A real estate marketing plan needs to take all facets of the realty business into account. This means marketing to real estate sellers as well as buyers. The real estate strategy also needs to utilize both online and offline methods of advertising. Realtor advertising needs to show a good return on your advertising investment. It should be tracked to see if you are gaining positive results for each dollar spent. By researching your advertising methods and tracking the results, you can find the best methods that work in your local real estate market. The main thrust of your marketing endeavors should be to gain leads, follow them up quickly, and turn your prospects into clients by meeting with them face-to-face. All along this marketing process, you should be aiming to gain the trust and loyalty of the real estate lead. Thus turning them into your client and making them a loyal, lifetime customer. Your realtor marketing plan should be an offensive game plan. Direct response marketing is best for this type of endeavor. Direct response marketing is meant to illicit a yes or no response from your potential lead. It then gives them a means to contact you if the answer is yes, giving you the opportunity to supply them with the information they desire and capture the lead's contact information for further follow-up. Both online and offline techniques can be used to accomplish this objective. An integration of online and offline rounds out your marketing offensive. In this modern day, both are equally important and give the lead their choice of means to contact you. Key to the success of your marketing strategy is "baiting" the potential client with pertinent information that they are seeking. Online you can capture your leads by supplying them with information on buying or selling their house, finding the value of their property, or giving them a report on what to do to prepare their property for sale. This is supplied in downloadable form after they give you their contact information. Offline, the same information can be supplied or information on a house they have seen in an ad or after driving by and obtaining a phone number from you house sign. Through a realtor hotline number they can access the desired information after calling and giving a special phone extension number that is specific to their request. You phone hotline should have the ability to capture the lead's phone number and name so that you can do an immediate follow-up call to sell the lead on your abilities and tell them what you can do for their real estate quest. Prompt follow-up is one of the most important keys to your real estate success. Most people don't expect prompt, personal service and this sets the mood for developing a relationship with the lead. Developing a personal relationship with your prospects brings confidence in your abilities to help them and a lifetime commitment to you as their realtor. You should develop scripts that bring confidence to you as a real estate agent. These should be aimed at the prospect's desires and needs and how you can help them obtain their desires, whether selling or buying housing. Communication is key and should always answer that big Homer Simpson question that he asks in every episode that the lead is also asking: "What's in it for Me?" Your advertising should not be the traditional "here I am" and "I'm such a great real estate agent" ads that so many realtors use. If the ads are of this type, you prospects will be asking the two other Homer Simpson questions: "So What?" and "Who Cares?" before they turn to another realtor that can focus on their needs. Everything in your real estate marketing plan should be centered around the prospect. You must build confidence that you can aid them with their wants and desires. You have to show them that you can do this quickly and with the least amount of hassle on their part. The process has to be simple and easy for them to accomplish. Show the lead that you are the real estate agent to allow them their dream by being the go-between that can same them time and money while getting the job done. Keep communications open at all steps along the real estate process, from meeting the client to closing the deal, and inform them of the progress towards their goal continuously. The biggest complaint clients have with realtors is that they get the client to sign an agreement and then are not heard of until a deal is in the making. You want to keep in touch no matter what the progress is and inform your client that progress IS being made and this is what YOU ARE DOING FOR THEM. A well thought out real estate marketing plan should take into account this and much more. It takes effort on your part but this effort will pay dividends. The real estate agent should continually brainstorm new means of advancing their business and bring these into their strategy if they prove themselves to work. In the end, you will find that your business expands, profits go up, and your customers will remain loyal for a lifetime. |
