Millennial real estate agents: break into the market with these 3 digital ads

Real estate agents across the United States are wondering how to serve millennial home buyers. But you know you might be uniquely positioned to serve them? Millennial real estate agents.

Millennials: you have the numbers

Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living generation, according to population estimates released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau. And many are moving into real estate.

Membership in the National Association of Realtors went from 1.3 million during the boom years to slightly under 1 million in 2012. Now it is back to just more than 1.2 million, and many of the new members are millennials.

“The median age of Realtors is younger than in the past because more (young) people entered the real estate profession this year than in past years, with 20 percent of members reporting one year or less of experience,” said NAR President Tom Salomone.

Millennials: you can defy definition

They are lazy. They are entitled. Who came up with this stuff?

“Millennials don’t want to be boxed in or defined or pigeon-holed by a handful of stereotypes and descriptors any more than any other group,” Brian McKenna says in his book, Generation NOW Recruiting, Training and Retaining Millennials as Realtors and as Clients.

Data does prove this generation is different, but not like you think.

81% have donated money, goods or services. [Walden University and Harris Interactive]
75% see themselves as authentic and are not willing to compromise their family and personal values. [Bentley University’s Center For Women And Business]
On track to become the most educated generation in American history. [Pew Research]
61% of millennials are worried about the state of the world and feel personally responsible to make a difference. [Huffington Post]

Millennial real estate agents: use digital ads for real estate marketing

As a younger real estate agent, you don’t have a current cadre of clients to call on for referral and repeat business. But you know what you do have? A network. And that is nothing to sneeze at.

You’re all practically digital natives and started on Facebook in your late teens. Those relationships are going to power your new real estate business. So put it to work in the method you’re most comfortable with: digital.

Digital ad #1: sphere ads for everyone you know

millennial real estate agents Jane Harris Let's Work Together Now Helping You buy and sell in Durham. Learn more — Run a digital ad for your sphere

The moment you get licensed, you need to share the news. Post it on Facebook, put it in your email signature and run a targeted digital ad campaign to everyone on your contact list right now.

Adwerx digital ads for your sphere make it simple with three steps:

Build your ad
Add your web site
Upload your list

Adwerx digital ads find your contacts wherever they are online — from Facebook to Angry Birds to Huffington Post. Wherever they go, there you are. Your ad shows up no more than once a day. That repetition, coupled with any blend of email, direct mail, and in-person events, is how you as a new real estate agent drum up business from your sphere of influence.

And as a Millennial, your fellow Millennials are that much more motivated to work with you — you get their needs, their priorities and their lifestyle.

>Get started with ads for your sphere<

Digital ad #2: Zip code ads with retargeting

millennial real estate agents — Digital ads follow prospects around the web and Facebook

Once you leverage your existing network, you need to get your real estate brand in front of people in your area that don’t know you — yet. Again, it’s all about repetition. Buying leads is a less ideal method for new agents, since you don’t have that background to draw on, proving your value and expertise.

Digital ads by Zip code can help you break into established markets by putting your ad in front of people in the areas you want to work in. But not just any people. You want to reach people who are thinking about buying or selling. Adwerx digital ads are hyper-local and hyper-targeted by the browsing behavior of people who live there.

The critical component to these Zip ads is the retargeting capability that comes with it. You know you’ve been retargeting before — a product you looked at online starts following you around and showing up in your Facebook feed. That’s retargeting and it’s just as powerful for real estate agents as it is for other items.

Simply drop a little line of code into your web site, and anybody who visits you will see your ad around the web as they browse.

>Check your Zip codes for digital ads<

Digital ad #3: Listing ads that make home sellers feel appreciated

Part of your brand as a Millennial is your digital-savvy, whether you focus on that or not. It’s just baked into the perception of your generation, and you can use that to your advantage.

Home sellers today want agents to use every new shiny tool possible to sell their home quickly and for the right price. So when you sit down for a listing presentation, include the Adwerx Digital Listing Flyer. Then you can explain how it works:

The ad is shown to people in select cities or within 15 miles of the listing.
The ad is shown to people who are already browsing for real estate.
Sellers will get a regular report on how your ad is performing.
Anyone who clicks on the ad will be retargeted, seeing the ad even more often.

For you, the value of the listing ad is in that email. Your sellers get regular reports on the campaign automatically. It’s a daily reminder you are working hard to sell their home.