If you’re looking for innovative ways to build your real estate brand locally, without breaking the bank, then you’re going to love my top 5 low cost marketing strategies for real estate agents that you can use to make a big impact.
These low cost marketing strategies for real estate agents are often referred to as “Guerrilla Marketing”. Guerrilla marketing is basically just another way of saying “out of the box” marketing tactics that, most of the time, are done on a low budget and yet make a big impact.
Good guerrilla marketing tactics are going to be cost effective, and they are designed to create buzz, not replace your routine advertising. They rely on elements of surprise and precise timing, and they often revolve around current events or pop culture. They’re original, unconventional, and touch the emotions of the consumer, through humour or otherwise. guerrilla marketing should challenge the target markets’ already established views of your brand. It’s a great way to stand out from your competition.
If you start looking around, you will start to see countless guerrilla marketing opportunities available in your marketplace. Here are some of the guerrilla marketing strategies that I used to help build my real estate business.
Number One: The hand written thank you card.
For the cost of a card and a stamp this marketing strategy will go a long way. Think about the world we live in for a second. When was the last time you received something in the mail that wasn’t a bill. How excited were you? Now, compound that with the great feeling you get when somebody sincerely thanks you for something that you did. Make people feel great and keep yourself top of their minds. I recommend setting yourself a daily goal of cards to write. I have set out to write five cards a day, five days a week, 25 cards per week, and that equates to 200 per month. Think about the impact that you have over 15 years, send these out to your sphere of influence, as well as to the people that you would like to recognize in your day to day life. Maybe you got great service at a restaurant or coffee shop, remember the name of the server and send them a thank you card. It doesn’t matter if they aren’t in the market for a home, just remember that maybe one day, that server will be looking to buy a house, and they will always remember how you made them feel. Play the long game my friends.
Number two: Start a vlog (a video blog) and become the digital mayor of your town.
You can start a vlog through your personal website or through your social media accounts, or both. Think about capturing those people that are searching for real estate in your city on Google. We all know as agents and brokers, we must be knowledgeable not only about homes but also about neighborhoods and cities. What better way to demonstrate our knowledge than delivering this through video content on a vlog. Content creation is just part of our job as digital real estate marketers, and as you work at becoming the digital mayor of your area, you need to create neighborhood or area specific content. This is going to help establish your credibility as a local source for community information, while also showing potential buyers what it’s like to live there. The more interesting information you can provide about the area, the better. Do features on local businesses in the area, parks, restaurants, schools, recreational centres, etc. Do interviews with people who make up these businesses and groups. Find those stories that are tucked away in the neighborhood, and let your audience know why it’s a great place to live. Things that make your area what it is, and create content that tells those stories. If social media seems a little overwhelming to you, head over to my agent resources page to grab a few downloads or take my Instagram course for agents, to get you started off on the right foot.
Number three: sponsor kids sports teams.
You can do this for often quite a low cost. For example, for the cost of a few kids jerseys, you can have a sports team running around with your name all over those jerseys. Parents are grateful that their kids have the jerseys to wear, and the kids are thrilled they get new cool jerseys. Sponsoring a team in this capacity also gives you the opportunity to come out to watch the games, bring snacks, and even introduce yourself to the parents and grow your network.
Number four: take your “farming” to the next level.
Many agents work an area called a “farm” which is generally just a neighborhood or area of the city that you continually market your services to. The typical agent will send out marketing materials to their farm on a monthly basis, such as flyers or “just listed” books, or postcards. Unfortunately, more often than not, these postcards and flyers often find their way into the trash. So, why not find something of value to give them instead of a postcard? For example, in the springtime, send a little packet of flower seeds with a note tied to it saying “Let’s work together and I’ll help you grow many happy memories”. Wouldn’t that make more of an impact than just a postcard? And you can bet they will think of you all summer, when they see those flowers growing in their garden.
Number five: support your community heroes.
I’m a firm believer of doing good in your community. Why not become the “go to” agent for frontline workers by offering a discount when they go to sell? Or, better yet, donate money to a charity of their choice, every time a frontline worker buys or sells with you. This costs very little money up front. To get the word out about your “homes for heroes” program, you’ll have to create some flyers and drop them off at your local hospital, fire hall, or police station. Let those heroes know that you support them, and that you support the community that you live in. To take it even one step further, you can run ads about your program and get them shown specifically to those in careers working in the front lines. Giving back in this way will quickly cause you to become known as the charitable agent in your city (and it feels good to help others, too).
Well, there you go, gang, five, low cost, high impact ways that you can grow your real estate brand in your area. Hope this was helpful to you!
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