Real Estate Market Trends Come and Go

We’re all aware of it but I’m going to come right out and say it – real estate marketing trends are not always long-lived. As agents we have to be careful about that because of one simple fact: We are creatures of habit. We can get used to doing our marketing a certain way, using certain tools, in a “same way we’ve always done it” kind of mindset. Right? But we’ve got to adapt as the times change. We can’t allow ourselves to become the old dog that won’t or can’t learn new tricks. On this episode I’m going to walk through a handful of trends that have come, some that have gone, and others that appear to be sticking around for now.

I did some marketing this past month that got me thinking about marketing trends.

As most of you know, I was CEO of a real estate office for the past few years and have only recently gotten back into sales. As part of my “back in the business” marketing, I did some social media promotions about the first house I sold in this new phase of my career. It was one of those great situations where the house sold for far above asking price and I was making a big deal about it. But someone called me on it, saying that I could be setting up unrealistic expectations in the minds of buyers. And you know what? She was right. So it got me thinking about those kind of marketing tactics, real estate marketing trends in general, and what we need to be careful of when it comes to trends. So in this episode, I’m going to brain-dump some of what I’ve been thinking for your benefit.

My leads dropped when I switched from 1-800 numbers to text-based options.

Do you remember the days back before texting? One of the most popular and profitable marketing tactics I used back then was a 1-800 number. I’d put it on the literature for a property with some kind of verbiage that encouraged people to listen to a recorded message with info about the home in question. They’d do so and be given the opportunity to leave a message to find out more. I got SO MANY leads from that thing. Then texting came in and I made the switch. And my lead numbers dropped dramatically. So… I’ve got some thoughts about what that means when it comes to marketing trends for us real estate agents, so take some time and listen.

Social media is here to stay, but don’t ignore OTHER marketing options that still work.

You know I love social media. There’s no doubt about it, it’s one of the best things to come along since Onion Juice . But I’m beginning to realize that social media can be so much fun and have such a strong appeal to us when it comes to marketing, that we forget a few things that have worked in the past – and MAY still work today! If you want to make sure you’re not leaving out things that could make all the difference for you in terms of marketing, you’ve got to think this issue through – and on this episode, I’m trying to help you do that.

When you jump on the real estate market trend bandwagon, don’t forget this!

It’s easy to grab onto the next shiny object to come along and put all your eggs in that basket. A lot of times it’s fun to play around with the newest social media gizmo or gadget, so I get why we do this. But we have to be careful that we’re not throwing out older methods that still work. 1-800 numbers are a perfect example that I talk about on this episode. So… do me a favor. Take the time to listen to this episode and let me know if YOU can think of other things that have worked in the past that we shouldn’t be neglecting these days.

Outline of this great episode

[0:24] WHY does this podcast have such a weird name?
[8:15] A trend that started in the recession that needs to STOP now.
[12:59] A past trend I still like – 1-800 numbers and texting.
[16:53] Here’s a market trend that doesn’t work as well in the current market.
[18:55] A lesson from my drinking days (yep, they are LONG past).
[24:14] Be aware of this BAD thing that can happen when you jump on a new trend bandwagon.