Real estate agents need to use two sets of marketing tools. One set contains real estate marketing tools that you use to promote your business. The other set contains marketing tools to sell a house. It’s critical that you use both sets effectively. In terms of selling a house, there are a variety of tools you can use.
-
Well-Written MLS and Home Descriptions
Writing MLS descriptions is an art unto itself. There are usually rules about what can and can’t be included, and the limits on the length of the descriptions usually make it difficult to do a home justice. But, it’s still worth putting in your best effort.
If you look at a sampling of descriptions from your MLS, you’ll probably find listings that are written in all caps. That makes the description difficult to read, and it looks like you’re SHOUTING at the reader, which isn’t a good way to get them interested in your home.
You’ll see other descriptions that consist of a list of home features, and some things that aren’t really features at all. You might see something like, “3 Bd, 2 Ba, new furnace, all appliances. Big deck, newer carpet, lots of updates, large dog pen.” For a brief MLS listing, keep in mind that the listing itself will indicate the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, so ask yourself if you want to waste space repeating that information.
Instead, focus your description on lifestyle issues to attract the right kind of buyer for your listing. Write the description with your buyer in mind and you’ll know what features to emphasize. For example, you may want to emphasize things that make the home is perfect for an active family, first-time home buyers, boaters or golfers.
If you’re writing a description for a brochure or flyer, look for inspiration from examples that are much more creative.
-
Video Tours
You’ve read all the statistics about how videos can capture a website visitor’s attention, and that’s true in real estate, too. A home video tour doesn’t discourage a buyer from visiting the home in person, but it might convince them that they should. Video tours of the neighborhood can also be helpful in enticing buyers to take a closer look at where your listing is located.
To make a big splash, consider 3D home tours. You may not have the resources to produce one yourself, but your brokerage might want to acquire a 3D camera from a vendor like Matterport. Another alternative would be to hire a 3D videographer, and you can get some ideas on who to hire by looking for a Matterport partner.
In addition, don’t neglect to post your videos on YouTube. They’ll get a lot more visibility there than they will on a single property site or your website, so post them in as many places as possible.
-
Facebook Marketing
Everyone knows you can promote your listings on Facebook. But, the real key is to using Facebook as one of your marketing tools to sell a house is to run advertisements that target likely buyers based on life events.
Facebook advertising allows you to target a geographic location, so you can target an advertisement to your market area. Beyond that, consider the types of life events that would signal the possibility of being in the real estate market; examples include engagements, marriages, moving to a new city, and announcing a pregnancy or new baby.
-
Real Estate Feedback Tools
Once buyers are starting to visit your listing, it’s important that you have a real estate feedback tool in place. All the other tools combined won’t help if you don’t know how buyers are reacting to your listing and can’t respond to the feedback. In addition, a good showing feedback system will make getting feedback much easier and save you time and trouble.
These are the more critical things to include in your marketing tools to sell a house. Other ideas include professional photography, just listed cards, single property sites and yard sign flyers. The more creative you can be with your marketing tools, the better story you’ll have to tell during listings presentations, and the more listings you’ll close!