17 Real Estate Marketing Ideas for 2022
- Unique Real Estate Marketing Ideas
- Best Real Estate Marketing Ideas
- Content Marketing Ideas for Real Estate
- Real Estate Marketing Postcard Ideas
- Holiday Real Estate Marketing Ideas
- Frequently Asked Questions About Real Estate Marketing Ideas
Every business needs sales and marketing processes to thrive, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. In some ways, garnering new customers is anything but. Consumers have more choices than ever because marketing increasingly takes place on phones and computers.
Sifting through traditional and emerging methods likely has your head spinning. If you’re asking questions like, “What marketing strategies work best?” and “Should I invest money into marketing or go 100% organic?” We’ll help you cut through the noise with this comprehensive guide.
Keep reading for 17 real estate marketing ideas for 2022 that can grow your lead base and position you as the authority.
Unique Real Estate Marketing Ideas
Getting hung up on marketing strategies is all too common. Agents and brokers already using successful marketing strategies likely make it look effortless. Working within a budget is often part of the challenge, making it feel impossible to gain real traction.
Part of this is due to information overwhelm, which is being inundated with information while looking for practical answers. The other part is most marketers touting their solution as the answer, when that may or may not be relevant for your business.
Unique real estate marketing tips, when used contextually, are almost guaranteed to bring leads in the door. Here are three out-of-the-box marketing techniques you can apply in your brokerage or agency:
Host A Themed Open House
Open houses have been used by realtors for decades, and they’re a great way to generate leads in a single day. However, most are merely an invitation to check out the house (i.e. nothing exciting is going on).
When most people attend an open house, they’re doing so with the knowledge that the realtor may try to sell them on the home. While this is fair game, it’s not what most people are interested in.
You can put people at ease and give them a stronger reason to attend with a holiday theme, activity, or something fun. This could be a guessing game, cornhole, or anything that suits the occasion.
Holding an open house with an activity takes the pressure off of everyone. People want to feel in charge of their buying process, whether it’s a pair of shoes or their next home. By having something to do while they’re there, they will stay a little bit longer. This may also lead to organic conversations where you get to know their needs, and they get to hear about your expertise.
Sponsor An Event
If you have extra capital at your disposal and are feeling bold, sponsoring an event is a great real estate marketing idea. In a relationship-driven environment like real estate, the more people you can introduce your brand to, the better.
It’s necessary to pick events with the right target market. You don’t want to sponsor events for teens or college students, as that’s not your target demographic. Events that attract people 35 and up with medium to high incomes, as well as married couples and families, are your ideal fit.
Most events give their sponsors a promo video spot or the opportunity to speak to attendees. This is a great chance for your work to be seen by your target audience. If you can set up a table to talk with event attendees face-to-face, that’s even better.
Get Drone Videography and Photography
Drones have become a viral real estate marketing idea. Agents sourcing a high volume of leads use drones 3.5 times more often than agents with low lead volume. In addition, nearly five in six home sellers prefer working with an agent who markets properties with drone footage.
Why have drones become so popular? These six reasons stand out:
- You can capture cinematic-quality videos at a fraction of the cost
- You can list your home faster with higher quality media
- Sellers can sell to a wider pool of buyers in less time
- Agents can garner more listings in less time
- Both seller and agent look more professional without incurring expenses
- Buyers’ impression of the home increases
A quality drone costs a few hundred dollars, but it’s well worth the investment. Today’s drones are quick to charge and don’t have a steep learning curve. Once you get the hang of operating it, you can mention it on your website.
Prospects will be impressed with your high-tech approach and will want their home to be the next one that gets filmed. Remember to only film and post images and video online after getting written permission from the property owner.
If you’re concerned about getting an ROI on your drone investment, have no fear. Instead of charging clients an upfront fee for the footage, simply aim for the highest sale price you can. Your clients naturally want to get the most money for their property, and it’s a net win because your commission will be higher too.
