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Friday, October 10, 2025

marketing strategies

    As a new small business owner navigating the marketing of your business can consume a lot of your time.

    Sure, determining a budget should come first, followed by how you’ll allot that money. 

    Over time, however, it’s also important to track how well those dollars are working for you and which marketing methods give you the biggest bang for your buck.

    Fortunately, there are several easy and practical methods you can employ to track the ROI of your marketing dollars without breaking the bank or requiring advanced analytics expertise.

    Before you do anything else

    Before diving into any marketing campaign, it’s essential to establish clear and measurable objectives. When it comes to marketing, whether it’s marketing to increase eyes on your website or making the phone ring, the end goal is to generate leads.

    Define your goal with each marketing vehicle you plan on using. Whether it’s increasing website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales, defining specific goals will provide you with a benchmark against which you can measure your ROI.

    The Empty Nest Series is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.

    Use Google Analytics to track your marketing performance

    For instance, if you are considering social media marketing, you might want to use Google Analytics. 

    The service,  “… under search traffic, will tell you where your visits are coming from. You will be able to see returning visitors through that tab, which will allow you to then calculate your related ROI,” according to a Quora.com user and social media agency owner.

    Other metrics to track, such as website traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates, will help you assess the impact of your marketing efforts on your online presence. 

    Put your email marketing platform to work

    Plan on marketing via email? Platforms such as Constant Contact and Mailchimp make it easy to track the performance of your email campaigns and identify areas for improvement.

    Take the time now, before you become the busy agent we know you’ll be, to get to know your platform, inside and out.

    Regularly Review and Adjust

    Tracking ROI is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and tweaking. Regularly review what you’re doing to identify what’s working well and what areas need improvement. 

    When you find a marketing method (or several) that works, pour more money behind it and dump the stuff that isn’t working. You can always revisit them in the future. Right now, though, as a new agent, every penny should count.

    When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

    1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazin

    Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

    2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner

    The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

    3. The Free Online Real Estate Business Plan

    The Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your financial goals.   – Click Here

    4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

      “There’s someone for everyone,” an old adage, but nevertheless accurate.

      And it’s true for houses as well. There’s a buyer for every house; sometimes, it just takes longer to make the match.

      But there are other reasons aside from being overpriced that homes don’t sell, as you well know.

      Dated homes, from layout to easier-to-fix problems like nasty wallpaper, ugly carpet, or just plain filth, may send buyers fleeing back out to their cars.

      It’s not only the home you’ll need to work with but your client as well.

      What is a problem listing?

      Aside from the obvious (filth, outdated features, bad layout), there are other reasons a home may end up on the hard-to-sell list. These include:

      Location of the home

      Unreasonable or unacceptable HOA rules

      Cosmetic problems

      Poor renovation choices

      Bad neighbors

      Yes, other problems may pop up that make a home a problem listing, but these are among the most common.

      Offer solutions

      “Some problems with properties require more work than others,” say the Chicagoagent.com editors. We would add that some require more money as well.

      Agent Jolenta Averill of Madison, Wisconsin’s Lake & City Homes knows this first-hand.

      Averill took a listing for a circa 1940s home. It had been gutted and remodeled, removing all traces of the charm of the period. 

      The Call to Action Series is shown above. The learn more, Click Here.

      In the process, the front door had also been removed and the space walled over, creating a major psychological barrier for potential homeowners. 

      The homeowner fired her original listing agent and hired Averill before leaving the state to get to her new job in Florida.

      With an absentee owner, the agent was forced to take control of the situation. She requested architectural renderings and price quotes from several contractors, tasking them with designing a walkway, a stairway, and, of course, a formal front entryway.

      Rather than becoming overwhelmed by how much work might be required, Averill reviewed her analysis with an eye toward what might concern buyers the most. In the end, “There wasn’t an objection I didn’t consider and couldn’t handle,” she said.

      Be their pillar

      Sellers of problem homes are often frightened, and can you blame them? They worry about how much work and money it will cost to make the home competitive in the market. They worry that the home may not sell at all. 

      They have no idea where to start the process. That’s where you come in.

