Real Estate Marketing: 15 Ideas to Gain Inspiration From

Real estate marketing is about developing the right strategy to create a unique brand, build trust, and showcase the value you bring to buyers and sellers as a property developer, real estate agency, solo agent, or property investor.

As with marketing for any business or industry, it’s about working out how to stand out in your local crowded market.

Before we dive headfirst into a list of potential marketing tactics you can employ, it’s helpful to explore why real estate marketing matters. Let's explore some of the benefits:

You’re offering a service to buyers and sellers that many others in your area also provide. One way you can convince prospective clients to choose you is by building a reputation for expertise and trustworthiness.

By consistently promoting your brand identity, recent sales, and success stories, you demonstrate credibility and social proof. Social proof is the evidence that demonstrates your ability to solve customer pain points, which is highly influential in convincing potential customers to choose your service.

You could further build on this foundation by providing value to leads and creating helpful resources on your website or social media, providing tips for navigating the market.

All of these actions build your offering as one of a trusted, credible partner instead of merely a business selling a product or service.

The right marketing choices help prospective buyers, tenants, and sellers feel confident that you understand the market and their needs.

All the right marketing choices won’t matter if you don’t deliver your messages to the right people — your target audience. Effective real estate marketing is built upon considerable market research that will help you pinpoint your target market and learn more about it.

Here are some questions that you may want to consider:

• Are you targeting first-time home buyers or those looking to buy upscale properties?
• What messaging does each of these respond to?
• What are they looking for in a real estate agent?

By matching the right message to the right audience, you can generate more qualified leads and gain a better return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts.

A strong real estate marketing strategy will address needs at every stage of the buyer’s journey. The idea is to use digital marketing channels, print ads, professional videos, social media, and many other methods to guide potential clients through your sales pipeline, gently nudging them along toward choosing your service.

This means reaching audiences at the following stages:

• Guides
• Blog posts
• Infographics
• Educational videos

• Property showcase videos/tours
• Client testimonials
• Market reports

Email newsletters with listings

• Negotiation and closing guides
• Personalised consultations
• In-person or virtual property showings
• Home valuation tools

Real estate marketing shouldn’t just be about customer acquisition. Regular communication and engaging content can nurture relationships with existing customers, converting them into long-term partners.

This dynamic is especially valuable — a mutually beneficial relationship with repeat business, referrals, and ongoing brand loyalty while you continue to supply your expertise on the housing market.

Crafting a solid marketing plan for your real estate business involves mixing both online and offline tactics. The offline element is especially important in an industry where the human personal touch can be a difference-maker.

Here are 15 marketing ideas to spark your creativity, along with examples of how real estate professionals in Australia have successfully used them.

Investing a little effort in the photo and video quality of properties can go a long way. Doing so reflects well on your business, showing professionalism and care in your presentation.

Professional-quality photos and virtual tours can create an emotional connection for real estate buyers and renters, especially for those from out of town who are unable to visit a property in person.

Ray White is an excellent example of a real estate agent who understands the power of excellent images:

Each listing always has plenty of professional photos for the viewer to browse and get a feel for the property. The photos are stylish, looking like they belong in an upscale furniture brochure. These images highlight a property’s unique features, giving buyers a compelling first impression online.

Going a step further, aerial photos and drone footage of a property can elevate your imagery game, no longer the domain of purely luxury listings.

Agencies like LJ Hooker use aerial views to showcase large plots, nearby amenities, and scenic surroundings, helping prospective buyers see the full scope of a property’s location.

This level of helpful imagery accomplishes two things:

1. You provide more valuable information to a prospective customer
2. You present your business as an expert, professional operation, potentially a standout among competitors who don’t offer a similar level of insight into a property

In short, adding those drone shots is a flex that customers are likely to admire.

Platforms like Facebook or Instagram let you showcase listings in a casual, shareable way, tapping into massive user bases. Targeted ads can also narrow down demographics and interests for better lead quality.

For instance, both platforms will let you tinker with who gets to see your ads.

This customisation is a fantastic opportunity if you have done your market research well and have a clear idea of your buyer personas. You can get your social-media-appropriate short, engaging content in front of eyes that may be interested in your service.