If you don’t want to operate the drone yourself, you can hire someone to do it for you. Commercial drone professionals typically charge between $100 to $500 per hour, but real estate services are usually on the lower end.
Best Real Estate Marketing Ideas
Researching marketing ideas that work takes time. If you’ve tried strategies in the past that haven’t worked, it’s understandable that you would feel discouraged.
Right now, you may be reluctant to use any method. After all, no one wants average results. Everyone wants the best results they can get. That’s why you should take the ethical shortcut and use the best real estate marketing ideas.
Check out these four powerhouse methods now:
Contextual Social Media Efforts
Social media is everyone’s favorite buzzword when it comes to real estate marketing ideas, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s doing it right. In fact, many professionals post the same content to their primary marketing channels, assuming it will “just work.”
Sadly, this is a backwards way to view social media content marketing. Resist the temptation to take the easy route and instead invest the time necessary to make every post unique.
The post content you’re creating should match the channel you’re posting it to. If you’re using Twitter, write a sentence or two, and keep it to 100 characters or fewer. Twitter permits 280 characters per post, but tweets perform best when they’re 70 to 100 characters.
If you’re using Instagram, your image or video should contain minimal text and be as visually appealing as possible. People browse Instagram for visual content, making it the perfect platform for real estate listing photos.
As you can see, the format of your content matters just as much as the content itself. Your posts should look like they belong on the platform, not like aberrations. If you’re in doubt over what to post, review a couple of your competitors or favorite profiles in your industry. Chances are you can glean insight from a few of their posts that have high engagement.
Email Marketing
The right email marketing tips are so useful that this should be in your top five real estate marketing ideas. In addition to having one of the highest ROIs of all digital marketing strategies, it allows you to reach virtually unlimited people.
Know that email marketing requires more technical know-how than social media posting or blogging. You need to find an email service provider (ESP), create your list, and offer lead magnets through a lead capture form. Once you have a few people on your list, you can send them content at the best time to send an email.
Thankfully, email marketing doesn’t limit you to social media’s character limits and algorithmic changes. You have a much wider degree of control over what you say and how you say it.
Make sure you use email subject line best practices to grab the attention of your readers each time. Strong email templates for real estate agents ensure your readers consume your email content, too–not just open them up.
High performing emails also have at least one call to action (CTAs). A CTA is any phrase, button, or link that prompts your reader to take a specific action. By customizing the look and language of your email, you’re maximizing brand relevance in front of your ideal buyers.
Email marketing mitigates digital distractions and positions your solution as the right one for your audience. It’s a clear opportunity to sell yourself, but in a way that isn’t pushy or desperate. Send your subscribers a weekly newsletter, deliver value in it, and learn the science of following up through email.
Want all the email strategies we’ve ever compiled? Find them in The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing.
Referral Incentives
As any experienced real estate agent knows, getting new leads is one of the hardest parts of the business. If you want lead generation on hyperdrive, you can offer an incentive for referrals that lead to a sale.
For example, every referral someone sends you who ends up buying a house could get a $100 reward. This is large enough to incentivize lots of referrals, yet not so costly to eat into your profits.
This real estate marketing idea creates a referral engine and happens to be the fastest way to get more referrals. On average, realtors can expect two new leads for every three referrals they speak with. This is also a perfect example of why a smaller number of strong leads is good for business.
As your previous buyers and sellers send you new names, you’ll have dozens more people to speak with after just one year. This strategy is particularly useful when facing a mixed housing market forecast.
Text Marketing
While email marketing is a great place to begin list building, every real estate agent should have a list of phone numbers, too. 97% of texts are opened within 15 minutes of sending them and up to 45% of text marketing campaigns lead to positive ROI.
Texting is an effective real estate marketing idea because it’s personal and easier than logging into an app. When you send a text, your subscribers don’t need to download anything or be in front of a computer. All they need to do is click on the link you sent and follow any onscreen prompts that appear.
