by Lauren Fox for HomeSmart May 19, 2025

Many real estate professionals say that building a marketing plan — and staying on top of communication trends — can feel like a second job. In the past, agents needed to be tech-savvy or hire an assistant. Time, effort and cost were major hurdles. 

Today’s tools help remove those barriers. Knowing best practices — and using technology to support them — is essential to keeping your brand visible and competitive.

Here are five strategies to sharpen your marketing toolkit.

Automate your listing marketing

MLS integration is an integral component of any effective real estate marketing system. Importing photos and details directly into templates saves countless hours, eliminates errors and keeps marketing efforts on track. 

HomeSmart’s new Marketing Design Center platform takes this concept further with preset, automated listing packages.

“The listing packages are generating a lot of excitement,” Rich La Rue, HomeSmart Designated Broker and Vice President of Corporate Brokerages, Western Region, told me recently. “The efficiency of having a full set of digital and print assets instantly produced for each listing — not to mention, the ability to customize packages — is a major game changer.”

Embrace “augmented Intelligence”

While artificial intelligence (AI) can spark debate, it’s hard to deny its value as a powerful marketing tool. I often think of it as Augmented Intelligence — because when used intentionally and skillfully, it enhances productivity in ways that are hard to ignore.

Take something as simple as creating a property flyer. With AI-powered tools, you can write captions, retouch listing photos (like changing day to night), tighten up descriptions, check spelling and even translate content — in just a few minutes.

Don’t shy away from the camera

Not everyone is a natural in front of the camera, but that shouldn’t deter you from incorporating video into your strategy — especially on social media. According to the National Association of Realtors, 73 percent of homeowners say they are more likely to list with agents who use video. It not only allows your audience to connect with your personality; it helps attract potential buyers to your listings.

You don’t have to be a professional to pull it off; cutting-edge platforms like our Marketing Design Center come equipped with video templates, a built-in editor, a copyright-free music library and GIF support. Combined with a social media scheduler, this tool makes creating engaging content — whether preplanned or on-the-fly — perfectly accessible.

Give the people what (emails) they want

Email remains an effective lead-nurturing tool when done right. Keeping contact lists organized and sending valuable content helps you stay top-of-mind when clients are ready to buy or sell.

Newsletters featuring local events, market stats, seasonal reminders, personal stories and more are a great way to stay connected. Promotional emails with recent sales or new listings highlight your expertise and local presence.

Our marketing platform includes a variety of email and newsletter templates, plus integrations with tools like Mailchimp and Constant Contact — making it easy to export and send campaigns quickly.

Remember: Print isn’t dead

Traditional mailers remain a marketing staple for good reason: they leave tangible, personal impressions and are especially effective with older demographics. According to Fannie Mae, 44 percent of homeowners are 60 or older, and that percentage is expected to grow.

Pro tip: You can still bring tech into print. QR codes add interactivity and help tailor campaigns to hyperlocal areas.

Built-in mailing list tools — complete with mapping and farming features — are a major asset. Our platform lets agents design, map, print and distribute mailers all in one seamless process.



Get more details on HomeSmart’s fully-MLS-integrated, automation-enhanced Marketing Design Center.

Founded in 2000 with a revolutionary 100 percent commission, full-service model, HomeSmart is a top national real estate enterprise powered by its proprietary end-to-end technology platform. HomeSmart exists to unlock the transformative power of real estate for everyone, providing integrated solutions to agents, franchise partners and, ultimately, consumers.

HomeSmart’s footprint covers over 25,000 agents across 250+ offices in 48 states.