Whether you’re just starting out in the business or you’re a veteran agent, marketing mistakes are inevitable. Strategies are constantly changing, especially with the rise of social media. From updating their current plans to mastering online marketing, real estate professionals should leverage new, modern tactics to grow their business.

Because marketing is so important for generating leads, agents and brokers alike can’t afford to continually make marketing errors. Here are six common marketing mistakes that all real estate agents should avoid to ensure a successful business.

Not Utilizing the Power of Video
According to Oberlo, 85% of all internet users in the United States watch video content online on any of their devices. With a statistic so high, it would be irresponsible for a real estate agent to not take advantage of video content for their business. Since most homebuyers start their search online, for both homes and agents, utilizing the power of video can help you stand out and gain clients. Whether you choose to curate videos showcasing who you are or promote your available listings with video tours and walk-throughs, video content should be an essential part of your marketing plan.

Ignoring SEO Efforts
SEO is key in almost every industry, especially real estate, to gaining consistent and valuable organic traffic to your website and listings. However, many agents don’t give SEO enough attention, which can cause more work for you in the long run. Even if you have an attractive and responsive website, if it is not optimized, you will not hit your marketing goals. From sharing educational links to third-party resources to adding your business to online maps, or even putting out a press release, updating your SEO strategy will help people find you, producing high-quality, high-converting leads.

Over-Promoting Your Listings
This common mistake can cause more harm to you as an agent than your clients. When you have a new listing, of course it is important to share it across your social platforms, or even through email marketing. However, if agents over-promote their listings, it can quickly become overwhelming for clients and leads, causing them to unsubscribe from your emails or social posts, as well as causing a flood of emails and phone calls to you. In addition to your available listings, share additional content like articles, videos, infographics, blog posts, statistics, educational information, community events, etc. By sharing a mix of different types of content, you will have a better chance of attracting serious prospects and maintaining a strong, yet non-invasive social media presence.

Sporadically Interacting With Your Audience
When it comes to social media, having a strong online presence is vital for real estate agents today. This includes the amount of interaction that an agent provides to their audience. According to a 2020 Sprout Social Index, 40% of consumers expect brands to respond within the first hour of reaching out on social media, while 79% expect a response in the first 24 hours. So, if someone leaves a comment or posts a question to an agent’s page, they should receive a response in a timely manner. By replying to comments, sharing helpful solutions and interacting with your social audience, you can regularly build trust with not only your clients, but prospects as well.

Sharing Only Unoriginal Content 
Another common mistake often made by agents and brokers is sharing only third-party content. With a busy schedule consisting of meetings, showings, cold calls and more, real estate professionals often don’t have time to create their own original content. This tactic, though a time-saver for agents, can cause your audience to stray, as your social presence can become stale. Dedicate a bit of time into your schedule to create original content that will help you stand out and grab your audience’s attention. This original content doesn’t have to be a lengthy, statistic-filled article, but instead original videos, interesting infographics or even photos paired with questions aimed at your followers, creating the opportunity for conversation and engagement.

Neglecting Print Marketing
Though we are immersed in the new digital age where social media is a fundamental tool for real estate professionals, print marketing is still at the top of the list for successful marketing tactics. While digital and social media marketing can get you plenty of leads, there are still prospects, especially in the less tech-savvy boomer generation, giving you a broader customer experience. Though print marketing will come out of your marketing budget, it is often less expensive than the price of digital marketing. Not only can this help you save some of your marketing dollars, it can also help you stand out amongst your competitors, as many agents have moved to a completely digital strategy.

Real estate marketing is all about trial and error. Mistakes are to be expected, but there are many ways to avoid them. To ensure success in your business, keep up with the ever changing digital and social world, while incorporating tried and true marketing tactics. Make updates to your marketing plans as needed and before you know it, you will be generating leads and maintaining strong relationships both on and offline.

Paige Brown is RISMedia’s content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas to pbrown@rismedia.com.