The real estate market has seen some drastic changes over the last couple of years. From white-hot to cooling off, real estate businesses have been challenged to adapt to volatile markets while trying to keep their current clients or residents happy–and attract new ones!
So how can you continue marketing your real estate business through uncertainty and market changes? Fresh ideas and a different perspective can help, as well as looking for new ways to get in front of clients. We’ve got just the ideas to inspire a little creativity in your real estate marketing strategy.
Contents
- General real estate marketing ideas
- Real estate advertising ideas
- Real estate social media ideas
- Real estate SEO and website tips
General real estate marketing ideas
Use these ideas to form the foundation of your real estate marketing strategy.
Send regular newsletters
Email marketing is a powerful tool for realtors and real estate businesses, and newsletters are one of the best ways to stay top of mind with prospective clients or past clients who may need your services in the future (or who can refer you later down the road).
By sending relevant, interesting content on a regular basis, you can inform prospects of new listings, highlight local events to build community, and spotlight employees to build trust.
Newsletters also provide an easy way to build your email list so you can establish a one-to-one relationship with potential clients.
Think about what your prospective and current clients would be interested in, and test different email subject lines to see what drives the most opens. Then add a compelling call to action.
📫 Get ready-to-customize emails in our free guide >> The Complete Email Marketing Toolkit: Free Email Templates, Subject Lines & Tips
Host an informational webinar or event
As more and more people look to buy or sell homes, there’s a lot of opportunity for your real estate business to provide helpful information that can assist them on their journey—and potentially become a client down the line.
Host an informational webinar or event to answer frequently asked questions, bring in an expert to share insights, or educate first-time home buyers on the process.
This helps position your real estate business as a trusted expert and can help you generate leads to convert into clients.
Ask for testimonials and reviews
When it comes to finding the right real estate business, people tend to do a lot of research. They want to ensure they’re working with a real estate agent, broker, or lender who is trustworthy and has a record of success. That’s where testimonials come in.
If you haven’t already created and featured testimonials on your website or social sites, now is definitely the time to start. If you already have some great testimonials created, it’s a perfect time to give them a little refresh by adding more.
Ask your recent clients if they would be comfortable sharing a short quote along with a picture you can feature on your website and social sites. You can streamline this process by creating a Google Form to collect the information and centralize it in one place.
You can also make this part of your ongoing business process by asking clients to take a picture when they close on their homes and provide a short quote or video that you can share (always ask for permission!).
Respond to reviews
Once you get new reviews, make sure to respond. This doesn’t just apply to negative reviews (although it’s extremely important to respond to those!), but you should also respond to positive reviews to thank your clients for taking the time to provide their feedback.
Sponsor (or host) a community event
Real estate businesses can get involved in the community to build relationships and get new clients. One way to do that is to sponsor or host a local event.
You can find local events to sponsor through your Chamber of Commerce, by getting involved with local organizations, or by asking your team about the organizations they’re involved with.
If you plan to host a community event, make sure to reach out to complementary businesses or organizations in your area to see how they can get involved and spread the word, too.
If hosting or sponsoring an event isn’t in the budget, you can also volunteer at a local community event. This still gives your real estate business a presence—and an opportunity to connect with local clients—but it doesn’t require the financial commitment of event sponsorship or hosting an event. Plus, it gives you a way to give back to the community!
Put together thoughtful client gifts
Your clients are putting a lot of trust (and money!) into their relationship with you. One way to show some customer appreciation is to give them a gift at the close of your working relationship. Some ideas include:
- A gift basket with goods from local businesses that they can frequent near their new home.
- A framed drawing of their new (or old) home as a keepsake.
- A nice bottle of wine with etched wine glasses to enjoy outside.
- Personalized keychains for their home keys.
- Personalized candles with a wick lighter.
Your gifts don’t have to be the same for every client, either. You might get to know your clients really well and can put together something you know they’ll like.
This real estate agent gave a customized welcome mat.
This not only serves as a nice way to cap off your time working together, but it can increase your chances of getting referrals later on—people love a thoughtful gesture!
Create a client referral program
If you don’t already have a formalized way to ask for referrals, this is a great real estate marketing idea to add to your list! People trust people they know to provide recommendations about who to work with—and this is especially true for real estate. Your current and past clients can be your best lead generators. All you have to do is create a referral program and promote it.
