If you struggle with marketing, you may be tempted to hire a real estate marketing company. While it would take the work off your shoulders, which is a relief, it might not be necessary. Not to mention, it’s a costly venture. The average fees for a social media agency range from $1,800 to $6,000 or more each month.
However, you don’t need to spend that much money to be effective with your marketing. There are many resources and people available that can provide support without the high price tag. Here are five reasons you don’t need to spend any of your budget on a real estate marketing agency.
Keep Reading: 10 Real Estate Agent Marketing Tactics You Can’t Overlook
1. You’re More Capable than You Think
You’re running a successful business. You’re an entrepreneur. Social media may seem foreign, but your business savvy can take you further than you might think. Since starting your business, you’ve learned dozens of new skills and had to manage challenges as you go.
The same is possible with marketing. Building a website, establishing a social media presence, and farming a neighborhood through direct mail are just a few of the avenues you can take. The key is reminding yourself that you’re more capable than you think, no matter which one you choose.
As Tony Robbins says, “What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.”
2. You Can Save Money by Hiring a Contractor
If you truly feel you need support for marketing, save your budget and hire a contractor instead of a real estate marketing company. Instead of working with an entire team, which is expensive and can be overwhelming, find a single person who specializes in the area where you need the most support. You can find freelance contractors that do anything from social media to web design or email marketing.
To find someone, you can use a site like Upwork. Better yet, ask agents in your community for recommendations. When you hire contractors for one-off projects as needed, you can get the support you need with less hassle and likely less money.
To make the most of this support person, be clear on what you want to be done ahead of time. Write an ad, like you would when hiring an employee. When interviewing, you can turn to this list of tasks and skills to make sure you’re getting the right person for the job.
Keep Reading: 5 Pillars of Real Estate Branding That Drives More Leads
3. You Can Join The Marketing Club
With a starting fee of just $1, joining the Marketing Club can be a great way for you to get the materials you need to stay relevant and active in your marketing. Instead of simply learning different marketing strategies, you’ll get actual blog posts, social media posts, and email campaigns you can customize and use for yourself each month.
The Marketing Club is a great choice for you if you:
- Need marketing materials to upload on a regular basis
- Want your real estate business to be respected and seen as authoritative
- Don’t have the free time to research and create marketing materials on your
- Aren’t confident in your marketing abilities
If you need an option that falls between a contractor and a full-on marketing agency, The Marketing Club may be the perfect option for you.
4. YouTube Is Filled with Tutorials
As of February 2020, there are 500 hours of video uploaded to YouTube each minute. This means that you can find a video tutorial for nearly any aspect of your marketing. While you can search for your specific needs, like “how to post a video to Instagram” you can also subscribe to different marketing channels and check in regularly for tips and tricks.
Here are a few YouTube channels to check out:
- For social media marketing: Social Media Examiner
- For general marketing: Hubspot
- For email marketing: Constant Contact
Use YouTube to answer questions on the go, but also as a resource for regular learning. Set a few hours aside each month to learn a different marketing skill or discover a new feature that can help your business. Marketing is changing daily, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep up—you just have to set time aside to learn as you go.
5. It Doesn’t Have to Be Overwhelming
There are so many social media platforms and you have to be active on all of them, right? No. In fact, it’s better to start small and focus on just one platform to start. Not only does this make it less overwhelming, but it also ensures that you can give your all rather than spreading yourself too thin.
You aren’t doing your brand any favors if you try to do a little bit of everything, but not do any of it well. Posting just once a month or answering a few messages every few weeks won’t help you grow your business. However, being present and focused on a single platform allows you to truly engage and connect with potential clients to drive real leads.
The key is choosing the marketing platform that’s best suited for your audience. If your ideal clients aren’t social media savvy, email marketing may be a better platform for you to use than Facebook or Instagram. Get clear on your audience and then focus your marketing efforts where you know you’ll find them.
Keep Reading: 5 Ways an eNewsletter Can Help Your Real Estate Business
You Don’t Need a Real Estate Marketing Company
It may be tempting to hire a real estate marketing company so you don’t have to worry about it yourself. However, that support is going to cost you. The good news is that you don’t need someone to do it for you. Not only are you more capable than you think, but there are many resources available to help you learn and grow your marketing efforts.