The old marketing adage says that credibility plus visibility leads to profitability. You have invested time and money to build your identity as a credible and knowledgeable real estate agent. Constant marketing can help you stay visible and get the profitability you deserve.
Here are five ways you can increase your profile in your marketplace:
Get on board! A great way to get on the radar screen of influencers while doing something good for your community is to serve on a Board. The people who serve on the boards tend to be active, well connected in the community, and socially conscious. It’s nice to meet and connect with generous people like those who donate their time. Find a board that is likely to need your expertise in building credibility in real estate, such as an organization that deals with affordable housing. Follow your sincere interests for a fun time while making powerful contacts.
Drip marketing. As a real estate agent, promoting yourself can feel uncomfortable and that causes you to do less than you should. The idea behind drip marketing is to be on the radar screen of your prospects and contacts on a regular basis, like a drip from their dripping faucet. Eventually, the little dripper fills a tub to overflowing, and their “touches” lead to new clients, referrals, and other opportunities. The best way to keep in constant touch with your community is with a monthly newsletter that shares useful information, either by email or in print. Other good ways to touch customers are postcards and special occasion mailings. For key influencers, you can even make phone calls to touch base, leave quarterly gifts, or meet up for coffee.
Strategic Visibility – Referral Partners: While it’s good to have a high profile in your community, it also works to be strategically visible with the key influencers just mentioned. If you follow the 80/20 rule, you’ll know that 80% of referrals come from only 20% of your contacts. Knowing about and nurturing relationships with a select group of referral partners can keep you supplied with all the leads you can handle. In addition to the obvious ones like mortgage brokers, title companies, and home inspectors, look for divorce lawyers, remodeling contractors, and well-connected past clients.
Meet the Corporate Relo People in HR. If your community has large businesses, you can create a good niche to help executives relocate and find homes in your area. When I returned to the US after 7 years abroad, the HR dept. for international companies and being known as a relocation specialist was key to gaining leads.
Create visibility online with a blog. We’ve talked before about the importance of blogging for your real estate agent’s website, but did you know that it’s also a visibility strategy? Blogs are a powerful traffic generator and can bring qualified leads to your website. How do you know they are qualified? By blogging using key search terms, you will connect with Internet search engines looking for the information you provide. Busy people don’t search for information online for no reason; they are usually motivated to act now. The beauty of a blog is that you become more credible as an expert. After all, anyone who regularly publishes news articles week after week must know what he’s up to, right? 😉
Let’s face it: real estate is a competitive field and you need to excel to be a successful agent. Marketing yourself on a regular basis will ensure that you can help more people and enjoy a profitable business. Isn’t that why you got into this race in the first place?
