Top 12 Real Estate Marketing Tactics for 2021

Nowadays, real estate sales are all digital just like the world. The days of bus bench ads and swanky office buildings have been replaced by a well-crafted website that will direct shoppers to your agency.

In fact, 4 out of 5 home shoppers look to the internet first for their next home. This, in turn, means your online world is crucial to your success.

If you want your listings to be marked as SOLD, then it’s time to rethink your online real estate campaign.

Here are 12 useful real estate marketing tactics to make this strategy work to your advantage in 2021:

1. Use a Video Walkthrough With Or Without A Voice Over

First on our list of real estate marketing tactics are video walkthroughs!

Especially useful for out of town and international buyers, a video walkthrough is a wonderful way to show the home in a way where the buyer feels like they are actually there.

Take a stroll with a high-resolution video system and give everyone a point-of-view that feels REAL. This allows the buyer’s mind to fill in the empty rooms and bare walls with their imagination as you move from room to room.

You can also hire a contractor and the average cost will range from $350 – $500.00

Here’s the best part: you can take extra time with the most impressive features of the home and really create excitement for potential buyers.

Is Sound Required for Video Walkthroughs?

Video walkthroughs can easily be done with a soundless tour. However, if you can afford a soothing yet engaging voice actor to narrate, the difference in interests will be noticeable. 

If you’re not sure how to make a video, there are plenty of apps and software out there to help you out. iMovie from Apple can turn your videos into “movie magic” by piecing together different clips and pictures and even add some music to the mix. Videolicious also allows you to make videos from scratch, and with high quality.

2. Start Investing in Pinterest

A lot of realtors use Facebook and Instagram as their only social media sources for marketing. But, what about other platforms? Twitter is huge to get instant traffic, but posts are usually only viable for a short time. That is why we think Pinterest is a much better solution to your online real estate campaign.

On Pinterest, you can create boards that target specific desires your home buyers are looking for, such as:

• Style of home
• Demographics of the area
• Architectural features
• Landscaping

But, that’s not all! One of the most important aspects of Pinterest is branding. In the online world, you are not just a realtor. You are a brand. And like any brand, you need to be nurtured and cultivated to get the recognition you deserve. That is what Pinterest can do for you.

Pinterest isn’t the only social media platform you should look into in 2021. Keep reading to learn how Facebook can transform become a key real estate marketing tactic.

3. Invest in Facebook Marketplace

Anything and we mean ANYTHING… can be bought or sold on Facebook Marketplace. Yes, this includes houses! All you have to do is acquire a presence as a listing machine on Facebook Marketplace and get yourself known as the seller to see when anyone needs a new or used home.

With this medium, people can connect with you instantly and you can answer their questions in real-time. Since Facebook Marketplace has a suite of tools for mobile devices, users can find information on time-sensitive subjects ASAP. Give potential buyers all the information they need to start, like bedroom/bathroom counts and square footage, in just minutes.

Here’s the best part: it’s very cost-effective to use. You can even list your properties for free! While we’re on the topic of Facebook, let’s discuss the power of Facebook Ads.

4. Add Your Home Listing Feeds Inside Facebook

Outside the realm of the Facebook Marketplace is the world of Facebook Ads. This marketing tool allows you to reach exactly who you are looking for and gives you the power to determine how aggressive your approach will be with a sliding pay scale.

Instead of waiting for your audience to look for you, Facebook Ads gives them subtle nudges towards your agency based on algorithms and search history dynamics.

Another plus: the Facebook Ads interface is easy to use, and it works the same as if you were advertising anything else on Facebook. Create your ad, pick your price which determines your blanket of coverage, and let the clients come to you. It is both an active and passive way to get things done, and it works!

5. Virtual Home Tours

Today, buyers are not driving around looking for their “perfect” neighborhood or dream home. Instead, they’re scouting Zillow.com, Trulia, or the hundreds of Facebook or Google Ads that pop up on their screens. That is why solid digital real estate marketing tactics are so important in 2021!

Here’s the biggest secret to a successful digital real estate campaign:

Forget about price, square footage, or amenities. The best sites provide prospective buyers with a virtual tour of the home. Buyers prefer to digitally go from room to room to see what the home has to offer BEFORE they schedule an in-person tour.

How Virtual Home Tours Help Sell Homes

A virtual home tour is an interactive way to spend as much time viewing a home without the need to pause and back up the tape on a digital walkthrough. They are 3D and can be manipulated with ease. In fact, virtual home tours can even let you see the exterior view!

Another great aspect of this idea is safety. In today’s troubling climate of forced quarantines and pandemic fear, having the luxury of looking at homes from the comfort of your couch gives you an added peace of mind.

Whether you use your phone, your keyboard and mouse, or a VR device, it is a neat feature that most realty companies are incorporating into their listings to ensure everyone feels safe and included.

6. Use Drone Shots in Your Listings

If you want your potential buyers to get the birds-eye-view of the neighborhood, of your listing, or even of the surrounding area beyond community borders, it is no longer necessary to rent a helicopter to do so! Simply invest in an easy-to-use drone.

A drone fitted with a camera can take video from extraordinary vantage points. And what’s more? They have plenty of flight time, are very steady, and are quiet, so you won’t disturb your clientele’s potential new neighbors.

Last but not least, drones can fly to significant altitudes and have an impressive range. But beyond all of that, they offer another option for a risk-free shopping experience that in today’s climate is invaluable. Take video, pictures, or even do voice-overs tying them to your digital walkthroughs. The sky is the limit, pun intended.