Referral programs typically include an incentive for the client to give a referral, so think about what would be enticing for your clients. Perhaps it’s a free cleaning service with a local business, a large gift card, or a local gift basket. You could even ask your current clients what would entice them to refer their friends and neighbors.
Once you have your incentive outlined, you can either create a page on your website with information about your referral program or send an email to your list to promote your program. Make sure to let new clients know about the program, too, so you can keep the referrals coming in. (Get our email templates for some help with this!)
If you already have a referral program, you can give it a refresh by upping your incentive or just sending out some new promotional materials.
Partner with a local organization
Another real estate marketing idea is to partner with a local organization to support. I recently attended an open house where a local organization set up a lemonade stand out front to raise money for their cause. Everyone was loving the refreshments, and it felt nice to give back—plus, it’s an easy way for the organization to reach people!
If you don’t want to have the organization present at an open house, you can support them by:
- Sharing information about the organization on your social media sites
- Making a donation
- Having your team donate their time by volunteering with the organization
- Sponsoring an upcoming event they’re having
This is a great way to show your commitment to your local community, build relationships, and use your network for good!
Share how you give back
Once you’ve found an organization to partner with, don’t keep it quiet! People are more and more interested in working with businesses that give back, and this is especially true for millennials, who now make up 43% of home buyers.
Many real estate businesses are already partnering with local organizations or charities, so it may be a matter of promoting your current involvement on your website and social media sites.
Research local awards to win
Another way to boost confidence in your real estate business is to look for local awards to win. (And also, who doesn’t want to win an award??)
Many local publications run “best of” lists throughout the year. Do some research to see what’s available in your area, what the requirements are, and when the submission and voting process begins. If you find that a deadline has already passed or awards have already been announced for this year, you can set a calendar reminder to check back so you’ll be in the running for next year.
Once you do win an award, make sure to promote it on social media and add it to your website.
Try online booking software
If you haven’t already added an online booking option for your real estate business, now is the time to try it! You can have potential clients schedule a free consultation right from your website. This allows you to close more customers without putting in the time to coordinate schedules or get them on the phone.
By testing this real estate marketing idea, you can easily manage new customers while you’re on the go.
Real estate advertising ideas
Use these tips and ideas to take your real estate ads to the next level.
Run Google Ads
One of the best ways to get found by local searchers is to run Google Ads. Google Ads show on Google search results pages for relevant searches and drive users to a landing page on your website.
You can use Google Ads to capture local searchers seeking realtors in your area. Learn more about running Google Ads here.
🛑 Already running Google Ads and not sure how they’re performing? Find out with a free, instant audit >> Free Google Ads Grader
Add Google Local Services Ads
Another way to get found on search engines is to run paid ads. Real estate businesses have the unique opportunity to run Google Local Services Ads (LSAs).
Google LSAs are a subset of Google Ads specifically for service-based businesses. The purpose is to provide searchers with enough information directly from the ad for them to contact the business through Google. Unlike Google Ads, which are pay-per-click, Google LSAs are pay-per-lead, which means you would only pay when a person provides their contact information through the ad or reaches out to you via your ad.
If you’re not already running Google LSAs, now is a great time to test them as part of your real estate marketing strategy.
In order to run LSAs, you need to get the Google Verified badge, which means you’ve met Google’s requirements and they’ve verified your business.
Try video ads on Facebook
As attention spans grow ever shorter, creating content that can seize focus is vital. Video ads are notoriously effective at doing just that.
To create engaging video Facebook ads:
- Optimize for mobile by using a properly sized video. Vertical is friendly for mobile screens and makes it easy to cross-advertise on Instagram (another Meta-owned property, where vertically-oriented Reels rule supreme).
- Begin your video with a killer hook. A stunning backyard vista, an Architectural Digest-ready kitchen—whatever it is, show off the best part of your property, and keep the content short and sweet.
- Design for silent viewing. Ensure your ad’s message is clear, even if someone’s scrolling with sound off. Opt for music, or if you have spoken word in the video, include captions.
- Add a strong CTA. You can customize your call-to-action line on Facebook—take advantage of that feature. Draft a strong line that works well with your chosen CTA button (which you select from among a handful that Facebook offers).
