Chief Marketing Officer of Marketing Real Estate, Robb Capital & CRE Loan.
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Having made what I consider to be a fortune in the real estate industry at a relatively young age, I’ve become familiar with the tricks of the trade and the advice of real estate gurus and coaches. But the training they offer for becoming successful in real estate often neglects one simple truth I’ve learned over the years. The reality is that making significant money in this industry is very often only correlated to one thing: marketing.
As a matter of fact, I can’t think of a single thing more effective than your ability to market to generate significant business. If you’re unable to effectively communicate and persuade your end consumer to give you their business, someone else will. How many times have you reached out to a prospect and had them say something like, “Thank you for your time, but I have recently engaged your competitor”?
I’ve heard just about every excuse as to why someone is not successful in the industry. If you’re struggling or have had an ample amount of success but have yet to hit your potential, stop making excuses right now. The reason you’re not where you want or need to be is in all probability related to your lack of marketing.
As I’ve said before, there has been a radical shift toward modern real estate marketing business practices over the last decade. If you’re serious about reaching your full potential in the real estate market, it’s essential that you not only learn about these techniques, but perfect them.
If you’re not a marketing guru, don’t worry. Begin with the basics:
Start with a website: If you’re working with a site that’s outdated and visually unappealing, you’re probably losing clients within seconds of them landing on your site. Your website should be unique, modern and easy to navigate, and your visitors should be able to see at a glance what types of services you offer. Think of how important a first impression is in person, and consequently make your website congruent. This is vitally important to the overall perception of your brand and a catalyst to generate and catch leads.
Focus on SEO: On- and off-page SEO will dramatically increase traffic to your website, ultimately converting it to closed transactions. Never underestimate the power of SEO.
Post your business profile all over the internet: Your profiles should be strategic and congruent to the real estate industry. This will immediately improve your search results across Google, Bing and Yahoo.
Post regular press releases: Make announcements about your services and key accomplishments when you have a noteworthy story to tell.
Start building on your online reviews: Always have a wide array of online reviews that help you earn trust and that display your work. Don’t be afraid to ask your best clients for reviews on Google, Yelp and other such review sites.
Advertise: Don’t forget about Google Ads, social media ads, print advertising, and radio and TV ads, all of which can play a significant role in brand familiarity, lead generation and a dramatic increase in overall revenues.
Implement a lead-generation system: This vital component will allow you to hack your industry or market. Irrespective of what service you’re offering, it’s all a numbers game. The more prospective clients you get in front of, the more chances you have of converting them and winning their business. You need to consistently create a steady flow of leads that can easily be converted to commissions.
If you’re having challenges in the real estate industry, or even thinking about giving up and making a discernible shift in your career path, all you may need is a change in your mindset and to implement new or more marketing. And, while it’s true that marketing at a high level is a combination of innate talent and mastering concepts, the majority of real estate professionals can learn enough to be extremely effective.
Starting today, forget about all the advice and teachings about real estate that you’ve heard before. Devote your time to mastering marketing yourself and your brand, and make the year ahead your best and most successful yet. It’s never too late.
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