With real estate transactions at their lowest ebb since 2010, it’s time to make a consistent effort to identify new business sources and actively solicit new customers.

In addition, as sales pick up throughout 2024 and into 2025 making the effort now to embed yourself deeper into your referral system will ensure you are first in line as sales roar back.

Here are a few tactics that have proved effective at increasing new business through marketing efforts and personal outreach.

Marketing efforts

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to crank up the marketing engine for the upcoming sales season.

Let’s start with online reviews.

Hopefully, as part of your regular protocol, you ask customers to review you on social media and provide them with links to Facebook, Google and Yelp to get them started. Once you have some helpful reviews posted, make sure you maximize their effect by placing links on your website. You can also pull relevant quotes from the reviews to put in your marketing materials or place them front and center on your website.

And speaking of websites, it may be time for an upgrade. Review your website carefully to ensure your SEO is up to date and relevant information is easy to find. And remember that customers are far more likely to reach out to a company if there are names and faces on your website. Anonymous websites that offer only generic emails and phone numbers are not as effective. Short, crisply written blogs providing information on various aspects of title, escrow and closing are helpful in educating the customer about the process.

Your website and your blogs also provide an opportunity to expound upon your services, knowledge and expertise. Rather than saying you offer a “wide range of services,” write brief explanations of transactions you handle such as manufactured homes, power of attorney, probate and estate sales, commercial, short sales or REO, highlighting one area of expertise that is needed to oversee each of these special situations.

On a regular basis, review contacts who have gone dormant and reach out with an exclusive offer to get them back in the door.

And finally, ask for referrals. Create a recurring marketing effort to reach out to former customers in a personalized manner and request referrals for new buyers or sellers or real estate agents and loan officers.

Personal outreach

The winter season is also an opportune time to bolster your connections.

Make sure you are connected to local business groups and carve out time to attend events, conferences and educational offerings in person for the purpose of networking with others in the industry. In your networking efforts, highlight unique transactions you have managed so that when those types of deals come up, you will be more likely to be considered for the title and closing services.

In addition to professional associations, connect with community groups and get involved. The local Chamber of Commerce will keep you apprised of what is happening in the business community as well as new developments coming online that may provide a major source of potential business.

Partner with complementary businesses to share information and leads, such as title agencies, home inspectors, appraisers, and surveyors.

A solid and consistent marketing approach can bring in that extra percentage of business that can have a substantial impact on your bottom line.

And remember that you also have a ready-made circle of possibilities within the Florida Agency Network. Make sure you are developing relationships across the state within the network to team up on transactions that may require your particular expertise or geographic location.