Real estate agents often ask me, what's the best marketing tool for real estate? In fact, if I had a dollar for each time I heard this question, I would be on vacation right now!

So what are the best marketing tools for real estate? Well, I'm always quick to say that you are your best real estate marketing tool. Yes, you ... the real estate agent reading this article. I've gone so far as to write an article about the most powerful real estate marketing tool, which is the agent behind the marketing.

So that automatically gets into the top-ten list of marketing tools for real estate. But what are the other nine? Here's my list.

1. A Real Estate Website
Each day in your market area, hundreds (possibly thousands) of home buyers and sellers turn to the Internet for real estate information. Having a real estate website is the first step to connecting with this ideal audience. Thus, the website is a core marketing tool for real estate in the modern age.

2. A Web "Presence"
What's the difference between a web presence and a website? Plenty. A website is a grain of sand on a long beach, with little hope of standing out in any significant way. But a web presence increases the chance people will find you online. A web presence includes such things as the real estate website, online press releases, real estate blogging and other online ventures. your chances of be. In an age where so many people use the Internet for real estate research, a strong web presence is a necessary marketing tool for real estate success.

3. A Real Estate Blog
In my opinion, real estate blogs can be one of the most effective marketing tools for real estate agents. Especially when they're used properly. When you publish quality content to a real estate blog on a regular basis, you are increasing your web presence (mentioned above). You're also positioning yourself as an authority in your area. These are just a few of the reasons a blog makes a good marketing tool for real estate success.

4. Real Estate Postcards
"Postcards," you say, "aren't those a little outdated?" Not at all. The postcard marketing strategies used by a lot of real estate agents are indeed outdated, but the medium itself can still bring great rewards. Real estate postcards have been a reliable marketing tool for real estate agents for decades. They can still be highly effective, especially when integrated with some of the other marketing channels on this page.

5. Home-Buying Seminars
I frequently recommend home-buying seminars as a marketing tool for real estate agents. No other real estate marketing technique can produce a room full of potential clients, eager to hear what you have to say. Sure, there are plenty of logistics involved, but the rewards usually outweigh the effort. Home buying seminars are most effective as a real estate marketing tool when conducted in collaboration (i.e., a real estate agent teaming up with a home inspector, mortgage professional, etc.

6. Client Referrals
It's no secret that client referrals lead to a lot of business in the real estate industry. So in this regard, referrals are a powerful marketing tool for real estate agents. But some agents forget that the process leading up to a good referral begins on Day 1 of the working relationship. Take good care of your clients from first contact to closing day, and you'll tap into one of the most powerful marketing tools for real estate -- the client referral.

7. A Big Idea
This is a real estate marketing tool you can't buy in stores, which is partly why it's so effective. Big ideas are everywhere, but it's almost impossible for me to list them for you. Once a big idea has been used in a certain market area, it can never be repeated with equal success. When you can come up with something that gets people in you're area "buzzing" and spreading the word, you've tapped into another powerful marketing tool for real estate success. You've harnessed a big idea!

8. A Modern Outlook
The Internet has forever changed real estate research, as well as the real estate transactions themselves. So it's important for real estate agents to adopt a modern way of thinking about their business. Start with what consumers are doing today, how they're using the Internet, etc. Work backwards from there? How can you use that to your advantage? Keep a modern outlook toward real estate, and you'll acquire yet another marketing tool for real estate success.

9. The Website Listed Below
Currently, there's only one place online where agents can go to learn about direct mail marketing, online marketing, blogs and other topics on the subject. That website is listed below, and it offers dozens of free articles on the topics mentioned above.

10. Behold, the Real Estate Professional
As we discussed at the beginning of this article, you are your most powerful marketing tool for real estate success. None of the other items on this list can be effective without your energy, focus, compassion, intelligence and enthusiasm. So the next time a software or web marketing company says, "We have the most effective marketing tool for real estate business" ... you can say, "No you don't. I do!"