If you scroll through most real estate marketing right now, you'll see the same things on repeat: another "Accepted Offer!" graphic, another daily post chasing likes, another automated caption that could've been written for any agent in any city. It works, sort of — it's getting the agent's name and face out there. But if everyone's doing the same thing, no one's really standing out.

We believe what actually builds a lasting business looks a little different, and a little slower. It means putting your client's experience ahead of your own marketing wins, getting genuinely clear on who you love working with, and creating content that's yours — not outsourced, not automated, not generic. Here are four unconventional habits worth building into how you market yourself and serve your clients.

1) Make serving your clients your first priority.

It's become a best practice in our industry to post every accepted offer on social media as proof of a successful business. However, from the client's perspective, a public celebration of their accepted may feel inappropriate and premature. After all, they haven't even had their inspection, and the closing is 30 days out. 

When we leverage the client's accepted offer for our own marketing purposes, the client may feel that we're thinking more about ourselves than we are about them. So, we encourage you not to adopt this practice. Instead, keep your focus on serving your client and keep giving them your best all the way through closing. 

When your clients know they are always your top priority — and when you stay in touch with them after the sale — they will spread the word about your work to their family and friends. And it's this word-of-mouth marketing that will be your best foundation for a long and prosperous career. 

 2) Identify your ideal client, and work to attract them.  

Many realtors focus on doing as much business as possible with as many people as possible. Practiced over the long run, chasing every type of sale from every type of person can be draining and lead to burnout. It's a trap many of us have fallen into. 

To avoid this trap, we invite you to slow down and think about the traits of your ideal client. When you focus on traits, think about the personal characteristics and aspirations of the people you wish to serve. 

Ask yourself: what kind of person do you do your best work for? For many of us on our team, the answer is people who are a positive influence on us — clients who become friends, who bring generosity, hard work, and humility to their own lives and relationships. People who strive to be a positive influence in their day-to-day relationships and in the wider community.

With these traits in mind, your focus is clear: to bring a strong sense of generosity, humility and enthusiasm for your work to all of your client care and marketing. When you have a clear and consistent focus, you will attract more of your ideal clients, who in turn refer you to their friends and family, who become your ideal clients, too. 

3) Have something to say, and author your own marketing. 

The industry trend right now is to be visible online, all-the-time, on as many social media platforms as possible. Very often this leads to realtors automating or outsourcing their marketing to people (or machines) who have no clear sense of what type of client they're seeking to attract.

The outcome of this is approach is marketing that often feels generic and spammy, amidst a sea of other social media posts that feel the same. It's hard to stand out online when everyone else is doing the same thing as you. 

Instead, we invite you to create marketing content based on your work in the community that is genuinely helpful and interesting to your ideal client. A few examples:

• Share your buying and selling tips and insights on the latest market trends.
• Highlight a local contractor who does amazing work.
• Spread the word about a local non-profit that is making a difference in the community.
• Create a puzzle or a game where the winner receives a gift certificate to a local small business. 

Once you're in the habit of authoring your own marketing, go deeper with your sharing. Repurpose some of your content by creating a monthly or quarterly newsletter, or by creating downloadable buying and selling guides on your website. When you consistently and generously share your insights and knowledge with your ideal client in mind, trust will follow. 

4) Be consistent and play the long game. 

It can be tempting to follow the industry trend and mass-produce quick social media posts in an attempt to gain likes and followers. Once again we invite you to avoid this trap and be more purposeful with your approach: 

• Identify your ideal client. 
• Give them your best. 
• Each week, author your own marketing and run your business with your ideal client in mind. 

When it comes down to it, this is the unconventional part: while most everyone else is chasing the next quick post, you're building something that lasts. That's a trade worth making. 

For more more thoughts on building a productive and sustainable career in real estate, check out our careers blog.