Written by Breakthrough Broker Staff Writers

For new agents or even seasoned agents, the next few months could prove to be challenging as the market revs up while inventory remains low. Marketing oneself can feel daunting without sales supporting your budget if you’ve been affected by the listing shortage. Where and how do you market yourself this busy season while keeping your spend low?

Dust off your leads.

A zero-cost best practice you can easily achieve is to clean up your leads. You’ve likely collected hot, cold, and lukewarm leads in the previous months. Now would be an ideal time to sort your leads according to their current status. After you’ve sorted through and narrowed down your most promising leads, you can begin the next step of finding meaningful ways to build relationships with the ones who have potential to blossom into business. For example, call your lukewarm leads to discuss the state of the market.

Purchase a mailing list.

However, if you feel you’ve exhausted your current book of leads, consider purchasing a mailing list or farming a new neighborhood. While this is not entirely zero-cost, it’s a budget-friendly option to boost your book of leads. Connect with this mailing list by sending a thoughtful letter, market update postcard, or a recent sales postcard.

Send a thoughtful letter.

Whether you’re farming a new neighborhood or reestablishing a connection, consider sending or leaving behind a personalized letter. A well-written and compelling letter can pack the powerful punch you need to create a bond, instill trust, and elicit a response. When communicating to a new contact, use a letter to share how you go above and beyond the transaction. Reconnect with past clients by sending a celebratory letter congratulating them on life changes or milestones. If a client has been a homeowner for an extended period of time, let them know the option to cash out on their return is now. Regardless of what type of letter you’re sending, make sure to include a powerful call-to-action to evoke a response. Don’t leave a gap in communication.

Become shareable.

Another budget-friendly option is to generate a buzz on social media with engaging social posts. Activate your sphere with funny, informative, or educational items that users will want to share. An example of a high performance engagement post would be an infographic. Infographics transform boring data into something captivating, easily digestible, and of value, such as a buyers’ roadmap or a market snapshot. The goal in using engagement posts like an infographic is to have users comment, message, and better yet, share.

Show your face.

Going door-to-door may feel intimidating, but it is the most affordable tactic you can deploy. If this is a tactic you feel comfortable with and within respect to COVID, going door-to-door is an excellent way to have conversations about the real estate industry, such as the current market status, the values and trends within their neighborhood, or even more about you as a realtor. If you’ve mailed them marketing items, it’s a perfect opportunity to put a face with your name and reveal there is a warm body behind all of this work.

Show your face... at an open house.

Agents have had to shift, dodge, and jump in order to keep up with the market. And somewhere in the midst of a pandemic-driven market, open houses became taboo. A great way to resume the open house is to market the event with an invitation - something warm and inviting, but also purposefully vague. The invitation should intrigue leads and potential buyers by leaving them with some lingering questions that only you, as the agent, will answer at the open house. Continue to keep your strategy low-cost by using these open house BB items you can print from home such as welcome signs, sign-in sheet, open house comparison checklist, or open house feedback.

You can be a high-value agent even operating on a low budget with the tactics above. Breakthrough Broker was built by realtors FOR realtors. It is home to an expansive amount of marketing materials to either get you started in your career or boost it further. Explore our site and add these items, such as a mailing list, thoughtful letter, or open house invitation, to your arsenal as you spring into the busy season!

Additional Helpful material

Real Estate Letters
Engagement Posts
Infographics
Open House Items