1. User friendly Website

In this digital day and age, it is so important to build and grow a solid online presence, but not just any online presence. Your clients need to be able to easily access your website, but more importantly, your site should be clean with a user friendly interface. Websites that run slowly or are confusing are frustrating and steer away potential customers.

The three major components of a savvy website are to:

1. Use a simple template
2. Invest in good imagery
3. Build clear tabs navigation and menus

Another key reason for building your own website is for the ability to redirect from a general realtor website to your professional site or property specific site. Realtor websites can be overwhelming and your home or profile could easily get lost in the pages of information. A personal website for your business and properties keep potential buyers locked in.

2. Emotion Evoking Imagery

Not much can pull at our heartstrings and captivate us like good imagery can. Professionally staged photos truly showcase your property in the most flattering way possible. Even an exceptionally beautiful property can look less appealing with poor quality photos and this decreases the number of customers interested in your property.

While professional photographers can be quite expensive, the cost is well worth the result and definitely catches the attention of future clients and partners.

3. Get Personal

Don’t shy away from being transparent with your clients and network. It is easy to remain solely career focused and seem distant when helping someone buy or sell their home. Remember, it is a relationship as much as it is business.

Whether someone is buying or selling a home, they want to be able to trust their real estate agent. By sharing a little about yourself on your website or business card or even face to face when meeting, clients will gain a better sense of who you are and whether or not they want to work with you or will like working with you.

Remember, you can be personal without losing any professionalism.

4. Online Advertising

In a world where people spend hours surfing the web and on social media, online advertising is a great place to start reaching people. Whether the ad is for the property itself or the ad directs people to your personal website, social media marketing ads have proven to give positive results and are beneficial in driving traffic to other pages and websites.

Online advertising is also a frequently used marketing tactic because it does a lot of the work for you. On Facebook and Instagram, you can set up an ad with a photo and target specific age groups, genders, and interests. Before the digital age, brochures and newspapers would go out to anyone and everyone, making it really hard to specifically target the ones who might be interested. The internet now tracks what people are searching and looking at daily and will give them ads based on the data. This means real estate agents have a better chance of reaching someone who is actually looking to buy a luxury home when advertising online.

5. Sell the Lifestyle

Whether the property is downtown, waterfront, or privately hidden away in the mountains, buyers are not drawn to a home solely for the home itself. The location and the home’s surroundings determine the lifestyle they are able to live there. This is a key component in deciding which home is best to purchase for the HNW individuals. Extravagant outdoor spaces, additional party/game rooms, or museum-like art displays, help the buyer to know what the home will be adding to their lifestyle. Use the assets of the home and it’s location, to really target a fitting audience for the property.

6. Grow Your Lists

Email marketing lists and social media followers are still some of the leading online resources to help you grow a network and client base. Whether you are sending out occasional informational articles, updated or exclusive listings, or even rewards and incentives, make sure to give people a reason to subscribe to your mailing list or follow you for information on your social accounts. Make them want to be in the know so they don’t miss any of the action.

By growing a strong email list, you have a set number of people you can reach by sending out one email. It is efficient and practical for you and the perfect reminder for them.

7. Tell The Story

You may need to hire a professional writer for this task, but selling the story of the home is crucial to making buyers believe that it is a good fit for them. Maybe the owners before them had 3 kids and there was an art room put in specifically for their children’s crafts. Something even as simple as a sentimental story could spark a connection with a potential home buyer. Find out details of when the home was built, why specific details were added, and find a way to tell the story of the home in an intriguing way.

While some marketing resources remain valuable, there are many, such as print advertising, that are being overshadowed by the ever-increasing and engaging digital world. The key to any successful marketing plan is to find out where your target audience can best be reached. While social media can cover a vast majority of buyers, some customers will still best be reached through networking events or open houses.

Be open to new marketing ideas and check out training resources, such as the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing on ways to build your skills and network.