15 tips for telling your real estate story like a pro

So you want to market your real estate listings and services online. Great!

But you’ve also come to realize that there’s a lot of ways to do this.

You could shoot some arrows in the dark, hoping your marketing efforts will pay off. This looks like sending a few emails, running a one-off ad on Facebook, posting some listings to Twitter, etc.

Or you could use a powerful concept to tie all of your marketing together, and get better results in the process.

It’s time to start telling a story with your marketing.

What does that look like? Check out these 15 tips to get you started.

Storytelling on social media

Social media is made for storytelling. With photo and video posting features, most of the major platforms have made it easier than ever for real estate professionals to tell stories about their brand, listings, communities, and services.

Use video. And use video to help your clients imagine themselves as part of a story. For example, create and share a video story about the community you’re targeting.

Want video ideas to help you tell your story? Click here to get a free copy of our Real estate marketing kickstarter ebook!

Before you post, think about how you need to tell a particular story. Use a combination of copy and visuals to get the best results. Here’s a few questions to keep your storytelling on track:

Is this story going to be interesting?
What is the best way to tell this story?
How do people want to see this story and how are they going to consume it? (Visual Element).

Put yourself in your clients’ shoes. Answer questions. Be a resource on social media. Think about how can you step in to provide guidance for what can be a potentially stressful situation. By doing this, you’re helping potential clients build their own story about you. One that sees you as a helpful real estate agent that understands their struggles.

Telling a story with email

Believe it or not, you can. Stories can be long, novel length, meandering narratives… or they can be quick, quippy, and engaging. Email is obviously the place for the shorter versions.

People get a lot of email, and your story can get lost if you don’t have an interesting subject line. Spend some time creating a subject line that stands out!

Try creating a series of emails that focuses on the struggles, or “pain points,” a seller experiences as he or she navigates the selling process. Begin your email with an interesting, attention-grabbing hook sentence, introduce a problem that the seller can relate to, and get at how you can help. Also, include some visuals to maintain the attention of your recipients.

Write your emails like you’re writing to a single person, and don’t be afraid of using “I” in an email. It’s much easier for people to relate to you. In fact, some of the most effective emails look plain but contain powerful, personalized messaging that resonates with buyers and sellers.

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Working storytelling into your website

Websites are more than welcome mats for your real estate business. Use them to invite visitors into the larger story of how you help buyers and sellers!

Colors, copy, and branding all have an impact on the overall story you’re telling about your business. When was the last time you took a good look at your site to see if it’s communicating the right message? Is it too corporate? Too personal? Consider the value you bring to the table, in addition to who you’re marketing to, and make adjustments as needed.

Is the copy on your website just plain boring? Be different. “Whatever you do, don’t be boring. Do not let the words on your page hide the personalities behind your organization” (Quick Sprout).

A good way to relate to website visitors is to include images and graphics that in some ways mirror who they are. For example, if your target clients belong to an older demographic, it might make sense to include photos on your site that represent these clients.

Blogging: tell a story, even if it’s informational

Words are great for telling stories. Go figure.

Failures. Wins. Losses. Happy moments. Think these are out of place in your real estate blog? Everybody on the planet can relate to these emotions, buyers and sellers included. Even informational pieces can benefit from a little emotion. Find these connections and don’t shy away from them in your writing.

Instead of treating your blog like a long ad or an essay, opt for a conversational tone. Also, include relevant images, graphics, and photos to help tell your story. Canva is a great tool for adding visual elements to your blog.

Write pieces that are worth writing and that add value to the home search or sale. By putting clients’ interests ahead of your own agenda, they should sense that you care and find it easier to relate to you.

Branding and storytelling

Branding is more than a logo. And “[c]ontrary to popular belief, brand storytelling is not about your company. It’s about your customers and the value that they get when engaging with your product or service. The most powerful brand stories are the ones that prioritize customers as the stars. Think of your company as a supporting character” (Quick Sprout).

Care about people and be good at what you do. Good marketing isn’t manipulative, and you certainly don’t want people to associate you with words like “salesy” or “pushy.” What’s better? Don’t overpromise, and actually provide value. Isn’t that what successful brands do? Why is it any different for real estate?

Everything we’ve mentioned in the previous sections all ties into branding. It’s a combination of the colors, images, blogs, emails… almost everything you say (verbally or with images). Take inventory of all of your marketing and make sure that you’re telling one big story. If you’re not, you may run the risk of confusing potential clients about your value. Is everything all tying together, or are you saying lots of different things?

“With 35 years of combined experience, we’re a group of real estate professionals committed to providing home buyers the help they need.” Sound familiar? Sounds like almost every other agent in town. Instead of doing what everyone else is doing, work to create an emotional connection with your brand. One way to do this is to talk about your customers more than yourself. Whether you’re using your blog, video, email, or images, keep your customers in view.

How will your story begin?

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. Some stories give us a chance to ease into the plot line, but others invite us to jump right in! We’ve talked a lot about telling a story with digital marketing… and obviously there’s more we could say. But there was probably something that stuck out to you. Is that where you will begin?

Ready to get started with storytelling on social media? Let’s set up a time to show you how Paradym can help.