Real estate professionals essentially work for themselves, which means they have to be promoting and marketing themselves constantly in order to keep getting the leads that are so important to their business. You’ve likely noticed the flow of real estate direct mail coming to your mailbox periodically, but there are other ways that realtors get business, even though some are better than others. Below are some of the steps realtors take to keep the leads coming.
Professional Development Is a Must
Real estate pros have a lot to learn about their profession, and this will be the case for many years to come. The more you know about all aspects of real estate, the better you’ll be able to do your job. This is why ongoing classes should be a part of your life, and this should include online classes that you can take at times that are convenient for you. Classes should include marketing courses and courses on social media, analytics, and others.
Regular Activity Is Important
When you’re a realtor trying to promote your business, consistency is crucial. In addition to regular real estate direct mail programs, other advertising and marketing programs should also be instituted on a regular basis. Keep in mind that the response for many marketing programs, including direct mail, is only 1–2%, which is the reason why you need to promote and market on a regular basis. It also takes several different methods of advertising in order for this to work.
Create a Blog
Blogs usually have an ulterior motive—to turn readers into leads—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful tools to pique people’s interest. If you write blogs on topics homebuyers and sellers are most interested in, you can pick up leads on a regular basis. It can be a slow process, but when it’s added to your other promotional efforts, it can produce good leads month after month.
Bring Business Cards Wherever You Go
As a realtor, you should have business cards with you at all times, simply because you never know when a potential buyer or seller might come your way. Many people to whom you give your card will simply throw it away at some point, but the more of them you pass out, the better the chance that you’ll end up getting a call from some of them. It doesn’t mean you should give a business card to someone who clearly isn’t interested, but if someone shows even a little interest, they should get one of your cards.
Keep Track of How the Marketing Tools Are Doing
Keeping a spreadsheet to track the results of your real estate direct mail, online mailings, and other marketing programs is important. This is the only way to know which methods are working and which ones aren’t. Because of this, you can tweak some of your methods and even eliminate others, but you won’t know exactly what to do when it comes to your promotional efforts unless you keep track of every marketing and promotional program you instigate.