Don’t forget about carousel ads
Video isn’t the only effective Facebook ad format. Carousel ads are a big hit for real estate businesses. A carousel ad allows you to show off all of the winning facets of your property. This type of ad is especially compelling for rental properties or condos in luxury, amenity-rich buildings, as it allows you to showcase the features of the individual unit alongside property-wide benefits, like a gym or rooftop space.
Include a sense of urgency in your ad copy
When selling a home or leasing up a property, creating a sense of high demand is good. It can inspire a bidding war in a sale or get your rental property to full capacity sooner.
Using language like “new to market” or “85% sold” creates urgency. It says, “This is a hot new listing, or space is almost full—if you’re interested, you’d better act fast before it’s gone!”
Real estate social media ideas
Try these real estate social media ideas to engage your audience
Run a social media contest
Facebook contests and Instagram giveaways can help you expand your audience on social media and increase engagement. This helps you get seen by more potential clients and stay top of mind with previous clients.
The best way to achieve this social media goal is to run a contest where users have to like your post, follow you, and tag another user. Make sure to choose a compelling prize and post all the rules of the contest in your announcement post.
Create educational graphics for social media
The real estate market has been a hot topic, and many people are more confused than ever about the impact of rising interest rates and low inventory. One way to cut through the noise and help educate your audience is to create helpful graphics you can share on social media. People engage more with posts with images, and we retain information better from images than text.
These graphics can cover frequently asked questions, highlight a timely topic, or define a confusing term.
Make sure to include your logo and relevant hashtags, as these types of graphics are easily shareable and can become a handy resource for sourcing new clients.
You can also test your graphics on social media to see what elicits the most engagement. Then you can use that to determine what to build newsletter topics or blog content around.
Try real estate TikTok
As more and more younger people are entering the real estate market and as usage grows in general, TikTok has become a great place for real estate businesses to connect with and educate prospective clients.
If you’re not trying out TikTok for real estate marketing yet, now’s a good time to test the waters.
You can share short, educational information as TikTok videos as well as use TikTok to show off your open listings, share homebuying tips, or bust myths about the home-buying experience.
@randipennix no wasted space here 😍#dallasrealestate #realtoroftiktok #realestate #dallasrealestateagent #dallasrealtor ♬ Strawberry – Prod. By Rose
As you’re getting started on TikTok, you can also reshare your TikTok videos on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram, and repurpose them as YouTube Shorts. This helps you get the most out of your content and can help you test what topics and types of videos resonate most with your audience.
Use the right real estate hashtags
As you plan your real estate marketing calendar, it’s important to incorporate the right hashtags into your posts. You’ll want to find a mix of local hashtags, industry-relevant hashtags, and seasonal or trending hashtags to help your posts reach a wider audience.
Here are some ideas to get started:
- #[city]realestate
- #[city]realestateagent
- #[city]realestatemarket
- #[city]realtor
- #[city]realestatebroker
- #[city]broker
- #[city]living
- #[city]homes
- #[city]
- #[state]realestate
- #[state]realtor
- #realestatetips
- #realestatetipsandadvice
- #realestatefacts
- #realtorsofinstagram
- #luxurylisting
- #luxuryhomes
- #newhome
- #homeforsale
- #thingstodoin[city]
Refresh your social media profiles
If you already have established social media profiles, it might be a good time to give them a little refresh. This could include updated Facebook cover photos, a new profile picture, or even just adding some new recent pictures to your albums or feed.
Highlight local businesses
Another cool social media post idea you can add to your real estate marketing is to feature and highlight local businesses on your profiles. These can be your favorite local businesses, new businesses opening in the area, or businesses that are related to homeownership and real estate (think home services or home repair).
By highlighting local businesses, you’re putting a spotlight on your community and letting prospective buyers know what they can expect from living in your area. It also gives other businesses a nice boost—and they might even return the favor in the future! Make sure to tag the business location or the business in your posts for extra exposure.
Share real estate trivia
If you’re looking for more ideas for your real estate social media marketing, you might also consider posting some real estate trivia. This can be done through your TikTok and Reels videos or as image posts using a design tool like Canva.
Think about some interesting information—like the average age of a first-time homebuyer, the average cost of maintaining a home for the year, etc.—and post a weekly trivia tidbit using the hashtag #triviatuesday.
This social media series would be an easy way to fill your calendar while also providing helpful or interesting info to home buyers and sellers.
