All marketing elements must work independently, but they also must work together toward the bigger goal of one unified marketing campaign with a common message - somewhat like an orchestra with the Realtor as conductor. Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective. It may be cliché, but it is still true – a marketing campaign like many things is only as good as its weakest link and a break in that chain will cause the campaign to fail.
I mention this because, further in this chapter, I will talk about several things that I do, that may have you asking, “How does this help sell my house?” These elements of my marketing plan will ‘indirectly’ affect getting your home sold and are all a part of that unified, cohesive strategy I have mentioned. A well thought out marketing campaign not only will allow me to get you maximum exposure ‘directly’ for your home but will reach a grand scale of buyers that are looking for your home to buy.
Unlike many of the inexperienced and discount agents, I do not depend on magic nor do I depend on MLS to do the advertising of your home for me. I do not sit or wait for the phone to ring, as I mentioned some agents do…I make the phone ring! There are so many different channels to advertise your property, such as real estate web portals, social media, print, direct mail, email, and text. I will market your home with the ‘best-in-class’ tools and marketing to optimally position you to succeed in today’s fast paced environment.
Five Star Review
“I had my home listed with another Realtor that just wasn’t getting the job done. I kept getting marketing material on homes that Geni was selling in the neighborhood, so I called her. I told Geni that I needed my home sold quickly & she delivered…it sold in 7 days for ABOVE market value (in a slow market)! I knew from the very beginning, based on her knowledge and marketing plan, that I could have confidence & trust what she said. She made everything so easy! I would highly recommend that if you need your home sold quickly, that you call Geni today!”
– Joseph Alan and Jasmine Lafon
Internet
When you are selling your home, the Internet can be your best friend or your worst enemy. When it is done right, marketing a home online can be an incredibly successful sales tool. And when you do not put enough effort into online strategy (or worse, ignore online tools completely), you could lose out on offers. Why? Because of all the ways that buyers look for homes, searching online is the most popular method.
My listings are syndicated through thousands of real estate portals around the world to get global exposure. Of course, my listings are on all the big players like Zillow, and Realtor.com--I even pay extra money to have my listings ‘enhanced’ with Realtor.com.
Besides being on my website and everyone else’s, you will have your own dedicated property website to give buyer prospects all the information they need on your home, and I have a follow-up system for those buyers.
Website
I have one of the most detailed and expansive websites for a Realtor. My site is undergoing constant enhancement and I have pages dedicated to niche markets like Seniors, Divorces, Foreclosures, and New Homes. In addition, I post new blogs every seven to ten days that provide current information for buyers and sellers.
Blog
Our blog is consumer focused and delivers an enormous amount of value with useful and relevant content, such as home trends, market data, new legislation effecting homeowners, the pulse on “what is hot” in the housing and rental markets, home design, staging, renovation, mortgage, and purchasing advice. Once written there, each article is then posted to all relevant social media pages.
Webinars
Periodically, I make relevant webinars with mortgage brokers or other people in the industry that address key topics homebuyers and sellers are interested in. These are sent out through my social media platforms..
E-Newsletter
I have a monthly newsletter that goes out to my database of 36,000 people with relevant information for the month, a link to my blog, and featured listings.
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Social Media
Let's face it. Whether you are a fan of social media or not, social media has become an integral part of how our society transmits information. Brands such as Amazon®, Taco Bell®, and The Wall Street Journal® are masters of using social media to connect with their audience and stay top-of-mind, so why shouldn’t we!
In a world where society and technology are rapidly changing, it is imperative to keep up with the changes. There are still some agents out there who refuse to get on social media or use it very little—you can ignore the sun, but it will still burn you! Social media platforms are a vital part of a successful real estate agents’ business—so that is where you will find me. It is the perfect place to advertise your home because most people are there 24/7. I remember when Facebook was the only social media platform (that most people knew about or used).
I use the following platforms to maximize your homes exposure by reaching buyers where they are—online.
- Facebook® – Facebook is the largest social networking site in the world as of today. Baby boomers are the biggest users of Facebook. Therefore, I put most of my efforts there, and get most of my business there. I have a personal page, and four business pages. My personal page is maxed out now with the limit of 5,000 friends, but more importantly, my personal page as of today has 3,369 followers! Geni Manning Real Estate Group business page is focused on everything ‘real estate’ with 5,268 followers. Senior Solutions and Baby Boomer Lifestyles page is focused on the ‘senior’ and ‘baby boomer’ demographics. Geni Manning Home Staging and Real Estate page is focused on design trends, staging tips and real estate related stories or news. Last, is my Texas Farm & Ranch Properties page—which is obvious of its purpose. I am in 200+ networking groups. Facebook Market Place is another part of Facebook that I use to advertise my listings.
