ORBIT, your AI partnerIn short
- Choose one main audience before you choose channels.
- Three channels run every week beat eight run when you have time.
- Plan 90 days at a time so you can learn and adjust.
- Measure conversations and appointments, not likes.
What a realtor marketing plan covers
Your business plan says how many conversations you need. Your realtor marketing plan says how you will start them: the audience, the message, the channels, the calendar and the budget.
It is different from a list of ideas. Ideas are options; a plan is a short set of choices you commit to, run and review.
Ninety days is a good length. It is long enough to see results from steady effort and short enough that a weak choice does not cost you a whole year.
Pick one main audience
Marketing to everyone in the Greater Toronto Area is marketing to no one. Choose a group you understand and can reach: first-time condo buyers in Mississauga, move-up families in Milton, downsizers in Oakville or small investors buying duplexes in Hamilton.
Write a short description of that person: what they worry about, where they spend time online and offline, and which questions keep them up at night. Your content should answer those questions one by one.
You can still help anyone who calls. The audience shapes what you publish, not who you serve.
| Audience | Their main question | Where to reach them |
|---|---|---|
| First-time condo buyers | Can we afford it, and what are the monthly fees? | Instagram, workplace lunch talks, your website |
| Move-up families | Do we sell first or buy first? | School events, sports clubs, Facebook groups |
| Downsizers | What is our house worth and where do we go next? | Community centres, faith groups, mail |
| Small investors | Will the numbers work after all costs? | LinkedIn, local investor meetups, email |
Write a message you can repeat
Your message is one or two sentences that explain who you help and how. “I help Milton families move up without selling in a panic” is clearer than “your trusted real estate professional.”
Keep the message specific and easy to back up. A real result you can point to, such as the number of families you helped move last year, says more than any superlative.
Use the same message on your website, social bios, email signature and listing presentation. Repetition is what makes people remember it.
For condo buyers in Mississauga: “I help first-time buyers understand fees, reserve funds and what they can really afford.” For downsizers in Oakville: “I help long-time owners sell well and land somewhere they love.” For Hamilton investors: “I help small investors run the numbers before they fall for a property.”
Choose three channels with clear jobs
A channel is anywhere your audience can meet you: your website, Instagram, a monthly email, open houses, a farm mail drop or a seminar series. Pick three that fit your audience and your strengths.
Give each channel one job. One attracts new people, one builds trust over time, and one turns interest into a conversation.
If you are not sure which to pick, start with the channel your audience already uses most and the one you enjoy most. Enjoyment matters because it keeps you consistent.
- Attract: social posts, open houses, farm mail
- Build trust: a monthly email, blog posts, neighbourhood guides
- Convert: a home value page, viewing requests on property pages, quick replies to every inquiry
Build the 90-day calendar
Plan the content for the full 90 days before you start. Batch-create on one afternoon a week so posting never depends on finding time on a busy Saturday.
Leave room for real-time posts like new listings, price changes and open houses. The calendar is the backbone; timely posts are the extras.
- Week 1Refresh your website, bios and signature with the new message. Add a home value page if you do not have one.
- Weeks 2 to 4Publish two posts a week on your main social channel and send your first monthly email to people who asked for it.
- Weeks 5 to 8Add one event, such as a first-time buyer evening or a downsizing Q&A at a library branch.
- Weeks 9 to 12Repeat what drew replies, drop what did not, and write a one-page summary for the next 90 days.
Budget and measure
Set a 90-day budget and split it across your three channels. Count your time as a cost too: an hour a week on video is real money if it pushes out a listing appointment.
Measure what leads to business: inquiries, conversations, appointments and signed clients by source. Views and likes help you tune content, but they do not pay the bills.
Ask every new contact how they found you and write down the answer. It is the simplest attribution system there is, and it works.
At the end of the 90 days, rank your three channels by signed clients, then by appointments. Keep the top one, fix the middle one and replace the bottom one for the next block.
Helen picked downsizers south of the QEW. Her three channels were a monthly mailed guide, a quarterly seminar at a community centre and a home value page on her website. After 90 days the seminars had produced most of her listing appointments, so she doubled them and dropped the paid social ads.
Where marketing plans usually break
Plans rarely fail on ideas. They fail on follow-up, consistency and tracking.
Before the 90 days start, decide who answers new inquiries, how fast, and what happens to people who are not ready yet. Marketing that creates interest you cannot answer is money spent twice.
- Inquiries that wait until evening for a reply
- A calendar that stops the moment listings get busy
- No record of where each lead came from
- A different message on every channel
- Ads that point to a home page instead of a page built for the offer
Plan around Ontario's seasons
Ontario's market has a rhythm, and your 90-day blocks should follow it. Many sellers prepare over the winter, list when the snow melts, and buyers come out in force once the weather turns.
Use the quiet stretches to build. Late fall and the weeks after the holidays are good times to write neighbourhood guides, film evergreen videos and plan events, so the busy season starts with a full calendar.
Summer brings cottage weekends and holidays, so lean on content that works without you: scheduled posts, guides people can read on their phones and a home value page that collects requests while you are away.
| Season | What people are doing | Marketing focus |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | Planning, saving, getting pre-approved | Seller prep guides, buyer seminars, planning calls |
| Spring | Listing and touring homes | Listings, open houses, fast replies |
| Summer | Holidays and cottage weekends | Scheduled content, neighbourhood guides |
| Fall | A second push before the holidays | Just sold posts, home value offers, events |
Questions
What goes into a realtor marketing plan?
One main audience, a short message, three channels with a clear job each, a 90-day calendar, a budget and the numbers you will check at the end of the period.
How long should a marketing plan run?
Plan in 90-day blocks. You get enough time to see results and a natural point to keep what works and drop what does not.
Do I need paid ads?
Not to start. A website, social posts, email and events can carry a plan on their own. Add paid ads once you know which message and which page turn visitors into conversations.
How do I know which channel works?
Ask every new contact how they found you, record it on their record, and compare channels by appointments and signed clients rather than reach.
What if I have almost no budget?
Lean on channels that cost time instead of money: a neighbourhood guide on your website, steady social posts, open houses and personal calls to your sphere. Add paid pieces once those are running.