As a real estate agent, you’re probably wondering how you can improve your marketing and branding efforts more efficiently without having to break the bank.
Luckily for us, I was able to gain insights from the real estate pros I came across in Clubhouse. One episode of the Real Estate Coffee Café hosted by The Mortgage Syndicate tackled Crushing Marketing and Branding.
During one particular morning, the question was if you had $100, how would you spend it on Marketing and Branding?
Here are some of the interesting answers:
“Use $50 to buy 50 scratch cards, and the other $50 to buy 50 Birthday Cards in Walmart. Then, put those 50 scratch cards inside those birthday cards and distribute them. ”
-Melia Hord, @meliahord
“For $100 I’ll have flyers printed, and do a door-to-door visit with my granddaughters to forge relationships in the neighborhood”
– Jocelyn McClure, @nylecojmc
With $100, you can have 10 different coffee meetings to connect with different people, and set the tone for future collaboration. Topics can range should be timely.
– Mike Kadair, @realsells
And of course, because this topic was near and dear to me, I had the courage to speak for the first time since joining Clubhouse (@alyssabarroso). In essence, my recommendation has been to use the money to upgrade your digital footprint.
That said, here is where we do the breakdown of how you can actually make use of your dollars to get your real estate marketing and branding up a notch:
Budgeting $100 for Marketing and Branding in Real Estate
1. Custom Domain
These days, agents who want to elevate their digital presence make it mandatory to get their own website domain. It makes them look professional and gives their brand accessibility and credibility.
With websites like Bluehost or GoDaddy, you can buy a domain and at the same time, use their web hosting features to get your site up and running. No coding is required since you can use their one-click install website templates or host WordPress, a software that runs websites.
Budget: $11.99 / 1st year
3. Google Workspace
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a collection of productivity apps and collaboration tools. It offers features such as custom and secure business email, cloud storage, video conferencing, and standard online support.
Since time is of the essence for realtors, it’s efficient to see everything and collaborate in one place using the Calendar, Sheets, Docs, Slides, Sites, and much more.
Much like in my own experience, my colleagues and I have a master file we refer to for all the listings of our office using the Sheets. I find that it’s easier to collaborate with than CRMs, since editing/adding and removing new information is simpler and in real-time.
Budget: $9.60 / month for Business Standard
3. Professional Headshot
Buyers and Sellers of real estate are going to want to know who they are working with. Unless you’ve met in person, a property seeker might research the listing agent’s social media profile and judge your professionalism through it!
Yes, it might sound extreme. But you have to remember that nowadays, the market is filled with many agents competing for buyers and listings. So make sure that all your online and offline channels are well-represented by you with a clear, up-to-date headshot that gives a great first impression.
Budget: $30
4. Social Media Templates
Other than your professional website, social media is an avenue for you to connect with your existing clients as well as meet new ones. But as a busy individual, you need digital marketing materials to be created beautifully with as little time as possible.
Cue in graphic design apps like Canva, designing your brochures, flyers and social media templates is easier than ever. As a matter of fact, you have ready-made real estate templates that you can customize and align to your branding.
Shop Our Grey Minimalist Realtor Social Media Canva Templates
Budget: $12.99 / month for Canva Pro
5. Virtual Business Cards
Recent years gave us plenty of reasons to go digital to avoid physical contact. Other than virtual meetings, the way we share our contact information has also evolved.
Apps like Haystack streamline all your contact details, websites and social media links in one place to share in your virtual business cards or e-mail signatures.
Personally, I find it not only as cost-effective but also sustainable as it reduces your environment footprint.
Budget: $7.95 / month
6. E-mail Marketing
Part of a realtor’s job is to stay in touch with groups of people and nurture your relationship with them. For this, you’ll need comprehensive e-mail marketing software that lets you create click-worthy content and track your e-mail performance.
You can choose among the likes of Mailchimp, GetResponse, or Sendinblue to manage your real estate campaigns.
Budget: $15 / month for GetResponse
7. Networking
Pick out a person you’d like to take out for a coffee date. But rather than making it purely a prospecting activity, you can consider it your agent development.
Since you’re making an investment for marketing and branding, the best money you can spend on is a real estate mentor who can teach you more ways than one when it comes to landing new clients.
Budget: $12
Total: $99.53
Sweet!
Now you have the knowledge as to where you could best use $100 for your marketing and branding efforts.
Whether you’re a new real estate agent with a tight budget or someone who’s been around for a while looking to shake things up, there are always new ways you can do to adapt your real estate business to the times!
READ MORE: Better Business Relationships – The Key To a Successful Business
