Real Estate Marketing Materials to Refresh for the New Year

Are you ready for the spring selling season? Your real estate marketing materials should be!

Prospective buyers will be gearing up for their home search over the next few weeks, so it’s important to make a great first impression. The trick is, you never know where that first impression will take place. It could be via social media, a street corner transit sign, a Google search, or a listing flyer, so it’s worth the time to take stock and make sure all of your marketing materials are working as hard for you as they can be.

Depending on how much self-promotion you’re doing (or planning to do in the new year), here are a few questions to help you decide what needs a refresh.

How is your headshot?

No matter how much you love your headshot from 2019, it’s probably time to let it go. Any major changes to your appearance, such as hair color or length, can create a disconnect when you meet potential clients face to face. There may also be subtle trends in clothing and makeup styles, color palettes, photo lighting and backgrounds that give your old headshot a dated look. Today’s consumer is drawn to authenticity and a genuine human connection; a fresh headshot might help you achieve that.

Don’t have a headshot? You might want to read our other article, a Headshot “How to” for Realtors®.

Are your templates top notch?

While there’s something to be said for establishing a consistent look for your real estate marketing materials, you may want to avoid settling into a design rut when it comes to your templates—both print and digital. If you don’t have access to brokerage-supplied templates for things like signage, flyers, e-newsletters, postcards, videos, etc., you may need to do some of the heavy lifting on your own or hire a consultant to help you create them or refresh what you have. There are a variety of free online templates and design tools that you may choose to make your own real estate marketing materials, but keep in mind that your end result should stand out from other agents’ branding.

Take some time to look around at what your competitors are doing and see what’s trending in similar industries, like interior design and home furnishings. Make a list of what you like and don’t like about their advertising pieces, then take a fresh look at your own materials. Some factors to consider:

• Are your templates missing types of info that should be added in? This could be as simple as adding your social media handle or as sophisticated as inserting a QR code so people can get more info on your website, blog, custom landing page or home listing.  
• Are you trying to cram in too many details? Too much text could be a turnoff. Keep your messaging short and sweet, so interested leads will come to you for more.
• Is there a clear call to action for your audience? Let potential clients know what they should do next!  
• Are any of your design elements or colors outdated? Choosing timeless color schemes may prolong the life of your real estate marketing materials, but it’s still a good idea to reassess from time to time.
• Is the info current? It’s easy to overlook things that don’t change often, so take a moment to check your details, including any landing page URLs that have the potential to fail.

You may find that small changes can make a big difference in the success of your marketing materials. 

Note: This is also a great time to evaluate whether you have enough templates to cover your needs. If there’s a type of information you often have to type out in an email or text, it may be something that needs a template.

What’s new (or should be new) on your website?

Whether you have your own website or a profile on a larger broker website, it’s important to confirm the content is up to date—especially vital info, like your contact information. It’s a good idea to read through your webpage info periodically to ensure it’s accurate and to make improvements as needed. Follow external links to see that they’re unbroken and lead to their intended destinations; play any embedded videos to make sure they’re in working order, too. Time-sensitive info, like upcoming events and available listings, should always be current.

If you have a blog associated with your site, this may be a good time to take stock of what worked well for you last year, and plan what’s ahead for the year to come.

Are your social media accounts active?

Stale social media profiles will not do you any favors. If you’re on a platform, you should verify that your bio is up to date, your contact info is accurate, your profile photos are current and your latest posts aren’t old enough to be off-putting. A successful social media presence takes time and effort, so if you’re finding you don’t have the resources to keep multiple profiles moving, you may want to narrow your focus to only one or two that yield the best results for you. Looking for more sharable content to round out your social media schedule? Check out this article about where you can find real estate industry content, or see our suggested reads.

The bottom line…

Your real estate marketing materials are potentially the first point of contact you’ll have with your future clients. They work for you 24/7/365, so it’s worth the time and effort to make sure they’re looking and performing their best.