Creative Real Estate Marketing Ideas to Sell a Listing
If your current marketing plan consists of posting a listing, holding an open house, and calling back prospective buyers, you already know that these steps just won’t cut it in the long run. Here are 5 ways to up your marketing game and add value to a property without going over your budget or tying up your resources on one project.
1. Interact on Social Media
It’s not optional anymore. To be competitive in today’s housing market, you simply have to be active on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram (specifically, make use of Instagram stories). Join local Facebook real estate groups, and make use of them! Just one post can yield dozens, even hundreds of interested replies, and you can use that same text and image across multiple platforms.
2. Make a video
Video footage is even more engaging than a still image, but it’s also a way to make the most of your social media posts. As you are creating your short video, interview everyone involved with the housing process, and when you post the video, tag everyone: the client, the other agent, the closer, the mortgage lender, and the title company. This way, their social media audience will see your activity as well!
It’s also worth it to pay a little more so that you can strategically choose the thumbnail that goes out along with your footage. If it’s an eye-catching image, you’ll get exponentially more clicks than if it’s a blurry shot of the home’s front lawn.
Remember, you can use Facebook Live to enhance interaction and increase your following; you can post a FB Live link in local groups, where people searching for homes are most likely to see them.
3. Never Stop Networking
Use who you know to help stage the house. Do you know an artist who could lend you some paintings? A designer who could jazz up a focal point in the house? A landscaper who might install a feature in the backyard? Team up with them to amp up your exposure. You can all cross-advertise to maximize viewing traffic, and as always, tag your teammates on social media!
4. Go Upscale—Without Going Over Budget
The key to pulling this off is to choose exciting items that are inexpensive to install but have a huge impact in the listing. Buyers (and renters) are going to initially choose their home based largely on how they feel about it upon first sight. As the agent, you want to catch their attention at a “gut” level with buzzwords like “smart home technology” (for example, smart locks, smart smoke and CO detectors, smart thermostats, and smart security systems are cutting-edge and trendy, and are often available for less than $200).
5) Go Pro
It’s always worth the investment to spend just a bit extra and choose professional photographers, videographers, and even writers. Choosing the right words in a copy can add 10k to the asking price, and realtors who invest in real estate photography reliably sell homes 30% faster and for 10 - 20% higher sale prices. You’re only one person, and you can’t be a pro at everything. Assemble a high quality, reliable team, and maximize your potential on each property.