With every new year comes fresh opportunities. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about your 2020 marketing, look over your business strategies, and try new things. We’ve put together a few marketing ideas for real estate agents in 2020.
1. Figure Out How To Stand Out
Finding something that makes you unique is the first and most important strategy on our list of marketing ideas for real estate agents in 2020. When you are competing in an industry like real estate, standing out above your competition is very important.
For example, one of our clients, Christine Morgan, has branded herself as Costamazing. She uses this clever name because she is the neighborhood expert of Costa Mesa.
Christine uses ‘Costamazing’ as the name of her personalized community magazine as well. Sending out her own direct mail magazine to her exclusive farm (as opposed to postcards) really sets her apart from her competition. Mailing out a magazine that includes information about the community such as events, discounts, listings, etc, is something that homeowners actually want to read and something that they look forward to receiving every month.
2. Consider using a chat service
Everyone’s schedules are different. A doctor on a night shift might be looking at homes at 5 am, or a busy single parent might only have time to browse at 11 pm and would try to schedule open houses. Most people would agree that these are not normal business hours.
So, how do you help potential clients when you’re not awake 24/7?
Using a chat service can help keep a conversation going during times that you’re not available.
Check out these stats from Inc:
- 51% of consumers say a business needs to be available 24/7.
According to this report, a business needs to be on at all times–and not just “on,” but engaged. This is where a live chat function in your website can be extremely helpful since obviously a large portion of consumers have questions (and will want those questions answered before they make a purchase).
- 92% of customers feel satisfied using live chat.
According to a report by Zendesk, customers feel most satisfied during their buyer’s journey when using a live chat feature, compared to other options such as voice (88%), email (85%), and even social media messaging (Facebook 84%, Twitter 77%).
- 51% of customers like live chat for multitasking purposes, and 21% of customers like live chat so they can shop while they work.
A big reason people prefer live chat is that they can continue making steps toward a purchasing decision without committing an exclusive chunk of time.
3. Use Video Content
An average of 40% of decision-makers called a vendor after watching a video. Forbes also found that 65% visited a vendor’s website after watching a work-related video.
Thanks to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram & Linkedin, video has grown in popularity. Users have started live streaming videos and posting clips to Instagram Stories that disappear after 24 hours.
Video is now easier than ever since we all carry around mini-computers that have the ability to capture hi-res videos.
Give it a try and see how your network responds. Ideas include:
- Take a video for a virtual tour of a home.
- Record a 30-second clip and answer some of your most frequently asked questions.
- Post an Instagram Story from volunteering or helping out in your community.
It can be an easy and funny way to connect with your network! This is why we’re adding to our list of marketing ideas for real estate agents in 2020.
4. Engage with influencers
Engaging with influencers is becoming more and more popular to gain exposure for brands or products. Real estate agents often partner with a bunch of professionals – mortgage brokers, general contractors, interior designers, etc. Think about the professionals that you partner with. Do you know a well-known local business with who you could partner on a joint marketing campaign?
Influencers, big and small, who agree to help you can be compensated in different ways. Options include monetary payment, maybe a flat per post fee, or a sliding scale depending on what kind of response the post gets. If it makes sense with your business, you could also choose to waive
5. Choose quality content over quantity
With the internet these days, there’s no shortage of content! We’re overwhelmed with content on our newsfeeds, inboxes, websites, while we’re shopping… it’s everywhere. With the amount of content that a user sees every single day, it’s super important to make sure that yours doesn’t get lost in the noise.
If you share and repost every single meme and article that you see you’ll overwhelm your audience. Your engagement will decrease because they’re all battling a flood of information as well.
Instead, set a schedule for your content and focus on content that your target audience will find useful. By consistently (not constantly) sharing useful and relevant content, your network will see you as an industry leader and they’ll look forward to your content.
Make 2020 your best year yet
These are just a few marketing ideas for real estate agents in 2020. If you’re looking to focus on new initiatives on this list or on your own, let The Neighborhood Connection take some of this off your plate.
We’ll write, design, and automatically mail out your customized magazines and postcards! We’ll even handle your Facebook, Instagram & Google Display ads that follow your mailing list, as well as your website visitors. Stay top of mind while freeing up your time. Get a free demo today and learn how we can help your real estate business.
