7 Ways to Get More Listings in a Sellers’ Market
This season, homes are selling faster than you can say “hot sellers’ market.” Inventory is low and demand for homes is high, which puts increased pressure on agents to do more farming and gain more sellers. How can you leverage your marketing to take advantage of the opportunities in this hot market? Here are a few tips:
1. Employ Multiple Touchpoints
The best way to break through competitors’ noise is by developing campaigns with multiple, varied touchpoints. The more a potential seller sees your face and information through different channels such as digital advertising, social media, and direct mail marketing, the more likely they will be to see you as an agent that has the tools to sell their home. This is not the time to limit yourself to one channel. Get creative with your use of multiple types of marketing to make an impression on busy sellers.
Before you start throwing your business cards, social media posts and door hangers out into the universe, make sure you are conveying the same clear message to sellers on each piece – why you are the right agent to get their home sold. Taking the extra time to align your messaging is part of building your brand and will help sellers know that you have the expertise and connections they need.
2. Create Outstanding Materials
Potential sellers are wanting to get their homes on the market fast, and they are sitting pretty with their pick of agents to represent them. Since sellers are looking at multiple options, make sure you are standing out in fun and unique ways. Inject a bit of your personality into the design of your promotional materials and consider using QR Codes and professional finishing options on your business cards and brochures. If you are working in a luxury market, use a print+video, which incorporates an LCD screen into print product, or Unibind presentation covers for a more exclusive experience.
3. Use Video on Social Media
Most agents already understand the power of social media to connect with clients and market listings. However, make sure you are leveraging all the tools social media has to offer, including video. On Facebook, over 100 Million Hours of video is watched each day. You can take advantage of this by adding a quick video introducing yourself to your audience or uploading some footage of a new home for sale using Facebook live videos. These videos play directly on your Facebook feed. You can also upload videos to Facebook Stories, which displays a video for 24 hours at the top of your followers’ feeds. Video is also extremely popular on Instagram, and TikTok is a rising star for video sharing. The videos you share on social media do not have to be expertly produced or overly edited. Since your audience on social media seeks human connection, your videos can be casual, friendly, and created right on your smart phone.
4. Think Long Term
Sometimes getting more sellers is a long-term strategy in which you need to nurture a relationship. If you’re looking for a customer base with long-term loyalty, now is the time to start building it. A good way to build this type of base is to act as a provider of expertise and information, and a physical newsletter you send out to your network can be an effective touchpoint. If you have a knack for writing you can create your own newsletter, or you can leverage our prewritten, customizable Smartdigs newsletters to create frequent sends that position you as an industry expert.
5. Leverage Tech Solutions like EDDM
According to Market Research by USPS, most consumers (82%) still get their mail at the first opportunity, which makes sending out direct mail a great opportunity to get more eyes on your services and grow your farm. Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM, is a direct mail solution that enables you to effectively saturate your desired market by delivering to every address within your target area. This option allows you to save 6c per piece over standard mail while making a huge impact by targeting new groups of potential sellers. Xpressdocs manages our EDDM solution from start to finish, meaning we handle all the printing, USPS® paperwork, and mailing for you. We also help you reach your audience effectively with demographic targeting and up-to date mailing lists.
6. Shout Out Your Success
Marketer John Jantsch said, “Personal branding is the art of becoming knowable, likable and trustable.” Part of being knowable is keeping your client base informed, and don’t forget to let them know when you make a successful sale! Don’t think of sharing your success as tooting your own horn. Think of it as an opportunity to shape your audience’s perception of you. One way to share your successes in a tangible way is with a “Just Sold” campaign. Show off your sales with an integrated campaign of direct mail postcards, social media posts, and “Just Sold” yard signs. As your audience sees your successful sales, they will be more likely to contact you when they are ready to sell their home.
7. Let Your Network Work for You
Have you made some great relationships with former clients and other people in your network? Ask them for a referral! Referrals are an extremely powerful way to build confidence in your brand. According to research by Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. You can start a referral program on social media or through printed cards. Just ask your network to refer your business to others or have them provide some names of people they know who are trying to sell their home. Referral programs are most successful when you provide an incentive for giving a referral, such as a gift card.
How Xpressdocs Can Help
Finding new listings in a low inventory sellers’ market can be tricky, and you may not be sure which strategies will work for you. However, by combining conventional with non-conventional marketing, print with online, and short-term activities with long term nurturing, you are guaranteed to find more success and more sellers. With 20 plus years of experience with real estate marketing and brand management, Xpressdocs has the solutions and expertise to help you create integrated campaigns that combine several of the tips mentioned. Log into your company branded storefront today to browse solutions, downloadable social media templates, and print designs, or create an account to get started on your perfect marketing mix for this season.