Real estate marketing is a crucial element in growing your business. It’s what helps you attract more clients and close more deals. With the right strategy, new agents or seasoned pros alike can build a more robust market presence.
This guide defines real estate marketing, lists what your marketing plan should include, and walks through 15 real estate marketing strategies with concrete steps. It ends with how to measure results, so you know where next month’s time and money should go.
Table of Contents
- What Is Real Estate Marketing?
- Why Creating a Marketing Strategy Is Important
- What Should a Real Estate Marketing Plan Include?
- 15 Real Estate Marketing Strategies
- How to Measure Your Real Estate Marketing Results
- Real Estate Marketing FAQ
- Keep Building Your Marketing Skills
Key Takeaways
- Plan before tactics. A one-page plan with a goal, niche, budget, and review date keeps you from spreading time and money across random channels.
- Relationships drive business. In NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 43% of recent buyers found an agent via friends, neighbors, or relatives.
- Current tactics need a system. Short-form video, CRM follow-up, and AI-drafted content pay off when you review every post and track every lead.
- Compliance belongs in the plan. Fair housing advertising rules, CAN-SPAM email rules, and FAA drone rules all apply to everyday marketing.
- Measure by source. Tag every lead by where it came from so your monthly review shows which channels produce appointments and closings.
What Is Real Estate Marketing?
Real estate marketing is how agents attract buyers and sellers, earn their trust, and turn them into clients through online and offline channels. A real estate marketing strategy is a comprehensive plan designed to attract potential clients and convert them into successful deals. Essentially, it’s your roadmap to achieving consistent growth and visibility in a highly competitive industry.
From digital marketing and social media to traditional advertising and personal networking, various channels all fall under the umbrella of “marketing.” Your strategy should consist of a way to use any or all of these channels to share who you are, what you do, and how you can help a wide net of potential new clients.
Why Creating a Marketing Strategy Is Important
Creating a marketing strategy is vital because it helps you focus on activities yielding the highest return. Without a plan, your marketing can become disjointed and less effective. It would be like driving to a new place without a GPS – you may know the general direction, but getting to your destination with a trustworthy roadmap would be much easier.
This is what a marketing strategy does. A well-crafted marketing plan ensures that you target the right audience, use the right tools, and accurately measure your success.
The 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows why your plan needs both relationships and online visibility (National Association of REALTORS). In it, 43% of recent buyers found their agent through a friend, neighbor, or relative. Among recent sellers, 66% used an agent who was referred to them or one they’d worked with before.
At the same time, 46% of recent buyers said their first step was looking online for properties. So your plan has to keep you in touch with the people you know and visible where buyers start their search.
What Should a Real Estate Marketing Plan Include?
A real estate marketing plan turns the 15 strategies below into a short list you can run. Include these eight parts, each tied to the strategies that put it into action:
- A business goal. Set a closings or gross commission income (GCI) target for the year, which sets the scale for strategy 2.
- A target market and niche. Name the buyers or sellers you serve best (strategies 1 and 3).
- A value proposition. Write one sentence on why a client should hire you (strategies 1 and 4).
- Your channels. Pick three to five strategies from the list that reach your niche (strategies 4 through 15).
- A monthly budget. List fixed tool costs plus a smaller test amount for ads (strategy 2).
- A follow-up system. Use a CRM so every lead gets a reply and a next step (strategies 10 and 15).
- A compliance check. Review ads, emails, and drone plans against fair housing, CAN-SPAM, and FAA rules (strategies 1, 7, and 10).
- Metrics and a review date. Choose the numbers you’ll track and put a monthly review on your calendar (see the measurement section below).
Write it on one page and review it monthly. If a part is blank, fill it in before you spend money on a new tactic.
15 Real Estate Marketing Strategies
You don’t need all 15 at once. Pick the strategies that match your plan’s niche, budget, and channels, and start with the ones that build your database and referrals. Each strategy below includes a concrete step you can take this month.
1. Identify the Target Market
Understanding your target market is the first step in any successful marketing strategy. First, start with the demographics to identify who your ideal clients are. Consider factors like age, income level, lifestyle, and buying behavior.
Knowing your audience allows you to tailor your marketing efforts to meet their needs and preferences. Next, pick a niche, such as first-time buyers, one neighborhood, or a property type like condos. Then write a one-sentence value proposition that says who you help, with what, and why you.
For example: “I help first-time buyers on the east side compare condo HOA costs before they make an offer.” That sentence belongs on your website, your social profiles, and your listing presentations.