      “You have to take the time to investigate and tell them nothing is impossible,” according to agent Julie Brown at chicagoagentmagazine.com.

      “Some things are harder than others, but you should be able to reach out and find resources to help you … It’s constant communication and just telling them that you’re there for them. You’re not just there to help them make a sale. You’re there to help them through the entire process, whatever comes up,” She concludes.

      When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

      1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazin

      Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

      2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner

      The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

      3. The Free Online Real Estate Business Plan

      The Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your financial goals.   – Click Here

      4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

      This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

      Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

        Each year, the folks at realtrends.com release their annual real estate website rankings. Those rankings, regardless of the company compiling them, are always a fun read.

        Realtrend’s criteria for getting a spot on their list include websites with the “best design.” In fact, they’re looking for “show-stopping websites.”

        These are not always the best-designed websites to increase organic SEO or capture leads.

        Nope. 

        It’s not just the prettiness factor that proves a real estate website “… has what it takes.” We beg to differ. The “best” real estate websites actually work for their agent-owners. 

        They do this by ranking in organic searches, helping to convert leads, educating visitors about the buying and selling process, and informing them about the area and its attractions. 

        The Quotecard Series is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.

        And they do it while not annoying the visitor, making them search for the information they need, by loading at lightning-fast speeds and more.

        There’s an old Duke Ellington-composed song that says it all: “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

        The best real estate websites are not only pretty, but they’ve also “got that swing”

        A real estate website that has “that swing”:

        • Features responsive design (don’t yawn–we’ll explain, in plain English)
        • Is attractive in its simplicity
        • Converts visitors, or leads, into prospects
        • Attracts organic search engine traffic
        • Is user-focused 

        Let’s take a look at each aspect in more detail. Then, use this information when having your real estate website built.

        Responsive design

        This is one of those phrases that makes eyes glaze over. 

        What it refers to is a website that adapts its “… content based on the browser space available. This allows consistency between what a site shows on a desktop and what it shows on a handheld device,” according to Mads Soegaard at interaction-design.org.

        Why is this important? Responsive websites load quicker on mobile devices. And, since 76% of homebuyers use a mobile device when searching for homes and agents, responsiveness is critical.

        Attractive in its simplicity

        Think “clean” when it comes to a real estate agent’s website layout. Don’t let anything detract from your branding, from your CTAs, and from the user’s experience (fluff won’t be read anyway). 

        Leave a lot of white space, use short sentences and paragraphs, and take advantage of bulleted and numbered lists.

        “… make your website — especially your homepage — simple and clean with easy-to-navigate buttons and tabs,” suggests the pros at quicksprout.com.

        Simplicity is key, they say because sites “… with simple designs have higher conversion rates.”

        Check back soon for part 2 where we’ll show you how to build a website that attracts organic search engine traffic, ensures higher conversion rates, and the extra “goodies” it should offer real estate agents.

        When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

        1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazin

        Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

        2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner

        The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

        3. The Free Online Real Estate Business Plan

        The Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your financial goals.   – Click Here

        4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

        Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

          In today’s competitive market, real estate agents need a strong strategy to attract home sellers and secure more listings. Whether new to the industry or a seasoned pro, these six proven tactics will help you generate leads, build trust, and grow your business.

          1. Target Your Ideal Seller with Direct Mail

          Direct mail remains one of the most effective ways to reach potential home sellers. Sending market updates, just-sold postcards, and home valuation offers help you stay top of mind when homeowners are ready to sell.

          2. Use Video Marketing to Engage Sellers

          Homeowners want to work with agents who showcase their expertise. Create short videos explaining the home-selling process, market trends, or success stories from past sellers.

          Post these on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to build credibility and attract sellers searching for guidance.

          The Q1 Real Estate Marketing Guide is shown above. For a FREE download, Click Here.

          3. Build Relationships with Local Businesses

          Partner with moving companies, home stagers, mortgage brokers, and contractors who frequently interact with homeowners preparing to sell. Offer referral incentives or collaborate on events to educate homeowners about selling.

          4. Create a “Seller Concierge” Program

          Differentiate yourself by offering exclusive seller services such as free home staging consultations, pre-listing home inspections, or deep-cleaning services. Position this as a value-added service to encourage homeowners to list with you over competitors.