- LinkedIn® – Facebook may be the largest social networking site in the world today, but LinkedIn has been supporting its users (171 million in the US alone) for a longer time. And, more importantly, for those looking ro network and develop business connections, LinkedIn users know the platform as the “professional social networking site.” LinkedIn is an excellent source for discovering leads. Hubspot found that LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter. Today, I have 5,757 connections, 5,435 followers, and I am in 52 groups with over 700,000 members.
- Twitter™ - As with Facebook, Twitter is a great way to connect with prospects and nurture relationships. I provide relevant news, and interesting articles and post my listings here.
- Instagram® - Another must in social media marketing for real estate agents is Instagram. In recent years Instagram has established itself as a leader in posting photos and short videos, which makes it a perfect fit for showing off my listings. This is the most popular platform for Millennial users.
- YouTube™ - YouTube remains the best platform for posting long videos and virtual tours which is a part of my social media marketing plan. I have more than 42,000 views on this platform. My listings are posted along with a variety of videos to attract as many subscribers as possible, i.e., information on local market conditions and trends; real estate advice and news; staging, interior design, room make-over and landscaping tips; entertaining, inspirational, and fun videos.
- Pinterest™ - Pinterest allows me to create and manage multiple online bulletin boards, including one for my listings. Pinterest is a gold mine for visual storytelling. I also have a variety of other interesting boards to bring in a wide range audience. There are over 200 million monthly Pinterest users worldwide, all seeking and sharing helpful, inspiring ideas on the platform.
- MeWe™ -- MeWe is one of the more recent entries into the social media world and social networking service that is becoming a competitor to Facebook and Twitter. MeWe's proclaimed “light approach” to content moderation has made it popular among American conservatives. This presents another important target demographic that provides a way to reach a specific targeted group.
- NextDoor™ – Nextdoor is a hyperlocal social networking service for neighborhoods. It is where communities come together to greet newcomers, exchange recomm endations, share what is for sale, and read the latest local news. It has been a great way to new clients, both buyers and sellers, and to share my listings. What I like most about NextDoor is that I can send an invitation or announcement to neighbors and interact with them, not to mention I get a higher acceptance than I do with a postcard or a door-to-door campaign.
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Radio, Podcast and Magazines
I have been featured as a local expert and leader in the industry in the Texas Realtor Magazine, the Plano Profile Magazine, and I published my own magazine ‘Home by Design’ for years. I have been a guest and co-host of several radio talk shows, where I offer expert advice and real solutions to real estate matters. There are occasions when I mention some of my ‘hot’ properties.
Technology Rules
We use all the current technology and continue pushing the envelope to reach more qualified buyers to assure your home sells as quickly as possible. We use video marketing, text and ringless voicemail, QR codes, mobile apps, and more.
Our KW Mobile App - connects to the MLS and allows a buyer to search and sort homes by price, location and much, much more. Once found, they can save the properties, and the app notifies me of their choices, which allows me to interject your home into the list if it is within their price and other parameters. Real estate agents that are not current with all techniques for online marketing cannot provide the advanced technical services needed to sell your home in this fast-paced digital age. Check out my mobile app right here with the QR code below. Just point your phone camera on it and a link will appear for you to click on. Be sure to set up your profile by going to the icon in the bottom right of the screen and create your account.
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Networking Groups
I cannot even begin to list all the networking groups I am a part of—there definitely are too many to list here. There are two categories of Networking Groups I belong to: 1) Real Estate; 2) Mixed Industries. Often new listing information is passed from broker to broker in real estate offices or networking meetings. One of the first things I do is to ensure my colleagues are aware of my new listings is to present it to them and ask if they have buyers who might be interested. Sometimes I already know what buyers other Realtors are working with such as luxury homes or condos and townhomes, or a particular part of town or community. Either way, you can absolutely be sure I'm using every method in the book to make sure my colleagues know about your home as soon as hits the market.
The best part about networking groups is that they hold events, where like-minded individuals are all together in an informal environment. When in a room with several people from your industry, I am bound to start talking about what has been happening as of late—which always leads to talking about my listings. This also provides a great opportunity to hear what trends are occurring, and areas in which others have been focusing on. It is also great chance to understand the trends occurring in my target market that pertain to the homes I am selling.
