If you want to build a personal brand that generates business while you sleep, choosing the right real estate marketing materials is crucial. Why? Simple. Second only to your time and emotional energy, your marketing materials are your most precious assets. Think of them as the vehicle that delivers your personal brand to the world.
Of course, even experienced agents are having a hard time choosing which marketing materials to spend their hard-earned time and money on. That’s why we worked with our friends at SERHANT. to put together this definitive guide to the seven real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build a better personal brand in 2022. Whether you need Instagram Reels templates or business card advice, we have you covered.
1. Professional Pictures: One Headshot, One Lifestyle
One of the most important lessons that Ryan Serhant teaches in his Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build a Personal Brand course is that your personal brand needs to be curated and authentic. After all, people should want to work with YOU, not just “a real estate agent.” There are millions of real estate agents, but only one you. This is why headshots are by far your most important marketing material.
📌 Pro Tip
For your lifestyle shot, pay particular attention to your body language. The goal is to look open and approachable, not guarded. You can see the difference in the two pictures above.
Your headshots literally put a face to your personal brand and are the only a that cannot be copied by other agents. So take the time to make sure your headshots are both curated and authentic. Ryan recommends creating two headshots to use in your real estate marketing materials: one professional headshot and one lifestyle shot.
Real Estate Agent Headshots: 15 Industry Experts Share Their Best Advice
2. Professional Social Media Templates (Including Stories & Reels Templates)
When it comes to social media marketing materials, many agents make the mistake of assuming that bringing their authentic selves to social media means they need to create everything from scratch. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, that behind-the-scenes Reel you shot at your open house doesn’t have to look like a Hollywood movie, but it does need to look polished and professional.
This is where professionally designed social media templates come in. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel every time you post on Instagram or Facebook, you can use templates designed for real estate agents by professional graphic designers. The difference between professional social media templates and generic templates from Canva is night and day.
You can see examples of some of the best social media templates along with the best places to buy them here:
29 Best Real Estate Social Media Templates for Facebook & Instagram
3. A Website That Shows Off Your Personal Brand
After your headshots and social media templates, your website is your next most important marketing material. It’s also one of the only brand assets you will truly own. After all, no matter how hard you work on them, you don’t really own any of your social media profiles, or even the shiny new website your brokerage provides for you.
While you might be tempted to add bells and whistles to your website, like IDX listings, lead capture, landing pages, and a customer relationship manager (CRM), make sure it reflects your personal brand first. For a good example of a website that centers personal branding, check out Carlin Wright’s website above. Notice how she uses her lifestyle picture front and center? This was no accident. Her website is about her, not “real estate.”
If you want a site like Carlin’s, you can hire her designer, Luxury Presence, to build and host your website starting at around $180 per month, plus design fees.
Or, if you want more control and want to level up your own skillset, check out our guide to building a website using WordPress here:
How to Build an IDX Real Estate Website in an Afternoon (2022)
4. Strategically Designed Business Cards
Even in the age of Realtor TikTok stars, there’s just something about a well-designed business card printed on quality paper stock that can’t be beat. Sure, popping up in someone’s social media feed once a week is great, but your business card might get pinned to a bulletin board, kept in a wallet, or sit on someone’s desk for months on end. Not bad for a 50-cent piece of paper, right?
Of course, like your website, your business cards should reflect your personal brand. So make sure to use your brand colors, fonts, and if you’re brave enough, your headshot. As far as strategy goes—whether you’re working with a designer or creating them yourself—it can be helpful to ask yourself, “Is this a business card I would keep? Why or why not?” If the answer is no, you need to go back to the drawing board.
The Best & Worst Real Estate Business Cards of 2022
5. A Facebook Business Page
Even though your teenage niece will probably tell you Facebook is like, SO over, you still need a business page, even if you never post on it. Why? Demographics. The average age of a Facebook user is a little over 40 years old, and a whopping 20% are over the age of 55. Sounds dull, right? Well, what if I told you that according to data from Zillow, the average age of a homeseller is 45?
With demographics like that, a Facebook Business page is not optional for serious Realtors. It’s not all about demographics, though. If you want to advertise on Facebook or Instagram, you will need a Facebook business page. So even if you also think Facebook is like, SO over, you’re going to need to build one.
If you don’t already have one, we have an easy step-by-step guide to building a Facebook business page here:
How to Set Up a Real Estate Agent Facebook Page to Get More Leads
6. Postcards (That Look Like Instagram)
Want to get laughed at? Tell someone under 30 that you’re sending them a postcard. If they’re under 20, you might have to actually explain what a postcard is. Of course, while we have nothing against 20-year-olds, they’re not exactly the right audience for your real estate marketing materials. Not even close.
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2021 Homebuyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, the average homebuyer is 47 years old. Take it from me, people our age like getting postcards and older people LOVE getting postcards. My mother is in her seventies, owns several homes, and sits down on her recliner every morning to go through her mail. You know where she’s not spending her mornings? TikTok!
But just because you’re sending postcards doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them—assuming your personal brand is fun, that is. For example, check out the Instagram-inspired postcard from Coffee & Contracts above. Why use Instagram-inspired design for your postcards? Simple. Television ads and even ads in newspapers are inspired by online design trends these days.
You can check out more real estate marketing templates from Coffee & Contracts, including Instagram Reels templates and memes, from The Broke Agent here:
7. An Email Newsletter
Like postcards, email newsletters are another crucial marketing material that will make your niece roll her eyes. It also happens to be one of the best ways to market to your sphere. Why? Simple. You don’t own your social media profiles, but you do own your email list.
Email is also much easier to scale than social media, and much less expensive than pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. The return on investment (ROI) for your time and effort is also better. According to statistics from Campaign Monitor, the average open rate (what percentage of your list opens one of your emails) is 21.7%. So as long as you keep growing your list, the number of people you reach with your content will continue to grow without any extra work.
If you plan a content calendar for your email newsletter, you can keep your sphere engaged for years with just an hour or two of work per week. Here are a few easy real estate newsletter ideas to get you started:
5 Easy Real Estate Newsletter Ideas With High Open Rates (+ Examples)
Over to You
Do you think these are the right real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build their personal brand? If not, what would you include instead? Let us know in the comments.
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