          5. Target Absentee Owners & Expired Listings

          Absentee homeowners (e.g., landlords and vacant property owners) are often motivated sellers. Send direct mail, emails, or even make calls offering a free property evaluation and insights into market conditions.

          Re-engage expired listings by presenting a fresh marketing plan and explaining how you can help them successfully sell their home.

          6. Host Local Home Seller Workshops

          Educating homeowners on selling builds trust and positions you as an expert. Hosting webinars or in-person events about market trends, home staging, and pricing strategies can generate warm leads.

          Getting more listings requires a mix of proactive marketing, relationship-building, and leveraging technology.

          By implementing these six tactics, you can increase your visibility, attract motivated sellers, and grow your real estate business.

          WATCH THIS VIDEO   Target your local market and generate more listings with ease. Learn how the Local Market Stats Postcard Series AUTOMATICALLY adds local stats to your postcard FOR YOU.

          PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

          1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

          Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

           

           

          2. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Plan

          The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

            If it feels like the whole Artificial Intelligence (AI) thing is taking off without you, you’re not alone.

            “Nobody is asking whether AI is moving fast enough, and …, it’s certainly not behind the times,” suggests Jon Arnold, Principal of J Arnold & Associates. 

            He goes on to say “If anything, the times are now trying to catch up with AI, as its recent evolution has happened faster than our ability to adapt.” (emphasis is mine)

            But adapt, we must, especially if we hope to attract clients via our websites.

            Google Search is incorporating AI Generative Search. 

            Let’s look at the Google Search changes and how real estate agents can adapt.

            AI Generative Search

            Google’s new search not only looks different but it will act differently as well. 

            The folks at Google say that the new search “… uses generative AI to give you more information and context to your searches.”

            What is Generative AI? “Generative AI focuses on creating new and original content, chat responses, designs, synthetic data or even deepfakes,” according to George Lawton, a London journalist who has studied the topic.

            For the general public, Generative AI search differs from a normal Google search in that it won’t give the user a list of links.

            Instead, Search Generative Experience (or SGE, Google’s name for the service) “… uses AI to answer your questions right on the Google Search webpage,” says Imad Kahn at cnet.com.

            “After entering a query in Google Search, a green or blue box will expand with a novel answer generated by Google’s large language model, like the one powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT,” he concludes.

            The Local Market Stats Series is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.

            What Does the Average Real Estate Agent Need to Know?

            One of the biggest impacts that SGE will have on agents is in regard to SEO for their websites. 

            While still in development, early users of Google’s SGE claim that it may obliterate SEO efforts by reducing “… visibility for organic search results.” (yoast.com) 

            How? By placing the “…. AI-generated overviews at the top of search results, users may find the need to click significantly reduced..”

            Agents who depend on their websites to generate a significant number of leads will need to make appearing in the “…AI-generated snapshot” their priority.

            Parthi Loganathan, CEO of Letterdrop and formerly with Google Search’s product management team suggests that we “… focus on providing new and valuable information, improve readability, and encourage others to cover your product.”

            He goes on to claim that “Opinionated content with a clear perspective is becoming more important as AI-generated answers answer simple questions with factual answers.”

            Again, SGE is still in development but it’s only a matter of time until it becomes the norm when using Google’s search engine. 

            Do the research to understand exactly how your content can be included in that soon-to-be coveted AI-generated snapshot box at the top of the search results.

            We’ll keep you posted as to SGE’s progress.

            When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

            1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazin

            Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

            2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner

            The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

            3. The Free Online Real Estate Business Plan

            The Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your financial goals.   – Click Here

            4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

            This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

            Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

              Do you ever wonder why they don’t call you a “lead generator” instead of a real estate agent? After all, generating leads consumes a huge portion of the typical agent’s work week.

              If you’re new to the business, getting leads is a make-or-break proposition. Either you generate solid leads, or you go out of business.

              Yes, this is not the best time to hunt down real estate consumers. The media is doing a good job of scaring them away from the market. But there are buyers out there.

              We asked several agents we know what they’re doing right now that is inexpensive, and they graciously allowed us to share their answers.

