With a few small tweaks to your approach, you could easily start capturing the interest of more clients. Check out the 5 tips we’ve compiled to help you differentiate yourself from other real estate agents.
1. Get Your Own Website
When you work with a major agency like Century 21 or RE/MAX, they typically give you a website on their domain. Get your own website to distinguish yourself from the cookie cutter template and to help you as you venture into real estate marketing. Your own website can help you have a bit more autonomy with the resources you want to offer and the brand you want to establish.
You may want to consider reading up on the best strategies to help your site show up in the search engines. SEO and the digital marketing world are constantly changing, so keep up on the latest trends or hire a company to do it for you.
2. Create a Lead Magnet for Your Website
A website is helpful, but if people visit your site and then leave without contacting you, you’ve lost a potential client. Offer a short E-book with helpful information and require an email address in order to download it. This E-book can include the tips on how to ready your home for the market, what to look for in a real estate agent, how to find the perfect house, etc. Once you’ve got the person’s email address, you can contact them and offer your services.
3. Find Your Specialty
Agents who specialize are better able to reach clients in their niche. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to do this. You could specialize in working with a particular type of client such as first-time home buyers or people who need to sell quickly due to a job relocation. You could specialize in a particular neighborhood or in selling a certain type of home like multi-family homes or beachside homes. The possibilities are endless, but any direction can increase your chances of being the go-to source in a particular subset of the market.
4. Make Yourself Available
This is one of the most important ways real estate agents can stand out. Real estate is a fast-paced industry, and if you don’t return calls or emails soon after you get them, you may lose out to another agent with a faster response time. Though it’s somewhat inconvenient, it’s smart to think of yourself as working round the clock. Use a smart phone so that you can easily respond to questions no matter where you are.
5. Go the Extra Mile
An agent who really goes above and beyond is more likely to get referrals than one who does the bare minimum, and you really should be thinking about how to increase word-of-mouth referrals. Take the time to really get to know your clients so that you’re only showing them homes that really meet their needs. Offer a free moving truck for people to use after the sale. Check in with people after the sale to see how they’re settling in. Give a thoughtful gift post-sale, such as flowers for the new garden or a gift card for a local home improvement store. These little things add a certain touch that clients love.
6. Choose Marketing that Makes an Impression
If you want to differentiate yourself, you can’t have the same old business cards that everyone gets from their agency. Spend a bit more money to get premium business cards. Consider using rich colors in the design, a custom die cut or having the card made from a material other than the standard card stock. When sending direct mail, choose a unique size that will stand out when someone takes it out of the mail box. These techniques make people take a second look at your advertising.