A lecture from Business & Marketing Strategy for Real Estate Photographers course. Click here for full course: http://bit.ly/linktocourse2 This course provides a blueprint for setting up and growing your real estate photography business through an effective business strategy and development of an effective marketing plan. The course has been divided into several modules to cover the most important aspects of the business.

1. Direct Marketing
Strategies for
Real Estate Photography

2. Referrals
Referrals or ‘word of mouth’ is the most effective method
of advertising.
It is free and you can only achieve it if you provide a
good service.
You never have to ‘sell’ the benefits of your service as
your customers do that for you by telling their friends or
colleagues about the wonderful experiences they’ve had
using your business.

3. Your client recommends your
business to 3 of their colleagues.
They use your photography
services and now you have 4
clients.
Each agent lists one sale or rental
property per week (and you
charge $150 per photo-shoot).
Revenue increased from $600 per
month (1 agent) to $2,400 per
month (4 agents).
1.
2.
3.
4.
EXAMPLE:
$600 USD TO $2,400 USD/MONTH
I USE SAM FOR
MY PHOTOS.
SHE'S GREAT!
Cherry Real Estate

4. The Key
to Organic
Growth

5. Referral partnerships involve working with a
business that you are not competing with,
but both of you share the same type of
client.
For example, a cleaner may recommend
your services to the property managers
they work with and visa versa.
Referral
Partnerships

7. Referral partnerships can also work online by
sending traffic to another company’s website in
exchange for them sending traffic to your
website.
For example, having a ‘Partners’ page on your
website where you list your referral partners
logos.
Also consider mutual ‘shout-outs’ on social
media where you both advertise each other’s
service in a post on social media.

8. Open Home Visits
Attending open homes to meet the
residential sales or leasing agent is a
type of face-to-face marketing
strategy.
Involves going to open homes,
introducing yourself to the agent and
briefly telling them about your services.
Keep the conversation ‘short and
sweet'.

9. List of all the open homes in the
area you wish to target.
Visit them, introduce yourself and
exchange business cards with the
agents.
Follow up via email with a link to
your portfolio/website.
1.
2.
3.

10. Mailing a copy of your brochure or flyer to all
the real estate agencies in your target area
can be used as a form of ‘safety net’.
If the receptionist or administration manager
doesn’t throw your flyer into the bin, there is a
chance it will end up with one of their agents,
BDM or marketing dept.
Direct Mail

11. Follow up the agency a week after sending out the
flyers to see if they have received your brochure
and whether they have any questions about your
services.
Keep copies of your brochures in your car and
drop these into the mail-boxes of houses with a
‘For Sale’ sign in the front yard .

12. Take advantage of a free advertising
opportunity.
Use a ‘vehicle wrap’ or car signage to
promote your business branding,
services and website while on the road.
Car
Signage

13. Networking
Make a list of networking events to attend for free or at a
minimal cost.
Ensure they are events that your target market will be
attending.
Ideal events are real estate investment and real estate
marketing/training events).
Find events via Google, events websites (i.e. eventbrite.com)
or look up the events page of your local Real Estate Institute,
Chamber of Commerce or Business Bureau websites.

14. Networking Tips
BE A GOOD
LISTENER
Tell people about what you
do, but give them plenty of
time to tell you about
themselves.
KEEP IT SHORT
Don’t take up too much of
people’s time. They want to
meet other people and so
do you.
EASY ON THE
SNACKS
Stick to a drink and avoid
eating during events to
avoid ruining your chance
at a good first impression.

15. FOLLOW-UP
Email your new contacts
and ask to catch up for
coffee to continue the
conversation.
DON' T FORGET
THE CARDS
Remember to exchange
business cards at the
event, and bring extras!
GET SOCI AL
Connect with new contacts
on their business’ social
media pages.
Networking Tips

16. Sponsorship
It can have great results as everyone at the event is a
potential client.
Boost in brand awareness can be substantial.
Make a list of real estate award nights, business
breakfasts, real estate training seminars and other real
estate industry-focused networking events.
Contact the organizers to collect details on sponsorship
opportunities for their event.

17. Face to Face
Meetings
Involves calling the respondents from your market survey
and telling them about your services.
Set up a meeting to discuss further details.
Communicating with your customers directly can build a
stronger professional relationship faster than phone or email.
Easier to convert them into a client.

18. Other Promo Materials
Other essentials that you should have are a small
range of stationery and promotional merchandise
(i.e. pens, notepads, and key rings) for new and
existing clients.
They will regularly see your branding on their desk.
When they need photography and marketing
materials your business name will be the first thing
they think of.

19. Think about where you've seen their ads, and what
message they are trying to send.
Ask a friend in the real estate industry how other real
estate photographers market their services to them.
This provides insights into how your competitors are
advertising their business and how much they are
charging.
Design your marketing strategy so your advertising
methods are unique compared to your competitors.
Analyse
Competitors'
Marketing

20. Marketing
Action Plan
Use the Marketing Action Plan template to
assist with executing your marketing
strategies.
The plan outlines marketing channels, action
required, estimated cost, date of execution
and measurement of success.
The inputs should be prospect-focused and
measurable to assist budgeting and analyzing
the results from your strategies.

21. Visit hausphotomedia.com for the full course
and other real estate photography resources.