              1. Tweet 

              Although we don’t recommend Twitter for marketing your real estate business, we thought diehard Tweet fans might enjoy this tip.

              Anytime you have a free couple of minutes, hop on Twitter and type “moving to [name of the city]” in the search box. You can use variations of the search term as well. Try these:

              • Buy a house in [name of city or name of the neighborhood]
              • Best neighborhood in [name of city] to buy a house
              • Real estate agent in [name of market]

              These were off the top of our heads, and you’ll no doubt come up with more.

              This tip, by the way, comes from Bernice Ross at Inman.com.

              2. Content works if done right

              According to statistics at Placester.com, more than three-quarters of homebuyers who use the internet when house hunting say that they prefer reading articles over being blasted by ads or self-promotion when visiting an agent’s website.

              “Any old message or clever tagline isn’t going to pique their interest – what they crave now is useful, interesting content,” cautions Seth Price at Placester.com.

              Content marketing won’t give instant results, but when it starts working, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start long before.

              By the way, a brilliant way to increase your site’s visitors is by posting and sharing content about local businesses on social media. Be sure to send a copy to the business so they can share the free advertising with their readers.

              3. Use others’ listings

              No listings of your own? Ask your colleagues if you can share their listings on your blog and social media. Facebook is an especially good platform for sharing listings, as long as you don’t do it too often.

              Stick to listings taken within your brokerage, and talk it over with the listing agent first.

              Bonus tip: Spread the truth about what’s happening in the market. Nobody knows better than you that the market isn’t as bad as the media makes it out to be. People are looking at homes, this is an excellent sign that real estate is alive and kickin’!

              When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

              1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

              Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

              2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

              The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

              3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

              The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

              4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

              This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

              Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

                Although the attribution is under debate, Albert Einstein famously defined insanity as “… doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” 

                Regardless of who truly gave that one to the world, it sure is true, isn’t it?

                As we head into a fresh, new year, it’s time to do a lookback at 2023. What worked? What didn’t? What did you hope to accomplish that you didn’t? Where are the gaps in your marketing plan that need to be filled?

                Is this the year you’ll hire help? 

                Today we throw out some ideas. No, nothing new, but perhaps new to your business in 2024.

                Understand your audience

                “Census data shows that 4 in 10 Americans are finding it difficult to cover their expenses,” according to Emma Newbery at Fool.com.

                “On average, Americans need an additional $11,434 to afford the same standard of living in October 2023 compared with January 2021 …,” suggests Aimee Picchi at CBSNews.com, citing a study by the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee.

                Sadly, the media doesn’t seem to understand the plight of average Americans in this economy. They deliver the news as if we’re doing peachy, making money hand over fist without a care in the world.

                Naturally, those struggling the most are not likely in the market to buy a house right now. But, rest assured that a chunk of the higher earners in that 40% of Americans just may be.

                The Get More Listings II Series is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.

                Are you online enough?

                Strengthen your online presence via social media and a robust offering of advice and information on your website.

                The secret? Ensure that what you post is irresistibly sharable.

                These topics don’t all have to be real-estate related. In fact, those that are shared the most tend to be community-related, such as those about local coffee shops, restaurants, dog groomers, etc.

                Yes, you’ll want to throw in educational real estate pieces to show your expertise and educate your followers. But social media is a place for them to get to know all aspects of who you are.

                Get a Niche

                Have you considered specializing in a real estate niche? Focusing on one group of people, type of property or neighborhood is an amazing way to stand out from the crowd of other agents in your area.

                Popular and lucrative niches include:

                • People – veterans, ethnic, foreign buyers, generational (for instance, baby boomers, or Gen X), new-home buyers.
                • Geographic – as mentioned earlier, this might be specializing in a particular neighborhood, condo community, or beach-front properties for instance.
                • Property type: luxury, starter homes, condos, multi-generational homes, new construction, waterfront, golf course.

                Use your content, both website and social media, to show them you’re not blind to their plight. Keep them abreast of the local market, but have some fun too. Any positive news you can provide will have them coming back for more.

                When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

                1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

                Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

                2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

                The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

                3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

                The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

                4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

                This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

                Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

                  “Hello Mary, this is Edith at the IRS and I notice that you missed claiming several deductions on your tax return,” is a phone call nobody ever has or ever will receive.

