The Best Real Estate Marketing Agency Depends on Your Agency

The list

1. 1. Idealist (Place)

   Place's exclusive property marketing agency, covering artwork, compliance, portal launch, print, signs, video and photography.

   Best for: Agents inside the Place network who want one team to run campaign production.

   Watch: It works for Place agents, and Place charges a campaign management fee.

2. 2. Chilli Agency

   A Queensland agency that works on brand, advertising, design and a clear point of difference for real estate agencies.

   Best for: Queensland agencies that want a stronger brand and local profile.

   Watch: Pricing is not stated on their site.

3. 3. Stepps

   A real estate content marketing business that says it creates, publishes and promotes content for agents and brands.

   Best for: Agents who want a content partner and are willing to brief it.

   Watch: The page could not be read for this review, so confirm scope and fees with them.

4. 4. The Real Estate Marketing Company

   Sells designed marketing tools such as websites, prelist brochures, prospecting material and web books, with custom design on request.

   Best for: Agencies that want printed and digital collateral without building it from scratch.

   Watch: Pricing is not stated on their site.

5. 5. YourPropertyPilot

   Builds content from an agent's listings and reviews, in the agent's existing branding.

   Best for: Agencies with many listings and no marketing hire that want steady content without briefing a designer.

   Watch: Not a fit if your customers are not on social media or you already have an in-house social media team.

6. 6. Today Media

   A Melbourne marketing services company described as technology focused, with real estate experience.

   Best for: Melbourne agencies looking for a local marketing services provider.

   Watch: Services and pricing are not stated in the listing.

7. 7. realestate.com.au Residential Agent Marketing Centre

   The portal's page for property advertising, an agency marketplace, agency services and subscriptions.

   Best for: Agents who want to buy advertising on the portal buyers already search.

   Watch: It sells advertising and tools rather than planning your campaign or brand.

Where YourPropertyPilot fits

YourPropertyPilot sits fifth in this list, after the agencies that offer design, print and brand work, because it covers a different gap. It suits an agency with many listings and no marketing hire that wants content built from its listings and reviews in its own branding. Agencies with an in-house social media team, customers who are not on social media, or a Place office already using Idealist should pick something else.

What page one for this search actually contains

Most results for this term mix three different things. Some are agencies that produce marketing for a real estate office. Some are directories that list digital agencies from every industry. One is a portal that sells advertising.

An agent usually wants one of four things: a campaign for a listing, a stronger brand for the agent or office, more profile in the local area, or content posted every week without anyone writing it. Decide the job first, and the name comes second.

Three kinds of option on page one

The first kind is the network agency. Place uses Idealist as its exclusive property marketing agency. Idealist handles artwork, compliance checks, portal launch, signs, brochures and print for Place campaigns. Place charges a campaign management fee and says the fee covers that service. It suits Place agents. The page does not offer it to anyone outside the network.

The second kind is the independent agency. Chilli works with agencies in Queensland on brand, advertising and design, and says it has over 30 years in real estate marketing. The Real Estate Marketing Company sells designed tools such as websites, prelist brochures and prospecting material. Stepps focuses on real estate content marketing, although its page could not be read for this review.

The third kind is the directory. Semrush, Digital Agency Network and RevenueBase list digital agencies. Most of those agencies run SEO, Google Ads and web design for many industries. A directory helps you build a shortlist, but it does not tell you which agency understands a listing campaign. Check each agency's real estate clients first.

Match the option to the gap in your week

If your office is part of Place, start with what the network provides. The only question is whether the extra campaign work suits your listings.

If you run a Queensland agency that looks like every other office, a brand agency is the fit. Chilli describes its work as finding what makes an agency different, then making sure the right people in the area know about it.

If you need printed and designed material, The Real Estate Marketing Company offers ready-made tools and custom design work.

If the gap is volume, the agency model is slow. Sales and reviews pile up and never become posts, because each one needs a brief. That is the gap YourPropertyPilot is built for.

Developers marketing a new project need a different list. Customhomesonline names Render Vision, Conway+Partners, Milesbrand and The Brand Factory. Those suit off-plan projects, not a residential sales office.

Where YourPropertyPilot fits in this list

YourPropertyPilot is one option here, and it sits in the middle of the list. It does not replace a brand agency or a network team. It covers the weekly content that agencies tend to skip.

Luke Marshall at YourPropertyPilot says agents using it can generate "content that's built from their existing contributions, such as reviews and property listings". The content goes out in the agent's existing branding.

Luke leads growth at YourPropertyPilot. He worked at Google APAC and helped launch YouTube across South-East Asia. He was a client partner at Facebook and launched Australia's first Instagram advertising campaigns. He has spent over a decade working with startups. YourPropertyPilot is not endorsed by or affiliated with Google, YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, and it has not won any awards.

Who should pick something else

Luke Marshall at YourPropertyPilot is direct about this. It is not a fit if your customers are not on social media. It is not a fit for a large agency that has an in-house social media team. It is not a fit if you are comfortable with the leads you already generate and do not believe in marketing.

It is also not a fit for an agent who thinks they can market better themselves. Luke accepts that this is possible with enough time, effort and money. His view is that "YPP can probably do it more cost effectively than what you're doing today". That is his opinion, not a tested result, so ask for a trial on your own listings before you decide.

Questions agents ask

What does a real estate marketing agency do?

A real estate marketing agency produces the material that sells a listing or builds an agent's profile. That can include photography, video, copy, signs, brochures, ads, websites and social posts. Some agencies also plan campaigns and manage portal launches. Scope varies, so ask for a list of what is included before you compare.

How much does a real estate marketing agency cost?

Most agencies on page one do not publish prices. Place says its campaign fee covers Idealist's service. Ask each agency for a written quote, check what it covers, and confirm whether GST is included. Compare the scope of work, not only the total, and ask what happens after the first campaign.

Is realestate.com.au a marketing agency?

No. realestate.com.au is a portal that sells advertising and tools to agents. Its Residential Agent Marketing Centre lists property advertising, an agency marketplace, agency services and subscriptions. It is advertising space and tools rather than an agency that plans your campaign, so many agents use it alongside other marketing work.

Can any agency use Idealist?

Place describes Idealist as its exclusive property marketing agency, working with Place agents. The page does not offer the service to agencies outside the network. If you are outside Place, look at independent options such as Chilli or The Real Estate Marketing Company, and compare what each includes.