Keep fair housing in view as you narrow your market.
Under the Fair Housing Act, your housing ads can’t indicate any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on a protected class. The federal protected classes are race, color, religion, sex, disability (the statute’s term is “handicap”), familial status, and national origin (United States Code, Title 42, Section 3604).
State and local laws may add protected classes, so check the rules where you work. Define your market by geography, property type, and service, never by protected traits.
2. Budget for Marketing Expenses
Like it or not, marketing is an investment. Budgeting is critical to ensure you allocate enough resources to your marketing efforts without overspending.
Determine how much you can afford to spend on marketing each month and stick to it. This includes costs for online advertising, print materials, website hosting, subscriptions to graphic design software, email marketing platforms, and any other marketing tools you plan to use.
Be realistic about timing: marketing costs come before commission checks. Use this three-step method to set your number:
- List your fixed tool costs, such as your website, CRM, email platform, and design software.
- Set aside a smaller test amount for ads tied to one offer (home valuation, market report, neighborhood guide) and for retargeting.
- Review results monthly, and raise spend only on ads that produce leads you can follow up with.
In NAR’s 2025 Technology Survey, 34% of responding REALTORS spend $50 to $250 a month on technology tools (National Association of REALTORS). That’s technology spend, not a full marketing budget, so add your ad and print costs on top.
3. Know Your Audience
While demographics are essential to knowing your audience, you should take it one step further. Try also to understand their pain points, desires, and what drives their decision-making process.
Ask yourself: ‘What are their goals? What questions do they have, and how can I answer them?’ This insight allows you to create more compelling marketing messages that resonate and drive action.
Turn the answers into your content list for strategies 5, 11, and 15. Each question a client asks you can become a blog post, a short video, or a newsletter tip.
4. Create a Website
A professional, user-friendly website is a must-have for any real estate agent. Your website should showcase your listings, provide valuable resources for buyers and sellers, and include clear contact information. Make sure it’s easy to navigate.
It’s often the first impression potential clients will have of your business, so make it count. In the 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 52% of recent buyers found the home they bought online (National Association of REALTORS).
Cover these three basics:
- A mobile-friendly layout that loads fast and reads well on a phone.
- A lead capture form, backed by a same-day reply from you or your CRM.
- An About page that states your niche and your one-sentence value proposition.
5. Build a Blog
Blogging is a powerful way to establish yourself as a thought leader in real estate. Regularly post articles that offer valuable insights, tips, and updates on the market. Create a schedule that keeps your posts consistent, varied, and on track.
This not only helps with SEO but also keeps your audience engaged and informed. Local topics give readers a reason to choose you over a national website. Try neighborhood guides, school-district explainers, and monthly market recaps for the areas you serve.
AI tools can speed up first drafts, but check every fact and review the wording for fair housing issues before you publish. You’re responsible for what goes out under your name.
Related: 50 Topics for Your Real Estate Blog
6. Partner with Local Businesses
Forming partnerships with local businesses can expand your reach and enhance your reputation. Collaborate on events, cross-promote services, or simply refer clients to each other. It’s a win-win that can lead to more business for everyone involved.
Start with businesses your clients already need: lenders, home inspectors, movers, and contractors. Two activities are easy to set up:
- Co-host a homebuyer workshop with a lender, where you cover the buying process and they cover financing.
- Pair an open house with a local cafe or bakery that provides coffee or treats in exchange for a mention.
Agree up front on who pays for what and how you’ll share leads. Check your brokerage’s policy on co-marketing and referral arrangements before you sign anything.
7. Use Drone Photography
Drone photography provides stunning, high-quality images and videos of properties that can set your listings apart. This technology offers potential buyers a unique perspective, making your listings more attractive and professional.
In NAR’s 2025 Technology Survey, 52% of responding REALTORS used drone photo or video (National Association of REALTORS).
Flying a drone under FAA Part 107 requires a Remote Pilot Certificate (Federal Aviation Administration). To earn one, you pass the FAA’s knowledge test, then complete recurrent training every 24 months. Check your flight type with the FAA first.
Getting certified takes study time, and hiring a pilot adds a cost to each listing. If you hire out, ask to see the pilot’s Remote Pilot Certificate before the shoot.
Related: How Real Estate Drone Photography Can Boost Your Sales
8. Share Client Testimonials
Client testimonials are powerful tools for building trust and credibility. Collect and display testimonials from satisfied clients on your website and marketing materials. Positive feedback from others can significantly influence potential clients’ decision-making.
