As a property appraiser, it’s understandable that marketing may not be your strongest suit. Our goal is to provide you with the best marketing advice we can. To help you get started, we put together this list of 14 ways to market and promote your real estate appraisal company.
1. Be professional
The best marketing advice we can give you is simple. Do great work. Your appraisal business will not survive unless you deliver a quality service and treat your customers well. Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most important marketing channels for any home appraiser. If your marketing budget is limited, referrals from past clients can really help your company’s bottom line.
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2. Build a brand around your business
It helps to come up with a name for your business that is memorable or catchy. It can also help to focus on a niche market. If you specialize in residential appraisal, you may want to include “Home Appraisal” in the name of your business. If you mostly focus on commercial appraisals, make sure to emphasize this on your business cards, flyers, and other marketing materials.
3. Invest in a professional website
If you don’t have a website for your real estate appraisal company, now is the time to build on. Although you may have been fine without a website in the past, it’s now more important than ever for your business to be online. There are several ways to create a new website. You can hire a web design company to build one for you or you can use a DIY tool to build one on your own.
4. Use a direct mail marketing service
Although it may seem old school, direct mail still works. Sending something in the mail can be very effective. This is a solid way to reach people you have worked with in the past. The next time they need to have their home appraised, they will remember to call you. If a friend ever asks for an appraiser recommendation, they can pass along the postcard you sent them in the mail.
5. Write content for your website
Writing great content is one of the best ways to improve the SEO of your business website. If your content ranks highly in the search engines, you can increase the number of visitors to your site. Write about topics that your customers might be interested in. Try to answer some of the questions that you are asked frequently. What is your appraisal methodology? What are some good tips for hiring an appraiser? How much do you usually charge for an appraisal?
6. Purchase home appraisal leads
This is one of the most straight-forward marketing techniques. Buying leads is an efficient way to find new clients and grow your real estate appraisal service. If you don’t have spare time to market your business, a lead generation company can do the work for you. When the company finds someone in your area that needs an appraisal, they will send the prospect’s contact information right to you. Most lead providers charge a set amount per lead. Most companies let you set a budget to control how much money you spend each month.
7. Attend relevant networking events in your area
Appraisers can benefit greatly from attending local networking events. At these events, you will have the opportunity to shake hands with a variety of people from the local business community. As an appraiser, you may want to seek out mortgage brokers, home inspectors, real estate agents, and property attorneys. After the event, it’s important to follow up with the interesting people that you meet. A quick call or email will help you establish and grow that relationship.
8. Join a professional association for appraisers
There are several professional associations for real estate appraisers that you may want to consider joining. See if one of the national organizations holds local chapter meetings in your area. These meetings can be a great place to meet other appraisers like yourself. You can discuss appraisal methodologies, marketing strategies, and techniques for working with difficult clients, Each association offers different membership benefits and services. Make sure you do a little homework before paying your dues.
9. Try pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platforms
Pay-per-click ads can be a great way to drive traffic to your website. You can even decide when you would like your ad to show. If someone searches “home appraisers near me”, you can pay to have your website show up at the very top of the results page. For some smaller appraisal companies, the cost of PPC advertising may be too high. For larger companies, PPC can be a great way to get additional eyes of your website. You can create advertising campaigns using a self-serve, DIY platform or you can hire a pay-per-click agency to do the work for you.
10. Use your vehicle to promote your business
A real estate appraiser can really benefit from applying a vehicle wrap to their van, car, or truck. A vehicle wrap makes you look professional when you arrive at a new property. It also helps to reinforce your company’s brand and messaging. Vehicle wraps are also very budget-friendly and they can be removed when you no longer want them.
11. Look into radio advertising
Advertising on the radio is one way to get additional publicity for your business. Your script can be as simple as, “Do you know how much your house is worth? How long has it been since your home was appraised? Call ______ Home Appraisal Service to find out”. Make sure the ad includes the name of your appraisal company and your contact information. It doesn’t hurt if you have a catchy slogan or jingle too!
12. Send out a regular email newsletter
Your past customers are often your most reliable source of new business. Putting together a short email newsletter about your property appraisal business can be an effective way to generate return business and new referrals. Be careful not to send too many emails. The last thing you want is to discourage people from hiring you in the future.
13. Give pay-per-call advertising a shot
Buying calls (or appointments) is a simple and effective way to generate new business for your appraisal services. Sign-up is typically very simple. The pay-per-call company advertises on your behalf. When they find someone who needs an appraisal, that person will call you directly.
14. Manage your company’s online reputation
Your online reputation is something you need to actively manage and maintain. Ask your customers to write a review of your appraisal company online. Many people rely on online reviews to determine who they will hire. If you have received a few bad reviews online, don’t worry. There are online reputation management companies that can help you recover. If you do respond to a negative review, make sure to do so politely. Try to rectify the situation when possible. If you messed up on something, it’s okay to admit that you made an honest mistake. People will respect your honesty.
Last Updated: October 9, 2018