8 Real Estate Promotion Ideas to Try Now

The importance of promotional marketing for real estate agents

Talk to any experienced real estate agent about their secret recipe for success, and it often boils down to one sound approach: word of mouth.

The NAR backs up this anecdotal trend, finding that 41% of sellers choose a real estate agent on the basis of a word-of-mouth recommendation. Peer referrals are so powerful because people trust their surrounding network, and trust is the fuel for bringing in hot leads. If someone knows that a product or service meets the needs of the people they identify with, they are likely to trust that it will serve them equally well.

The beauty of marketing is that it creates new avenues for this word of mouth to spread and work its magic. This is because today’s marketing techniques can:

• Accelerate the conversion of prospective client‌s into clients
• Add value to the agent-client relationship
• Make it easier for new prospects to find you and see the value you’re offering current clients
• Boost your brand awareness through social sharing
• Sustain engagement with existing clients so that you’re on their radar when they or someone in their network requires your real estate services‌

Meanwhile, these real estate promotion ideas align with today’s digital consumer behaviors to capture prospects’ attention — including the 99% of millennials and 90% of baby boomers who turn to the internet when buying a home.

Real estate sales promotion ideas

What about the sales power of your real estate promotion efforts? According to the NAR, a whopping 75% of home buyers choose to work with the first agent they meet.

That means lots of potential sales are up for grabs for agents who make it easy for prospects to find them and engage. The following approaches will help you not only launch but also lead conversations that attract, nurture, and convert more buyers.

1.  Real estate content marketing

A real estate blog is an essential instrument for agents to build their identity as trusted, reputable experts. But a good real estate content marketing strategy can also act as one of your most effective sales tools.

That’s because, by using your blog to answer your audience’s questions, you create more avenues through which prospects can actually find you.

Consider it this way: A potential home buyer may not search for your name or company directly. But they are likely to research topics relating to their real estate needs. If your blog answers their questions, they’ll wind up on your website.

This connection brings a prospect one step closer to conversion. But a blog provides even more value than this. Every time someone visits your blog, your site’s authority with search engines increases. This launches a cycle of increasing returns where your content is prioritized more and moreover other content by search engines.

Real estate promotional content isn’t just for new leads, either. Used right, it adds value to the relationship you’ve built with all of your past clients. If you continue to provide a resource for these homeowners, they’ll be more inclined to turn to you the next time they — or someone in their network — is looking to buy or sell the property.

Think about what questions and topics your prospects, leads, and past clients ask about, and address those in your posts. You could feature the following subjects:

• Guides to local neighborhoods
• How to qualify for a home loan
• The pros and cons of homeownership versus renting
• Types of mortgages
• How to rent out your property‌
• Smart home technology or eco-friendly homes

2.  Resource-driven real estate website

A regularly updated blog is a great way to attract and nurture new leads. But your entire website should serve as a resource for prospective clients.

In fact, according to a survey from the NAR, websites are the most trusted resource for real estate information among buyers and sellers — even ahead of the professionals themselves. For agents, this preference offers plenty of opportunities to add unexpected value to potential clients.

Consider what resources would be most helpful to your clientele, and create branded versions for your website. This could include digital assets like:

• A local tax rate calculator
• A mortgage calculator
• Home buyers’ or sellers’ checklists
• Local job opportunities in the neighborhood
• Annually updated round-ups of local attractions, school district information, crime rates, and homeowners’ associations

Maintaining these types of resources on your website reinforces your image as an expert. But it also helps to bring in traffic from new sources, encourage blog readers to navigate your offerings further, and increase opportunities for earning backlinks.

3.  Real estate drip campaigns‌

Email marketing continues to reign among the top returns on investment in digital marketing. That’s because, by signing up to receive your messages, this built-in audience is already showing their interest in what you have to say and is warmed up to convert.

This direct, ongoing means of engagement is so important for real estate promotion because even the hottest leads can take months — or sometimes years — to convert. Yet, when a prospect keeps receiving your resources and updates at just the right time, it keeps their interest in your services switched on.

