5 New Year’s Resolutions for Real Estate Agents in 2021
Who doesn’t love a fresh start?
It’s why spring cleaning exists.
Why adults still feel energized when September rolls around.
Why we make resolutions at the start of a new year.
But fresh starts aren’t just for our personal lives. And resolutions can be about things other than getting fit or reading more books.
You can and should make New Year’s resolutions for your business, too.
We’ve got a few in mind. If you’re looking for resolution inspiration, read on for our suggestions for New Year’s resolutions for real estate agents in 2021.
Be Experimental on Social Media
It’s easy to feel intimidated by social media.
It seems like there’s always a new feature to learn, a trend to know about, and a best practice (or bad habit) to stay on top of. And what if you get no likes, no comments, no followers?
Here’s a secret: everyone is just figuring it out as they go along. Social media is often one big experiment. You learn what works and what doesn’t by trying things out.
Real estate resolution #1: experiment on social media.
In 2021, don’t let fear of failure stop you from trying out different strategies and ideas on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.
Don’t worry about whether your post is going to get likes or not, or whether anyone will respond to your Instagram Story.
Vow to try things out. To make your first TikTok video. To try a different style of caption writing.
Worst case scenario, you don’t see results and you try something else. Best case scenario, one of your ideas sticks and you’ve got yourself a new real estate marketing tactic to focus on.
Suggested reading
How TikTok Can Help You Market Your Real Estate Business
How To Upgrade Your Instagram Real Estate Marketing Strategy For Success
The Ultimate Guide To Instagram Reels For Real Estate Agents
A REALTOR®’s Guide To Writing Captions For Social Media
Get a Testimonial From Every Client
It’s Friday night. You want to order pizza for dinner. You’re looking for a new place to try. Do you pick the spot with three online reviews or 50 online reviews?
Unless you feel like gambling, you’ll probably place your order with the 50-review pizza parlour.
Eighty-seven percent of consumers read online reviews for local businesses. Do you want to be the real estate agent with three online reviews to read, or 50?
Reviews (testimonials) matter. They add context to your service offering. They’re what turn the curious into clients.
No matter how many testimonials you currently have on your real estate website, Facebook page or Google business listing, you could always benefit from more.
Real estate resolution #2: get testimonials from every one of your clients.
In 2021, don’t let a client get away without writing a testimonial for your real estate services. Make asking for a review a standard part of your client wrap-up process.
The trick: make it as painless and simple as possible for your clients.
Give them a few pointers (e.g. “Three or four sentences about why you liked working together and what the results were would be wonderful”). And tell them where you’d like them to leave the review; sending a link to your Google business listing is a smart move.
Suggested reading
3 Real Estate Testimonial Request Emails That Work
How REALTORS® Can Use Testimonials To Get More Real Estate Leads
3 Easy Ways To Get Social Proof From Clients… To Get Even MORE Clients
Audit Your Online Presence
When was the last time you Googled yourself?
Days, weeks, months, years?
It’s not a vain exercise; it’s key to maintaining a strong and positive presence online. You can’t improve public perception of your business unless you know what perception already exists.
Real estate resolution #3: audit your online presence.
By audit, we mean Google yourself regularly and examine the results.
Take note of the photos that appear. What sites come up first in the search results (and which ones don’t). Look to see if your name has been mentioned in any press, or on social media. And pay attention to the dates, and whether the search results about you are current or outdated.
Knowing what’s out there helps you strengthen and improve your online presence. Regularly taking stock can serve as a good reminder to update your website, or to request that a third party remove an old photo of you, or to publish newer real estate blog posts and edit the old ones.
Suggested reading
The REALTOR®’s Guide To Writing Awesome Website Content
Spring Cleaning For Social: 6-Step Audit For Your Marketing As A REALTOR®
Not Blogging Yet? As A Realtor, Here’s Why You Should Be!
Actively Manage Stress and Burnout
It’s been an exhausting, worrisome and stressful year. One unlike any other.
But a vaccine won’t completely eliminate that stress and exhaustion. For real estate agents, burnout can be a very real thing during the most regular of years. And it can have a detrimental effect on your productivity, relationships and business results.
Real estate resolution #4: work to actively prevent and manage stress and burnout.
Don’t let your guard down in 2021. Instead, be proactive and seek out ways to manage your stress and overwhelm, and prevent burning out.
This could mean reducing your hours. Or blocking time in your calendar each day to go for a walk or do yoga. Hiring a virtual assistant to help manage parts of your business. Or seeking the support of a business coach, life coach or therapist.
Suggested reading
How To Deal With Realtor Burnout
How To Juggle A Growing Real Estate Business And A Growing Family
How To Deal With The Stress And Anxiety Of Real Estate Market Changes
Grow Your Reputation as an Expert
You’re a subject matter expert. Clients come to you because you know the world of real estate inside and out, and they want to use your insights to help buy or sell a home.
Your real estate expertise is the foundation of your real estate business. It can be a powerful tool for attracting leads and signing clients; you just need to put it out there.
Real estate resolution #5: grow your reputation as an expert.
You can do this by making your deep knowledge of real estate a key part of your marketing efforts.
Double down on your real estate blog writing. If you don’t have a newsletter, consider starting one where you can weigh in on real estate topics in addition to sharing your latest listings.
Foster relationships with local media so you can serve as a trusted subject matter expert. Join local Facebook Groups to start participating in discussions. And make real estate analysis and advice one of your social media content pillars.
Suggested reading
How To Become A Real Estate Influencer In Your Area
How REALTORS® Can Generate Leads Using Facebook Groups In 2020
How Realtors Can Get Free Press And Media Attention
Four Essential Tips For Becoming A Neighbourhood Real Estate Expert
Have a real estate resolution for 2021 that’s not listed here? We’d love to hear it.
Last Updated on June 27, 2024 by myRealPage