They also put faces to the business through agent profiles and mini-introductory videos. This choice is an excellent example of using social media to personalise the brand, further encouraging a trusting relationship with customers — it’s people helping people rather than a business looking for a customer.

Modern consumers expect a certain level of personalisation from a brand. Today, marketing tools can leverage the latest AI developments to make it easier than ever to create a personal connection with a client.

You can set up personalisation in an email marketing campaign to do more than address customers by name — creating tailored content that speaks to their specific needs.

This is called email segmentation, where you intelligently group clients (e.g., first-home buyers vs. downsizers) and deliver relevant content that resonates with their unique situation, boosting click-through rates and avoiding irrelevant content.

Providing educational material — like “selling guides” or “investing tips” — positions you as a trusted advisor with expert insights into the market.

Customers appreciate brands that help them navigate complex processes.

Domain is a great example of a brand that positions itself as an educator on the market:

A content marketing machine also has the added benefit of improving your search engine visibility.

This visibility depends on you implementing a comprehensive SEO strategy in which you optimise your content for relevant industry and local keywords. The desired result is you appear higher in search engine results for those terms that your audience is searching for.

Many real estate agents rely on a local presence in the community for referrals and repeat business. You could consider doing a bunch of marketing activities locally to increase word-of-mouth marketing — where your name gets brought up when anybody is looking to rent, buy, or sell.

For example, collaborating with nearby mortgage brokers, interior designers, or even cafés can expand your reach. Joint promotions show you understand the community and can help to build trust with potential buyers.

Or, you could sponsor the local girl's soccer team, an award at a school, or an event at a local charity. This not only increases brand visibility but also demonstrates your commitment to supporting the community, making you a trusted and familiar name when people are looking for real estate services.

No matter how well you present a listing online, in-person property visits are still going to remain a fundamental part of the selling process for a real estate broker or agent.

In property marketing, nothing quite replaces the experience of being present in the space and experiencing a home’s vibe firsthand.

Adding unique touches can make a big difference when staging a house . For example, many agents furnish homes with modern, stylish furniture, and some even hire interior designers to elevate the appeal.

You could even consider providing fresh pastries or fruit at an open house. Add fresh flowers for colour and fragrance, and play music. These little touches can make a house feel more homely.

But what about those people who have busy schedules or can’t attend an open house because they’re from out of town? Live-streamed walkthroughs can ensure no one misses an opportunity to see your listing.

These events also allow you to answer any queries in real-time, providing valuable information about a listing even if the potential buyer or renter isn’t physically present. Just because you can’t meet face-to-face doesn’t mean you can’t build a relationship.

If a virtual open house isn’t an option, consider filming the property and uploading the video to its property listing. This is a great way to provide property buyers

Print advertisements in local papers can still have a place in a marketing strategy. That’s because some local suburban papers still have a dedicated daily or weekly readership. This devoted following translates to many eyes seeing the ads you place there, and it is a worthwhile investment.

Real estate agents often rely on a positive local reputation, and placing ads in a community reinforces the sense that your business is part and parcel of the local community fabric.

You’ll notice a running theme here about traditional in-the-community advertising. Billboards are another way to make your presence in a target suburb felt.

These placements reinforce brand awareness in high-traffic areas. Commuters repeatedly see your messaging, keeping your agency top-of-mind when they’re ready to buy or sell and create awareness.

For instance, if you’re driving through Sydney’s Hill District, you might notice a local property agent’s billboard or signage at a shopping centre or train station.

Personalised business cards still make it easy to share contact information with a prospect, especially at networking events, property seminars, or open houses.

A professional design, your photo, and a concise tagline can make you memorable. Adding more modern features, like a QR code, can direct potential leads to your website, where they can find other helpful information about your business.

As with all your marketing collateral, ensure the design and tone of voice are consistent with your broader brand. You can use tools like Canva to create a business card with ready-to-go templates.

Direct mail can help you stand out amid all the noise and distractions of emails and digital ads. Recipients often perceive a tangible mail piece as more personal, especially if it includes their name or a handwritten note.

If this seems too optimistic, think of it this way: they’ll almost definitely see your letter or postcard, even if they only glance at it before throwing it away. That’s more than can be guaranteed for your email messages.

