Marketing a property for sale comes with its fair set of challenges. Not only must you be familiar with the ins and outs of real estate, but you must also learn to master the art of marketing, which can take a bit of time. The latter part is where many real estate agents fall short.
Marketing requires creativity, good communication, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to understand your target audience. If you struggle in one or more areas, it can be a challenge to engage an audience and ultimately sell a property. That said, amping up your marketing game is integral as a real estate agent.
If you want to be as good at marketing as you are in real estate, it will pay off to know what not to do in real estate marketing. Below are three absolute no-nos when marketing a property (and what you should do instead) if you want to be successful overall.
1. Dishonest Claims About a Property
A white lie or exaggeration is all fun and games until you get caught. You can lie straight through your teeth about a property you’re selling, but it will eventually catch up to you.
For example, misrepresenting prices, concealing negative information about the property (e.g., an active infestation or water damage), or lying about how many offers you’ve received for the property is bad business.
Getting caught in a lie when marketing a property can cause potential clients to steer clear of doing business with you once and for all. In some cases, there may even be a legal consequence for lying, which for you can result in jail time, monetary penalties, or even your real estate license getting revoked depending on the severity of the claim(s).
What should you do instead? The answer is simple. Remember that being honest is the best policy. Period. Even if lying worked for you before, it doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t eventually get caught for it – even years down the line from someone you already closed a deal with.
In cases where you want to market a risky property, for instance, one that has termite damage or is located in a certain part of town that is considered undesirable to most, the best thing to do is be transparent and honest. However, as a real estate agent, your goal is to also help prospective buyers see the potential in the property, which means talking up the property.
Remember: talking up is not the same thing as lying or being deceitful. You can be truthful while still being positive and convincing.
2. Always Using the Same Marketing Tactics
Out with the old and in with the new! There’s nothing wrong with repeating a marketing strategy that has worked for you in the past. However, when your tactics become mundane and constant, that’s when you can expect little growth. While consistency can be key in some cases, marketing in real estate relies on switching up every now and then.
Rather than relying on the same few real estate marketing tactics, look for a new approach. Not only can this create excitement among potential clients, but you can potentially find a new marketing strategy that works even better for you than the typical go-to marketing tactics you’ve been using for a while.
There are many ways you can market differently in real estate. Do you mainly post pictures of a property you’re selling? Try a video this time. Are you used to writing long, detailed descriptions of a property? Try shorter, neatly bulleted descriptions. Do you primarily post on Instagram? Give TikTok a go, or crosspost your Instagram posts on Facebook.
Other marketing strategies in real estate to try, if you haven’t already, include doing live videos answering common real estate questions, creating an email newsletter, passing out flyers or business cards at convention center events, collaborating with a business in your community, or paying for ads on social media to increase leads on your properties up for sale.
3. Copying Others
The key rule to marketing as a whole is that just because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. And just because a marketing strategy looks promising when someone else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s even successful for them. What you don’t see is how many, or few, leads they may be getting when marketing a property by using that particular method.
Not only is copying others in real estate marketing no guarantee for your own success, but it can make you look bad as an individual or as a business. It can make you look less creative, unprofessional, or desperate. In some cases, copying someone’s marketing strategies can even look catty or intentionally harmful, especially when it comes to digital marketing for real estate.
Instead of copying others’ tactics, focus on curating new, fresh, and exciting ideas. You can start by brainstorming all the different ways you can sell a certain property. Who is your target audience? What does that target audience typically ask for, and how can you convince them that certain elements of the property you’re selling can benefit or be useful to them?
Once you know who your audience is and what they want and need, it’s time to bring your ideas to life. Set a budget, decide the type of print or digital marketing you want for your current objective, and incorporate your brand identity into your strategy.
In the end, it’s okay to view others as a source of inspiration but not as someone to directly copy. You have it in you to be creative; you just have to find those strategies and employ them in a way that works for you personally.
Conclusion
Marketing in real estate isn’t always a walk in the park. Sometimes it takes trial and error and the need to frequently revisit your marketing strategy. In the end, refraining from dishonesty, lack of experimentation, and copying others is important to staying ethical and increasing your odds of success when it comes to marketing any property.