As an individual real estate agent — or even as a member of a small team — when you read this article title, you may think that “diversity in marketing” doesn’t apply to you. You are, after all, marketing houses, right?
But the idea that diversity in marketing doesn’t apply to you (and certainly to your marketing) couldn’t be further from the truth.
What is diversity in marketing?
Simply put, diversity in marketing accurately portrays a variety of people of different backgrounds, including but not limited to race or ethnicity, gender, age, geographic location, language, and disability.
Ensuring diversity in marketing is of the utmost importance for real estate agents — marketing visuals should look like the people and communities you serve. By accurately portraying your audience in your marketing, you are promoting diversity, helping to foster inclusion, and demonstrating that you are not just an agent of real estate but also an agent of change.
And, with diversity becoming more prevalent in our population from a demographics and cultural perspective, diversity is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a baseline. Between cultural shifts that have rippled worldwide to the evolution of countless consumer trends, the people have spoken: diversity, equity, and inclusion can no longer be tiptoed around.
Your clients have made their preferences clear
A 2021 study conducted by Facebook Advertising to over 1,000 online consumers uncovered that 54% of people do not feel like their culture is fully represented in online advertising. What’s more, most consumers — a staggering 71% — expect brands to demonstrate diversity in their online ads. And a 2019 survey by Google of nearly 3,000 U.S. consumers online uncovered that 64% of users were more likely to engage with a brand or purchase after seeing an ad that highlighted diversity.
With consumer demand to see people who look like themselves in advertising growing, you need to stay ahead of this increasing need.
Why does diversity in real estate marketing matter?
As the typical home buyer profile and demographic begins to take new shape, meeting consumers where they are in life is more important than ever. This starts with demonstrating to them that you’re a real estate agent that gets it, that understands their needs — that you’re an agent that aims to be inclusive.
According to NAR’s 2022 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, millennials now represent a whopping 43% of first-time home buyers. That number is expected to continue to climb as the generation begins to “settle down”, so to speak. And, 92% of younger millennials and 88% of older millennials purchased their home through a real estate agent, demonstrating the generation’s need for your guidance and expertise.
As you work with both younger and older millennial home buyers, it’s imperative to remember that a 2018 Accenture survey showed that they are 70% more likely to engage with a brand with diverse and inclusive marketing.
To tap into this new wave of home shoppers and to prepare for the generation after them (also known as Gen Z), diversity in marketing is a must.
It’s essential to ensure that imagery matches the clientele of the local market that you serve. This not only fosters acknowledgment and inclusion of a variety of people of different backgrounds, but it also creates a true-to-life marketing piece that can be an accurate representation of your community.
Diversity in an agent’s marketing also develops rapport and relatability — before you even meet your clients. When prospective home buyers see imagery in your marketing that looks like them, it helps them see themselves working with you. By having diverse, real-life images, videos, or illustrations of people in your marketing materials, prospective clients can trust that you’re a real estate agent familiar with the local market on a personal level.
Making an effort for diverse marketing also demonstrates to your prospective clientele that you have made an effort towards inclusivity, offering them a first peek into your willingness to go the extra mile for your community. In turn, this helps create change. You can set the bar for other agents in your area and help drive inclusivity across the local real estate scene by ensuring diverse marketing.
How does a real estate agent ensure their marketing is diverse?
Ensuring your marketing is diverse and inclusive helps make your brand and your business approachable to all — no matter their background. Like we shared, and like we believe: as a real estate agent, you hold power to make a difference and drive change in your community.
Now that you’re armed with the data, you can take steps to ensure your marketing is diverse — and to advertise your business and your ability and willingness to exceed client expectations.
Let’s dive in.
#1. Use diverse imagery
When selecting images for posters, brochures, or social media or online ads, try to choose images with a variety of people of different backgrounds: varying ages, cultures, genders, and other personally-identifying features.
You can use a free photo site like Unsplash or any from this list of stock photo sites that specifically promote diversity in their imagery.
#2. Use inclusive language
Inclusive language is defined as language that does not exclude nor promote or encourage any stereotypes against people based on their race, age, gender identity, and other characteristic factors.
Common examples of non-inclusive language may surprise you:
- “Salesman” or “businessman” promotes traditional, stereotypical gender roles and expectations
- “Going insane” or “going crazy” can encourage stigmas related to mental health disabilities
- Being assumptive when using pronouns, such as “he” or “she” instead of “they”
- “Blacklist” or “whitelist” perpetuate harmful stereotypes related to race
It can be equally fascinating and disheartening to learn that everyday language and phrases can uphold harmful stigmas when the origin of the expressions are traced. But we can easily unlearn these phrases to advance inclusivity for all.
When creating your listing descriptions, updating your website, or making new posts for social media or online advertisements, give the words that you’re writing a second or third look. It helps to remember: How can I make this sound like it’s for absolutely everyone?
#3. Partner with diverse businesses
Partnering with local businesses in your local market can be a fantastic way to drive diversity in your marketing and unlock access to home shoppers you perhaps wouldn’t typically meet. Here are a few ideas of what this can look like:
- Leave your mark: Ask local restaurants and shops owned by diverse communities to allow you to leave your brochures or business cards for customers to get. In doing so, not only can you reach their customer base, but you also have an opportunity to connect with staff and owners who may be in the market for a new home, or have referrals to provide to you.
- Teach a lesson: You can partner with diverse organizations’ community centers and groups in your area to host workshops on home buying, home selling, and why they need to partner with you as a real estate agent. This opens the door for you to connect with a community group on a deeper, more personal level beyond a Facebook ad or social media post.
- Be a team player: You can also consider teaming up with a local, diverse business to promote your real estate business and activities on their social media platforms, helping to expand your online reach. Consider inviting their online audience of customers and followers to workshops, open houses, or community events that you host. You can also see if the business would be open to co-hosting one of these events with you, whether at their space or by offering products to promote along with your real estate business.
#4. Highlight diversity in your local community
Another great way to include diversity in your marketing is to spotlight diversity within your local market. This can look like cross-posting or resharing posts on social media from diverse businesses, cultural groups and events, and accomplishments of diverse members.
You can also highlight these diverse groups or members of your community in your email newsletters to clientele to show what’s going on in the community, as well as to demonstrate your effort towards inclusivity.
#5. Provide multilingual resources
Not all home buyers or sellers speak the same language. By offering multilingual resources, such as translators or introductions to other real estate pros (like home inspectors, title agents, or mortgage officers) that speak their language, you can bridge any communication gaps while allowing your real estate prowess to shine. This is another way to show clients that you go the extra mile for them and won’t let language be a barrier to serving their needs.
Be sure to let people know about it, too! You can add a small blurb to your business cards, website, email newsletters, and social media profiles that you offer multilingual resources. This also helps you grow your reach to a more diverse audience and foster the inclusion of people who speak different languages.
Pro Tip: Use our First-Time Homebuyer Guides — available in both English and Spanish — as a resource for your multilingual clients.
Championing a more diverse real estate industry
Realtor.com® is committed to closing the housing gap and championing a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable future for all home shoppers, buyers, and real estate professionals. We couldn’t be more excited or proud to have you join us in these efforts. If you’d like to learn more about the housing gap and get access to other resources around diversity and inclusion, check out our DEI resources here.
