Your 2021 Real Estate Marketing Plan

A new year and fresh start are upon us. It's time to finalize your 2021 real estate marketing plan so you can start putting it into action. Use our checklist to make sure you include all the latest tactics that will differentiate your brand and generate leads to fill your pipeline.

Build your presence on Google via a Google business profile

If you haven't taken advantage of the opportunity to build a profile on the most-used search engine, then you need to get started ASAP. Google lets businesses (including real estate agents!) claim a listing space that shows up prominently in relevant search and map results.

This profile is essentially a digital business card that includes your contact information, an overview of your services, reviews (more on that below), photos and content posts. It appears on the right-hand side of desktop search results and at the very top on mobile. You couldn't ask for better organic exposure!

Similar to new websites, it will take time for Google to index your profile and learn when to show it in search results. That's why it's important for you to set it up now. And as long as you update its content and add new reviews regularly, you'll have a well-performing profile that generates dozens of views and clicks within a few months.

Strengthen your reputation and credibility by getting more reviews

Social proof has never been more important to consumers. They don't want to waste their time on a subpar experience, especially when there are people out there who can warn them of poor service or shine a light on an excellent experience. That's why they turn to Google reviews before committing to a new dentist, local restaurant, car maintenance shop and even a real estate agent.

Google is where consumers start their online search, and it's a trusted site for star ratings and reviews since it's built around transparency. In order to start gathering reviews, you first need to have a Google business profile (see #1 tactic above). That is where all your reviews will live and, therefore, something consumers will view often. That's why it's important to keep your Google business profile up to date with new reviews and fresh content.

Reviews will also help boost your Google business profile's ranking in search results. Our research reveals that the more reviews you have (including recent, 4- and 5-star reviews), the more likely Google is to show your profile instead of others when someone searches for a nearby real estate agent.

Be strategic with your digital ad campaigns

You may think that social media has become a crowded space to advertise in, but there's still plenty of room for newcomers. Layered, detailed targeting options—from demographics to personal interests to specific locations—are what make these spaces such effective advertising channels. Reaching just the right audience means your budget is well-spent and reduces the number of other ads you're competing with (since targeting criteria will differ among advertisers).

Test a variety of digital ad channels as part of your 2021 real estate marketing plan so you can see which ones generate the best response from your target audience. Facebook and Google are two networks you'll definitely want to start with given their popularity, frequent usage and extensive targeting options.

It's easy to get started on Instagram once you create Facebook ads since they share a campaign management platform (publishing your ads to Instagram is as easy as checking a box!). It's an ideal network for real estate advertising since it's built around visual engagement. Beautiful listing photos and video walkthroughs tend to do really well on Instagram.

The Waze navigation app is a unique option for listing ads given its large U.S. user base and high relevance to real estate. What's great about Waze is that people don't need to drive past your listing to learn about it. A map pin pops up to notify nearby drivers, sort of like a digital yard sign. There's also a screen takeover ad that appears when drivers are stopped. You can't beat that placement!

Create engaging virtual tours

The pandemic made virtual tours a necessity. You're probably already doing them, but are they as engaging as they could be? Here are a few ways to jazz them up this year:

• Add text overlays that call out interesting property features.
• Include augmented reality (Homesnap Stories allow you to add AR!).
• Create an interactive, 3D tour to complement videos.
• Publish Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories and Homesnap Stories.
• Put yourself on camera in a video and talk about the house and neighborhood.

If you aren't doing virtual tours, it's time to get started. Photos leave too much room for questions that video and 3D tours can help answer. The additional information that a virtual tour provides can help buyers who are on the fence make a decision about the listing. Great if they love the home, but if they don't, then you just saved everyone time.

Take a more targeted approach to prospecting

Knocking on doors and blanket-mailing a neighborhood are tactics of a bygone era. Okay, not that long ago, but today's technology presents better options for your real estate marketing plan. For example, Homesnap Pro's Likelihood to List tool will help you find homeowners in your farm area who are most likely to be interested in selling soon. Once you zero-in on properties that match your prospecting criteria, you'll find that the postcards and emails you send are much more effective (not to mention saving you a lot of time and reducing printing and shipping costs).

To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.