In March’s Marketing and Branding Month, we’ll go deep on agent branding and best practices for spending with Zillow, Realtor.com and more. Top CMOs of leading firms drop by to share their newest tactics, too. And to top off this theme month, Inman is debuting a brand new set of awards for branding and marketing leaders in the industry called Marketing All-Stars.
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This article was last updated Mar. 17, 2023.
Would you rather attract your ideal clients, instead of constantly chasing new business? It’s possible and no, it’s not magic, and it doesn’t happen by accident. No one starts in this business with clients flocking to them en masse. In the beginning, you have to chase down leads, work those phones and prospect constantly.
Eventually, successful agents will tell you, a tipping point occurs, where the inbound calls outnumber the outgoing. There’s no easy button to get you there, but there is a formula that will help you fast-track your progress. It takes time, and you have to put in the work to get there. Here is a five-step process to attracting business instead of chasing it.
1. Build your database
Your database is the lifeblood of your business. A database that is growing is a sign of a business that is growing. What is it that you do on a consistent basis to add people to your sphere of influence and into your database?
Whether you add people through online lead sources, open houses or any other form of prospecting, the more people you add to your database, the more people you will have the opportunity to serve.
Here are a few ways to ensure you have everyone you should have in your database.
- Make sure you have every homeowner you know in your database. You never know when they might decide to sell.
- Make sure every person you pay for services is in your database. From your dentist to your barber/hairstylist and everyone in between. Anyone you’ve paid in the past should be included.
- Include all your family members and friends. Even if they aren’t buying or selling, they can still be great referral sources.
- Include the parents of your children’s friends.
When you focus on building your database, you are building a foundation that leads to business growth.
2. Communicate consistently with your database
Having a large database doesn’t guarantee sales. People do business with people they know, like and trust. Consistently communicating with your database will help them begin to know you; providing them valuable insights on the market will help them begin to like you. Consistency breeds trust and trust leads to business.
Here are a few ideas on how to consistently communicate with your database:
- Email weekly or monthly newsletters.
- Send automated property emails with properties that affect their home’s value or that fit their search criteria if they are future buyers.
- Highlight upcoming community events. Even though these may not seem to be related to your real estate business, every communication that goes out should not be real-estate related if you are adding value and building trust.
- If you consistently communicate with your database, you will be top of mind when the people in your database decide to buy or sell.
3. Produce valuable content
We live in an amazing time in which valuable content helps people find you. Focus on content that real estate buyers and sellers want. Producing real estate content like neighborhood reports, real estate sales updates, and to-do lists for future sellers will lead to sales opportunities.
By providing the information buyers and sellers want, you’ll begin to see ready, willing, and able buyers and sellers seeking you out.
4. Grow your social media following
The broader your social media reach, the more opportunities you will have to grow your real estate business.
Increase your friend count on Facebook, your connections on LinkedIn, and your following on Instagram and TikTok. Other than posting great content and utilizing hashtags, here are a few ways to increase your social media connections.
- Follow your ideal clients or send them friend requests or requests to connect
- Like and comment on your ideal client’s posts
- Add value through thoughtful comments on local information pages for your area
- Find hashtags your ideal client might follow like #movingto(your city) or #(Your City)Life. Search the hashtags for most recent posts with that hashtag and request connection with the people that posted using that hashtag.
Extra connections made on social media now will pay dividends for years to come.
5. Promote other people on social media
Post about people and businesses that are positively impacting your community. This could be restaurants, volunteer organizations or people who are actively involved in your community. When you highlight them, they will often reshare your post with their audience. This is a great way for their audience and followers to find you.
Because you are a positive light for your community, your business can’t help but grow.
These simple steps provide the playbook for business growth. Don’t overcomplicate things. Build your database, expand your social media reach, and provide consistent, quality content to your database and online.
Most people don’t need to be taught; they simply need to be reminded. This is your gentle reminder to focus on the basics, execute them well, and allow your communication to be authentically you. By following this plan of action, results will follow.
Jimmy Burgess is the CEO for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida in Northwest Florida. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