📅 Need more help filling your social media calendar? We’ve got you covered! Download >> Free Copy & Paste Social Media Calendar
Real estate SEO and website tips
According to the National Association of Realtors, 97% of homebuyers engage the internet as part of their search. Make sure they can find you with these real estate SEO and website tips.
Clean up your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile can show up when people are searching for local real estate-related businesses or when they search for you specifically.
This profile can provide valuable information that can entice potential clients to take the next step and contact you or visit your website to learn more.
Google offers a lot of great options to help you educate clients about your real estate business directly from this profile, including Google Business Posts, reviews, images, and a Q&A section (hint: you can seed this section with frequently asked questions you receive).
Take some time to optimize your profile and highlight upcoming open houses, seasonal events, or feature your agents or employees.
Add an FAQ page to your real estate website
Do you have an FAQ page on your website? If not, now is the time to add one because it can give you a helpful resource to point prospective clients to, as well as a way to make your business more authoritative. It also has positive SEO implications because your FAQ page could rank for local searches related to real estate.
To get started with your FAQ page, think of all the typical questions your clients ask you and organize them into one place. Then work on crafting your answers. You can also ask your clients for feedback about what they wish they had known or what they looked for when searching for a real estate business to partner with.
By crowdsourcing some of these questions and identifying the most important information prospective clients will be looking for, you can increase your chances of getting found for those searches and becoming the business people turn to for their real estate needs.
Pro tip: Make sure to do local keyword research to find the best keywords to add to your real estate business’s FAQ page.
Create blog content for your real estate website
Finding the right real estate agent and mortgage lender can be difficult. Home buyers are looking for a person and business they can trust to guide them through the process—especially now that the process has gotten more competitive.
One way you can build trust with home buyers and sellers before they even reach out is to create relevant content for a blog on your website. Your blog can educate potential clients about a whole host of topics related to the real estate industry. Once a potential client finds you as a resource, they’ll be more likely to do business with you down the line.
You can create blog content based on frequently asked questions you receive, market trends in your area, as well as helpful tips you already share with your clients, such as home staging tips, packing tips, and more. (Get more content marketing ideas here!)
Spruce up your business description
Another area of your website that may need a little sprucing up is your business description. You’ll want to take a look at your business description across your full online presence, which also includes your local listings and your social media sites.
Take some time to think about what you want to convey about your business, what it’s important that people know about you, and what sets you apart. We have a whole guide on how to write a business description that can help!
Guest blog
Guest blogging is a great real estate marketing strategy because it can help you reach a new audience, build valuable SEO backlinks for your website, and position your business as an authority.
Guest blogging entails creating a piece of content for another business’s or organization’s website with you as the author.
There are many opportunities for those in real estate to guest blog. Consider reaching out to local publications, local blogs (such as micro-influencers, mommy bloggers, or blogs about what to do in your area), local chambers of commerce, or other local businesses related to your industry that have blogs.
Many websites welcome guest bloggers and would be happy to feature your insight! Just make sure to choose a topic that aligns with both your business and the publication’s audience.
Build the right real estate marketing strategy
There are endless opportunities for your real estate business to get in front of new clients, engage old ones, and build awareness. You just have to know where to start. Pick some items from this list, consider marketing agencies as an option, and test the marketing mix that works best for your business and goals.
If you need help, we have a proven track record of driving real estate marketing success for businesses like yours. Reach out to learn more.
Here’s a wrap-up of the best real estate marketing strategies, tips, and ideas to try:
- Send regular newsletters
- Host an informational webinar or event
- Ask for testimonials
- Respond to reviews
- Sponsor (or host) a community event
- Put together thoughtful client gifts
- Create a client referral program
- Partner with a local organization
- Share how you give back
- Research local awards to win
- Try online booking software
- Run Google Ads
- Add Google Local Services Ads
- Try video ads on Facebook
- Don’t forget about carousel ads
- Include a sense of urgency in your ad copy
- Run a social media contest
- Create educational graphics for social media
- Try real estate TikTok
- Use the right real estate hashtags
- Refresh your social media profiles
- Highlight local businesses on social media
- Share real estate trivia
- Clean up your Google Business Profile
- Add an FAQ page to your real estate website
- Create blog content
- Spruce up your business description
- Guest blog
Recommended for you
Unlock your business potential
We offer innovative technology and unparalleled expertise to move your business forward.