A new year brings new real estate market trends. Some of these new trends are even influenced by the significant events of the previous year which could potentially change the real estate market for a long time.

One of these trends is creating virtual home tours instead of hosting open houses. Here are more of the trends and marketing stunts you should expect and use to stay successful in your real estate career this year.

1. Focus on digital marketing

Until there’s a vaccine for the coronavirus and social distancing regulations are lifted, homebuyers and sellers are still going to prefer searching for or listing their homes online. To be successful this year, you should adapt and focus on the digital side of real estate marketing.

This can be done through advertising your services on social media, sending email campaigns, affiliate marketing, search engine optimization, influencer marketing, etc.

2. Hone social media profiles

Since digital marketing is a growing trend and social media is one way to do it, you must do your best to make your personal or business’s social media profile as appealing and professional as possible. More importantly, make a separate business and personal social media profile.

Learn the basics of using color psychology in marketing, the elements of a good business slogan, and an organized advertising template you can use in your profile. Nowadays, most clients immediately check a real estate agent’s social media profile before hiring them.

3. Learn professional imagery

To properly list a home on the internet, you need to spark buyer interest by providing prospective clients with beautiful photos and videos of the home that’s for sale. Learn how to take beautiful exterior and interior home photos and videos yourself.

Photography and videography are fun and valuable skills to learn which can also save you a lot of money because you don’t need to hire a professional. While you’re learning photography and videography, get familiar with virtual home tours as well because some clients prefer to inspect houses from their homes instead of meeting in-person with agents.

4. Offer home valuation to capture leads

Another way to attract potential clients is to include a home valuation landing page on your website so your potential customers will know how much their property is for free. This strategy offers potential customers a huge convenience.

You can offer instant valuation where your website needs to be developed for it or you can offer a delayed valuation where you’ll do the research yourself before giving the prospects the results.

Either way, you can get your potential clients’ contact information where you can market yourself as the agent best for their needs.

5. Provide a complimentary moving truck

One of the most effective tips on how to be successful in your real estate career is to outperform your competitors. Most real estate agents offer a low commission deal. But only a few offer client incentives like a complimentary moving truck.

It might not be much but it does help your clients a lot which fosters a good business relationship for future deals. Not to mention that this idea is a good marketing stunt to earn future referrals.

6. Try the free-coffee idea

Marketing your services doesn’t always have to be done traditionally. Sometimes you can use friendly and charitable conversation-starter methods. For example, go to a local coffee shop and buy gift cards. The amount of each gift card has and quantity depends on your budget.

Then, instruct the barista to give the gift cards to the customers that come in next. Get yourself coffee as well and sit down with your computer. It is important that you have business cards with you and have a real estate-related tab opened on your computer.

Customers will come to you and thank you for the coffee. This strategy can take you and the gift card receiver into a conversation about real estate. When the conversation is done, you can then hand out your business card and have a new potential client.

And if the gift card receivers don’t drop by, that’s okay. You still managed to put a smile on people’s faces.

Get creative in advertising yourself and presenting the properties you represent to your potential clients. Be observant of your competitors and the problems that the real estate market could experience this year. Make a plan to avoid it and a solution to survive if it hits you. Remember these things well for they are a huge help for you to stay on top of your game for the months to come.

Discover more real estate trends for 2021 here:

• 8 Tips for Real Estate Agents When Working from Home
• 9 Renovations That Boost Your Home Value
• How to Create a Real Estate Newsletter (Tips and Tricks)
• How to Create Your Own Smart Home
• 9 Benefits of a Green Home