10 Ways To Build Brand Recognition And Find Your Target Audience
“Stop selling. Start helping.” – Matt White
If selling a home is like winning a race, then being a real estate agent is nearly a combat sport. While handing off the keys to your new homeowners is certainly a home run, getting to that finish line (and getting to it consistently) can be tougher than many realize.
The housing market is increasingly competitive, which means that in order to continuously close sales, you have to stand out, you have to set yourself apart - you have to build your own real estate brand.
And how do you do that?
You start helping.
You help the newlywed couple looking for their very first home outside of the city. You help the expectant parents wanting to expand and build memories for their newest addition.
You help the newly retired schoolteacher hoping to downsize, the local small business owners excited to renovate, and the young families curious to relocate and start fresh.
But to help them, you have to find them.
And while perfectly manicured business cards, an engaging social media presence, a shiny real estate website, and advertising on bus stops, bus benches, billboards, and even shopping carts at your local grocery store can help you grab a few incoming leads on potential buyers, it’s more than likely not enough.
We repeat: You have to find them.
What this boils down to is you needing to proactively generate more leads (which equals more clients) to ensure you and your business can stay above water, no matter what ups or downs, bumps, or bruises the real estate market throws your way.
In this complete guide, we'll cover:
Proving Your Credibility, Cementing Your Personal Brand, And Getting More Leads
Building Your Hyperlocal Client List And Finding Your Next Sellers
Instead of waiting for potential clients to find you from a long, laundry list of online realtors or buried deep within the pages of Yelp, self-marketing outlines the need to launch yourself into the public eye in order to more effectively draw a healthy roster of new and prospective buyers with less competition.
You publicizing your accomplishments, your wins, and taking necessary steps to integrate yourself more openly within your community will open doors to the new leads you need.
Remember, if selling that house is breaking through the finish line ribbon or racing past that checkered flag, you need to attract clients to you and your services as the training required to get there.
Mortgage rates dictate the mentality of both home buyers and sellers, many electing to pause their search if rates rise, while others grapple with a “wait and see” mentality on when exactly may be the right time to sell.
With a lower number of homes for sale, the race to represent fewer and fewer sellers is steep.
Therefore, with supply and demand issues at risk of affecting your bottom line, it’s simply not sustainable to wait around for incoming calls from qualified buyers or hoping real estate listings pick up on their own.
To help them, you have to find them.
The good news?
There are many ways to build up a client list that not only helps you effectively reach potential buyers and sellers in need but also can alleviate some of the pressure of an uncertain market.
The punchline? It's all about your marketing strategy.
Whether you’ve lived on the same corner for decades or are a newer face to the neighborhood, there’s always an opportunity to cement yourself as the go-to with real estate expertise in your city.
Host free workshops in local businesses and community destinations for soon-to-be-home buyers and sellers. Stream your own webinar giving complimentary advice for those preparing to move.
Not sure of your angle?
Try “Tips For First Time Homeowners,” “Moving Must Haves,” or “Helpful Strategies For Your Next Home Search.”
You can also solidify yourself as an expert by contacting your local publications and news outlets to offer yourself up as an eager interviewee if any stories on real estate or the home-buying process are coming down the pipeline.
Submit user-generated think pieces on market trends to publications such as Medium, Forbes, and Entrepreneur, or hop in to answer questions on Reddit and Quora – always making sure to note your expertise in your particular community.
The world has gone digital, and if you’re not onboard and using your social media posts to draw prospective clients, you’re getting left behind.
You should post regularly, highlighting your wins (hello, gorgeous new property, or beautifully staged bungalow), while also advertising what you can offer that others can’t.
How have you gone the extra mile helping other clients? What are your success stories?
Don’t forget the power of a testimonial, join local Facebook groups, update your Google business profile, and make sure your Instagram grid pops with a reflection of your authentic self, down to your favorite colors, fonts, and templates.
Remember, social media is an extension of ourselves, and yours is a free digital marketing platform to advertise. Don’t miss out on the opportunity.
Want to get even more specific?
Create a custom audience so that the content you post reaches a specific demographic, whether that is groups interested in similar services, those hyperlocal to your location, or potential buyers who have interacted with your channels or website in the past.
Maximize your time and effort by leveraging lead generation software to build personalized lists of potential buyers in your community.
Instead of relying on the MLS database (and fighting for the same leads as every other realtor in the industry), go above and beyond the competition by tapping into rich, hyperlocal public record data on hundreds of millions of properties.
While you're hosting events in your neighborhood, consider leveraging this technology to do some serious heavy lifting while you're away.
Who doesn't love coming home to a long list of new leads?
Personalize your offers, automate your workflow, and double your marketing efforts by finding new clients on custom searches you create.
