September is Marketing and Branding Month at Inman. Tips for better branding and in-depth features on how to take advantage of marketing tools provided by Zillow, Redfin and other platforms are all in the works in addition to insights from experts. You’ll find it all at Inman, as well as our two-day virtual, flagship event, Your Playbook for the Fall Market, in October.
This article was last updated Sept. 27, 2022.
Although we’ve been talking about a shifting market for quite some time, you may still have been caught by surprise. After all, in some active markets the shift showed itself in just one weekend of poorly attended open houses and silent cell phones. In others, the effects weren’t fully felt until the end of summer.
If you’re trying to regroup and get up to speed for the way we’re doing business now, it starts with taking a look at your current marketing and changing it up to speak the language of current buyers and sellers. Here are seven ways to make your marketing matter more now and in the days to come.
Evaluate your existing messaging
You’d be surprised how many agents are still writing property descriptions based on the old market. Filled with demands and “This one won’t last!” taglines, they sound a bit silly when the home’s been sitting on the market for weeks or months.
Go over everything with a fine-toothed comb and make sure you don’t have any language that’s held over from previous market conditions. Revisit your listing descriptions, website copy and even social media messaging that’s prominently displayed to ensure that you are speaking to current market conditions.
Focus on pain points and dreams
There are two kinds of messages that matter and both of them are based on the things that keep people awake at night. Either they’re worrying about something (pain points) or they’re hoping and wishing for something (dreams). Speak to either of these, and you’ll have a winning marketing message.
Create marketing that speaks to the fears that people have right now and offer solutions. Create marketing that speaks to the hopes and dreams people have right now and offer paths for getting there.
Educate yourself
If you’re a newer agent, you may not have experienced big market shifts before. You may have come of age as an agent during the wild and wooly seller’s market of the past couple of years.
If that’s the case, reach out to your mentor, broker, or find a mastermind to join and learn from real estate pros with more experience so that you can glean their insights about what works and what doesn’t.
Remember, the market is always changing, and there’s always room for improvement. Great agents never give in to complacency; they’re always looking for opportunities to learn something new.
Be a source of expert information
Now that you’ve taken stock of what’s going on in your market and connected with experts to learn more, become the source of expert information that leads and clients need now. Talk to people, hold workshops, and create content that informs and educates.
There’s a lot of noise out there coming from the television, internet and know-it-all armchair quarterbacks. Make sure your expertise is front and center and that you’re sharing it on a consistent basis through
- Social media
- Blogs
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Webinars
- Direct mail
Explore potential niches
Where do you see the market going next? Do you think the looming recession will result in a demand for short-sale expertise? Do you see a lot of new construction in your area? Is your market a hub for long-distance relocations from other, distant markets?
You have a front-row seat to the movements that are occurring in your market. Make the most of the opportunities that are being presented by exploring new niches and marketing to them. If you need additional certifications or designations, start earning them now so that you can plug in and begin to expand your professional network and service offerings.
Turn inquiries into content
Keep track of questions you’re asked on a daily basis, whether in casual conversation or in client consultations. Record them in a notes app on your phone or in a little notebook you carry in your pocket. Then use those questions to create a framework for all of your content.
The questions people are asking IRL are also the questions they’re googling. When your content is based on the up-to-the-minute concerns of folks in your sphere of influence and in your local market, they’re sure to resonate with online friends and potential leads as well.
Check your analytics, and double down on what works
Keep track of traffic to your website, social media, and other platforms, and see where you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Track direct mail response with QR codes or dedicated URLs. Ask every lead how they heard about you and figure out how to capitalize on their responses.
This is no time for shooting in the dark. Find out what’s working, and put added time and energy into growing that part of your business and that aspect of your marketing. Make this type of analysis a regular part of your operation so that you’ll see the next shift before anyone else.
Christy Murdock is a Realtor, freelance writer, coach and consultant and the owner of Writing Real Estate. She is also the creator of the online course Crafting the Property Description: The Step-by-Step Formula for Reluctant Real Estate Writers. Follow Writing Real Estate on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
