More than 646,000 houses were sold in the country in June 2019. That’s a 4.5% increase year-over-year!
As sales are increasing, it’s important you have a well-developed marketing strategy in place. Otherwise, other competitors in the area could end up stealing your business.
With the right real estate marketing materials, you can stand out from the crowd and generate more sales.
Ready to reach the eager homebuyers in your area? Keep reading to discover the nine best marketing materials for realtors. With these marketing materials, you can boost your brand, attract more homebuyers, and close more deals.
Give your real estate business the boost it needs this year with these nine essential marketing materials!
1. A Strong Website
Before you start printing out flyers and mailers, take a look at your website. Many people head online when they’re searching for a real estate agent. Without a strong website, you’re already missing out on leads!
Without a website with a modern IDX home search, your clients will use a large portal like Zillow or Trulia.
Zillow earned $1,000,000,000+ (that’s more than a billion $$$) in advertising revenue in 2019 selling consumer contact info and budget info (in the form of what they searched for). They have a financial incentive to share consumer data with “Premier Agents”. As an individual agent, you have a financial incentive (and in some cases a fiduciary responsibility) to protect your clients’ contact and financial information.
A good agent website will 1) allow you to retain your clients by not having them go to Zillow and have their contact info provided to a competitor of yours and 2) allow you to generate new leads. Studies show a near 90% – 95% retention of clients when your site uses Showcase IDX and a retention rate of ONLY 5% – 20% when using an outdated IDX that uses subdomains or iFrames.
Your website will also serve as the hub of your other marketing strategies too. Plus, agents change brokers on average every 5 years according to NAR. Owning your own website allows you to own your personal brand and keep the momentum of your business if you change brokers in the future.
Here are a few factors to keep in mind as you improve your website.
Mobile Optimization
For starters, make sure your website is mobile-optimized. Google uses mobile-first indexing to determine website rankings. If your site isn’t optimized, potential homebuyers might not find you only.
By 2021, mobile e-commerce will account for 54% of all online sales, and that is a great indicator for how much time people spend searching for homes on their phones and tablets. More people are using their smartphones to find the information they need. If you’re not mobile-optimized, you’re missing out on those potential leads.
Make sure your site is easy to use on smaller screens. Can visitors fill out forms easily? If not, it’s time to make some changes.
Design and Development
38% of users will stop interacting with a website if it’s unattractive or has a bad user experience. To improve your website design, trying using user experience (UX) design trends. These can include improving your navigation, adding eye-catching headers, adding more negative space, and never using subdomains or iframes..
39% of people will stop using a website if it takes too long to load. No one wants to sit around waiting to see your page content. Instead, they’ll leave your site in search of another real estate agent.
You can use Google PageSpeed Insights to test your website speed. Different elements can slow down your site, including large files, images, or plugins. This tool will help you determine what’s slowing your site down, allowing you to make improvements.
Make sure your brand stands out on your website, too. implementing your brand throughout your website will help create cohesion throughout your marketing materials.
Lead Generation
It’s also important to make sure your website is optimized to help your visitors.
What are homebuyers looking for when they visit your website? Maybe they want to explore homes currently available in their market that meet their needs. Some people might be more interested in determining a real estate agent’s experience and capabilities – research shows that consumers vet 3+ agents before choosing the one they work with, and they primarily do that via an agent’s website, so if you do not have one, you’re already out of the running with that potential client.
Try adding an IDX WordPress website plugin to your site. An IDX property search will make it easier for visitors to explore the properties you have available.
Review your website to make sure it’s optimized for conversions, too. Make it easy for people to fill out a form and contact you directly. Optimizing your site will help you find more leads and generate more business. We help with this too with calls-to-actions throughout the home search and listing page experience.
As one of the most important real estate marketing materials you have available, it’s important to prioritize your website before anything else.
