seller to go through the property the day before images are taken to ensure that it is picture-ready. For example, make sure that pet things are not out where they may be photographed, that dishes are not in the sink, that conspicuous trash cans have been emptied, that yards have been mowed, and that toilet seats are down.
Pro tip: You don’t have to wait until the photographer comes the next day to provide sellers advice on how to create a strong first impression. In addition, the firm I employ has a printed plan that I provide to my vendors to follow before photo day.
2. Make a video tour of your property
Video used to be an afterthought in a listing’s marketing strategy. Having a listing video that takes the customer on a tour of the property, beginning at the front entrance and going through all rooms to the outdoors, has become a crucial marketing strategy as more buyers want to inspect homes online before calling an agent.
However, merely uploading a quickly filmed movie from your smartphone to YouTube is insufficient. While seeing the tour, you want the buyer to experience emotions and a want to personally visit the house. One method to do this is to use background music or a prospective tour story. If the house is empty, you may virtually arrange it with digital furniture in films to show the possibilities of each space to a prospective buyer.
While you can shoot a video tour of a listing yourself, using a professional service like Asteroom, which can create a 3D virtual tour in minutes, is usually worth the money. However, you should investigate whether the photographer you hired to shoot your listing images also provides this service for a fee. This manner, you’ll be able to buy various alternatives as part of a package offer, maybe at a discount.
3. Submit the property to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) (MLS)
I like to remind people that we are only as good as the tools we utilize as real estate salespeople. The Multiple Listing Service (MLS), where all listings are listed for sale, is one of the most vital and important tools for our sellers. After that, the MLS distributes your listing to a variety of websites, including public access websites, Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, Trulia, and others.
Advertising a home’s unique features or amenities might be as easy as clicking a box, depending on how your MLS is written. However, you should emphasize the property’s best-selling features in your description. We’ve compiled a list of terms that you may use in your listings to pique the interest of prospective purchasers; just make sure that what you mention in the description is accurate.
When you make a listing on the MLS, you may also submit photos. You want to upload as many photos as the system will allow. Please keep in mind that certain images may not carry over when your listing is picked up by third-party websites.
Once they have received the basic information from the MLS, several of these other websites provide extra services you may utilize to publicize your property. For example, Zillow’s Premier Agent program provides you with a free agent profile to help you build your professional image, as well as strategies to raise the exposure of your listings on Zillow, Trulia, and StreetEasy. In our post about Zillow Premier Agent advertising, you can discover more about how to utilize this service.
4. Place a For Sale Sign with a Flyer Box on the property.
You should only do this if the seller has given you permission to place the sign and flyer box on the property. This request should be handled and recorded in your listing agreement at the moment you take the listing.
If your seller is okay with putting up a for sale sign on their property, it’s a terrific way to let buyers and neighbors know that the house is on the market. As a side note, as a listing agent, it’s also a terrific marketing tool and potential for corporate branding.
Request that the sign company add a flyer box when they install the sign on the property. Again, this should only be done with the seller’s consent. Using a real estate flyer template, you can then add prints with more information and price for the house, which visitors may share with prospective purchasers. Request that the vendor notify you when the flyers are running short. You never want your listing to have an empty flyer box.
5. Create Brochures & Additional Flyers
In addition to single 810-inch page information sheets that may be put in the flyer box or flyer stand, the amenities and sales price of your property will decide if it makes financial sense to develop multipage brochures tailored to be handed out during showings. You should use excellent quality cardstock or glossy paper in any instance. This will not only make your materials seem more professional, but it will also prevent curling at the borders.
Whatever you pick, keep in mind that these print pieces are meant to promote the house and all of its appealing features, not you as the listing agent. While your contact information and photo should be included on printed materials, they should be tucked away in a tiny space on the bottom right or left to avoid drawing attention away from the house you’re trying to sell. Also, check with your broker, office manager, or attorney to see what language is permissible.
6. Post Listings on Your Personal & Company Website
In addition to relying entirely on visitors from sites like Zillow, another approach to increase visibility for your listing is to publish it on your own professional or corporate website. This gives you more control over which photographs appear in your listings and makes it simpler for prospective buyers to locate them on social media.
There are many website builders on the market that may assist you in showcasing the full potential of your listing. Some even offer built-in marketing tools, such as mortgage calculators, or features that assist you handle incoming leads, such as contact forms. Our choices may be found in our post on the best real estate website builders.
7. Disseminate Listings on Social Media
While most MLSs allow you to upload your listing to social media networks straight from your MLS, some are more social media-savvy than others. For example, the MLS to which I have access includes a method for me to post my listings on Facebook, but other social media networks like as Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn need extra processes.
Facebook is, in my opinion, the best social networking site. As part of my social media marketing, I regularly do live broadcasts of my listings. The key is to make your films brief and interesting. If you’re scared to film a video because you don’t think it’ll be flawless, keep in mind that practice makes perfect. You’ll grow better at producing them the more you do them. These films may also be attached to an email campaign that promotes the listing.