                  Yet, despite all the terms and conditions placed on them, about 39.6 million Americans claim more than $1.1 trillion in tax deductions on itemized returns. 

                  Sounds like a ton-o’-money, doesn’t it?

                  Consider this: 2.2 million tax filers who didn’t itemize, but took the standard deduction instead, gave the government nearly $1 billion that they didn’t have to.

                  Sure, itemizing is a hassle but that’s why we hire accountants, right? Your only job is to keep track of all of your expenses. 

                  And, as a real estate professional, you have a lot of expenses that can be transformed into deductions.

                  Document everything

                  Guesstimates of your mileage, how much gas you used and other auto-related expenses will get you about as far as a Zestimate gets a homeowner looking for home value. 

                  Relying on them may cause you to leave money on the table.

                  Then, the IRS requires accurate documentation, should you be audited. 

                  “The devil is in the detail,” warns Bill Zumwalt, former tax coach to real estate agents. “If you have documentation, it will be your friend.”

                  OK, so let’s jump into some of the more common automobile deductions that apply to the real estate professional and some tips on how to document them.

                  The Empty Nest Series is shown above, Click Here.

                  Bought a car in 2023?

                  Yup, it’s a fact: being a buyer’s agent means practically living in your car. 

                  Without getting too technical, if you’re thinking of getting a new tin can to be locked up in all day, and it happens to be a “heavy” SUV, you may want to purchase or lease a 2024 model.

                  A heavy SUV, by the way, would be something like a Tahoe or Land Cruiser— any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 6,000 pounds. You can find a list of qualified vehicles at mileiq.com.

                  The depreciation deduction falls under Section 179 of the IRS code. “Section 179 is a provision of the US tax code that allows businesses to deduct (i.e., write off) the purchase price of qualifying equipment, vehicles, and software in the year it was purchased, as opposed to depreciating it a little at a time over several years,” according to the experts at Crest Capital.

                  You can bone up on the details at IRS.gov.

                  Deductible auto expenses

                  Keep careful records of your mileage this year because you’ll get more money per mile than you did last year: 65.5 cents per mile driven for business use.

                  And, keep in mind that mileage may just be your biggest tax deduction, according to CPAs at Rick C. Reed and Company in Texas.

                  Don’t neglect the following expenses, though:

                  • Car washes
                  • Repairs
                  • Gas (including tax on gas)
                  • Tires
                  • Parking
                  • Tolls
                  • Depreciation
                  • Maintenance costs
                  • Vehicle registration fees
                  • Lease payments
                  • Insurance

                  Learn more about vehicle expenses online at IRS.gov.

                  When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

                  1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

                  Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

                  2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

                  The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

                  3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

                  The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

                  4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

                  This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

                  Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

                    Today, we’re offering two tax tips to help take the sting out of 2023.

                    Home office deductions

                    And, here you thought the biggest perk to working from home was not having to deal with office politics.

                    Having a home office offers a slew of tax deductions and, according to Crumbaugh, many agents miss a lot of them.

                    And, even tenants can take the deduction. So, part of what you pay every month in rent on your home would be deductible.

                    Some of the more commonly overlooked expenses, a percentage of which can be deducted, include:

                    • Homeowners or renter’s insurance
                    • Mortgage interest
                    • Property taxes
                    • Utilities
                    • Repairs and maintenance (of the office area)
                    • Depreciation
                    • Casualty losses

                    As you can imagine, the IRS has a number of stringent requirements to meet before these are considered allowable expenses and they all have to do with whether or not your home office is really an office.

                    Oh, those silly skeptics at the IRS.

                    Basically, your home office must be your primary place of business and you must use the space regularly and exclusively.

                    Read the fine print at IRS.gov.

                    Assigning work to your kids

                    Dusting, wiping the mud off signs and lockboxes, and even doing online research are all jobs that your kids can do for you. In fact, if there’s something you normally hire someone else to do, consider hiring your child or grandchild instead.

                    “The IRS has accepted that your child may be an employee of your business,” says author and attorney, Stephan Fishman at nolo.com.

