How to Start Re-Vamping Your Real Estate Marketing in 2017

It’s always a smart idea to take regular analysis of your business marketing strategies, and what better time to do so than as we ease into a new calendar year? Take stock of what type(s) of marketing techniques you put to use in 2016 and determine what worked and what didn’t so that you can make the appropriate changes in 2017.

If it’s one of your goals to make this year your most successful year as a realtor, there are some things you can do to make that more likely to happen. By tweaking your current marketing plan ever so slightly, you can sign more clients and close more sales than ever before. Start by making some of the following changes to your real estate marketing process:

• Optimize your professional website – Whether you work with a professional website marketing team or if you handle running your own site, find out what type of people are landing on your website (you can use Google Analytics for this). Then create a keyword-based optimization plan (SEO) that will turn site visitors into customers.

• Take advantage of online review sites – Let’s admit it: we all look for reviews online before patronizing a business. Real estate clients want to know that you get good results and that your past clients liked you. Ask satisfied clients to leave online reviews for you on Yelp, Facebook, Zillow, Trulia and/or Google+. You may have to request reviews several times before a client goes through with it because everyone gets busy and may forget to review your services. That’s why it’s important to send out periodic reminders to your past clients asking them to write a review.

• Put yourself out there – As our world turns more and more digital, we’re losing face time with the professionals we work with and even sometimes our own friends! Virtual communication via Facetime, Skype, texting, Snapchatting, and Facebook can make it all too easy to lose that personal touch that we all need! Stay in touch with clients by focusing on In-Person Marketing. You can do this by making yourself more physically available in your target areas. Be visible. Stop and chat with neighbors while taking a walk. Consider holding a community event sponsored by your real estate agency, and/or volunteer your time in the community so that locals can get to know and trust you even more than they already do.

• Master social media – While an in-person presence should be high on your priority list as you plan your 2017 marketing strategies, you also simply must have a strong focus on social media. Failure to do so can mean certain death of a business in today’s tech-obsessed era. Be consistent in your branding across all social media platforms so that customers can start to recognize your company by imagery alone. Consider taking advantage of Facebook live events in order to promote properties that are listed for sale. A Facebook live stream is a great way to combine social media with video marketing that feels personalized and fun. Give your followers a “personal” house tour – most people love watching Facebook live videos because they have the feel of a reality show or a “secret glimpse” into your life.

In addition to mastering Facebook videos, work on building a larger Instagram follower base. You can hire a social media manager to increase your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter followers. Once you have some followers, share regular, high quality photo posts of listings in order to entice your followers to schedule a walk-through appointment, or to share your post with their connections.

Improving your real estate marketing plan is a fantastic goal to have for 2017 and it is one that is easy to put into place if you take small, achievable steps on a consistent basis.