If you’re stumped for what to post on social media, a service like ParkBench can provide you with information about local trends or breaking news that you may remark on. Just remember to keep your audience in mind and only give information that is relevant to the possible purchasers of your listing. If you don’t want to risk combining business and personal postings, try establishing a company page on Facebook or a distinct professional account on the other networks.
Always advise your seller that you will be displaying their house on social media networks, whether you utilize Facebook or one of the other services. This should be covered when you meet with the seller for the first time to provide your listing presentation.
8. Organize open houses
Unfortunately, several states are prohibiting realtors from hosting open homes due to the current COVID-19 climate. When the weather improves and open houses are permitted again, it is a terrific method to expose your seller’s home to a large number of people. This is because a prominently posted open house sign not only provides prospective buyers a reason to stop and tour a home, but a well-attended event may also make it evident that a property is in high demand, encouraging top bids.
Hosting open houses is a terrific way to network and create future business, even if a visitor finally chooses not to make an offer. I keep track of visitors’ names, phone numbers, and email addresses on a sign-in sheet, and I contact those who aren’t represented by an agent to thank them for visiting. I also have pencils, notepads, and calendars with my contact information on hand as takeaway goods.
Open homes might pose a threat to one’s safety. Before having an appointment, you should always acquaint yourself with your broker’s agent safety procedure. As the broker of my firm, I, for one, demand all agents to have a second associate present at the open house. My agents must also complete a real estate agent-approved safety course, which provides information that may be utilized during open houses and showings.
At the very least, you should heed the advice of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which strongly advises against hosting open houses by yourself. This implies that throughout each event, each agent should link up with another agent or lender. More information may be found in our post on how to hold a real estate open house.
9. Send Only the Postcards on the List
When you put a new property on the market, it’s the ideal moment to send out a postcard to your database and the surrounding area. You may make these postcards yourself or get an expert to do it for you. You may uncover a customer who is searching for a home to buy by distributing these postcards to your database, or the client may know someone who can pass the information on to them.
You may also deliver these postcards to the seller’s community, since a neighbor may know of a buyer looking for a home in the same neighborhood. Even if they don’t have a specific customer in mind, the “just listed” postcard establishes your trust, which might result in much more business than you expected.
However, your brokerage may give you with a number of postcards; if you need to print your own, go to ProspectsPLUS!, a company that specializes in real estate postcards, brochures, and other marketing materials. They can also help you automate the process by assisting you in the creation of targeted mailing lists and planned campaigns, saving you time at the post office.
Pay a visit to ProspectsPLUS!
10. Make the Most of Your Network
You must accept your role as a walking advertisement as a real estate salesperson. You must accept that you are a spokesperson for your sellers every day you leave the office and go out into the neighborhood. Every individual you meet on your travels has the potential to be a buyer or seller. When people find out you’re a real estate agent, they’ll naturally want to know how the market is doing and what the current interest rates are.
You should also attend your local association’s marketing meetings to let other real estate agents know about your new listings. You’ll also be exchanging information with local lenders, title officials, and inspectors during these sessions. Everyone knows someone who is seeking for a place to live.
Pro tip: When taking on a new listing, make use of all of your existing connections. You may be a member of a neighborhood group or another professional organization with whom you might share information about your new listing. Our friends and family are the most important people with whom we often fail to share information. I prefer to utilize a checklist to remind me of the actions I need to do while taking a listing.
11. Keep in touch
A listing’s marketing is a continuous process. While it’s always nice to be able to add a rider to a for sale sign that claims a property sold in one or two days, the process may take many days, if not weeks. Check your listing description on a regular basis to determine if it can be enhanced, work your network, and update your flyers as required. Most crucial, follow up with leads who have showed interest as soon as possible.
Using a client database, such as a customer relationship management system, is one approach to remain on top of leads. LionDesk is an example of this, since it not only organizes your contact information but also provides tools for SMS and email campaigns, a power dialer, and Facebook ad management connection. It also comes with a free trial so you can give it a go.
Visit the Lion’s Den
12. Publicize Your Achievements
It’s time to let everyone know about your success once you’ve listed, promoted, and closed your property. Sending out recently sold postcards with your most recent listing is a terrific method to complete the process while also informing your network that your listing has sold. This mailing campaign has the ability to deliver you new clients and listings.
Also, if you have permission from the seller, don’t skip out on a chance to be acknowledged for a job well done by neglecting to post about the closed house on your social media sites. The capacity to start and finish a work is also shown by posting a closed house.
Conclusion
There is no better time to hone your abilities and become a successful listing agent than now. You must explain to the seller what talents set you apart from your competition—the other listing agents—in light of the current housing scarcity, high demand from buyers, and historically low financing rates. As a successful listing agent, this is the day for you to “get up and show up.”
The “real estate marketing checklist” is a 12-step plan that will help you to create an effective real estate listing marketing strategy.
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