{"id":15819,"date":"2020-04-13T14:05:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T21:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=15819"},"modified":"2026-04-07T10:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:51:11","slug":"agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Other Crisis: A Guide for Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of the country is in a coronavirus state of alert<\/a>. With residents being told to stay at home, and some states severely limiting agent marketing activity, we\u2019ve collected advice about how to best market your services and tastefully continue promoting your listings during a pandemic. Because you don\u2019t want to emerge from this pandemic as a pariah.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (Brooke Cagle \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DON\u2019T: Position coronavirus as a \u201cunique opportunity\u201d<\/h2>\n

While it is true that certain businesses can thrive in crisis \u2014 Procter and Gamble became the giant they are by pursuing marketing and advertising during the Great Depression<\/a> \u2014 you could do irreparable damage to your brand by treating a health crisis that has killed thousands and sickened hundreds of thousands in the United States alone as a chance to make money.<\/p>\n

You have to be genuine, and you have to show your audience that you\u2019re in this with them. This isn\u2019t a good time to tell clients who are already scared and unsure about the future that they\u2019ll be missing a huge opportunity if they don\u2019t make an enormous life decision right now.<\/p>\n

DO: Create 100% original content<\/h2>\n

Everyone\u2019s life has been upended by coronavirus. How are you and your family members coping with different situations that might be new to you?<\/p>\n

Working from home is a popular one. Homeschooling your kids while trying to do your job. Maybe you\u2019ve picked up a long-forgotten hobby.<\/p>\n

Being human during a crisis is not only okay, but highly recommended. Valerie Garcia<\/a>, a speaker and consultant who specializes in storytelling and real estate, encourages agents to explore their human side while stuck at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is sometimes humor when you take into account we\u2019re all sharing the same space, and maybe your kid is going to walk in on the conference call. That\u2019s okay, it happens \u2026 it\u2019s also funny and 100% original,\u201d Garcia says.<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T: Politicize the crisis<\/h2>\n

Kimberly Grogan<\/a>, a top agent in Arlington, Texas<\/a>, says \u201cEmotions are running really high right now, and agents don\u2019t need to get involved in politicizing a health crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re posting political memes or thoughts on your business profiles, or simply commenting on other posts under your name \u2014 your personal opinions can leave a bad taste in your audience\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n

\"Clorox<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (Brooke Cagle \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DO: Share how you plan to keep yourself and others safe<\/h2>\n

Prevention is the name of the game. Most of the regulations that limit movement in the United States right now are aimed at flattening the curve<\/a> so as to not overwhelm the medical system. If your market is still allowing you to pursue real estate activities, it is smart to be proactive and communicate what you\u2019re actively doing to protect yourself and your clients during showings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings like asking buyers to leave their kids at home during a showing; providing gloves, sanitizers and masks during showings; or asking sellers to leave all the doors open inside the property, and all the lights on, to prevent touching any surfaces can and should be shared. It shows we\u2019re doing our due diligence to help during the crisis, while still doing our jobs,\u201d Grogan says.<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T: Use coronavirus as an opportunity to sell yourself<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s easy to panic when you\u2019re sitting at home by yourself. Desperation can creep up while you\u2019re at home alone, isolated from your business.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery message I read that says an agent is doing \u2018business as usual\u2019 leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Because this could not be further away from \u2018business as usual.\u2019 People around us are getting sick or losing their jobs,\u201d Garcia says.<\/p>\n

And, before you ask, she adds: \u201cNo home is beautiful enough to be quarantined in.\u201d<\/p>\n

DO: Think outside the box<\/h2>\n

Figure out how your services can be used to help businesses around you stay solvent and even thriving during what amounts to a very difficult time. Forget about being salesy and putting out your message about buying or selling real estate, and focus instead on what is going on in your community and how you can participate and make things better for others.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (Christin Hume \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DON\u2019T: Send direct mail or leave things at people\u2019s doors<\/h2>\n

