Real Estate Agent Marketing Plan for 2027: What to Keep, Cut and Add
Most agents write next year's marketing plan around the market they hope for. For 2027, plan for the market you have. Rates are still high, sales are slower than forecasters expected, and the agents who are doing well are winning on relationships and reputation, not on volume. Here is what I would keep, cut and add.
What kind of market are we planning for?
A cautious one. Last year, NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun forecast a 14% jump in existing home sales for 2026. He has since cut that to 2% or less, and he told Las Vegas Realtors it is too early to forecast 2027, though rates closer to 6% early in the year would bring "good buying activity" (Las Vegas Review-Journal).
A marketing plan for that market should do two things: keep you top of mind with people who already know you, and make you easy to find and trust for people who do not.
Where do clients actually come from?
Mostly from people who already know you. In NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, as summarized by Virginia REALTORS, 43% of buyers found their agent through a referral, and 66% of sellers used a referral or an agent they had worked with before. NAR also reports that 88% of buyers purchased through an agent or broker (NAR).
But a referral is rarely the end of the search. Most referred clients look you up before they call: your name on Google, your reviews, your Instagram, maybe an AI tool. Your plan has to cover both the relationship and what people find when they check.
What should you keep?
- A past client and sphere routine. A useful touch every month: a short local market note, a home anniversary message, an invite to a small event. This is the highest return work most agents do, so protect the time for it.
- Your Google Business Profile. Correct category, service area, photos and a steady flow of reviews.
- Review requests after every closing. Ask every client, the same way, with no incentives. Google bars incentives and only asking happy clients (Google).
What should you cut?
- Anything you cannot trace to a closing. If a channel produced leads but no deals in the last 12 months, pause it or shrink it to a test.
- Generic content. "5 tips for first time buyers" posts that could come from any agent in any city. They do not build trust and they do not give search or AI tools anything specific to match you to.
- Posting for the sake of a calendar. Three useful posts a week beat seven filler posts.
What should you add?
- Pages for the areas and clients you serve. One page per neighborhood or client type you want to be known for, with real detail. This is what lets Google and AI tools connect your name to a place.
- Short form video every week. Neighborhood minutes, listing walk throughs, a quick market read. Video lets people get to know you before they call. Here is what to film and how to tell if it is working.
- A monthly local market note. Same format every month, on your site, in email and as a short video. In a slow market, clear local numbers are a reason for past clients to stay in touch.
- A simple tracking habit. Ask every new client how they found you and what they checked before calling. Log it in your CRM. By June you will know what to fund in the second half.
A quarter by quarter outline
| Quarter | Focus |
|---|---|
| Q1 | Reconnect with past clients (year end equity or market note), fix your Google profile, publish your first two area pages, start weekly video. |
| Q2 | Spring listing push: listing videos, open house content, review requests after every closing, two more area pages. |
| Q3 | Check your tracking. Put more into what produced deals, cut what did not. Client appreciation event. |
| Q4 | Year in review content, past client outreach, plan for 2028. |
This is how we build plans for agents at The SocialDM. Individual agents can start with LocalLift Signature, and teams and brokerages get a custom plan.
Questions we hear
How much should a real estate agent spend on marketing in 2027?
There is no right number for everyone. Start with what you spent this year, find which channels produced closed deals in your CRM, and move money toward those. Keep a small test budget for one new channel at a time.
What is the most important marketing for agents right now?
Your sphere and past clients. NAR's 2025 buyer and seller survey, as summarized by Virginia REALTORS, found that 43% of buyers found their agent through a referral and 66% of sellers used a referral or an agent they had worked with before.
Should agents still buy online leads?
Only if you track them to closed deals and the math works. In a slower market, paid leads take longer to convert, so measure cost per closing rather than cost per lead.
Do agents need to worry about AI search in 2027?
Some buyers and sellers now ask ChatGPT or Google AI who to work with. Clear pages about the areas and clients you serve, a complete Google profile and reviews that describe your work make you easier to recommend.
Want to see what a referred client finds when they look you up? Request a free visibility check and we will show you how you appear on Google, on Maps and in AI answers.
