Real estate professionals across the country are understandably interested in all the emerging marketing methods that may help them get a better return on their time and monetary investments. However, it must be said that there are plenty of time-tested, long-used industry standbys that still work just as well as they always have — as long as agents are willing to get a little creative with them.

Often, some of the best marketing efforts agents undertake are the simpler ones; prospective clients don't necessarily need to be wowed by big, expensive efforts to reach out — especially in today's market, where buyer demand is high and sellers typically face numerous bids. With this in mind, simple changes to existing websites and branding (like logos and business cards) can be a good jumping-off point.

Something as simple as changing the wording on the "About Me" section of an agent's website, or in their email newsletters, can go a long way. That might include quickly inserting a brief call to action with the attached contact information or updating the agent's headshot.

Simplify work on social media

While many agents already use social media to build their contact lists and generally stay in touch with past, current and prospective clients, they may not always maximize these efforts. For instance, cross-posting the same content, such as Instagram photos or videos, on Facebook and Twitter can reach a wider variety of followers with a single post. And while some agents may think of shying away from doing so because they don't want people seeing the same thing on different platforms, that's really not something most people are going to mind seeing again — especially when it's done right.

Building relationships

In a lot of ways, real estate can often be viewed as a "relationships" business more so than a strictly "sales" business. Agents know this better than anyone. To that end, the ability to encourage more relationships is vital to boosting referrals and leads, and there are a few simple ways to do so that not every agent has implemented. The first step here may be to make sure to migrate any and all contact information gleaned from social media and other sources into an existing email newsletter recipient list.

Email lists are often far more effective when it comes to reaching prospective clients than most other types of marketing, including social media, so staying on top of that effort and keeping those newsletters going regularly is a big plus.

Beyond that, it may also be wise to consider the benefits of a referral rewards program, which will encourage people to suggest to friends and family that they use an agent's services. The rewards don't necessarily have to be big — small gift certificates for local businesses may prove popular — and they can really help to generate leads without a big investment.

The more agents can do to get creative when they market themselves, the better off they will be when it comes to boosting leads and real estate sales activity.  

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