How To Market Yourself As A Real Estate Industry Professional
By NICOLE MURRAY
How do real estate professionals prepare for success during the Spring season? Marketing, plain and simple.
The Mortgage Note spoke with various real estate industry professionals about how they market themselves for the homebuying season and across the board. They all said that creativity and consistency are key.
Rob Jensen, broker/owner of the Rob Jensen Company in Las Vegas, said his strategy tends to be, “a bit of everything all at once,” with multiple forms of marketing.
“Marketing campaigns should be this big spectacular flourish of direct mail, digital marketing, email blasts, ads in publications, calling people, and more,” said Jensen. “I have had so much business from people who say ‘I’ve seen your signs,’ or ‘I saw your videos on YouTube.’”
While some agents prefer to veer away from the “old school” forms of marketing, Jensen said they are still valuable if done well.
“The key with direct mailers or postcards is that it must be visually appealing. Is the copy top quality? Is the photo high resolution? You have to send something people will want to look at,” he said.
Jules Zaphire, a real estate professional at The Pantiga Group, is licensed in New York and Connecticut. In addition to touching base with people who have been holding off to buy or sell until this spring, he’s working to “get in front of as many eyes as possible and then remain top of mind until consumers have real estate needs.”
“My social presence is everything because it will get me in front of an audience as much as possible, as often as I post,” said Zaphire.
Zaphire advises others to try using videos and reels rather than photos to attract clients.
“The winners these days are videos. I put the most amount of effort into Instagram and Facebook because a nice variety of age groups tend to use both. I’ve had people tell me they saw me online before.”
Katie Jaffe, sales associate with Weichert Realtors in New Jersey, also spoke about the importance of social media. She said that is the number one way she’s connecting with people.
“You want to market yourself as a knowledgeable broker so when people in your circle need to know something they can’t Google, you are the one they come to,” said Jaffe.
In regards to what one should post about, Jaffe said she posts about new listings, price drops, open houses, and other content related to the real estate industry.
“My most popular content is when people see that I sold something because I try to make the post about the clients. It also showcases me as a successful agent closing deals,” said Jaffe.
Zaphire uses social media to discuss current market trends or weigh in on real estate industry debates.
“I also create posts that center around advice I would offer my clients – whether it be how to prepare one’s home, what is going on with the market, interest rates, and more. I am marketing myself as an expert of real estate.”
Zaphire and Jaffe also post about their personal lives and hobbies outside of real estate to attract a variety of followers.
“People want to learn about the person behind the agent because people ultimately do business with people,” said Zaphire.
“I will post about Bravo or this concert I attended because it gives people the chance to learn about me,” said Jaffe. “These are things people can relate to and can even be conversation starters. It also encourages a diverse following – you don’t only want other real estate agents to follow you. You want variety so potential clients can see you out and about.”
Zaphire currently posts between two and three times per week to keep a continuous stream of content that does not overwhelm the consumer.
“It seems like the sweet spot of maintaining consistency but not overloading the consumer with content. No matter how many times you choose, just keep at it,” he said.
Jaffe added that being responsive on social media is just as important as the posts themselves.
“Comment on things. Respond to messages. The whole idea of social media is to be social,” she said.
A simple way to continuously market oneself is to remain connected with current and past clients on social media with hopes of garnering future business.
“If they ever need your services again, you are the first place they come to,” said Jaffe.
That doesn’t mean that Jaffe spends all of her time online. She attends open houses to provide attendees with information about her services and the knowledge she brings to the table.
“Open houses are an opportunity to market yourself. I provide attendees with packets that showcase what I can do for them as an agent and I also work to market my knowledge through the conversations I have.”
No matter what avenues real estate professionals choose to market their services, the most important thing is to be consistent, Jensen said.
“I’ve seen the typical rollercoaster ride for agents. They put all this effort into marketing. It works. They get really busy but then they don’t have enough time to continue marketing. Without exposure, the stream of business slowly dies down and then it’s crickets. Consistency is key, no matter how busy you are,” said Jensen.