“All failure is failure to adapt, all success is successful adaptation.” – Max McKeown

Here’s a simple truth in real estate: what worked yesterday won’t always work today or tomorrow. A perfect example of this is marketing. Some marketing techniques you used a few years ago likely aren’t working as well for you today.

Reaching prospective buyers and sellers via marketing is essential to your livelihood in real estate, so making the necessary changes in how you communicate with them is a must. 

In the span of just a few years, we’ve witnessed a wide-ranging revolution in the way consumers get and interact with information. The Internet, email, mobile phones, social media, wearable technology – the list grows longer every year.

So what kinds of marketing should you consider for 2015? Here are five that’ll put you on the right path to connecting with (and persuading) prospects:

1. Share Helpful Content – Because information is so prevalent, only the most relevant communication reaches consumers’ brains. Messages that simply tout how great you are will fall short. Before you send information, always ask: “Will this help prospects in their real estate affairs?” If not, rework it until it is helpful, informative and interesting. 

2. Make Social Media Work For You – When you share helpful information, you have a much better chance of it getting shared on social media outlets. When that happens, your name rises on the ladder of respectability in the world of real estate. Social media allows people to communicate with each other more than ever. Some studies say 75 percent of a real estate agent’s business comes from referrals and word of mouth. And half of Americans said they have received a good suggestion on social media, according to a new Harris Poll, including 16 percent who frequently receive suggestions and 35 percent who said they receive suggestions on occasion.

3. Refresh Your Testimonials – Staying with the theme of consumers sharing information via social media, consider adding some pizzazz to your testimonials to boost referrals. You might want to turn them into 15- to 30-second videos you can post on your website or social media outlets to create some buzz and trust, and at the same time, give people something to talk about and share.

4. Become ‘Mobilized’ – Can consumers read your website and emails on their mobile devices? If not, you’re losing potential customers. Research now shows that people spend more time browsing the Web on mobile devices than they do on their desktop computers and laptops.  Some studies suggest that upwards of 66 percent of emails are opened on a phone or tablet. And 650 million people access Facebook daily via – you guessed it – their mobile devices. Today people want immediate, quick bites of information wherever they happen to be. When you can offer that, you’re putting yourself ahead in the game.

5. Use Videos – Consumers are watching videos on the Internet in record numbers. Facebook reports that since last summer, it has averaged more than one billion video views per day. Think about how you can start using video on your social networks, YouTube and website to capture the attention of prospects. Yes, certainly post listing videos, but also consider community tours, client testimonials and expert interviews about real estate. For inspiration, visit YouTube and type in “homes for sale” in the search field to see how real estate pros are using YouTube these days.

Bob Corcoran is CEO of Corcoran Consulting and Coaching Inc., an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into Real Estate Companies, Mortgage Companies and Small Businesses. Corcoran Consulting is headed by Bob Corcoran — a nationally recognized leader, speaker, author, coach and consultant. He can be reached through www.corcorancoaching.com or 800.957.8353.