                    We aren’t talking about child labor here, but what we’re talking about is well within the limits of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rules are different when the child is working in a family business.

                    Now, those are the federal agency’s guidelines. State rules vary, so speak with your accountant or with the state Department of Labor.

                    You’ll be able to deduct your child’s salary and any fringe benefits you offer, such as health insurance. And, check this out:

                    Your child won’t be subject to Medicare or Social Security taxes if your business is “a sole proprietorship or a partnership in which each partner is a parent of the child.”

                    And, if the kids are younger than 21, you won’t have to pay unemployment taxes for them.

                    Finally, your child won’t have to file a tax return as long as his or her income doesn’t exceed the standard deduction—helpful information when deciding how much to pay the child.

                    Get more information on hiring your kids from the IRS. We aren’t tax professionals but what we do know is the power of tax deductions. Work with a professional to ensure you get every deduction you are entitled to.

                    PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

                    1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

                    Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

                    2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

                    The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

                    3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

                    The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

                    4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

                    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

                    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

                      Quick! What is the purpose of your real estate website? It’s a given that some of the most common purposes are to showcase your listings, offer IDX for home shoppers, and create brand awareness.

                      All worthy goals for real estate agents. 

                      Reaching those goals requires website traffic, otherwise, you’re just whistling in the wind.

                      If you want your real estate website to attract visitors and generate leads, you need to pay attention to it. Today, we take a look at five ways you can optimize your real estate website to get more eyes on it.

                      1. Is your real estate website design responsive?

                      “A responsive web design automatically adjusts for different-sized screens and viewports,” according to the folks at bluecorona.com.

                      Why is this important?

                      U.S. adults spend more than five hours per day on their smartphones, generating more than “… 60% of website traffic,” according to Robin Layton at allconnect.com, a broadband marketplace.

                      This means that the chances are excellent that your website traffic will come via potential clients searching on their smartphones. If your site isn’t responsive they most likely won’t stick around to see what you have to offer.

                      You can test your website, free, with Google’s Mobile Friendly Test.

                      2. What keywords are you targeting?

                      Real estate agent websites seem to draw more traffic when keywords are local. 

                      Oh, imagine that! All real estate really is local.

                      If I want to purchase or sell a home in Las Vegas, NV, I won’t be asking Google to show me homes for sale or listing agents in Nevada. 

                      Since all real estate is local, all keywords on your site should be local as well. This includes specific neighborhoods.

                      Purchase a ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card. The perfect gift for real estate agents. Plus, save 10% off of every gift card purchase. To learn more, Click Here.

                      3. Are you consistently adding new content to the site?

                      The best way to do this is by blogging, consistently.  

                      Keep visitors up-to-date on what’s happening in the local market. Offer reviews of places you like to eat, drink (coffee or cocktails!), get your dog groomed, etc. The topics are endless.

                      Be sure to send copies of business reviews to the business owners. You may just earn a spot on their blog! Instant traffic.

                      Don’t forget to shoot these blog posts out to your social media platforms as well.

                      4. Include testimonials 

                      This tip isn’t so much to help generate traffic as it is to help impress the visitors you are able to attract. 

                      Sure, you can toot your own horn, but that will most likely go in one ear and out the other.

                      Social proof is far more convincing and relatable and can positively impact their choice of an agent.

                      Visitors are also more likely to stick around longer. After all, others find you trustworthy, so why shouldn’t they?

                      PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

                      1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

                      Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

                      2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

                      The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

                      3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

                      The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

                      4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

                      This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

                      Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

                        The end of the year is creeping up on us and with it comes the inevitable look-back on your real estate business. How’d you do? 

                        If you didn’t get the results you were aiming for, your year-end business planning may require an overhaul of your real estate marketing plan. 

                        It takes money

                        It may sound like a “well, duh” statement, but a marketing plan requires a marketing budget. Study your current year’s revenue numbers and commit to spending at least that on next year’s marketing.

                        A couple of years ago, Attom Data Solutions published the results of a survey of real estate agents, brokers, owners, and marketers to determine where they are “spending their largest portion of marketing dollars” and which method brings the best results.