Remember to shoot for the right text length, too. Marketing texts are most effective when they’re 320 characters or fewer. To get a feel for what to write, that’s about two to three sentences with a brief call-to-action (CTA).
One of the only downsides of texting is you don’t have the same formatting and audience segmentation options as you do with email. That’s why it’s smart to strengthen your writing skills and test different messages. Text marketing works best when your messaging is snappy, informal, and action-oriented.
Sharing new listings and getting to know your prospects are two of the best forms of text communication. When someone is actively looking for a new home, they’ll want to see many new properties. And in an industry that’s known for being sales-heavy, your prospects will appreciate speaking with you the same way they do with family or friends. It takes the pressure off of everyone and allows real conversations to flourish.
Content Marketing Ideas For Real Estate
Learning how to master content marketing is arguably the strongest method by which to market your real estate agency. Content marketing produces three times more leads for every dollar spent as compared to paid marketing efforts, so it should definitely be part of your approach.
Given how many content mediums there are, you may feel confused on where to start. We pulled the best strategies from several content marketing methods that are working now. Let’s dive in:
Weekly Video Tips
Consumers are spoiled for choice, and that means they want videos. Video marketing statistics show us that 84% of Internet users watch videos, and this number is growing year-over-year (YoY).
While 85% of sellers and buyers prefer to work with an agent using videos, only about 38% of agents use video marketing of any kind. This means consistent video creation puts you among the most visible real estate agents.
Because of the skills required for such real estate marketing ideas, many agents never even attempt video marketing. As long as you have a smartphone, use proper video editing tips, and relevant topics, you can build traction in no time.
The secret to success with video marketing is getting comfortable being on camera. It will feel awkward at first, especially if you don’t have media production experience. It’s okay to make mistakes along the way; it’s practice for getting better!
The main thing is creating an outline before you start recording. This helps you remember what to say, offer value to your viewers, and conclude the video concisely. Consumers expect videos to move at a certain pace, so your outline will convey professionalism from the start.
Making weekly video tips is simplest when you create content based on your expertise. If you’ve helped dozens of buyers find the right contractors, or you can speak confidently about relationship selling and relationship selling techniques, these are great places to start.
Content-Rich Blog Posts
Believe it or not, blogging is still among the most effective real estate marketing ideas. Blogging has changed, though. It’s no longer enough to just put original content on a professional website. The content needs to be enhanced with images, tweetable quotes, internal links, and CTAs.
Originally, you could write 300 to 500 words and get your blog post ranked fairly high. Once everyone started doing that, the search engines changed their algorithm. Today, a post that’s fewer than 1,000 words won’t have much of a chance to be seen.
The new standard for blog posts is to write one that has as much evergreen value as possible. Instead of writing a few paragraphs and calling it a day, dive deep. Think of at least three to four subtopics based on your headline, as well as what kind of questions readers would ask.
Writing should begin only after your outline is finished. Just like a video, your blog post will be much easier to create when you aren’t guessing what comes next. When the writing is done, take a breather and come back to edit. Link relevant posts from elsewhere on your blog, add compelling images, and you’re in great shape.
Instagram Reels and Carousels
Instagram is an ideal platform to master when learning how to market yourself as a realtor. 77% of real estate professionals use social media, but Instagram is third highest in popularity. If you know how to use the platform well, you can skate past much of your competition.
Though Instagram started with single-image sharing, it has expanded into many other features. Carousels and reels are two options you should be leveraging on a regular basis.
A carousel is a set of two to 10 images within a single post. This format is ideal for how-to, statistics, or “10 Facts About…” posts. You can use free graphic design tools like Figma or Canva to create a templated image.
Once you’ve researched the data you want to include, simply copy and paste it across however many images will be in your post. Then download them, upload them to your Instagram post, and you’re all set. You can also use Instagram stories to drive curiosity and high level engagement with your business profile
Podcast Episodes
Podcasts are one of the fastest-growing content mediums–and real estate marketing ideas–in the world. 55% of Americans have listened to at least one podcast episode, and 24% listen to a podcast on a weekly basis. Podcast listenership is increasing by 10% YoY which makes for a great source of inbound leads.
