Have you ever thought, “I can’t wait until I’m booked and busy so that I can start outsourcing all of my marketing?”
If so, I want to share a different perspective. One where becoming the marketing director of your business is the single most important role you can take in your business. Where prioritizing your brand is the key to achieving long-term success and freedom.
The traditional way to build a real estate business is a grind. It leaves agents overwhelmed and overworked. But by focusing on marketing and owning your brand, you can break free from this cycle. You can create a thriving business that works for you, not the other way around.
Let’s get into it.
The Old-School Model is Broken
As real estate agents, we’ve traditionally been taught to build our businesses by filling our plates until they’re full. Then, we hire an admin and outsource all non-client work.
This old model is problematic. It keeps you stuck as the bottleneck in your business. It leaves you no time to focus on your most important driver of success – marketing.
Why Marketing Matters Most
The lifeblood of your real estate business is being the face of your brand. It’s your messaging, content, and the essence of you that attracts clients and grows your business. No one can embody your unique voice and story better than you can.
Being the marketing director of your business means carving out time and space for high-impact activities. Things like crafting your messaging, sharing your expertise, and building authentic relationships with your audience.
The Problem with Outsourcing Your Marketing
Many agents make the mistake of outsourcing their social media and content to a marketing agency. The result? Generic content that falls flat. It lacks the personal touch, deep understanding of the target audience, and authentic voice that only you can provide.
No marketing agency, no matter how talented, can fully capture your unique story and perspective. They don’t know your clients like you do and haven’t lived your journey in this business.
Instead of outsourcing your marketing, free up your time so that you can delegate other parts of your business (such as operations!).
Becoming The Marketing Director Requires A Mindset Shift
Yes, this is a major mindset shift from the way most agents operate. It means letting go of the idea that you can completely hand off your marketing to someone else. Your job is to be the visionary – the one coming up with the big ideas, taking risks, and putting your unique stamp on your brand. Let the rest of your team handle delivering your top-notch service to clients.
Start small by blocking off a few focused hours per week. Use this time to work on your organic marketing – things like recording videos, writing emails, and engaging on social media.
And if you’re struggling to find time in your schedule for a few focused hours, this next exercise will help.
The Power of a Time Audit
You might be thinking, “How on earth am I supposed to be the marketing director when I’m juggling so many things on any given day? I barely have time to eat lunch – let alone plan a marketing campaign!”
If this resonates with you, I recommend conducting what I like to call a time audit. It involves tracking your tasks throughout the day and analyzing where your time is really going.
By finding and cutting low-value activities, you can free up time to focus on tasks that will supercharge the growth of your business.
Many agents are surprised to discover how much time they waste on administrative tasks, ineffective social media scrolling, or unproductive meetings (that probably could’ve been an email!).
These activities, while they may feel busy, don’t directly contribute to your marketing goals.
To reclaim your schedule for marketing, start by assessing every task you do in a day and ask yourself, “Is this a $10 per hour task or a $1000 per hour task?”
Your goal should be to eliminate, automate, or delegate any $10 per hour tasks that don’t move the needle on your marketing. By doing so, you’ll create the space needed for impactful marketing. This will lead to more clients signed and more income generated.
For more details on conducting your audit, read this blog post for time management tips.
You’re A Marketer First
As you step into the role of marketing director, it’s important to remember that people don’t hire you because you’re a real estate expert. They hire you because of your marketing – how you make them feel, how deeply you understand them, and how much they know, like, and trust you.
However, your ego may initially resist this shift from client work to marketing. Client work is familiar and comfortable. Putting yourself out there through online content can feel scary and uncertain.
It’s important to recognize this resistance and push past it. When you’re tempted to ignore your marketing and prioritize client work, remind yourself:
Focusing on marketing is the most critical thing you can do for the long-term growth of your business.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
On the other side of this shift is the freedom and fulfillment that comes from building a business that can run without you. A business where clients come to you, ready to work with you, rather than you chasing after them. A business that gives you the time and resources to focus on what really lights you up.
You got into real estate to help people, make a great living, and call your own shots. Putting marketing at the center of everything you do is the key to achieving that vision.
So start seeing yourself as a marketer first then as an agent – and watch your business flourish. Commit to the process and stay the course – the compounding results will be worth it.
Ready to master your real estate marketing?
The Listings Lab has helped thousands of agents become the go-to agents in their market by leveraging organic and paid strategies to drive exponential growth.
If you’re ready to build a consistent lead generation machine, apply here to book a call with our team and see why TLL is your next best move.