                        Thirty-five percent of agents spent the most on social media while 20 percent spent the most on buying leads. 

                        Regardless of how you spent your marketing dollars this year, the most important aspect of planning is that look back to figure out what worked and what didn’t. Naturally, you’ll want to reconsider underperforming real estate marketing methods and amp up anything that worked.

                        Chop your efforts into segments, such as:

                        • Lead generation
                        • Client retention
                        • Building your SOI

                        Then, decide how much you’ll allocate for each in the budget. Naturally, you’ll want to spend the most on which effort brings you the best results. For some agents, client retention dollars result in the best ROI, while others may choose to go bigger on real estate lead gen.

                        Even if it’s just 2 percent of revenue, you’ll have enough money to engage and retain current clients “with simple tools and strategies,” according to Chris Beecher, president of thewholebraingroup.com.

                        Next, determine the strategies you’ll employ, such as social media, paid advertising, blogging, email, and direct mail marketing, and allocate an amount of the budget to each.

                        The Looking For Listings Series is shown above. To learn more, click Here.

                        How will you broadcast your marketing message?

                        How you will market in the coming year depends a great deal on your budget but also on those segments we mentioned earlier. Lead generation is costlier than client retention, so you may want to take a look at some of the less-expensive methods if you choose to focus on the former.

                        These might include beefing up your social media presence (by blogging more and posting to your preferred social media platforms), knocking on doors, etc. 

                        A planner will help keep you on track

                        A planner is a must if you hope to keep your marketing efforts on track all year. We offer a Free 6-Month Real Estate Marketing Planner to help with this task (a new 2024 Planner will be available soon, so watch for the announcement in our weekly emails).

                        Although it’s important to create a coming-year marketing plan for your real estate business, don’t become a slave to it. If something doesn’t appear to be working, replace it with something else. 

                        The key to success in real estate lead generation and client retention is consistency. Having a plan will ensure this.

                        PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

                        1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

                        Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

                        2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

                        The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

                        3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

                        The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

                        4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

                        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

                        Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

                          We recently gave you some ideas on how to reach out to the people in your CRM over the holidays. And, we promised you more, so let’s dive right in.

                          We left off talking about holiday blog posts

                          Blog posts should never be permanently rooted on your website. Propagate them and share them on your social media platforms.

                          “Cross-promoting your content on social media can help drive traffic to your blog,” according to Melanie Tamble at socialmediaexaminer.com. It also helps generate additional exposure for your brand.

                          Whichever platforms you use, ensure that what links back to your blog contains a catchy headline. Then, engage, engage, engage with commenters.

                          The quick pop-by

                          If you’re short on cash (and who isn’t right now?), save this one for the hottest of the hottest leads and referral sources in your CRM.

                          Here are some ideas for the seasonal pop-by:

                          • Deliver boxes of cookies or confections (homemade are especially appreciated).
                          • Toys for the pet(s)
                          • Goodies for the kids
                          • Boxes of sparklers for New Year’s Eve
                          • Champagne or champagne glasses to toast the New Year
                          • Hot chocolate kit. You can make these yourself to save money. Open hot chocolate mix packets into a small cellophane bag and use a shiny twist tie to secure it. Place this in a basket or larger bag along with a peppermint stick and small marshmallows.

                          A handwritten tag that simply, and with class, wishes the best of the holiday season or a fantastic 2024 will cast you in a non-salesy light.

                          Go traditional

                          There is a reason our mailboxes fill up with holiday cards every year: it’s a relatively inexpensive way to reach out.

                          ProspectsPLUS offers numerous holiday postcard options for the coming holiday.

                          Consider scheduling an automated monthly holiday campaign to make your real estate marketing easier in 2024.

                          You can schedule a holiday campaign in just minutes, and once set, holiday postcards will go out every month throughout the year, keeping you in front of your market and reminding them who to call for real estate assistance.

                          Heading into the holidays can very often be a hectic time for agents, what with trying to close before all the lenders, title and escrow folks, and attorneys take time off.

                          If you start now, however, you can get those holiday touches taken care of and reap the benefits in 2024.

                          PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

                          1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

                          Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

                          2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

                          The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

                          3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

                          The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

                          4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

                          This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

                          Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

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