Open Houses
I have found open houses to be a great way to meet buyers currently in the market for a home. Some agents say open houses do not sell listings, but I have had a much different experience – on more than one occasion, I have sold the house, while conducting an open house. Plus, all the buyer prospects that I meet at open houses, give me the opportunity to show my other listings. Bam! Some agents say that only ‘nosy neighbors’ come to open houses. There may be some ‘nosy neighbors’ that come, but I have sold those ‘nosy neighbors’ that were looking to upgrade themselves to another home in the same neighborhood. Those 'nosy neighbors' also have friends that wanted to live in their neighborhood and told them about the open house! And for the friends and 'nosy neighbors' that didn't work out for my open house, I had the opportunity to show them some of my other listings. So, no problem to me…come on ‘nosy neighbors!’
When the open house gets posted to all my social media platforms, and the MLS early in the week (I have it posted by Wednesday), it will hit all the major websites like Yahoo, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, etc., as well as brokerage sites. When a potential buyer browses these sites that week and see an interesting open house, they are inclined to take note and stop by to look. I have also had neighbors come by to check out the listing and I have gotten several referrals from them as well as a few listings.
A successful open house requires both a strategy and a plan. Many times, I will mail postcards to the neighborhood and/or other target buyers announcing the open house. Many agents do a plain, basic open house with cookies, but I like to be creative with my open houses; and they do not have to be on Sunday. Providing an open house on Saturday or during the week can allow those that cannot come on Sundays another opportunity to see your home. With endless ways to market your house, why not think outside the box?
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Here are different types of Open Houses events I have:
- Happy Hour open houses from 4-6pm during the week can be fun and you can have a great turnout. Just serve wine and cheese, and music (even better ‘live’ entertainment), and they will come! Or you could have a themed open house like ‘Cinco de Mayo’ and serve margaritas.
- Twilight open houses from 6-8pm might be more convenient for those that can only come in the evening. A home at dusk can be beautiful at night, especially if you have special lighting in your back yard or on the patio. Hors d’oeuvres or bar-b-que and live music can show prospective buyers how your home or outdoor living space is perfect to throw a party—of course it helps when one of your team members is an entertainer/singer from Las Vegas and provides music—check him out at www.AndyCorridori.com!
- Neighborhood open houses are a great way to tell your neighbors you are moving and say “good-bye.” They may know someone who would like to move into the neighborhood and can invite them. Or one of your neighbors may be looking to upgrade houses, but wants to stay in the same location, and your house might be perfect for them—it only takes one prospective buyer to see your house…and done!
- Progressive open houses with other Realtors who have listings in the neighborhood brings in a good number of buyers. I contact those agents and coordinate the event--joining forces have a bigger turn-out. This can be only for other Realtors or for the public—both are effective! Provide door prizes, food, and live entertainment, and you will get some great prospects out of it and have a really good time.
- Virtual open houses were necessary during the COVID pandemic but have stayed popular since then. These are not as effective as the in-person open houses but some people who do not want the traffic in their home prefer them.
Here are some examples of what I can do on all social media platforms to promote your open house—and I always use Hashtags:
#1 Share sneak peeks of the home: Upload a few photos of the home on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and MeWe with a brief description and catchy title like "Remodeled one-story home with oasis backyard - Come enjoy some Live Entertainment!”
#2 Share a behind-the-scenes video: I take a video of me prepping your home for the open house and post it on all my social media platforms, and include tags like #today, home and #openhouse in the caption.
#3 Share a video walkthrough: I use Facebook Live to give an open house teaser of what buyers can look forward to if I am hosting an open house on multiple days.
#4 Share a video of the open house: During the open house, I share the activity that is happening and encourage others to come out on Facebook and Instagram.
#5 Boost your open house with Facebook ads: With Facebook ads, I can select my audience and include a call to action that directs people to your home’s landing page or website.
Direct Mail
Email campaigns are still an effective way of announcing your property. A variety of mail campaigns with different messages can be sent, such as home brochures, post cards and letters—this is determined by the type of announcement I am making about your property. They are mailed to neighbors; nearby lower-priced neighborhoods to target those wanting to ‘move-up’; higher priced neighborhoods targeting those that may want to down-size’; and apartment complexes nearby.
