Repeat clients and referrals are vital, but equally so is reaching new customers to keep your market reach expanding. Here are five ideas to bear in mind when crafting advertisements for your business.
Know who you should be marketing to
Before you start writing up or commissioning ad copy, think about who you are trying to reach. Take time to research which demographics are buying what types of homes. Armed with these specifics, you can better strategize how to reach them through different advertising channels and the type of content of your ads.
Stay local
Marketing campaigns don’t necessarily have to reach that wide of an audience to be successful; house hunters are most likely to use a local brokerage within or near their communities. You can customize advertisements such as simple flyers placed at the local supermarket or rec center, or create more ambitious campaigns, such as buying airtime through a local cable provider or television station.
Mix the old with the new
It’s tempting to write off print marketing, but you shouldn’t. Direct mail postcards remain a valuable way to reach clients and have a personal, tactile edge that an email or digital advertising just can’t deliver.
At the same time, it’s hard to deny the convenience of digital ads, especially if you’re looking to reach younger buyers. Many agents have found success in getting their word out via TikTok, which at first you might not associate with real estate. And to improve your chances of being found in a local real estate search, take some time to learn how search engine optimization (SEO) can increase traffic to your website.
Be consistent
Sales is a number’s game, and the best way to win that game is to keep playing. If you keep the advertisements going at a consistent pace, it’s more likely that more people will notice them. Consistency is also where newsletters come in, since they’re designed to be sent out as recurring installments. If someone sees the same ad over and over, they’ll probably write it off, diluting the ad’s effectiveness. Change up the messaging and images to keep them more interesting.
Highlight what makes you unique
With ads, it’s not enough for people to just see it; they have to be inspiring enough so people want to reach out to get in touch with you. That means the ad—and by extension, you—have to stand out. What unique qualities or track record does your brokerage have, and which should you highlight? As the cliché goes, step into the buyers’ shoes. Whatever you would want from someone helping you sell/buy a house—trustworthiness, reliability, communication—figure out how you embody it and advertise that front and center.
Devin Meenan is RISMedia’s assistant editor. Email him with your real estate news ideas, dmeenan@rismedia.com.