Video testimonials work too, and a short phone video is enough. Make it easy: send three or four prompt questions. Try “What worried you before we started?” and “What would you tell a friend about working with me?”
Ask within a few days of closing, while the experience is fresh. Get written permission before you post a client’s name, face, or home.
9. Create Eye-Catching Infographics
Infographics are a great way to present information in a visually appealing and easily digestible format. Use them to share market trends, tips for buyers and sellers, or the benefits of working with you. They’re perfect for social media sharing and can drive engagement.
For example, build a monthly market snapshot with median sale price, days on market, and active listings from your MLS. Then reuse it as a postcard or an open house handout.
10. Use Email Marketing and Marketing Automation
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with clients and prospects. Use marketing automation tools to segment your audience and send personalized, timely messages that nurture leads and maintain relationships.
A CRM keeps this organized. Start with a simple workflow:
- Tag every lead by source (open house, website, referral) and stage (new, active, past client).
- Send a new-lead sequence: a same-day reply, a day 3 check-in, and a day 7 resource like a market report.
- Set a past-client touch schedule, such as a monthly newsletter plus a call on each home anniversary.
AI tools can draft these emails faster, but read each one before it goes out. If you’re choosing a system, read What Is a Real Estate CRM before you pick one.
Every marketing email also has to follow the CAN-SPAM Act (Federal Trade Commission):
- Use a subject line that accurately reflects the message.
- Include your valid physical postal address.
- Tell recipients how to opt out, and honor requests within 10 business days.
- Apply the same rules to business-to-business email, since the law makes no exception for it.
11. Use Social Media and Short-Form Video
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok are invaluable for real estate marketing. Share listings, market insights, client testimonials, and behind-the-scenes content.
Engage with your audience through comments, messages, and live videos. And don’t forget hashtags or location tags.
Expect competition there: 75% of REALTORS responding to NAR’s 2025 Technology Survey use social media (National Association of REALTORS). Short-form video lets you show local knowledge in under a minute. Try these formats:
- A 60-second neighborhood tour covering parks, shops, and commute routes.
- A “what I’d check at this showing” walkthrough of a listing.
- A quick market update with one local number and what it means for buyers or sellers.
Pick a weekly rhythm you can keep, such as two videos and three posts, and batch-record on one day.
Related: A Guide to Social Media Marketing for Real Estate
12. Engage Your Audience with Emotional Storytelling Methods
People connect with stories. Share the stories behind the homes you sell, the clients you help, and your journey in real estate. Emotional storytelling can create a deeper connection with your audience and make your marketing more memorable.
Use a simple three-part structure: the client’s problem, what you did, and the result. For example, a family outbid twice, the offer strategy you built together, and the home they closed on.
Get the client’s permission before you share their story. Leave out financial or personal details they haven’t agreed to share.
13. Complete Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business page is not just important; it’s crucial for local SEO. Ensure your profile is complete with up-to-date contact information, photos, and client reviews. This comprehensive profile helps improve your visibility in local search results and attracts more traffic to your website, making it a key part of your marketing strategy.
Google treats real estate agents as individual practitioners (Google Business Profile Help). You can have your own profile if you’re public-facing and reachable at the verified location during your stated hours.
If you meet clients at their homes or listings, not at an office they visit, you’re a service-area business. In that case, Google says to hide your address. Virtual offices and remote mailboxes aren’t eligible.
Keep your Zillow and Realtor.com agent profiles consistent with your Google profile, using the same photo, bio, and contact information.
14. Ask for Referrals
Referrals are a powerful source of new business. Don’t be shy about asking satisfied clients to refer friends and family. Offer incentives or simply make it a habit to request referrals during follow-ups and after closing deals.
Check your state’s rules and your brokerage’s policy before you offer any referral incentive.
NAR’s 2026 Member Profile found the typical REALTOR earned 28% of business from repeat clients in 2025 (National Association of REALTORS). Separately, the typical REALTOR earned 22% from past-client referrals. Both numbers depend on a database of past clients, so keep a short ask ready for every closing:
“I’m glad we found the right home for you. My business grows through referrals, so if you know anyone thinking about buying or selling this year, I’d be grateful for an introduction.”
15. Maintain an Email Newsletter
An email newsletter keeps you top-of-mind with your audience. Share updates on the market, new listings, success stories, and helpful tips. Consistent communication through a newsletter can build long-term relationships and encourage repeat business.
Send it on the same day each month so readers know when to expect it. Use a simple three-block format:
- One local market number, such as median days on market, with a sentence on what it means.
