Marketing Basics

And I mean BASICS.

Many inexperienced agents (and many oldsters!) are so caught up in marketing themselves that they overlook their main purpose: promoting their client’s interest.

A seller has asked you to sell their home. Do nice words, a sign, and an online picture deserve the commission you will receive?

Feel guilty about that for a moment.

While we will have other posts on unique ways to make your listing known, there are a few basic actions that must be a part of almost all marketing efforts. I would say they should be “industry-standard” but it isn’t so in many areas.

Professional photographs and 3D Interactive Tours. With most buyers first learning about your listing online, it is unforgivable that you would not use a professional photographer – unless, of course, you are also a pro.

We have all seen vague, badly-lighted images of homes that would lead a viewer to ask whether or not a séance is being planned. Does a detailed shot of a bedspread tell the buyer that the room is large enough for their queen-sized bed? Of course not. Which is also the reason why I insist that my listings have a 3D Interactive Tour as well.

Usually done with equipment from Matterport, an online buyer can “walk” through the house with their mouse, zoom in on a particular area, and turn around to see the perspective. The cost? In Indianapolis, the service I use to do both charges $335 for a 3,000 square foot house for both photography and the interactive tour. Oh, I also get floorplans with dimensions! That alone saves me thirty minutes in taking measurements while giving online buyers a better feeling for the house.

Good Website.

I didn’t say “a website,” did I? I said a “good website.”

While most of our listings appear on hundreds of websites through IDX partnerships with our multiple listing services, your own personal website should be able to showcase your listings with a bit more detail, a bit more umph than the standard shared MLS information.

There are many better sites, but mine does establish a certain competence with the public. Listings are shown in more detail and style than are seen on Realtor.com or Zillow. It also sets a tone for my style.

By creating a webpage for each listing, you can also use the direct link on social media, printed promotions, and emails to fellow agents more effectively.

For many years I used Squarespace to create my own website. It was fairly easy for me to learn and it is only a couple hundred dollars for the year. I liked Squarespace quite a bit and still use it for other non-real estate websites I run. If you currently have a stock site from your company – or none at all — I would try it out.

Recently, though, I switched to LuxuryPresence.com for my site. It is a bit pricier, but for less than $200 per month, it provides real estate-specific elements that stand out and make your listings a bit more special. They will set it up for you, but I enjoy tweaking it myself. I admit that I haven’t taken advantage of most of what it offers, but many, many clients have remarked in passing that it was a factor in their choice to use me. Look at the websites of the top twenty agents in your market. What do their sites look like? Can yours be better than theirs?

Emails to Area Agents.

Do you have an updated email list of your fellow agents in your market? Some real estate boards or MLS systems will provide them to you for a fee. In other areas, you will have to assemble it using the board/MLS directory.

This is crucial. Sure, many of us check the MLS twice a day to see what new listings have emerged, but many agents don’t. Send an email out to the entire list when you have a new listing. Include a couple of photos and, of course, the link to the personalized webpage you have built that includes the photos, 3D tour, and your expanded comments. Sending an email to more than a dozen people at the same time, however, may cause you to be stopped by spam-blockers. Use an email service like MailChimp.

Staging.

The term “staging” can mean three things: 1.) Helping the seller edit and arrange the furnishings already in the house; 2.) hiring a professional to work with your seller to do this; or, 3.) hiring a professional to bring and arrange furniture and accessories.

If your seller wants to realize the most money from the sale – and to stop the inconvenience of showings as quickly as possible! – the house must be presented in its best possible way. It is a product, not unlike a car at a dealership. Which is more inviting, the cluttered, dusty sedan or the just-cleaned and tidy one?

In recent years, I’ve shared with my sellers the expense of a professional stager who, from his own stock, brings attractive chairs, sofas, rugs, bathroom towels, etc. He and his team have an eye for what makes a room inviting. The total cost in my city can range from $2,000 for a mid-priced home to $8,000 for properties in the top price range. Regardless of which option you choose, with few exceptions, it is unfair to the seller to simply open the door and start showings without proper preparation.

Keep it fresh.

Not every home sells in one week. I have a schedule that reminds me to change a listing’s leading picture in the MLS every few weeks. I often rework the agent comments as well. Are the outside flowers still perky or do they need to be changed? For those of us in snowier areas, is the sidewalk and driveway shoveled attractively (yes, it is a thing). Have light bulbs died? Have the toilets been flushed? Is there a musty odor in the house now? Is it time for a fresh cleaning again?

One change in custom since COVID has been the use of booties. Agents and their buyers are almost always asked to either remove their shoes or put on the booties that most agents offer in boxes by the front door.

Keep in mind that these are just five basics for marketing that should be a part of any real estate agent’s marketing plan. You will find, however, that many, many listings don’t include them. This gives your client (and you!) an advantage.

GB Landrigan