The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Winning Real Estate Listing Marketing Plan
Best practices for new, experienced and successful listing agents
Listing Media Services offers an easy, fast and reliable way to book and receive quality photography and rich media to help your listings stand out in any market.
For a limited time, you can claim your promo code for 50% off your first photoshoot*.
Background Color Override.
Section: 3
*This offer does not include media add-ons. Valid for first time customers only.
This guide contains practical advice and checklists that real estate agents can use to help build winning real estate listing marketing plans, including best practices, presentation tips, and market insights.
In this guide, you'll learn:
- How to create a winning real estate listing presentation
- Presentation tips for new, experienced and successful real estate agents
- What should be on a listing presentation checklist
- How to create a successful real estate listing marketing plan
- How to market listings if you're a new, experienced or real estate pro
- What should be on a listing preparation checklist
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
Section I
Win the Listing:
Creating a Winning Listing Presentation
What Home Sellers Expect from Their Listing Agent
Today’s sellers are looking for agents who are masters of real estate technology. Sellers want agents who are enthusiastic about selling their home; but, with more buyers viewing home listings online, a strong digital marketing strategy is becoming even more essential to staying competitive.
95%
of buyers used the internet
in their home search
(Source: NAR 2022 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report)
At the foundation of any great listing are high quality real estate photos and a detailed property description. Beautiful, high-resolution photography is more likely to catch the attention of online browsers, but there’s also a big opportunity to stand out even more by using more rich media in listings, such as downloadable and interactive floor plans and virtual tours.
70%
Sellers who included a virtual tour in their home listing were more likely to report receiving at least one all-cash offer (70%) than sellers who did not include a virtual tour (56%) Similarly, more than a quarter of buyers (39%) use videos in their home search, but only 11% of agents use them
(Source: NAR 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)
Leveraging desired, yet underused, rich media such as interactive floor plans and virtual tours, maps and video helps demonstrate to sellers that you are on top of the latest trends and capable of finding the right buyer for their home.
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
General Listing Presentation Tips
What you share in your listing presentation matters, but so does how you say it. Here are some general tips for making a good impression.
Practice
Whether you're just starting out or updating your presentation, run through it with colleagues several times to gain confidence in your delivery and to achieve a more relaxed, conversational tone.
Watch Your Time
Are you speaking too fast? Are you lingering too long in some areas or going off on a tangent? Aim for a crisp presentation that feels polished without feeling cold and impersonal.
Be Prepared
Are you speaking too fast? Are you lingering too long in some areas or going off on a tangent? Aim for a crisp presentation that feels polished without feeling cold and impersonal. No matter your experience level, there's always something new to learn and ways to improve your technique.
TIP:
Prepare a leave-behind presentation and hand it over after you've made your pitch.
Presentation Tips for New Agents
Know the Property
What history or features make this house unique? What renovations or appliance upgrades will make the listing more attractive to buyers? Understanding the full picture of a property before you present it to potential clients will help you align with their goals. Conduct as much research as possible on the property ahead of time.
Get the Client’s Perspective
Ask questions upfront to better understand what the client perceives as the top selling features and the main areas in which they feel you should focus. Also, try to gauge how much time they have for the presentation. If they’ve sold multiple properties in the past, they may not need a long presentation; if they’re new to the process, they may need more hand-holding.
Know the Area
Is the neighborhood walkable, bikeable or car-dependent? How close are essential services and community resources? Are there attractive points of interest nearby? What pain points might the seller want to plan a reactive response for such as noise, traffic or parking? Explain to potential sellers that you want to help buyers see themselves living in the home, not just buying it.
Share Reporting Data
Share any reports that indicate buyer demand, pricing trends, number of comparable active listings, average days on market in the area and other relevant data.
Show the Comps
How does this property compare to others that have recently sold? How quickly have comparable properties been selling? Start with the property type (single family home, duplex, etc.) and location, and then add any other relevant factors like age, condition, amenities and more. The more specific you can be, the more confidence the seller will have in your estimates and
marketing plans.
Outline Your Marketing Plan
Who is the ideal buyer? What unique needs or desires do they have? What online and offline strategies will reach that ideal buyer? What steps will you take to prepare the property for listing, such as offering high quality photography, an interactive floor plan or a virtual tour?
Presentation Tips for Experienced Agents
Experienced agents will want to incorporate all of the above best practices plus the following:
Share Testimonials
Make sure to include positive feedback you’ve received from previous clients, namely seller testimonials that communicate specific, positive experiences and competency. Learn more tips about how to ask for a client testimonial.
TIP:
Present on a tablet or laptop to avoid any glitches with internet access. If your clients prefer an analog experience, create a presentation book.
Presentation Tips for Successful Agents
Successful agents will want to incorporate all of the above best practices plus the following:
A List of Recommended Vendors
Are there issues that need to be addressed before listing, such as replacing floors, interior and exterior painting, or leaky roofs? Providing a list of tried-and-trusted vendors testifies to your experience and will help expedite the home preparation process.
Bring Your Marketing Plan to Life
How have you successfully marketed listings in the past? Pull examples of similar properties from your website, blog or social media accounts to illustrate your acumen as a successful agent.
Introduction
You, your company name and a short recap of your experience
Contact information
Property
Key features or history
Suggested upgrades or features
Neighborhood
Nearby resources, services & attractions
Traffic level, noise, and parking
Comps
Recent comparable property sale ranges
Recent comparable property time on market
Marketing Plan
Ideal buyer's wants and needs
Online and offline strategies (highlight your strengths!)