2. Eye-Catching Mailers
As you add to your real estate marketing supplies checklist, make sure to have mailers designed. Direct mailers, which can include postcards and flyers, are tangible proof of your brand. When people hold onto your mailers, they’ll see your brand repeatedly.
Repeated exposure can improve brand awareness and recognition. Make sure to communicate your value within these mailers. Why should people choose you over another real estate agent?
Try to focus on your target market. Then, customize your mailers to ensure they stand out. Don’t forget to tie in your brand, including a logo, a distinct color scheme, and your website URL.
Mailers can help you target a specific population and generate awareness for your brand. They can also lead to a 3x increase in referrals from past clients.
3. Memorable Business Cards
Business cards are one of the most important realtor marketing materials in your arsenal. A customized logo can make a strong, lasting statement. Instead of boring, white cards, try something a little more creative.
For example, you can add your headshot to your cards so people associate an image with your business.
Don’t forget to include your logo, color scheme, and website to your cards to create cohesion.
4. Stand-Out Open House Signs
Real estate open house signs are another great way to communicate your brand. High-quality, eye-catching signs can generate awareness within your community.
Don’t use a boring old template. Instead, customize your signs to make sure they reveal your personal brand.
In addition to open house signs, you can also add brochure boxes, name riders, and hanging signs among your real estate marketing materials.
5. Click-Worthy Online Ads
Remember, many people look for a real estate agent online. While tangible print real estate marketing products are important, so are online ads.
When someone searches for a real estate agent near them, you can ensure your website pops up using pay-per-click (PPC). PPC advertising allows your site to appear based on targeting criteria. You can target homebuyers based on demographics, including their age, income, and location.
You can also use keywords.
Make sure these online ads communicate your value. Use a strong call-to-action to compel people to click on your ads and visit your website. Then, seal the deal with a landing page that converts those website visitors into leads.
6. Search Engine Optimized Blog Posts
Once you’ve updated your website, add regular, unique blog posts among your recurring realtor marketing materials.
You can use these blog posts to keep your audience up-to-date about your latest listings. Blog posts are a great way to keep in touch with your audience and attract new site visitors.
During slow periods and markets, one of the best things you can do is invest your time in writing content for your site and to send to clients in the coming months and quarters. See this INFOGRAPHIC of 6 additional things you MUST do during slow real estate periods.
Don’t forget to use search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword research. SEO will help you attract more visitors to your website, allowing you to gather more leads.
7. Awesome Video Content
People love compelling video content. You can use drones to show off the interior and exterior of a listing and provide your audience with unique location tours.
You can also use videos in place of vlogs or Facebook Lives to increase engagement. Let people know why you’re worth hiring. Videos will help people associate a face with your agency while allowing you to forge an emotional connection with your audience.
8. Solid Social Media Posts
Where is your target audience spending the bulk of their time online? If you want to gather more leads, starting producing social media content. You can add eye-catching images, engaging quizzes, and interactive games among your realtor marketing materials before posting them online.
Social media is also a great way for you to generate two-way conversations with your audience. Don’t forget to respond to comments or messages to ensure your audience you’re there and able to help.
Pro Tip: We’ve created 300+ social media graphics and videos for you to use for FREE. Click here to see 100 of them and download them.
9. Custom Presentation Folders
If you’re looking for more print real estate marketing materials, consider creating presentation folders. These tools are ideal if you want to provide homebuyers with a reminder of your property and business.
You can add other print materials to these folders as well, including flyers, postcards, copies of contracts, and your business card.
Real Estate Marketing Materials You Need in 2021
Make a strong, lasting first impression and you will be in much better shape for the rest of the year.
With these essential real estate marketing materials, homebuyers aren’t likely to forget you. Instead, you can stand out from the competition and attract more business!
Want to talk about creating your WordPress website into a lead generation machine? Contact us today to get started.
Great ideas especially for Broker to recommend to their agents as 4th quarter update and evaluation of their business practices. thanks for sharing!!