Drip campaigns make this process even easier. This strategy automatically nurtures a lead, no matter where they are in your sales funnel, so you can focus your energies on those most primed to convert.

It works like this: When a contact sets off a trigger — by joining your email list, downloading a resource guide, or requesting details on a specific property, for example — this action prompts an automated set of emails sent on a preset timescale.

Constant Contact’s real estate marketing tool also helps you personalize this approach. By segmenting your audience into groups, you can create targeted email drip campaigns according to prospects’ specific interests or needs, set to the schedule of your choice.

For example, you can send automated emails containing:

• A neighborhood guide to a contact requesting information on a specific listing
• Links to downloadable resource guides exclusive to your email subscribers
• Blog posts to past clients about topics like keeping curb appeal high, landscaping, home décor, or improving energy efficiency in the home

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4.  Launch a real estate promotion video channel

When it comes to content creation, written blogs are essential to keep your website fresh and search engine optimized and to provide quick, accessible information on topics of interest to your audience.

But, according to the NAR, almost 40% of home buyers also look for video content during their home searches, and 73% of sellers are more likely to list their home with an agent who uses video content.

This is because videos help to communicate details that don’t always translate through written copy, like the true size of a space or the quality of the amenities. There are also many ways that real estate agents can leverage video to keep their audience’s interest piqued and engaged. Try using the following:

• A video introduction for new email list subscribers to establish a more personal connection
• Round-up videos of your recently sold properties or current listings
• “Best of” neighborhood tours packed with visuals
• Customer testimonial interviews about life in their new home
• Property tours and walk-throughs
• Informational videos — or even blog post recaps — that address buyer or seller questions‌

5.  Invest in high-quality real estate promotion visuals

From video content to listing photos, the quality of the imagery you use for real estate promotion can make or break a lead. The NAR says that, for 85% of buyers, photographs are what attract their interest to online property listings, and visuals are the most important factor in deciding which homes to view in person.

Great real estate photography doesn’t just help convert leads, either. A study found that professionally photographed homes are:

• 20% more likely to sell
• Sold for up to $11,000 more
• Sold 35% percent faster

You can leverage this consumer preference for imagery even more with real estate promotion ideas like virtual staging or drone footage of a property.

6.  Real estate holiday marketing

Holiday marketing is more than a bid to exploit end-of-year consumer buying momentum. Your real estate promotion strategy shouldn’t let up at the turn of the New Year. Instead, you should creatively capitalize on your audiences’ festive spirit all year long.

This approach to holiday or seasonal marketing for real estate promotion is so effective because people are primed for certain types of messaging at different times of the year. For example, as spring begins, you can capture interest with:

• Home maintenance and gardening tips to improve curb appeal
• Real estate tax resources as people prep for the April 15 filing deadline
• A forecast of summer’s real estate trends
• A spring clean checklist that makes a home feel like new again

Engage your audience even more by including a limited-time offer or real estate promotion with your content, like a free home evaluation, an exclusive downloadable guide, or access to a private webinar. The time sensitivity associated with holidays and seasonal periods creates a greater sense of urgency for your prospects to respond to your call to action.

To grab the attention of your leads, you can also celebrate more obscure or unexpected holidays by offering more content with value. Get creative and celebrate:

• Cut Your Energy Costs Day on January 10 by suggesting energy-efficiency tips
• National Napping Day on March 9 by featuring your listings with the best bedrooms
• Grandparents Day on September 13 by posting tips on downsizing
• Get Smart About Credit Day on October 15 by advising on credit improvement

This element of surprise creates an emotional tie for your readers, making them more likely to remember your message. These types of niche holidays also tend to trend online, meaning that, by joining the conversation, you’re boosting your odds of attracting new traffic organically.

7.  Real estate referral strategy

According to the NAR, 91% of home buyers would recommend their agent to others. But, if you’re not encouraging your past clients’ referrals, you could be losing out on significant opportunities to bring in qualified leads.

A real estate referral strategy is essential to building this pipeline of new — and already warmed-up — buyers and sellers. By motivating past clients to recommend your services to their family, friends, and colleagues, you earn “social proof” that speaks to the quality of your business.