Podcasting is similar to making videos, in that most listeners use them to get their questions answered. You can produce dozens of short, informative podcast episodes by answering common questions or having open-ended conversations with colleagues.
Before you start recording, come up with a primary topic and list out three subtopics that match. This will prevent you from rambling, which is a common setback for new podcasters. Simply write the ideas and then talk as though you’re having a conversation with a close friend.
The best part about podcasting is you don’t need to be on camera. You also only need 10 to 15 minutes of content for an episode, which is much easier to create than you may think! Adding a 15 second audio intro or outro adds professionalism to your episode. Once the episode is complete and exported, share it with your audience. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much people enjoy hearing your voice and personal insights!
Real Estate Marketing Postcard Ideas
Sending a postcard is one of the oldest real estate marketing ideas. While most consumers reject them at every turn, a postcard from the right person is welcomed.
Sending postcards can be a little pricey because you have to pay for the cards, design, and postage. If you use them at the right time, it will make you top-of-mind for your prospects.
Here are a few real estate marketing postcard ideas with annual relevance:
St. Patrick’s Day Card
Just about everyone loves St. Patrick’s Day. Who doesn’t want to wear green, eat, drink, and be merry?
That’s all the more reason you should positively associate yourself with this holiday. St. Patrick’s Day also happens in spring, which is the biggest home buying season. By sending a small card to your contacts, you’re reminding them of your services when they’re most likely to be thinking about it.
4th of July Card
The 4th of July is a widespread celebration in the US, when Americans celebrate their independence from Britain. It’s also right in the middle of summer, which is when millions of Americans are looking for a new home. Sending a 4th of July postcard as a real estate marketing idea accomplishes two objectives.
One, it shows your human side. Most consumers aren’t buying houses frequently, so they don’t want a bunch of sales material. They’d much prefer receiving a casual greeting from someone they already know. This is the perfect gesture.
Two, it offers an easy conversation starter. The beginning of July is a perfect time to discuss home sales. It’s right before early fall, which is when most people pause their home search until next year.
By positioning yourself as someone who’s easy to reach out to, it’s less work for your prospect. Make sure you know which of the types of sales persons you are so you can hit the ground running based on your strengths.
Birthday Card
Everyone loves receiving gifts on their birthday, and that can include a kind word from you. You’ll need to keep track of clients’ birthdays to send them out on time, but hopefully you’re already doing this. Past buyer and seller referrals are excellent when learning how to generate real estate leads.
Birthday cards are best kept short and sweet. Include a brief, handwritten note and a well wish for the year ahead. Sometimes it’s the smallest gestures that have the biggest impacts!
Holiday Real Estate Marketing Ideas
Holidays are an intuitive time to communicate with your local market because people are already in the shopping mindset. It’s also the off season for home buying, which means the right marketing message is that much more noticeable.
Here are a few holiday real estate marketing ideas that are sure to capture attention:
Annual Christmas Card
Sending a Christmas card to everyone on your list is a timeless expression of warmth. It shows you’re thinking about them and that they’re significant to you.
Cards are also easy to produce. You can do a quick Christmas-themed shoot with a professional photographer or use existing pictures, but make sure they’re high quality. Then include a note inside, and–if you have the time–sign each card by hand.
Send them out the week after Thanksgiving to ensure they arrive on time. Your contacts will smile knowing you’re thinking of them!
Thanksgiving Highlight Reel
Another phenomenal real estate marketing idea is sharing a highlight reel from your year. There are lows in every real estate business, but what really boosts credibility is your wins. A highlight reel is an authentic way of building trust with your clients.
Though videos take more time and resources, they’re well worth the effort. Your video doesn’t need to contain only video clips–you can use a combination of photos, music, and video. The goal is to make it short and sweet.