No, this isn’t the vacuum sales pitches of the 1950s.
Make rounds on residential streets during daylight hours and make sure to bring gift baskets, a local care package, or something to leave homeowners to remember you by that goes above and beyond a business card (no, fridge magnets aren’t much better).
Create custom labels with your headshot and contact information, and stick to boxes of baked goods or other high-quality snacks.
Extra points for visiting those new to town or those you may believe are more likely to use your services sooner versus later (consider newly empty nesters looking to downsize or expectant couples seeking more space).
Go above and beyond by visiting established newly built communities close by, which typically house starter homes.
As the average starter home resident looks to move on to bigger and better within three to seven years, you could peak the interests of potential clients soon to hit that milestone.
Wedding announcements, engagement announcements, new baby announcements, and even retirement announcements can still be seen in local papers.
Make sure you’re an avid reader of the local publications within your community, and take the extra time to congratulate those who are experiencing these life-changing events.
These circumstances often mean the need for a new home is on the horizon, and while this real estate marketing strategy won’t always equate to an instant sale, it can mean you’re the first point of contact for these individuals and will be the one they call when they’re ready to buy.
Newspapers aren’t the only source of information on soon-to-be-wed potential clients.
Check with local wedding venues in your neighborhood (a simple online search can bring up popular destinations close by) on upcoming events, and be sure to get on their mailing lists.
This will often let you know of approaching celebrations and tours (often packed with engaged couples) – both optimal opportunities to bring your information by and know who to reach out to.
Additionally, make sure all local wedding planners have a stack of your cards on hand to offer interested couples. It’ll cement loyalty with their own clients, as well as send potential sales your way.
Being a real estate agent means never considering your clients as “one and done.”
Regardless of whether you helped them secure their dream home, we know that life can change in unpredictable, monumental ways. New additions, career relocations, and even preferences can ultimately shift, and with that, your past clients you thought were quite settled could be suddenly ready to make another big move.
So how can you ensure it’s you they call?
Keep up that relationship, whether days, weeks, months or even years later.
Send holiday cards, mail physical birthday wishes (bonus points for an added gift card), stay connected on every social media platform, and comment your congratulations when they post about how their lives grow, evolve, and change over time.
Be their real estate agent, not just a real estate agent they know.
Many cities are prime destinations for corporations that readily offer relocation for prospective employees.
Reach out to their HR departments and make sure they have your contact information on hand to help support potential clients packing it up and moving across state lines for their careers.
As an initial step, make sure you’re highly knowledgeable about neighborhoods surrounding headquarters to help with seamless integration into a brand-new community.
Keep up with property listings nearby and flex your hyperlocal real estate industry expertise (and marketing skills) by providing recommendations on local moving companies, community businesses, and more.
Grow your hospitality expertise while also cementing strong connections by joining a local business for a shift or two per week.
Bartending, waiting tables, even volunteering alongside others can allow you valuable face time you may have otherwise missed out on.
Nurture these conversations with regulars you see most frequently, and when the topic of careers reaches the forefront, offer your card and real estate services should they ever be needed.
FSBO (for sale by owner) and FRBO (for rent by owner) properties have a bad habit of often selling and renting for less than properties represented by real estate agents.
Help these homeowners keep more cash in their pockets by reaching out proactively by leveraging your local newspaper, online databases, or a traditional search engine.
Blasting thousands of potential clients with impersonalized spam is so yesterday – and a sure-fire way of losing ground on your race to that finish line.
Plus, you're a real estate marketing whiz now - your strategy is better than that.
Now, it’s all about the power of personalization to help those that need you.
PropertyRadar helps you effectively narrow your search and find the homeowners in your area most in need of your support – whether that means out-of-state landlords looking to sell, recent cash buyers looking for their next investment, or even expanding families that have enough equity to take advantage of the changing real estate market.
With PropertyRadar, you have the power of public records in your pocket, seamlessly integrated with an innovative technology-first interface that effortlessly guides you through building lists of potential buyers.
And what’s better than personalized lists of potential buyers hyperlocal to your immediate area?
The capabilities PropertyRadar gives allow you to set your lists to automatically update with new developments, new properties, and revised information, ensuring your data is always accurate.
That's dynamic real estate marketing that does the heavy lifting for you.
And PropertyRadar doesn’t just give you one list. It gives you many.
And with many lists comes the power to your race to sell in the local market that the very best running shoes give a marathoner: the unlock necessary to win.
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Looking for more information on everything and anything residential real estate?
Check out Residential Real Estate 101 – your ultimate guide to supporting buyers and sellers through the housing market.
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Get started now with a free PropertyRadar trial, grow your real estate marketing, and tap into over 1 billion potential client phones and emails.