Creative Online Real Estate Publicity and Marketing Ideas

Posted on 27. Oct, 2010 by Christine OKelly + in Business Publicity

With hundreds or even thousands of real estate agents in any given local area, how can you stand out from the crowd? Creative real estate promotion doesn’t need to be expensive — it just requires a bit of creativity!

Here are a few real estate marketing ideas that worked for agents around the country:

Real Estate Marketing Idea #1: The $1 Million Dollar Coupon

This incredibly simple, yet amazingly creative idea from Tina Haisman is one of my favorites! Instead of just listing the property with a “reduced” flag in a local real estate magazine when her client decided to drop the price of the home for sale, Tina created a $1 Million Dollar coupon online and created an online press release announcing it.

Real Estate Marketing Idea #2: Create a Local Meetup Group

Dallas real estate investor expert Dennis Henson created a Dallas local Real Estate investors Meetup Group that anyone in the community can attend for free. The meetup group attracts those interested in investing in real estate. The Meetup Groups are a place where “Real Estate Investors receive free training classes and meet fellow investors and support people.” Participants can “network with veteran investors, discuss the newest strategies, find the best sources of capital and everything about property investing.”

Starting a Meetup Group is fast, simple, and costs about $19 per month. Meetup.com will present your group to those in the local area searching for groups on your topic. To draw in even more people, you can write and submit a press release announcing each of your upcoming events several days or weeks before each seminar. How would it change your business if you had a room full of targeted prospects coming to you weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly?

Real Estate Marketing Idea #3: Optimize Your Website for Your Target Audience

It’s no news that the vast majority of people are turning to the internet to search for products and services — particularly real estate. While optimizing your website isn’t the most ‘sensational’ marketing idea, it’s likely one of the most effective. Every single day hundreds or perhaps thousands of people are searching for homes in your area — but are they finding your site? Ranking in the top of the search engines isn’t voodoo magic or guesswork. If you apply certain tried and true optimization principals, you will see movement. And most of it you can do yourself!

Though there are a lot of nuances and details when it comes to website optimization are three fundamental principles behind SEO:

Your Turn!

What are some creative real estate marketing promotions that you’ve heard about or seen around town?

20 Responses to “Creative Online Real Estate Publicity and Marketing Ideas”

Sam Wheaton

27. Oct, 2010

Wow, it’s hard to top the $1 million coupon! What a great idea! In my area a local reator offered a brand new 30 foot boat to anyone that purchased a beautiful waterfront home he had listed. If you were in the market anyway, that may make the difference between his listing and any others out there.
Cindy Marsh

27. Oct, 2010

I have seen some local real estate professionals offer some amazing incentives for buying a home in my area. Some off the top of my head — free gas for a year, free upgraded appliances, free tickets to Disney World, etc… The economy may be turning, but here in Florida we are still struggling to move houses!
Linda Belington

27. Oct, 2010

I love these ideas – the Million Dollar Coupon, now that’s pretty creative I must say! I really hate cheesy real state advertising, just because I see your picture with you contact information on your car – doesn’t make you the best local real estate agent…now, hosting a local meet up group, not only is that super informative, but very professional!
Cortney Farmer

27. Oct, 2010

Great post – especially love the million dollar coupon idea. Very creative! And the local meet up group is a great way to really hone in on a target audience. With the temperature of the current housing market, it is imperative to get out there and get creative without getting tioo cheesy and over the top!
Christine

27. Oct, 2010

These ideas are fantastic! The idea of the giveaways reminds me of something that a ProFlowers employee once told me. She said that when they would offer a promotion of either “free shipping” or a “free vase,” people would almost always choose the vase — even though the value was much lower than that of the shipping. There’s just something about getting something that you didn’t expect but that you want or need for “free.”

“Free” upgraded appliances or a “free” year of gas – that would win me over! Another realtor may have just cut their commissions to lower the price — but using a fraction of commissions to offer these things for “free,” it feels like more of an incentive than money off — and may even cost less.

Another thing I’ve seen realtors do is to offer to let you use their moving truck for no cost. It’s an incentive for the buyer, and the truck itself is a giant billboard whether its in use or parked!
Kimberly

27. Oct, 2010

I’ve seen the moving truck promotion in my area, too! It is so funny you mentioned that . Hey, it is one less thing to have to worry about if you are going to move anyway! LOL
Katie Dixon

27. Oct, 2010

I just sold my house 3 months ago and it took only 8 days. Our realtor offered to professionally clean the house before the new owners moved in. It was a win-win for all of us. The buyers knew they would be able to move right in to a clean house and I didn’t have to do it!

Our realtor also marketed the house heavily online, in print and offered a drawing for other realtors who brought their clients to see the house. We ended up selling to the very first family that toured it. Three months later, the other houses in the neighborhood are still for sale!
Amber K

28. Oct, 2010

Great ideas here! I used to work for a real estate developer and we were constantly offering specials where the sales price of the home was lowered. No one ever bit! But as soon as we changed gears and offered a $50k furniture package, instead of $50k off the price of the home, it was an instant success. Listening to what your customers really want is SO important in the real estate industry, especially right now!
Avery K.

19. May, 2011

I love the Million Dollar Coupon idea! Now that’s thinking outside the box. It reminds me of a “million dollar bill” that used to come in my mailbox. It always got me a little excited, even though it was clearly larger and thinner than legal tender.
Ben W.

26. May, 2011

In addition to optimizing the website, agents should delve into social media. That’s where people are communicating and sharing ideas, and that is the best forum to make an impression.
Christine Arkin

30. May, 2011

Optimizing your website does seem like a no-brainer, but I think many real estate agents (and businesses in general) think that if they have a site, then the job is done.

I’ve come across some pretty tacky agent sites. It’s like they just made a web version of their business card. Show some homes! Show some creativity!
C. Folkman

01. Jul, 2011

I love these ideas. I sold my house FSBO in 2 weeks and did a lot of creative things but I see now there was even more that could be done. Most agents put up a sign and a listing, and wait for an offer to come in.
C. Folkman recently posted..Memory Loss Supplement: Ginkgo Myth Debunked
Андрей

11. Aug, 2011

Very interesting marketing ideas for a realtor. Especially liked the coupon for 1million.
Андрей recently posted..Бизнес-план агентства недвижимости
Lily Rose

01. Dec, 2011

This million dollar coupon is a great idea, really! You really should stand out from the crowd and this one truly catches people eyes.
Lily Rose recently posted..How To Improve Your Memory For Studying
SeldaK@Miami

18. Jul, 2012

Great ideas. Converting your site to a tool for your users. For instance make a system to let them see how much income they can generate from the property, show comparable listings, show them recently closed sales. Give them what they need. They will keep coming back even if they locate a property on another site they will come back to ur site for more info. Your competitors will also use your site to get more info
Tara Geissinger

19. Jul, 2012

Yes! I totally agree — if your site is truly helpful, people will use it as a resource and begin thinking of you as the authority in your niche. Very important!
Bellaire electrician

24. Aug, 2012

Yes, i totaly agree with you. This million doller coupan is agreat idea .If your site is truly helpful, people will use it as a resource.
Greenville Plumber

29. Aug, 2012

Great post – especially love the million dollar coupon idea. Very creative! And the local meet up group is a great way to really hone in on a target audience.
Tara Geissinger

10. Sep, 2012

Thanks so much!