- One useful tip, such as a seasonal maintenance reminder or a buyer question you answered this month.
- One personal or listing note, such as a new listing, a recent closing, or a community event.
The CAN-SPAM rules in strategy 10 apply to every issue you send.
How to Measure Your Real Estate Marketing Results
Measuring your real estate marketing tells you which strategies to keep, fix, or drop. Track these five numbers:
- Leads by source: how many new contacts each channel produced.
- Cost per lead: what you spent on a channel divided by the leads it produced.
- Appointment rate: the share of leads who booked a consultation or showing.
- Closings by source: which channels produced signed clients and closed deals.
- Repeat and referral share: how much of your business came from past clients and their referrals.
Run the same review once a month, using the source tags in your CRM:
- Pull a report of new leads, appointments, and closings by source tag.
- Add up what you spent on each channel, including tools and ads.
- Compare cost per lead and appointment rate across channels.
- Move time or money from your weakest channel to your strongest, then note the change in your plan.
Watch for these common real estate marketing mistakes during your review:
- Posting without a plan or a target niche.
- Running ads without a specific offer.
- Ignoring your database of past clients and your sphere.
- Quitting a channel before you have 90 days of data.
- Skipping source tracking for new leads.
Real Estate Marketing FAQ
What Is Real Estate Marketing?
Real estate marketing is how agents attract buyers and sellers, earn their trust, and turn them into clients through online and offline channels. It includes your website, social media, email, referrals, events, and local partnerships, all tied together by a written plan.
What Should a Real Estate Marketing Plan Include?
Include a business goal, a target market and niche, a one-sentence value proposition, your channels, and a monthly budget. Add a follow-up system, a compliance check, and the metrics you’ll review each month. Keep it to one page so you actually use it.
How Much Should a Real Estate Agent Spend on Marketing?
There’s no single right number: start with what you can afford each month, list fixed tool costs, and test ads tied to a specific offer. In NAR’s 2025 Technology Survey, 34% of responding REALTORS spend $50 to $250 a month on technology tools (National Association of REALTORS). That’s technology spend only, so budget ads and print separately.
What Type of Marketing Works Best for Real Estate?
The 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers points to two priorities: relationships and online visibility (National Association of REALTORS). In it, 43% of recent buyers found their agent through a friend, neighbor, or relative. Among the same buyers, 52% found the home they bought online.
Do You Need a License to Fly a Drone for Listing Photos?
Flying a drone under FAA Part 107 requires a Remote Pilot Certificate (Federal Aviation Administration). To earn one, you pass the FAA’s knowledge test and complete recurrent training every 24 months. Check your flight type with the FAA, or hire a certified pilot.
Keep Building Your Marketing Skills
A real estate marketing plan works when you write it down, run a few strategies well, and review the numbers every month. Start with your niche and value proposition, then build the follow-up system that turns referrals and online leads into appointments.
Colibri Real Estate offers state-approved continuing education courses to help you renew your state real estate license and grow your business. The catalog includes elective courses on topics like marketing, so your renewal hours can also sharpen the skills in this plan.
For more guidance on growing your business, sign up for weekly downloadable e-books from Colibri delivered to your inbox: Agent Blueprints for Success.
Your next step: write your one-page plan this week, then pick three strategies to run this month.
Master Real Estate FREE Starter Kit Here
Sources
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- Federal Trade Commission. “CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business.” Federal Trade Commission, 22 July 2025, https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
- Google. “Guidelines for Representing Your Business on Google.” Google Business Profile Help, n.d., https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
- National Association of REALTORS. “Highlights From the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.” National Association of REALTORS, n.d., https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/highlights-from-the-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
- National Association of REALTORS. “REALTORS® Embrace AI, Digital Tools to Enhance Client Service, NAR Survey Finds.” National Association of REALTORS, 18 Sept. 2025, https://www.nar.realtor/press-releases/realtors-embrace-ai-digital-tools-to-enhance-client-service-nar-survey-finds. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
- National Association of REALTORS. “The Feature Sheet: 2026 Member Profile.” National Association of REALTORS, 19 Aug. 2026, https://www.nar.realtor/news/economists-outlook/the-feature-sheet-2026-member-profile. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
- United States, Congress. “42 U.S. Code § 3604: Discrimination in the Sale or Rental of Housing and Other Prohibited Practices.” United States Code, 2023 ed., GovInfo, U.S. Government Publishing Office, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title42/html/USCODE-2023-title42-chap45-subchapI-sec3604.htm. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