As with anything gratitude-related, your video should celebrate others and showcase your appreciation for them. Show photos of you congratulating new home buyers on their properties, celebrating a sale, and similar events. When people see how excited you are about mutual success, they’ll naturally want to hear more from you.
New Year’s Eve or Day Email
New Year’s Eve and Day are another great time to talk with customers. It’s the time of year when most are thinking about goals and how to move life forward. For millions of people every year, this includes buying a new home.
Sending a celebratory email with a CTA is the perfect way to communicate with prospects. Design a festive email that makes use of the joy surrounding the turn of a new year.
Then, include a link to your latest listings and mention that this is a great year to buy a home. Your buyers’ enthusiasm towards fresh home shopping will take care of the rest!
Need more listings to send out? Take a look at the 6 secrets to getting a real estate listing every day.
Rechat makes it easy to market your agency or brokerage in holiday-themed ways. Our Marketing Center comes with dozens of professional, pre-formatted templates that simply need your information. Book a demo to see these templates and everything else Rechat can boost your business with.
Frequently Asked Questions About Real Estate Marketing Ideas
There’s no doubt about it–real estate marketing is tough. You have to be in the industry long enough for people to trust you, but also know how to reach the right people at the right time. All of this is easier said than done.
If you want to reach clients this week but don’t know where to start, we have you covered. Check out these frequently asked questions about real estate marketing tips and our answers:
What Are Some Examples Of Marketing Strategies In Real Estate?
There are several real estate marketing strategies you can use to grow your business. One strategy is content marketing. This can be in the form of blog posts, videos, podcasts, templates, and other formats. Content is anything that offers a practical insight or teaches the consumer how to accomplish an objective.
A second strategy is using unique graphics and headshots. There are over 3 million real estate agents in the US today with that number growing by 3-4% YoY. In order to win clients’ trust, your brand must be visually impressive. Humans assign inherent value to things that are beautiful and eye-catching, so your pictures must convey professionalism and warmth.
A third strategy is platform building. Agents and brokers are competing for many of the same buyers, so you need a way to keep in touch with those most interested in your brand. Platform building is any marketing approach that lets you build your own audience, like an email list or text subscribers. By having contact details for people you can send property listings to, you don’t need to find fresh leads every time you get a new listing.
What Is A Real Estate Marketing Campaign?
A real estate marketing campaign is any effort that increases awareness, generates leads, or drives conversions for a real estate business. This may include social media ads, an email campaign, in-person events, and video content.
A marketing campaign is as effective as your targeting and messaging strategies are. In other words, you could be using a popular platform like TikTok, but unless you’re reaching the right people your campaign will fall flat.
Marketing campaigns can also be paid or free. An example of paid marketing is influencer social media posts, where a popular individual promotes your online presence for a fee. Free marketing campaigns include podcast episodes, blogging, and video marketing. The content is free to create and distribute, so all you need to invest is time and energy in creating it.
How Do Real Estate Buyers Find Clients?
A real estate buyer looking for a client means they’re a prospective homeowner who wants someone to guide them through the process. There are several ways buyers look for a buyer’s agent:
- Meeting an agent at an open house
- Walking into an agent’s open office hours
- Getting a referral from a family member or friend
- Calling the phone number on a sign
- Calling or messaging an agent after finding a listing online
How buyers choose to contact agents depends on what they’re comfortable with and how busy their schedule is. Buyers with more time on their hands may go to an agent’s physical office. On the other hand, a buyer with a busy schedule may call or send a message about a property they’re interested in.
Marketing, Leads, and Sales–Oh My!
If you got through this entire list of real estate marketing ideas, give yourself a high five! You now have more marketing knowledge than most real estate agents and brokers out there.
Don’t rush to implement all of these immediately though–otherwise you’ll experience marketing fatigue. Choose one of these 17 that you’re most excited about. Then, map it out with clear action steps on your calendar for the next 90 days.
Observe how things are going and adjust your efforts where need be. As you build some traction, you can include additional strategies in your marketing mix.
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