Outside-the-Box Real Estate Marketing Ideas & Tips

Realty is a competitive business, and marketing is key to the success of one company over another. Creating a unique, powerful marketing campaign relies on a combination of tried-and-tested strategy and creative, unique ideas - in other words, outside-the-box thinking. The world of marketing is constantly evolving, so techniques you used last time around may be a little dated. But even those techniques which seem anachronistic, such as printed media, can be used in a fresh way to boost your campaign and expand your reach. Here are some ideas and tips to take your real estate marketing to the next level.

Get your socials going

Digital channels are easily the most dominant and well used ways to reach a target audience. And top of the pile of priorities for most marketers is social media. It’s impossible to overstate how important it is to get your campaign on all major (and many minor) social media platforms, in a way that is consistent and professional - one of the great things about social media is the versatility of the format, you can share photos, videos, polls etc as well as written content.

A direct link with customers

The other revolutionary thing about social media is that it is a highly effective way to reach out to customers personally - it takes customer service to a level that was impossible to achieve 15 years ago. And these communication capabilities can also be harnessed for your campaign - targeting a local area via the use of hashtags or retweets is especially useful for the real estate business. Bear in mind that all this activity may require extra manpower - you might be able to handle your accounts yourself, but more and more companies are offering full time positions for social media managers.

Sell a lifestyle, not a property

When you’re a potential home buyer it’s easy to get caught up in the technical details and measurements of the property. But, while these things are essential, it’s great to add a little flair and romance into the process. Creatively edited videos showing off properties, photos with artist’s impressions, well chosen accessories - all these things sell a lifestyle rather than bricks and mortar. Just remember to format everything for viewing on a mobile device!

Leaflet drops

Almost all aspects of realty are impacted by the location of the business. Even large real estate agencies have to focus on specific locales to drive their business in those areas. So it’s important that marketing reflects this, and an important part of any campaign is reaching out to the local community. One of the best tools for this is the good old letterbox drop. People get far fewer items in the mail these days, so the likelihood is that your leaflet will get picked up and read. The leaflet should, of course, be well designed and printed on good quality paper - a cheap, nasty leaflet will reflect badly on your business. The copy needs to be snappy, to the point and engaging, so that one reading is all it takes to get your message across.

“Hyperlocal” marketing 

When looking for a local business, be it a cafe, gym, bookstore or realtor, many people will use a search engine, most likely Google, and may well use the term “near me”. It’s important to make sure your business comes up near the top of a search in your locale - Google has adjusted and improved its “near me” algorithm. Hyperlocal marketing usually results in high returns, this is because most people who search for a service in their area are intending to make a purchase. Of course, selling houses and apartments isn’t as simple as that, but making sure you get the hits from searches in your area should be part of your wider marketing strategy.

Reviews and testimonials

Good, authentic customer reviews are worth their weight in gold. When someone has a good enough customer experience with your business that they want to share, it is powerful testimony, as the words carry much more weight than marketing copy. Don’t be afraid to ask for a good review or a testimonial from customers - buying and selling property can be a real headache, and most will be happy to sing your praises if you’ve made the process smooth and good value.

All marketers, realtors included, need to move with the times to boost their campaigns. That means embracing new technology or making fresh use of the old methods.

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