7. Text Message Marketing

When it comes to formulating the perfect real estate campaign, communication is crucial. And with text marketing, you can keep up to date with your clients in real-time with:

• Offers
• Follow-ups
• Scheduling meetings
• Virtual tours

Texts keep the clients informed, grab their attention, and with little more than a single word, you can draw in new business. You can even make it a feature of your Facebook Marketing strategy by automatically sending new leads to prospective buyers when something more their style pops up.

Since everyone has a smartphone, this tactic is very effective and can generate tons of new business. However, it may come across as a more aggressive way to get noticed. If you are going to use text marketing, be sure not to be TOO pervasive. It can backfire and lead to terrible online reviews.

8. How An Independent Website on Your Own

In today’s digital world, a single webpage is not going to cut it. The shoppers of today want more – they want details, they want to know you inside and out, they want to trust that they are making a good investment of time and money.

Yes, you are trying to sell a home. Don’t forget, though, that you are not just a real estate broker, you are a brand. And as a brand, you need to lay it all out there and let the people get to see what you are all about. A great website should include:

• Detail pages
• About pages
• Client reviews
• Listing pages

Just think about it: no one wants to work with someone who doesn’t even bother to put effort into their site. If you can’t do it yourself, hire a digital marketing agency. Next, be sure to get web hosting along with your platform so the clients can feel safe when they visit your site. Safety online is the golden ticket to establishing trust.

Create a Friendly Online Atmosphere

There are plenty of easy-to-use site providers like WordPress that enable a business to create an appealing site that customers want to visit. Don’t rely entirely on the written word — provide plenty of photos and visuals.

After all, 83 percent of all home buyers want to see pictures of properties online.

Make your site user-friendly and easy to navigate. Include text, images and stories that excite your prospects and help them build an emotional attachment with each featured listing.

Optimize Your Website

All great real estate marketing tactics optimize their websites! Make sure that your real estate website is keyword optimized. This means creating compelling content for your pages and blog posts that will get you ranking #1 on Google or Bing.

There are tons of tools out there you can use to help you find the keywords you need, such as Ubersugget or the Keywords Everywhere extension for Google Chrome. If you don’t feel like doing keyword research just yet, just remember, since you have a local real estate business, you can use this little trick:

Local Keyword: Location + Service + Location

It’s as easy as that!

9. Utilize Google My Business

Why more companies don’t use Google My Business (GMB), we can’t say, but everyone who wants their business to thrive needs to look into it. And the misconception is that Google My Business is just a way to get your shop on Google Maps. It is SO MUCH MORE than that.

While it does put you on Google Maps, it also links anyone who searches from your business niche to all the information they need to get in touch with you, including:

• Phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Additional links to your site

And you can even post pictures of your listings for effect! About 46% of all Google searches are done to find local businesses and Google My Business search results always show up on top of the search listings. What does that mean? You can be right there at the top of the Google search!

Need help setting up your GMB? Check out our Google My Business guide.

10. Set Up Email Automation

About 91 percent of consumers check their email daily. It’s also important to note that emails convert better than many other forms of marketing. This is your own channel and way to communicate with prospects.

Ready to include email marketing into your real estate campaign? Introducing: email automation.

Email Automation Saves Time

Automation online is the future for businesses everywhere. Let us explain.

Apps are created every day that automatically set up tasks, so the site owners and developers don’t have to waste time with the small details. That is how Amazon dropshipping works. Automation can also work for your email marketing campaign!

Simply put, email automation works in a web concept. The initial email is sent which generates buzz, generates leads, and gets attention. This then funnels out to other useful generating elements. A single email in a funnel can reach more than just the recipient but carry over, like ripples in a pond, to a multitude of potential clients.

Here’s the best part: email automation helps you nurture leads, score how effective they are, hint to landing pages, and even invigorate your online sales force. And once you set it up, automation requires only occasional maintenance and updates. Not to mention, it is easy to use, and often, inexpensive!

11. Add Chatbots to Your Website

A chatbot is an automated virtual assistant. It pops up when your site is open and is readily available for all questions your clients might have. And if it can’t answer their needs, it directs the questions to you via your mobile device, or to a human assistant that can handle the inquiries.

As you can see, a chatbot is a great asset to add to your real estate marketing tactics toolbox.

Chatbots are also intuitive and easy to program into the site, often requiring just a few lines of code or an app. They are always on and can help you generate leads, form relationships, schedule viewing, streamline communication, and even showcase your listings, just like a human assistant.

With a chatbot, you have a simple and effective helper that has one job and that is to help you make your business thrive!

12. Always Post Your Wins on Social Media

Regardless of what outsiders think, real estate is often cutthroat and remarkably competitive. When you do sell a listing, you want to take a victory lap… and posting on social media is a great way to generate positive buzz.

People want to work with companies that get the job done, do it right, and do it well. Nothing tells clients you know what you are doing like a page full of accomplishments and an up-to-date list of sales. Everyone loves a winner, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons!

There is one small caveat. If you are just posting your wins just to rub it in your competition’s face, it will have an antagonistic effect on your market. No one likes the petty rantings of braggarts. Instead, people prefer a good sportsman who wins with class and leaves their opponent with their dignity. Exercise decorum. It goes a long way.

Solidify Your Marketing Strategy

Tactics change, but one fact remains the same: people still need somewhere to live. How you get them there is more than just painting the right picture of the perfect home. It is also about selling yourself as the brand people want to come to for their next home, and about how you are reviewed for future buyers. You are your market. Comport yourself accordingly.