NAR Library & Archives has already done the research for you. References (formerly Field Guides) offer links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of perspectives. EBSCO articles (E) are available only to NAR members and require the member's nar.realtor login.
Marketing Strategies
32 Proven Real Estate Marketing Ideas Top Agents Swear By (Vetted by HousingWire, March 27, 2025)
A list of proven real estate marketing ideas to include innovative new ideas for 2025 and beyond — including fresh new ways to leverage AI in your marketing.
18 Clever Real Estate Marketing Ideas (The Close, Feb. 25, 2025)
Proven real estate marketing strategies as well as links to strategy guides, buyer’s guides, and scripts.
Launch Your New Listings with a Better Marketing Strategy (RISMedia, May 3, 2022)
Maximize the marketing of your next new listing to create mass market exposure for generating more buyers to the property by lining up your listing strategy with a better timeline, marketing the open house as an event, and converting open house attendees into potential leads.
107 Outside-the-Box Real Estate Marketing Ideas & Tips (With Examples) (Placester, 2022)
“Sometimes…the best remedy for marketing fatigue is thinking outside the box and identifying ways your primary marketing channels – website, SEO, email marketing, paid advertising and social media content – can differentiate your agency or brokerage from the competition.”
12 Creative Real Estate Marketing Tips (REALTOR® Magazine Media, April 9, 2021)
Social media use is a must along with social sharing buttons on your website, professional photographs, inclusion of local images, and tailored content for your market.
Personal Promotion & Branding
Real Estate Branding: The Complete Guide for Agents (The Close, May 6, 2024)
Includes steps one can take to create a magnetic real estate brand with examples.
8 Real Estate Marketing Materials to Crush Your Personal Brand (The Close, Sept. 1, 2023)
“If you want to build a personal brand that generates business while you sleep, choosing the right real estate marketing materials is crucial. Second only to your time and emotional energy, your marketing materials are your most precious assets. Think of them as the vehicle that delivers your personal brand to the world.“
Personal Branding for People 50+ (Forbes, Aug. 2, 2020)
“[P]ersonal branding is nuanced and takes on different areas of focus depending on where you are in your career and which generation you’re part of.” Develop digital dexterity; deliver a powerful first impression; show your social savvy; and master video.
Personal Branding for Real Estate Professionals (Placester)
“People choose who they do business with based on a number of different factors, including presentation, demeanor, experience and passion. Your brand combines your beliefs with your business practices and this is what people gravitate to when seeking out a real estate professional.”
Niche Marketing
28 Real Estate Niches Brimming with Potential (Vetted by HousingWire, Feb. 5, 2025)
“Choosing the right real estate niche (or niches) will help you gain expertise, sharpen your career focus and protect yourself from sudden market fluctuations. While many agents aspire to become luxury agents, many overlooked real estate niches can boost your annual revenue if you master the intricacies of those types of transactions. Here’s a list of real estate niches to help you identify and specialize in a type of property or client.”
How to Find Your Business Niche (Business News Daily, Oct. 24, 2023)
A niche:
- helps you establish a loyal customer base
- minimizes competition
- reduces marketing costs
- demonstrates expertise
- can increase profit
The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Niche Marketing (Placester)
Select your target marketing niche by:
- Location
- Street or neighborhood
- Housing development
- Town or city
- County or region
- Home type
- Residence style
- Age group
- Buyer/seller type
Marketing Plan & Budgets
The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Real Estate Marketing (Tom Ferry, April 25, 2022)
- Client satisfaction: Your clients are the backbone of your business. As a real estate agent, you need to ensure they’re satisfied, and a detailed real estate marketing plan can help you operate your business smoothly to ensure clients are satisfied throughout every stage of the home buying and home selling process.
- Increased profits: The primary goal of every business is to increase profits year after year. To make this happen, you need a plan in place, and that’s where marketing for real estate comes into play. Through marketing, you can reach a broader audience to sell your services to, which can eventually generate more leads that convert into lifelong customers.
- Future growth: Because a real estate agent marketing plan outlines the goals you want to achieve throughout the year, you can plan for future growth. Scaling your business can be challenging without the right systems in place, but with a detailed plan, you know what milestones you need to reach in order to succeed.
- Adaptability: Sometimes, plans don’t always go the way you intend them to, as external factors, such as a pandemic or economic collapse, can impact your industry. By having a real estate marketing plan in place, you’ll be able to make corrections when needed to keep your company moving forward.
Marketing of Services Expenses, 2023 (National Association of REALTORS® Member Profile, 2024)
Real Estate Marketing Strategy (Placester)
“In real estate business specifically, a successful strategy will include ways of capturing new leads, converting them into clients as well as client retention.”
A 5-Step, No-Nonsense Marketing Plan (Business Development Bank of Canada)
The 5 steps essential to a marketing plan are: SWOT analysis, development of a target market profile, setting clear marketing objectives, determining a market strategy, and creating your financial plan.
eBooks & Other Resources
eBooks.realtor.org
The following eBooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:
Generating Business Referrals Without Asking: A Simple 5 Step Plan to a Referral Explosion (eBook)
Instagram Rules: The Essential Guide to Building Brands, Business and Community (eBook)
+Leads: Simple Strategies That Work to Get Real Estate Leads Fast (eBook)
One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days (eBook)
Personal Branding Strategies: The Ultimate Practical Guide to Branding and Marketing Yourself Online Through Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and How to Utilize Advertising on Social Media (Audiobook)
Marketing (eBook)
This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See (eBook, Audiobook)
The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly (eBook)
The Magic of Digital Marketing: Tips for Real Estate Agents (eBook)
Marketing 6.0: The Future Is Immersive (eBook)
Social Media Marketing 101 for Real Estate Agents (eBook)
Using Social Media for Work: How to Maintain Professional Etiquette Online (eBook)
Social Media Marketing a Strategic Guide: Learn the Best Digital Advertising Approach & Strategies Boosting Your Agency or Business with the Power of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google SEO & More (eBook)
Books, Videos, Research Reports & More
As a member benefit, the following resources and more are available for loan through the NAR Library. Items will be mailed directly to you or made available for pickup at the REALTOR® Building in Chicago.
Less Blah-Blah More Ah-Ha; How Social Savvy Real Estate Agents Become Trusted, Preferred, Referred - and Rewarded (The Woodlands, 2011)
Sales and Marketing 101 for Real Estate Professionals (Dearborn Real Estate Education, 2007)
Managing Brand You: Seven Steps to Creating Your Most Successful Self (American Management Association, 2008)
Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007)
Real Estate Marketing and Sales Essentials: Steps for Success (Thompson South-Western, 2006)
Have an idea for a real estate topic? Send us your suggestions.
The inclusion of links on this page does not imply endorsement by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR makes no representations about whether the content of any external sites which may be linked in this page complies with state or federal laws or regulations or with applicable NAR policies. These links are provided for your convenience only and you rely on them at your own risk.
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