The CDC recommends special care<\/a> when receiving the mail or doorstep deliveries \u2014 including social distancing. This is not the time for glossy postcards, door hangers, or other mail solicitations.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are actively having to disinfect or isolate their mail before opening it, and you\u2019re just making it difficult for them to get to the important mail pieces by sending them unwanted direct mail,\u201d notes Garcia.<\/p>\n

DO: Check in with everyone<\/h2>\n

Isolation can be hard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pick up the phone and talk to your loved ones. Send a quick personal note via email or text message to let someone know you\u2019re thinking of them.<\/p>\n

Also welcome? Requested care packages featuring goods from small businesses. For Gina Candelario<\/a>, who\u2019s worked with 78% more single-family homes than the average agent in San Antonio<\/a>, this means \u201creaching out to past and present clients and contacts, whether they are personal or business, on their preferred method \u2014 whether it\u2019s a voicemail, or an email, or even a text \u2014 to see how they\u2019re doing, if they are safe, if they need help or need groceries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cookies<\/a>
<\/a> (Photo by Astrid Storey | Cookies by Hayley Cakes and Cookies<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DON\u2019T: Share tasteless humor<\/h2>\n

Garcia says, \u201cAgents and brokers are consistently sharing humor that misses the mark, or making fun of what is a hard situation for many out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her suggestion? \u201cIf you\u2019re not 100% sure if something is really funny, check with someone else.\u201d Preferably someone who isn\u2019t a real estate agent and can give you a true consumer\u2019s opinion of your joke.<\/p>\n

Also, Garcia advises, \u201cDon\u2019t just slap your logo or your hashtag on any content other agents are sharing.\u201d It might be, well, tasteless.<\/p>\n

DO: Check your marketing settings<\/h2>\n

Go back and double-check the content of all your automated drips, nurture campaigns, and other scheduled content that\u2019s going out and hitting people\u2019s inboxes or computers.<\/p>\n

You should probably consider turning off all your campaigns until things calm down, but at the very least, you should look at what you\u2019re planning to publish or send out and tweak it for the times.<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T: Invite every single person in your network to your virtual open house<\/h2>\n

You\u2019re spamming people who might not be interested; you\u2019re going to be blocked or reported.<\/p>\n

Yes, your virtual open house is probably amazing \u2014 but people are really in-tune with their \u201cunfriend\u201d and \u201cunfollow\u201d triggers during this time of social distancing. You might be harming your business instead of helping it by bombarding your network with these virtual events.<\/p>\n

DO: Ask yourself if your message is about you \u2014 or your community<\/h2>\n

Before hitting \u201cpost,\u201d ask yourself who this message talks about. Is it talking about you and your business? \u201cThen it\u2019s probably not the right time to share it,\u201d Garcia says, adding: \u201cThis is not the time to be talking about how this was the largest quarter of your career, or how big a deal you are about to close.\u201d<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T: Lose focus<\/h2>\n

Real estate is regulated to different degrees, depending on where in the country you\u2019re located. The range goes from \u201cessential\u201d (and therefore still active in certain markets) to \u201cnon-essential\u201d and basically shut down in others.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re posting on your social media channels, where people all over the country can read your posts, you might be coming across as tone-deaf and you won\u2019t even know it. Keep that in mind when you\u2019re planning your posts.<\/p>\n

DO: Become a trusted resource<\/h2>\n

Garcia says agents are creating Facebook groups and organizing communities to do all sorts of things: sew and donate masks; organize delivery and pickup for groceries for elderly or infirm neighbors; collect and donate to food banks.<\/p>\n

None of those are marketing or self-promotion activities, but they will all be remembered in a positive light after the crisis is over.<\/p>\n

Candelario mentions some agents in her market have put together lists of restaurants that are providing take-out and delivery services, and shared those lists with their networks in an effort to help small businesses.<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T: Share dubious information<\/h2>\n

Magic cures, conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus, or unconfirmed rumors about the current situation in your city or state are not helpful \u2014 and can actually be harmful to your audience.<\/p>\n

Limit yourself to sharing information that has been confirmed by your local government, the CDC<\/a>, or the National Association of Realtors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (Nathan Dumlao \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DO: Educate your sellers and buyers<\/h2>\n