Again, like other marketing tactics on this list, you are targeting a specific suburb or demographic relevant to your business.

Harcourts has sent postcards featuring recent sales stats and an invitation to “request an appraisal.” Anyone curious about their property’s value can simply pick up the phone or scan a QR code to learn more.

A referral program formalises this by offering a small perk to past clients who recommend you to their family or neighbours. The perk can be something as simple as a gift card or a donation to a local charity in their name.

Defending against this negative stereotype is why referral programs are so important in real estate. Having somebody vouch for your expertise and credibility can be a powerful differentiator, putting you ahead of competitors.

Clark Real Estate, based in Brisbane, offers a referral program with cash incentives instead of perks for successful referrals.

Lead magnets are free resources designed to draw in potential clients by offering something of immediate value (remember, marketing is all about adding value for customers). For example, you could provide a “local market price report” into a Sydney suburb or a “home loan checklist.”

A real estate broker might create an e-book with tips on preparing a property for sale and then share it via social media or email to pique interest among homeowners.

Landing pages, on the other hand, are single-purpose web pages built to capture contact information. Typically, your lead magnet is the incentive: you promise the valuable resource in exchange for a visitor’s email or phone number.

For example, a Sydney-based agency could run Facebook ads directing curious homeowners to a page titled “Download Your Free Suburb Growth Report.” Once visitors submit their details, they receive the report immediately.

The visitor gets valuable information, while you get contact details for a potential lead, you can follow up with later.

This two-step approach (offering a high-value resource and then collecting contact details on a dedicated landing page) helps you identify genuinely interested prospects. You can nurture these prospects further with tailored marketing.

While it may seem obvious, posting your listings on major portals like realestate.com.au and Domain is non-negotiable in Australia. These sites offer unparalleled reach and will be the first port-of-call for many prospects looking to rent, buy, or sell.

Be sure to include high-quality photos, floor plans, and inviting headlines to stand out from competing listings.

Agents from McGrath Estate Agents often combine their property photos with carefully written listings on realestate.com.au, capturing viewer interest.

Choosing a mixture of the above marketing ideas will let you offer a mix of offline and online strategies, giving you a good chance of connecting with buyers.

Local people are looking for real estate agents. They might be browsing social media or flicking through the community paper. Either way, you’ll want to capture their attention.

By investing in high-quality visuals and engaging messaging that aligns with your audience's interests, you can draw in prospective buyers and sellers while solidifying your reputation as a trusted real estate expert in your area.

Here’s how to create a real estate marketing plan:

You have to start by narrowing down who you want to reach. Understanding your ideal client, who you specialise in serving, helps you tailor everything else you do. In particular, it will determine your messaging and your distribution channels.

Define what you want to achieve: more qualified leads, a higher conversion rate, or increased brand awareness. Align key performance indicators (like inquiries received or open house attendance) with these goals to track your progress.

Consider the marketing channels that best fit your audience and resources. Real estate agents often find social media, SEO, and email campaigns effective for reaching buyers. For property managers, local networking, online reviews, and direct mail can help connect with tenants and property owners. Find what works best for you.

Map out the content you’ll produce to deliver value at every stage of the customer journey.

This can include blog posts, property videos, or even a monthly rental appraisal guide. Having a content calendar ensures consistent posting and helps maintain brand visibility.

There are many tools available to help real estate agents streamline their tasks. Automating processes like lead management, sales tracking, email follow-ups, and customer engagement can save valuable time.

For example, Salesforce Marketing Cloud can unify contact information, automate follow-up emails, and track results in real-time, helping you stay organised and efficient.

Allocate funds to each marketing activity and set kind deadlines for yourself. Don’t put pressure on yourself to accomplish too much too soon, given that marketing is likely to only make up a portion of your daily/weekly/monthly workload working in real estate.

Break down the entire sales process into steps (e.g., property listing, open house campaigns, follow-up calls) so you don’t lose track of tasks.

Schedule regular check-ins to track progress toward your KPIs and identify opportunities for improvement. For instance, you might fine-tune a social ad to boost engagement or adjust an open house strategy to attract more interest.

Every adjustment helps refine your approach, keeping your marketing plan dynamic and effective.