If you’ve ever wondered how long-time agents make buyers and sellers think of them, and only them, when it comes time to step into real estate, keep reading. Pop-up ads powered by artificial intelligence, TikTok videos that make a lasting impression in less than 60 seconds, and opinion polls that engage online followers are some of the ways veteran agents stay ahead of customers and leverage the wide network spread through social media to maximize referrals – the lifeblood of any business.
The choice is yours: market yourself in a new, cutting-edge way and stand out from the crowd or get lost in a sea of agents with the same marketing routine. Why not choose wisely and let our experts show you how to mix and match the old with the new and present yourself as a broker that buyers and sellers crave to do business with.
Video helps reinforce name recognition
At the time, Hilda Jones, associate broker and team leader of Baird & Warner’s Hilda Jones team in Elgin, used local newspapers and magazines to keep in touch with clients, regularly placing “Hilda got it” ads. sold another. Although the fashion has changed somewhat, the concept remains: keep your name in front of people so they always know you’re in the business, Hilda said. Today it is clients who write about their experiences with the Hilda Jones team on online review platforms or, as Hilda’s daughter and team leader, brokerage associate Jenny Jones, likes call it, “references on steroids”.
“I use the Canva template and share their words with the general public on Google and Facebook to show that I helped them and that they were happy with our services,” Jenny said. “I know a lot of people are afraid of criticism. This has been very helpful for our business.
The mother-daughter duo worked together for 17 of Hilda’s 45 years in real estate. Together they oversee five team members. She and Hilda market the team, as well as themselves as individual agents on separate Facebook pages, since each of them has their own customer database to consult.
Be comfortable being uncomfortable
Jenny does a lot of marketing through video – the most consumed content online. “It’s nerve wracking to get in front of a camera and talk,” Jenny said. “But the more you do it, the more comfortable you feel.” The video helps Jenny showcase her knowledge of the area and shows that she is up-to-date on national real estate trends – two benefits buyers and sellers look for in a broker. She shares a variety of video content on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, including proprietary videos set to music with professional photography and aerial drone shots; small business spotlights that capture her visiting a local homeowner to promote their products or services; and informational videos where she gives market updates and discusses topics such as interest rates and how to win bidding wars.
Jenny also uses TikTok, creating informative videos that grab viewers’ attention in the first five to 10 seconds and are less than a minute long. “Add some humor and put a pet in the video – dogs and cats are always a hit,” she said. Jenny’s content looks professional, but she designs the videos herself using AI-powered apps like Canva and Magisto. “You upload all your documents [walk-through videos and various other content]choose a song, model, and they do some magic and release a video.
If a do-it-yourself approach sounds daunting, do what brokers Beth Wexler and Joey Gault of @properties Christie’s International Realty, The Wexler Gault Group, in Highland Park did: hire an intern to handle it for you and teach you how. do it yourself. “We need this younger generation,” Wexler said.
She and Gault are constantly updating their marketing and image.
“You have to refresh every few years,” said Wexler, whose team has a designated person who does internal marketing. “Depending on the time of year, we change the colors of our advertisements. If it’s October, it’s oranges and yellows. If it’s spring, the roses. They also think it is important to advertise in print publications because of the long shelf life. Also, people are always commenting on their ads.
To publicize their names digitally, they use AdWerx, an artificial intelligence tool. You pay to have your name appear in an ad while people are browsing online — reading the Wall Street Journal, for example — or shopping online. It’s also a good way to grab the attention of unconventional buyers, like multiple generations within a family whose members want to live together, by specifically targeting ads.
The team engages its social media followers through “Motivational Monday” posts, featuring new and closed announcements and shoutouts to team members when they make a sale.
Jenny and Hilda enjoy engaging online followers with polls that ask for advice, like what people in the kitchen prefer. “Mix up the content you put out on social media to fool the algorithm and show up in front of more people,” Jenny advised.
It’s a strategy Craig Hogan, an agent for GC Luxury Group, Coldwell Banker Realty, Chicago, is familiar with. A blooper reel of a recent team introduction video shot by Luxury Presence for GC Luxury was so funny that the team shared it on social media to generate interest, according to Hogan. He strongly recommends hiring an outside company to produce all of your marketing materials.
“We sell goods,” Hogan insisted. “I’m not a builder, videographer, photographer… What’s important is to talk to people. That’s what we’re good at. We are not at home making brochures or postcards. Let it go.”
To market yourself, he said, fire all the guns: PR, marketing, video, photography, live events, social media and print. “Get your Instagram game started,” he said. “Be careful what you say and make sure you don’t sound like a robot.
A recent video post garnered 24,700 views and an overseas appeal for the group, compared to a social media post without a video that garnered 6,000 views, he noted.
Target your audience
Each member of Hogan’s four-member team is a luxury real estate specialist. They market their services as a group to high-end and mass markets simultaneously. Still, the team is very specific about what they say to each buyer and seller because not everyone wants to hear the same thing, Hogan explained, especially when it comes to products and terms of sale. different market.
“You don’t have to know that many people, but the little group you know has to remember you,” Hogan said. His team uses Wealth Engine, a service that gives them access to a large database of wealthy people. “It gives you the ability to focus, to filter your marketing message to the most affluent people – select marketing for a selected buyer,” he said.
He pointed out that their messaging focuses on luxury and is clear about what the team is selling: experience, history and a strong track record.
Face-to-face communication remains the top priority
Everyone is always interested in real estate, Wexler said. Whether it’s playing pickleball or socializing with friends, get out into the community and talk about what you’re doing.
Wexler and Gault maintain a presence by sponsoring events, dropping gifts to clients on special occasions, and serving as local real estate experts in several print publications.
Building a reputation from within
Both new and seasoned agents can benefit from hiring a mentor or coach. Jenny meets personally every two weeks with a coach who helps her develop new strategies, maintain the systems she has in place and recognize the changes she needs to make. “It’s always helpful to have someone outside the situation to help you assess what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong,” she said. “It’s about making sure you’re building the business that you ultimately want to build.”
While everyone makes mistakes, Hilda said, it’s how you handle them that matters. “It’s a learning process,” she says. “The dumbest things become the biggest problems. You forget a fridge that was supposed to stay with the property, and all of a sudden you’re buying one for someone, because you never want it to end up like this. A commission check is not worth my reputation.
Hogan has come to understand that it’s not possible to win every contract because people want to hear things that aren’t true when they shouldn’t – like their $2 million property. worth $11 million. “Being honest is key,” he said. “They have to know you, like you and trust you, or they won’t do business with you. It’s just his nature. Integrity in all things stands the test of time. His other advice: never agree with a buyer who says he paid too much for a property because, honestly, he paid what the market demanded at the time.
Expert Sources
Craig Hogan
Broker, GC Luxury Group,
Coldwell Banker Realty
Chicago
hilda jones
Associate Broker and Team Leader,
Hilda Jones Baird & Warner Team
Elgin
jenny jones
Associate Broker and Team Leader,
Hilda Jones Baird & Warner Team
Elgin
Joey Gault
Broker, The Wexler Gault Group of
@properties Christie’s International Realty, Highland Park
Beth Wexler
Broker, The Wexler Gault Group of
@properties Christie’s International Realty, Highland Park