More Than Social Selling Is Required For Successful Real Estate Marketing

An increasing competitive selling environment continues to up the game for Realtors, title agents and mortgage professionals.  So how can this group stand out in an ever-increasing noisy world? Short answer? It’s time to get strategic by coupling traditional Realtor marketing with all forms of digital advertising.

Now, we have all heard the stories about that one guy (or gal) who rocks out the social media networks for his Realtor marketing strategy, leading to an amazing amount of leads. But when you begin to scratch the surface on these stories, a few things begin to ring true. First, many of these agents are newer in the market place and have nothing but time to mess around on the internet. Once they become bona fide pros, their time begins to get pulled in the various directions required to be successful and their lead gen via social networking begins to fall off. Second, some people are indeed better at social networking then others. Success factors rely heavily on comfort level with technology, an understanding that leading with “buy from me” is a death sentence and a natural curiosity towards how technology can be used to grow business. Lastly, the most successful of these groups invest in various forms of marketing automation to stay top of mind with value, not just social media.

For the rest of us, there are ways to leverage technology to produce leads using great Realtor marketing. Just make sure you incorporate them into what already works for you. Here are some suggestions:

Keep Networking Offline, Just Bring It Online Too

We all know the life blood a lead generation in Realtor marketing is being known in the community. Networking is still one of the most productive ways to create a reputation. We attend networking events, leads groups, Chamber meetings…all in hopes of creating a relationship that leads to trust so we can help those interested in investing in real estate. Consider a moment of “dashboard review” when the meeting is over, immediately connecting on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Facebook. Then use these tools to stay top of mind, create value and look for ways to get to know your network more deeply, not just advertising. Build value and a reputation for service.

Time Constraints Are An Issue, Technology Is An Answer

Marketing automation can drastically improve communications with your network, prospects and past clients. Email marketing has one of the largest ROIs as a marketing tactic. There are also now programs that help with “social selling”, which simply means using social media to help further the sale. At Plumb Marketing, we like to plug in our Response Builder program to any direct mail campaigns to increase effectiveness. The program takes the same mailing list used in the campaign, attaches a special phone number to track and record calls that come in from the program, then places advertising in on Google, Facebook and Instagram targeting the same group of people. Amazing results are being reported. Just check out this case study if you are interested in some examples.

The List Is Still King

Using highly targeted lists can help any organization get in front of the right people. In real estate, we know that a great list builds over time and needs to be marketed to consistently to see results. However, with a housing sector that is as dynamic as the one in the Denver metro area, purchasing a list is also an option. The key is to find a source that has great lists. Not every list is the same, so work with a pro (like Plumb Marketing) who farms for lists consistently and can find criteria such as income levels, existing home ownership, even pre-movers who may be entering the market place.

If you are looking for new ideas about how to market your real estate brokerage, mortgage lending firm or title agency, contact us at Plumb Marketing. We have been running highly effective campaigns for the real estate market to place themselves in front of home owners and business owners for years and want to share the knowledge with you.