New Real Estate Agent Marketing

I'm a new real estate agent and I want to know where to spend my marketing dollars. What is the best type of marketing for an agent who is new to the real estate business?

I cannot tell you how many times I get emailed some variation of this question. But this is not a question I could even begin to answer for a total stranger. Real estate marketing for new agents will vary from one person to the next, based on such things as:

• The agent's background, unique skills, etc.
• The level of competition in the area
• The agent's marketing goals and intended audience

These are three of the biggest variables, but there are many more. So it's impossible for anyone to say that new real estate agent marketing should consist of this technique or that strategy. A thorough analysis would have to be performed to flesh out the three criteria listed above, among other things.

With that being said, there is one aspect of marketing that new agents should definitely include in their "arsenal" ... that's online visibility.

Web Marketing for New Agents

This is the only aspect of marketing I feel comfortable recommending to 100% of new agents 100% of the time. The reason is obvious: Everyone goes online when researching real estate in their area!

People like to throw statistics around like "84% of home buyers use the Internet" and other random numbers. Stats aside, we all know the truth ... if you're a new real estate agent without a web marketing strategy, you're going to have a hard uphill climb ahead of you.

So when I am asked what a new real estate agent marketing program should consist of, I offer the following advice:

It depends on the agent and his or her market, but the one thing the agent absolutely must have is search engine visibility. With a highly visible web presence, a great burden is lifted from the agent's shoulders in terms of marketing effort and cost.

Of course, it's not easy to achieve good search engine ranking. Search engine optimization / SEO takes time and effort. So people often ask, "Is SEO worth all of that effort?"

Let me answer that question with another question. How great would it be if you got a steady stream of inquiries from prospective clients, day in and day out? It would be worth a lot, wouldn't it? Then it's certainly worth the effort to pursue a search engine optimization strategy as part of your agent marketing program.

Lastly, let me offer you a path to better search engine rankings. Actually, I'd like to offer two paths ... one for the do-it-yourself agents, and one for everyone else:

• For the do-it-yourself types: My guide to real estate SEO
• For everyone else: My SEO services for agents

If you found this guide to new real estate agent marketing helpful, you might also want to check out this article I wrote on the subject a couple of years ago.