It’s time for a pivot here at Pencil Pusher.
I’m a real estate marketing professional by day. I’m making a pivot with this site to focus on the themes, tactics, and trends in the field of real estate marketing.
To break the fourth wall for a moment – how did I end up here?
I got my start in real estate marketing nearly 20 years ago because I have a passion for photography and I was in the right place at the right time. An Indianapolis real estate team needed a part-time photographer to take pictures of homes to be listed for sale. I learned quickly that photographs are only one component of marketing and selling homes. I left my job at a software company to join the team full-time to pursue marketing. And over the course of several years, I mastered the art of writing concise, compelling property descriptions, creating flyers, and all of the components of a strong listing marketing program. From there, I expanded my repertoire to begin marketing the business and the services of buying and selling homes. I sharpened my messaging through print campaigns, website content, and email marketing. Since going full-time in real estate marketing in 2012, I’ve worked with and for several real estate teams across the country. I’ve utilized a myriad of platforms, tactics, and methods to grow real estate teams of different sizes, in different markets, and with different goals.
After 12 years of full-time industry experience (with a one-year break to get an MBA), I started Bright Rocket, a marketing agency to assist growing real estate teams.
That’s the short version of how I got here. But what happens next?
Right now, I believe that an ambitious and innovative team needs to orient its marketing program around three core ideas:
- Strategy first. There is a lot of competition for real estate services in every market. Understanding your business, the strengths of your team, and the competitive landscape gives you the confidence to position your team strategically. Doing the deep strategy work sets you up for long-term growth and success.
- Your website is the home of your business online. It should reflect your expertise, your team, and it should showcase your listings and content that you are sharing on all platforms. You work in real estate and (in most cases) advocate for your clients to own their home instead of rent it. You should build your business on land you own (your website) and not rented land.
- Consistency brings success. To grow, your business needs an audience. The best way to keep your audience engaged and growing is to be producing content (video, email, podcast, etc) on a regular basis. The consistency of publishing to your audience means you will stay top of mind for your leads, prospects, and past clients.
These are my current thoughts, briefly explained. They are strong opinions, lightly held. My attitude is one of curiosity, humility, and optimism. I am sure my opinions will continue to evolve as I learn more.
++ Brett ++
Next week: musings on building an audience to grow your real estate business.