Still, it takes proactivity to get a healthy referral cycle churning. Real estate agents need to continue nurturing their relationships with their clients even after the close of a sale. That way, when they or someone in their social circle requires real estate services, you’re top of mind.

Email marketing is a great way to keep growing these relationships by providing past clients with added value. You can segment this group in your email list and automate emails that:

• Celebrate the anniversary of the date they bought their home
• Keep them updated on changes they should know about like local property tax or real estate regulatory changes‌
• Offer advice on how to keep the value of their home high over time

But don’t be afraid to ask for referrals outright, either.

People often appreciate the chance to help someone they’ve had a positive working experience with, and a gentle reminder that you’re taking on new clients can go a long way. You could sweeten the deal even more by offering past clients an incentive like a gift certificate to a local restaurant for each successful referral.

8.  Show off your expertise

Most people start their search for real estate online. But positioning yourself as the real estate expert within your community boosts your name recognition organically. As potential buyers or sellers then begin to look online for options, they’re more likely to recognize and trust your name or to search for your services directly.

Take advantage of local opportunities by:

• Writing a guest post in the local newspaper on misconceptions about home buying or selling
• Joining a high school career fair
• Offering to give a guest lecture at a local community center
• Building relationships with a local morning show or news program that might be interested in experts for a real estate segment
• Hosting a question-and-answer session for prospective homeowners at a community event

These events don’t just show off your expertise to the right audiences. They’re also a great way to create valuable, unique, and shareable content you can promote through all of your marketing efforts.

Turn more leads into buyers

These real estate promotion ideas will help you stage your business in just the right light to attract new leads primed for your sales funnel.

By aligning your outreach efforts with how your audience behaves — and delivering on what they need — you exceed expectations while reinforcing your own real estate expertise.

These strategies help you attract the right attention and convert those leads into buyers by:

• Addressing leads’ real estate questions and concerns with content marketing
• Simplifying the buying experience with a resource-packed website
• Meeting leads in their inbox with timely email information
• Attracting visual attention with video content and high-quality imagery
• Capitalizing on holiday momentum all year long
• Earning new clients’ trust through real estate referrals
• Building your brand recognition in your local community

But don’t be afraid to ask for referrals outright, either.

People often appreciate the chance to help someone they’ve had a positive working experience with and a gentle reminder that you’re taking on new clients can go a long way. You could sweeten the deal even more by offering past clients an incentive like a gift certificate to a local restaurant for each successful referral.

8.  Show off your expertise

Most people start their search for real estate online. But positioning yourself as the real estate expert within your community boosts your name recognition organically. As potential buyers or sellers then begin to look online for options, they’re more likely to recognize and trust your name or to search for your services directly.

Take advantage of local opportunities by:

• Writing a guest post in the local newspaper on misconceptions about home buying or selling
• Joining a high school career fair
• Offering to give a guest lecture at a local community center
• Building relationships with a local morning show or news program that might be interested in experts for a real estate segment
• Hosting a question-and-answer session for prospective homeowners at a community event

These events don’t just show off your expertise to the right audiences. They’re also a great way to create valuable, unique, and sharable content you can promote across all of your marketing efforts.

Turn more leads into buyers

Now you now know several strategies you can use to attract the right attention and convert leads into buyers:

• Addressing leads’ real estate questions and concerns with content marketing
• Simplifying the buying experience with a resource-packed website
• Meeting leads in their inbox with timely email information
• Attracting visual attention with video content and high-quality imagery
• Capitalizing on holiday momentum all year long
• Earning new clients’ trust through real estate referrals
• Building brand recognition in your local community

These real estate promotion ideas will help you stage your business in just the right light to attract new leads primed for your sales funnel.

By aligning your outreach efforts with how your audience behaves — and delivering on what they need — you will exceed expectations while reinforcing your own real estate expertise.

If you’re ready to harness the power of digital marketing to fuel your real estate business, you can get started today by looking for ways to ramp up your email marketing strategy. And, get The Marketing Plan Guide / for more tips on creating an effective online marketing strategy as well as on how to succeed with other lead-converting approaches.