This is uncharted territory for all of us, so imagine how your buyers and sellers feel right now. There\u2019s a lot you can do to help them navigate their decisions.<\/p>\n

The pandemic has likely reduced how many showings are happening in different areas, so you should explain to your sellers what this means for finding a buyer, and to buyers how they can still look at homes.<\/p>\n

Talk to them about any showing limitations and explain how to get showings done anyway. Offer the most updated trends for your specific market. Go the extra mile to explain which tools you will be using to promote their listing virtually, or how you will use tools to let buyers view listings from the safety of their home.<\/p>\n

Also, walk them through what the closing process will look like and how it will be different than normal times. \u201cSome title agencies are doing closings like a Sonic Drive-In by bringing papers out directly into the cars,\u201d Grogan says.<\/p>\n

Most importantly: Don\u2019t panic<\/h2>\n

Candelario says her market is still active \u2014 even with shelter-in-place rules. And they expect to bounce back up after the movement limitations are lifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best way to be a good resource to our clients is to keep a cool head, look at the data and the numbers, and make recommendations based on how we know the market will react, based on our experience,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m trying to send the message that if you have no choice but to move right now, there\u2019s a house out there for you and an opportunity for you to still be able to move if you really need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Header Image Source: (\u0160tefan \u0160tefan\u010d\u00edk \/ Unsplash)<\/em><\/p>\n

All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement or any affiliation with HomeLight.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve collected advice about how to best market your services and tastefully continue promoting your listings during a pandemic. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":15827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[193,670,664],"tags":[713],"class_list":["post-15819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-agents","category-grow-business","category-marketing","tag-agent-covid"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Crisis: A Guide for Agents<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019ve collected advice about how to best market your services and tastefully continue promoting your listings during a pandemic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Other Crisis: A Guide for Agents\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We\u2019ve collected advice about how to best market your services and tastefully continue promoting your listings during a pandemic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-13T21:05:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-07T17:51:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Astrid Storey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Astrid Storey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Crisis: A Guide for Agents","description":"We\u2019ve collected advice about how to best market your services and tastefully continue promoting your listings during a pandemic.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Other Crisis: A Guide for Agents","og_description":"We\u2019ve collected advice about how to best market your services and tastefully continue promoting your listings during a pandemic.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2020-04-13T21:05:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-07T17:51:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Astrid Storey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@gohomelight","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Astrid Storey","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/"},"author":{"name":"Astrid Storey","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e3105957f8bc6fa19247e09a4a8cbcf8"},"headline":"How to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Other Crisis: A Guide for Agents","datePublished":"2020-04-13T21:05:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-07T17:51:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/"},"wordCount":1844,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic.png","keywords":["agent-covid"],"articleSection":["Agent Resources","Grow Your Business","Marketing Ideas"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/","name":"How to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Crisis: A Guide for Agents","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic.png","datePublished":"2020-04-13T21:05:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-07T17:51:11+00:00","description":"We\u2019ve collected advice about how to best market your services and tastefully continue promoting your listings during a pandemic.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic.png","width":1500,"height":800,"caption":"Source: (\u0160tefan \u0160tefan\u010d\u00edk \/ Unsplash)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-how-to-market-yourself-during-a-pandemic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Market Yourself During a Pandemic or Other Crisis: A Guide for Agents"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America's Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e3105957f8bc6fa19247e09a4a8cbcf8","name":"Astrid Storey","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0144278b27e6a648fdee1cc01c1f234e36e4c8bed6de7a54199483811226c332?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0144278b27e6a648fdee1cc01c1f234e36e4c8bed6de7a54199483811226c332?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Astrid Storey"},"description":"Astrid Storey is originally from Panama and spent most of her early years traveling through Central and South America. She arrived in Denver in 2003, the day after graduating college. During the next decade-and-a-half, she\u2019s juggled a career in a variety of creative and marketing roles while building her own studio, Storey Creative, with clients in real estate, health care, publishing, and tech.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/astridsolis\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/astrid-storey\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}