Overview of necessary steps
Examples of your previous marketing plans in action
Concrete results you've achieved
Testimonials
Recommended Vendors
Thank You
Leave Behinds
Copies of your presentation or one-sheets
Business cards
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
Section II
Prepare Your Listing:
Create a Successful Listing Marketing Plan
Successful real estate listing marketing plans include digital channels that go beyond the MLS. You can't be what the industry calls a "post and pray" agent, hoping that once your listing hits the MLS, the right buyers will find it. Consider using a dedicated web page for certain properties and rich media offerings from Listing Media Services to differentiate your listings.
How Buyers Find and Interact with Listings
As referenced earlier, 95% of buyers interact with online listings during their home search. Providing a combination of high-level and immersive features in your listings lets buyers see how the property addresses their needs and imagine all the possibilities.
66%
of successful buyers said that virtual tours would help them get a better feel for the space than static photos
(Source: Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2022)
To strike this balance, include the essentials such as:
+ Details about the property and others like it that recently sold
+ Floor plans
+ Neighborhood information
+ Your contact information
+ Information about upcoming open houses
Also, include digital opportunities to learn and explore, such as:
+ Exterior and interior photos
+ Interactive floor plans and virtual tours
+ Maps
+ Videos
+ Virtual open houses
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
How to Market Listings if You're a New Agent
Successful listing agents agree that marketing takes effort. Use your time and energy efficiently by playing to your strengths, while also identifying the most important skills to learn to level up.
List where people look
Make the most of online resources, including MLS and third-party aggregators, such as Zillow.
81%
of recent homebuyers said they were more likely to visit a home if it included a floor plan they like
(Source: Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2022)
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
Photography
High quality, well-lit and inviting photographs of both the interior and exterior are crucial to getting your listings seen by buyers. Consider a turnkey photography solution such as Listing Media Services, which can provide photography with fast turnaround.
Virtual Tours
While DIY tours are possible using smartphone apps, the quality of your equipment and your photography skill level are critical in presenting a professional package. If the quality of the virtual tour differs too much from that of your still photos, a buyer may question what it’s “really like.” Here again, Listing Media Services can help by providing professional-quality, immersive virtual tours, along with photography and interactive floor plans, from one place.
DID YOU KNOW?
Listings with floor plans and virtual tours can
sell for 22% more
(Source: Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report)
While digital is the new frontier in listing advertising, don't ignore tried-and-true print marketing. In certain markets, print mailers and advertising can help an agent cut through the online noise and target specific markets. Your local office supply store may provide design and print services. For professional and stylish print materials, consider hiring a designer and using a professional print shop.
Establish Your Social Media Presence
Create a business presence on at least one social media platform. Social media is not only great for sharing your content, but also helps you identify housing trends and messaging techniques before they’re fully mainstream.
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
How to Market Listings if You're an Experienced Agent
Experienced agents will want to incorporate all of the above best practices plus the following:
Develop Your Storytelling Skills
Learn to craft catchy MLS descriptions that spotlight at least one enticing quality of the home as a hook.
Upgrade Your Media
A professional photographer’s equipment, experience and editing skills can make a huge difference. Consider adding aerial drone photography or video walkthroughs as well for total coverage and visibility.
Test New Offline Campaigns
Try a new format for your print marketing material, such as direct mail pieces.
Strategize Your Social Media.
Develop a regular schedule of themed posts. Interact with your social media community to find out what your audience cares about most. Keep in mind that you can post the rich media content you already have, like video walkthroughs of your listings, on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Get creative with the different content options available on these platforms to gauge customers’ response and adjust accordingly.
Consider enhancing your equipment or outsourcing to a service like Listing Media Services from ShowingTime+, which offers virtual tours with videography, interactive floor plans, photography and more.
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
How to Market Listings if You're a Pro
Veteran agents will want to incorporate all of the above best practices plus the following:
Optimize Your Listings
Tag the MLS description with important keywords so the listing appears high in Google search results for open houses.
Build Your Own Landing Pages
Give your rich media a home by creating dedicated web pages for each of your listings.
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights
PRO TIP:
Social media consultants, agencies and courses can help you build a social media marketing calendar, learn tools to schedule posts, refine your paid social media strategy and more.
Launch Your Own Website
If you don't have one already, consider hiring a website designer to build your own site. Learn the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to build search engine visibility.
Enhance Photography Metadata
File names and alt text help search engines index and retrieve your images. File names should be unique but clear (e.g., the address of the property and the room in the image). Alt text dictates what’s shown if a browser can’t display images or what’s heard if someone uses a screen reader. Accurate and useful file names and alt text improve SEO and accessibility for buyers that use screen readers.
Expand Your Social Media Presence
Use the expertise you’ve gained on one platform to build your reach on an additional one. If you don’t have one already, LinkedIn is a great place to establish your business presence by posting local community trends and your latest tips for sellers, in addition to your listings.
Listing
Use MLS and third-party aggregate sites
Add a compelling hook to the description
Embed keywords in descriptions
Create a webpage for each listing
Build your own website to showcase all your listings
Prepare for All Visual Media Capture
Ensure interior spaces are clean, decluttered and well-lit
Ensure exterior spaces are freshly landscaped and well-lit
Photography
Edit photos to enhance details and unify coloring
Consider aerial photography
Create image metadata and optimized filenames
Interactive Floor Plan & Virtual Tour
Make your floor plans clickable to see rooms within the perspective of the overall floor plan
Videography
Incorporate home walkthroughs
Include neighborhood and special community features
Social Media
Pick your favorite platform to use daily
Post listings
Schedule relevant themed content
Build professional presence on LinkedIn
Add new social platforms over time
Print Marketing
Create Just-listed postcards
Consider direct mail
Advertise in regional publication (e.g., community magazines, newspapers)
Build a presentation folder or packet
Experiment with billboards
Practical advice and helpful checklists that every real estate agent can use to help build winning listing marketing plans, including:
- Best practices for digital listings
- Presentation tips and checklists
- Seller and buyer market insights