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Throw a dart in nearly any direction and you’re bound to hit a real estate office (VERY FUNNY, CAROLINE. But, you know I’m right. Right?).

According to NAR, there are over 2 million active real estate agents in the United States alone. The sea of agent sameness out there is wide and deep. So in case everything I’ve shared with you lately isn’t clear…let me say this again with gusto: 

You can no longer afford to fit in.

My marketing-guru-crush, Seth Godin, says it this way:

“In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.”

Ouch? At this point you should be asking yourself some big questions re: moving from a position of invisibility to standing out. 

The problem is that most Realtors, despite their personal drive, don’t know which marketing activities will make the biggest difference, or what needs to be done first. 

Is it Facebook ads? Mail-outs? What about LinkedIn? That’s hot at the moment, right? PANIC.

As a creative and real estate branding specialist, I can tell you, you’ve got an easy win right in front of you. 

Your client experience journey. 

I’ve seen the ROI of uncommonly great client experience wins happen again and again for my Realtor clients and friends, but the proof is in the statistical chocolate pudding, too. According to Gartner, a global research firm, 81% of marketers now expect to compete mostly or entirely based on client experience.

Offering a killer client experience isn’t something you save for when you hire a VP of Client Success, or a coach to tell you what to fix. It’s for right now.

Intrigued?

No smoke and mirrors here. Just solid, easy-to-follow advice that has been battle-tested for success in my 6+ years of helping Realtors tap into the branding techniques that big businesses use, but at a fraction of the cost and effort.

Start here: your real estate client experience is made up of two types of interactions. This means there are just two main areas to focus on for results.

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01: DIRECT INTERACTIONS

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This is you purposefully reaching out to the client or lead during the experience journey; for most business owners, this can happen many different ways (pitching products, sending emails, having phone calls). 

For you, the direct interaction with the biggest potential to both delight and convert is:

Your real estate Client Guides.

I strongly believe every Realtor needs four Guides to achieve an uncommonly great client experience:

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01 – The Realtor Welcome Guide

You need a beautiful introductory piece for your business (more officially known as a “media kit,” if you will), designed to convey your brand story and value to potential clients.

Specifically, it should include things like: vision + values statements (what makes you different), testimonials, story of you and/or your team, tips for choosing the right Realtor, buyer + seller case studies, FAQs, invitation to your social channels, heartfelt thank you, a call to action (“let’s work together now!”).

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02 – The Listing Proposal

You need an elegant, persuasive listing presentation that takes the data, stories, and strategy and distills it into one glorious “pitch pack” for sellers  that can be customized on repeat for each new listing.

Specifically, it should include things like: your credibility statistics, client testimonials, outline of your seller services, listing pricing + timing considerations, pricing proposal, market snapshot, tailored marketing proposal, seller case studies, and next steps to listing with you.

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03 – The Buyer & Seller Guides

You need to provide information and inspiration that caters exclusively to the entire “contract to close” journey, with Guides that present the facts, services, and processes that your buyers + sellers need to know every step of the way.

Specifically, they should include things like: vision + value statements (how are they actually benefiting from working with you?), your story, guide to agency terms, costs to consider, search or selling factors, process outline, common mistakes to avoid, a heartfelt thank you.

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04 – The Buyer & Seller Offboarding Guides

Finally, you need the graceful exit piece — offboarding Guides that address concluding questions, provide valuable pre-closing insights, and reinforce brand excellence at the transaction finish line (while reminding the client that your relationship is never over).

Specifically, it should include things like: essential buyer/seller offboarding checklists, pre-move checklists, closing day checklist, presentation of additional services you offer, invitation to your social channels, testimonial and referrals request, a heartfelt thank you.

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02: INDIRECT INTERACTIONS

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This is when a prospect interacts with your brand without your direct input, such as getting a word-of-mouth referral or viewing your Instagram posts, FB ads, etc. For you, the area of indirect interaction to focus on is:

Your real estate website.

Four elements are essential to having a real estate website that provides a stand-out experience AND converts:

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01 – Have an irresistible “About Page”

The Almighty NAR informs us that on average, the third most viewed page on a real estate website is the “About Page.” So for the love of appraisals that don’t come in low — take the time to make this page count. 

The best way to do that? Show us something A) personal, and B) unexpected. Engage us with some “fun facts” about you.

Pull together a curated list of your favorite community hot spots.

Introduce us to your family and/or pets.

Link to the educational books you’re reading these days. 

When you communicate interest in things other than just real estate, you create a lifestyle brand that goes beyond the boring informational bio to capture interest and emotion in a way your audience can’t resist.

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02 – Show great design

Newsflash. You get to choose how people experience your website. If you craft a thoughtful, aesthetically pleasing experience, people will generally follow the signposts you give them. So when it comes to your online home, commit to all things clean, cohesive, and refined. This means: 

-No dense margins or complicated type (use no more than 2-3 main fonts consistently, and remember that white space gives people time to scroll + screams luxury).

– No low-res images (I’m very emotional about this one; crappy brand imagery is such an unnecessary turn-off. Be ruthless about the quality of your photos).

– No inconsistency in colors (pick a palette, use the palette, stick to the palette).

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03 – Share better social proof.

The only thing more valuable than you telling your own story is the people you’ve served, telling it for you. I’m always surprised at how few testimonials I see highlighted — like really highlighted — on a Realtor’s website. 

Make sure you are showcasing excellent feedback from your clients, too. Ask specific questions designed to garner more thoughtful intel than simply, “She was an awesome agent!” Here are some sample questions that work very well:

“What was your favorite part about working together?”

“Were there any surprises you didn’t expect about the transaction experience?”

“What would you tell someone else considering working with me?”

“Out of every Realtor you could have picked, why did you choose me?”

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04 – Craft a strong brand positioning statement.
Do you have a clear and compelling positioning statement that tells people exactly what you do, who it’s for and how you do it differently?

Example: 

“We are Third West: a people-driven group of Realtors who marry old-fashioned ideals with a modern, technology-fueled approach to residential buying and selling in our historic Charleston community.”

Followed by a simple call to action, this client-first approach is far more effective than a keyword-stuffed intro written entirely for SEO and not conversion. The right positioning statement focuses on the human being and sets the scene, so you can nurture a relationship before they even contact you.

By the way, there is a way to move the needle faster on all this. My high-end, instant download, fully customizable client experience templates made exclusively for Realtors are the perfect solution.

Remember, you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your client experiences.

Keep calm and brand on,

BLUEPRINT is a boutique creative studio serving the real estate industry. Visit our website for information about our services, explore our online shop of high end marketing templates for Realtors, and to learn how our team can support your real estate branding, marketing and copywriting needs.