Major Marketing Mistakes Many Real Estate Agents Make

Your ability to market yourself as the LOCAL real estate EXPERT is CRITICAL to your success. Becoming ‘famous’ or known in your patch of the world is not hard. It’s not hard at all. However, effective marketing is a vital part of your success. This means that you can no longer remain the “Secret Agent”.

Most real estate agents make common, easy-to-fix errors. Let’s explore a few of those mistakes.

1. Don’t ignore social media.
With over 4.26 billion active social media users on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok, social media allows you to not only make an impact locally, it also means that you can be seen from wherever the person is in the world. The crazy thing is that many agents neglect their social media profiles. They don’t post consistently, and they miss out on the opportunity to reach new potential clients. They also miss out on their friends having top-of-mind awareness about what they are achieving. Self-promotion is crucial, and never forget that your main aim is to build your brand in your local community. As real estate agents, we generally know a lot of people in the community. We must make it our mission to be part of the community.

There are many reasons that real estate agents neglect this side of their business, maybe it’s because they are too busy, they don’t give it a thought, or they don’t realise the importance of keeping consistent in their marketing.

Make sure you have a marketing plan that includes social media. And don’t think it has to be all paid ads. Build your local friends on your social media pages. Build on that following.

2. Focusing solely on listings.
While showcasing your listings is essential for a real estate agent, neglecting to build relationships with potential/past clients is a serious mistake. You need to prioritise building rapport with potential clients and establishing trust before ‘selling’ yourself.

3. Ignoring the importance of SEO.
When you have a website, as all agents should – whether it’s a company website or a personal website, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is key for you to rank higher on Google. Aim to learn and always look at ways to enhance your online profile. You will look at how you can improve your Google search so that when someone searches something like “real estate agents in your suburb”, they find you.

4. Underestimating the power of high-quality video and photos.
In today’s digital age, videos and images play a critical role in marketing real estate properties. Real estate agents who underestimate the power of high-quality video and photos in their marketing efforts can lose out on clients. That is a fact.

5. Following up leads.
You must follow up on all inquiries from your online efforts within a few hours. (This goes for all inquiries)  This is crucial for you to convert potential clients into buyers. Many agents fail to follow up effectively or in a timely manner, resulting in lost opportunities and a bad reputation.

6. Real estate agents who fail to adapt to changing marketing trends risk being left behind.

I remember about 15 years ago trying to get agents to use videos in their marketing. It took a long time to convert agents to use video. Now, because of the various platforms we have, it’s become the norm in many ways. Marketing trends are continually evolving, and it is important for agents to be aware of emerging marketing trends and embrace new technologies.

This includes ChatGPT. If you are not onto this now, you WILL be left behind.

Understanding these tips helps you remain relevant, competitive, AND be seen in your marketplace.

Create a plan and then have the discipline to run that plan.