As a real estate agent, your success depends largely on how you market yourself to potential clients. While some agents focus heavily on getting “open house” appointments, this is only a small part of what will win over new business.
Most people who are looking for their next home look online first before coming into a listing or attending a private open house. By having a strong social media presence, you can start creating a buzz about your services and developing a rapport with others in the industry.
By posting pictures and messages that appeal to your audience, you can gain visibility and get noticed by possible prospects. When they see your hard work and effort to help them find a home, they may be willing to do business with you.
That is why it is so important to use social media to promote your company and spread the word about your services. It is also a great way to keep in touch with your current customers!
There are many ways to promote your agency on different platforms, but none compare to using direct mail. Direct mail has been around longer than most industries, which makes it an affordable tool to invest in.
Create a marketing plan
As mentioned before, being able to market yourself is an important part of being a successful real estate agent. But too many people get stuck in their own way of thinking and don’t try new things.
You should never feel that you have to do something because it’s what you’ve always done.
What I mean by that is don’t make your next action depend on the past. Try out new ways to promote your business and find ones that work for you!
There are so many ways to advertise your property service these days with the use of social media, websites, flyers, direct mailers, word-of-mouth, etc.
Try looking into all of them and finding one or several that fit your lifestyle and budget well. Finding a balance between spending money and promoting your services will keep you busy and engaged with your career.
But remember, no matter how hard you try to gain clients, not everyone is going to like or want your services.
Build a website
After you have identified an area of your market that is under-repped, it’s time to start building your business! The first thing you will need to do is create or update your personal real estate agent profile online (this includes all professional web pages like YourRealEstateAgent.com, Realtor.ca, etc.). This site can look similar to Amazon’s or Google’s by offering users direct access to your services and career development opportunities.
Your profile should include at least a picture, contact information, and some brief descriptions about yourself as a person and as a real estate agent. It’s very important to emphasize how committed you are to helping others and being in this industry for a long time. Add some links to your social media profiles, photos of your house, and any testimonials from past clients to reinforce this message.
After you have completed your profile, it’s time to pick your niche and position yourself within it. Pick a sector of the housing market that is experiencing growth and recruit more members into it to promote your expertise. For example, if you live in a wealthy suburb then maybe focus on only selling homes in less affluent areas. Or if you’re good at marketing houses, target those who aren’t quite so strong at it yet.
Start using social media
As we mentioned before, being active on all of the major social media sites is a great way to start engaging in real estate marketing.
Some people make a big deal about how difficult it can be to find a good broker, but that’s only because they don’t use the tools available to them effectively.
By using these tools, you will definitely find someone who is willing to work with you!
Most agents have their own personal Facebook page where they broadcast updates about themselves and what services and properties they have for sale or rent.
Take time to connect with others on those pages and contribute content if you can too. It’s not only a nice way to get feedback from other brokers, but it also gives you an opportunity to build some trust by sharing your experiences and knowledge.
And while most people agree that having a professional looking photo is important when advertising yourself as an agent, many forget to update theirs.
Get into a habit of updating your profile picture at least once per week. You want to look consistent so potential clients can relate to you.
Offer your services
As mentioned before, being an agent is not easy, nor does it pay well in the short term. That is why most agents have to work hard to make ends meet, especially in the beginning.
Agents must spend time finding clients so that they can earn enough money to survive. While some agents start working with brokers or property owners directly, this isn’t possible for everyone.
Most agents begin by selling their own home first and then use their connections to get jobs as real estate agents. Starting your own business from scratch requires a lot of effort and motivation, but it is worth it in the long run.
There are many ways to become an agent while staying independent. You will need to determine which one works best for you depending on what kind of client base you want to attract and how much time you have to market yourself.
Communicate your availability
As mentioned before, being active on social media is a great way to connect with potential clients. But you must be careful not to overextend yourself by promoting too many brands and companies.
You do not want to seem like you are trying to influence people into buying or selling a house!
That would turn off most people. If you have a strong reputation as an honest agent who works hard, then let people know about it.
But if you don’t really understand what products and services other companies offer, why they are important to their business, and how that benefits your customers, then cut back on marketing to avoid looking very shallow.
Your personal Facebook profile is your own space, so feel free to keep it private if you wish, but make sure to disable “public interest” in your settings so people can’t find you.
And while it is okay to advertise for your agents license, limit it to only homes you actually represent or things such as events you will be attending.
Same goes for your Twitter account. You should never tweet about anything related to real estate unless you are actively working, just to save wasted time and energy.
People may get annoyed at having to search through tweets to see whether you are still actively helping others, or offering advice or consultations.
Make a good impression
As mentioned before, your career as an real estate agent will really get going when you pick your niche and area of service. But what happens next is engaging in conversations with potential clients!
Your style, tone, and demeanor matter! When meeting someone for the first time, they may or may not learn more about you depending on how well you are able to put them at ease.
Whether you’re greeting people outside the home of a house you’ve just shown them, having a conversation over coffee after exchanging numbers, or chatting during a lunch date, your communication skills can make a big difference in the success of your business.
Running through possible scenarios in your mind will help prepare you. You might also want to take some tips from professionals in the field who have done this before.
Follow up after making a sale
After you close on a house, your next job is to follow up! This can be tough because it’s hard to stay motivated to do business while you’re busy trying to figure out what to do with all of your things.
And even when you have time, there’s no guarantee that people will respond well to your calls, messages, or emails.
So how does one find more clients?
By being persistent. You’ll need to call, email, text, and chat people until they agree to meet you. Some people may feel too stressed out to do this so it’s okay to back off for a few days if you haven’t heard from them!
The best way to approach someone who has made a promise is by keeping their word. If you’ve got their attention, you can ask about meetingup to talk about business or asking them to help promote your services for a fee.
Use the time to market your business
As a real estate agent, you will need to know how to market yourself. You should definitely be aware of this at least on a basic level, but making sure that you are seen by as many people as possible is very important.
Getting more exposure for your agency can mean putting in social media campaigns, writing blogs, sharing information about homes and houses online, talking to other agents, attending events, etc.
There are so many ways to promote your real estate agency! Finding appropriate timing and strategies to do so is key.
