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Even if your real estate ads are plastered everywhere in the digital and physical worlds, you could be sabotaging your marketing efforts.
If your marketing messages aren’t consistent, you may confuse your clients, Robert Hughes, executive coach and CEO of marketing agency Hughes Integrated, said during the 2025 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas last week.
Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, Hughes urged conference attendees to focus on their ideal client. A more targeted client approach can increase your productivity, streamline your business efficiencies, and increase your client base and revenue, he said. It also enables you to better craft a story you can tell through your marketing.
Embrace Storytelling
“Invite clients into a story” by following a consistent framework and pattern that can help you build a relationship with them, Hughes said. Use the elements of a story: A hero with a problem meets a guide who gives the hero a plan and calls him or her to action, resulting in either success or failure.
“The problem is the main part of the story,” Hughes said, and is likely what your clients are searching about online. Make the problem in your story specific to a pain point your customers face. Hughes offered an example: “Many families love the charm of older homes, but not the issues that come with them.” You can position your services as the “solution” to those issues.
Next, cast a vision for a successful outcome. “People buy solutions to their problems—so be specific to what they are,” Hughes said.
Keep Your Story Short and Simple
Craft a clear message that appeals to your target audience’s needs, and say it in the fewest words possible. Hughes said to think of it like a bulletin board you’d pass by on the highway: “You don’t need every detail, you need clear messaging,” he said. Make sure your message appeals to your client’s journey for the moment they’re in now. Embrace “the art of the one-liner,” which can still include a problem, solution and success. Then, use your snappy messaging consistently on social media, email and throughout your marketing channels.
Raise Your Awareness
Generate visibility, attention and curiosity from your marketing messages, he said. Social media and other platforms, like Google Business Profiles, can help amplify your business. But also focus on search engine optimization by adding these pages to your website:
- Audience pages, which speak directly to each of the target audiences you serve
- Service pages, which detail each service you provide
- Location pages, which focus on each area you cover within your market
Be a Teacher, Not a Salesperson
Expensive purchases like buying or selling a home carry a lot of risk. But “relationship mitigates risk,” Hughes said. Embracing an educator’s role can help build on that. The door-to-door salesperson positions themselves as someone “who wants something from us,” whereas a teacher positions themselves as someone “who wants something for us,” Hughes said.
He urged brainstorming a list of 52 questions your ideal client might search on Google. Then, write or record content answering those questions. “There are 52 weeks in a year, so you have a full year of content for a nurture campaign,” he said. This content also positions you as a guide.
“Choose your target audience, clarify your message and systematically build relationships to mitigate risk,” Hughes said. “And then, watch what happens next to your revenue.”
