Digital marketing for real estate agents should be aimed at winning listings, not just advertising them. That means generating appraisal requests and vendor enquiries through Meta ads, Google Ads and suburb focused content, then nurturing those owners with consistent follow-up until they are ready to sell. The listings portals help you market a property once you have it. Your own marketing is what brings the next one in.
Why digital marketing for real estate agents must go beyond the portals
Property portals are where buyers browse, and they are part of every campaign. But a portal profile mainly showcases the listings you already hold. It does little to put you in front of a homeowner who is thinking about selling in six months and has not yet chosen an agent.
That homeowner is your real customer. They decide who to call based on local presence, recent results in their street, how the agent comes across online, and who stayed in touch with useful information. Agents who own that relationship before the appraisal stage win more listings, rather than competing on commission at the last minute.
How do homeowners choose a real estate agent?
Most vendors shortlist two or three agents. They look at who has sold nearby recently, read Google reviews, check the agent’s social media, and often ask friends. Many will search phrases like “best real estate agent Burleigh Heads”, “how much is my house worth Mermaid Beach” or “real estate appraisal Glenelg”.
Your online presence needs to answer their silent questions. Do you know my suburb? Have you sold homes like mine? Are you easy to deal with? Will you get me a good result? Every ad, page and post should help answer one of those.
Build trust with Google reviews and a strong profile
Set up a Google Business Profile for your agency office and keep it active with photos of recent sales, team members and local events. Ask every vendor and landlord you work with for a Google review once the campaign settles. Reviews that mention the suburb and the outcome, written in the client’s own words, carry real weight with the next vendor reading them.
Reply to each review personally. A thoughtful response shows how you treat clients, which is exactly what a prospective vendor is trying to judge.
Suburb pages and appraisal landing pages
Your website should do more than list properties. Create a page for each core suburb you work, with recent sales, local market commentary, schools and lifestyle notes, and a clear call to request an appraisal. These pages can rank for local searches and give your ads a relevant place to send people.
Build a dedicated appraisal landing page as well. Keep it short: a headline about knowing what their home is worth, a few reviews, a recent sales strip and a simple form asking for the address and the best time to call. If your site was built mainly for buyers, a website built to bring in enquiries from vendors can change the mix of leads you receive.
Meta ads for vendor and appraisal leads
Facebook and Instagram are where homeowners spend time, which makes Meta ads one of the most effective ways to generate appraisal requests. Target your farm area, then test offers such as a free market appraisal, a suburb price report, or a “just sold nearby” message showing a recent result.
Video works well here. A short clip of you walking through a recent sale, explaining what buyers paid for and why, builds familiarity before the first phone call. Use Meta lead forms for quick sign ups, then add a qualifying question or two, like timeframe to sell, so you can prioritise. Our Meta ads management is built around this type of lead generation.
Google Ads for owners ready to act
Google Ads catches homeowners who are already researching. Bid on searches like “sell my house” plus suburb, “property appraisal” plus suburb, and “real estate agent” plus suburb. Exclude rental and buyer terms if your goal is listings, so you are not paying for people looking to rent a unit.
Keep budgets focused on the suburbs where you want more market share, and send each ad to the matching suburb or appraisal page rather than your home page.
The long game: nurturing sellers who are not ready yet
Many appraisal leads are not selling this month. Some are six months away, some are a year or more. This is where agents win or lose. If the only follow-up is one phone call and a forgotten note, that vendor will list with whoever stayed in touch.
A CRM with automated nurturing keeps you present without adding hours to your week. With Go High Level CRM, each new appraisal request gets an instant reply and a booking link. After that, owners can receive monthly suburb updates, recent sales and helpful selling tips by email and SMS, with reminders for you to call at the right moments. When they are ready, you are the agent they already know.
Stay inside the advertising rules
Real estate advertising in Australia is regulated at state level. Several states, including Victoria and New South Wales, have underquoting laws that govern how agents estimate and advertise prices, and the Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading or deceptive advertising. Rules differ between states, so check your state fair trading or consumer affairs regulator’s guidance before you publish ads, price reports or sold results.
Winning listings on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast property market is diverse, from beachside apartments and high-rise units to family homes in the northern growth suburbs and acreage in the hinterland. Vendors want an agent who knows their pocket of the market, so suburb-level content and results matter more than city-wide branding.
Build suburb pages for the areas you work, such as Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach, Robina or Hope Island, and target Meta and Google ads to those suburbs. Interstate investors also own many Gold Coast properties, so consider targeting owners outside the city when they are thinking of selling.
Questions real estate agents ask us
What is the best way to get appraisal leads online?
Meta ads targeting homeowners in your farm area, sent to a short appraisal landing page, are one of the most reliable approaches. Pair them with Google Ads for people already searching to sell, and follow up every enquiry quickly.
How long does it take for a vendor lead to list?
It varies widely. Some vendors list within weeks, while others take many months to decide. That is why automated follow-up matters, so you stay in touch until they are ready.
Should I advertise as an individual agent or as the agency?
Both can work. Vendors choose a person they trust, so personal video and reviews perform well, while agency branding adds credibility and lets you share leads across the team.
How KOA Digital helps real estate agents
KOA Digital is a fully Australian team based in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, working with businesses Australia wide since 2019, including many in Adelaide. We run Meta and Google ads for vendor leads, build appraisal pages and websites that convert, and set up Go High Level so every owner is followed up automatically. The goal is more listings from better vendors at a lower cost per lead.
Want more appraisal requests from your farm area? Call KOA Digital on 0483 929 713 or book a call at koadigital.com.au/contact-us/.