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Special Promotions
This may not always apply to your listing, but if your goal is to get a property sold FAST, this is your opportunity to give buyers an extra “nudge” into taking action. I always try to envision the typical buyer who is looking at my listing. In many cases, they know they are interested, but they need a good reason to pick up the phone and call me. This is where a special promotion can make the difference.
Some examples of a “special promotion” could be any of the following:
- Offering seller financing on the property.
- For a limited time, offering to pay for 100% of the buyer’s closing costs.
- Offering to sell the property in the form of a lease-purchase or rent-to-own.
- For a limited time, will buy out your apartment lease to buy our home.
- No need to sell your home first, offering a guaranteed buy out.
- For a limited time, get all new kitchen appliances.
- For a limited time, get a brand-new washer, dryer, and refrigerator
- For a limited time, will pay off your credit card debt.
- For a limited time, offering a small discount from the listed price.
One of the many reasons why special promotions are so effective is because they give the listing a sense of scarcity and urgency, by conveying the fact that this opportunity will not be around forever (and it probably won’t last through the end of the week). If people do not take action now, they’ll wish they had! It also gives you an opportunity to
raise your asking price.
Seller Financing
There are many benefits of Seller Financing. I will not get into a lot of detail here, but I will be glad to discuss this with you in person or you can read my blog Benefits of Seller Financing. It is a great way to manage your asset and build wealth with less risk and difficulty than converting it to a rental. I have sold one of my personal homes by ‘seller financing’ myself, along with helping other sellers as well.
Some of the benefits are:
- Your home sells faster
- You get a higher price
- You get a big down payment (minimum of 20%)
- You have monthly income
- You do not have repairs like a landlord
- You have stability and peace of mind.
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why seller financing makes sense if you are able to offer this option. In my opinion, anything that allows me to extract a lot more profit and passive income from a property is worth a closer look. If you have not considered this approach before, it might be time to give it some serious thought.
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Five Star Review
Geni Manning is by far the MOST knowledge, professional, and sincere real estate agent I know! She is a seasoned Realtor who has earned the respect and loyalty of not only the Dallas/Fort Worth home buyers and sellers, but her industry colleagues as well. Geni’s knowledge in every aspect of the real estate market was invaluable to me this year when I sold an investment property and did my first ‘seller-financing’—an idea Geni brought up that I had not even thought about and one of the smartest decisions I have made. I was so grateful to have her experience every step of the way and cannot recommend her highly enough!! You will not be disappointed. You are in good hands regardless your needs!!”
- Linda Churchwell – Author and Speaker
Lease Buy-Out
Offering a lease buy-out to a potential buyer can get you a bigger pool of buyers. You can also ask a higher price by giving a buyer the power to purchase your home now, instead of waiting until their lease is up. The buyer an take advantage of the lower interest rates, and they do not have to worry about losing out on your home due to another buyer making you an offer. This can work if the buyer is currently leasing a home or apartment. The money a buyer saves from a point to a point and a half on a 30-year mortgage is significant--properly presented, this can be extremely attractive. Of course, people want things NOW and this gives them another reason to make the move and buy your home.
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Guaranteed Buyout
The guaranteed buy-out option can work for you, as the seller, or can be offered to the buyer wanting to purchase your home as an incentive. If a buyer has a home, they need to sell first before they can buy yours. I can offer them a guaranteed price, with no showing, no inspections, no repairs, and no appraisal. This removes all contingencies and delays from them buying your home.
I can get you multiple offers on your home, with the same stress-free option. I will break down all the selling options/offers and show you exactly how they compare to each other. Same benefits: no showings, no inspection, no repairs, and no appraisal! Bottom line, no stress!
Immediate offers can provide you complete peace of mind. In some cases, your expected days on market may be too long, you may need to cash out your equity right away or you may need the peace of mind of selling right away without the hassle of time on the market. Whatever your reason is, we can provide a quick sell for you.
Five Star Review
“As a home seller and buyer, you go with what is successful. That is why we are repeat customers of Geni Manning. We were going to take advantage of the guaranteed buyout program Geni offers, but it turned out that we did not need it because she sold our house in six days! That’s hy we chose to use her again to sale our current home. Geni is also a great negotiator! She was able to get us much more than we expected from our builder on the home we’re building.”
- Neldon & Robbie Duhon
Your Part of The Marketing Equation
Our time, effort, and investment in marketing your home are the most important parts of the process of selling your home. Your willingness to adequately prepare the home for the best presentation and your willingness to live in that pristine state for the time it takes to sell the property has a direct affect on both the sale period, as well as the price at which the home sells.
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