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The standard for real estate marketing can feel like déjà vu.
The same flyers, “just listed” templates and social posts — it feels like everyone has been doing the same thing in graphic design for real estate since 2016.
If you are “stuck in the same old strategy loop,” it’s time to shake things up — and rewrite the “rules” of real estate marketing and make your life easier.
Canva, aka the solution to Microsoft Publisher, has been on the design scene for quite some time, but it is easy to get stuck in a rut when using the tool that has become a standard go-to for many agents daily.
Social media advertising has changed and is becoming more organic. Fewer graphics and more natural-looking content are not only easier to produce, but they also look less cluttered to potential clients.
5 ways to rewrite the rules
Here are five ways to rewrite your old-school marketing playbook and use Canva and AI to save time and increase engagement with your audience.
1. Ditch or scale back the graphics
When it comes to content creation, a picture is worth a thousand words, and loading a beautiful photo with text, logos and tons of information creates a cluttered visual for your potential customers.
Not every piece of content needs to be branded with your face and phone number. This is a personal choice; just make sure your contact information is easy to find within the post’s caption.
How to do it:
- Use Canva’s blank templates to resize photography to fit the social media platform it will host
- Make sure to save the photography on your mobile phone’s camera roll for quick stories or posts on the fly
- Create a template with your contact information and branding for end screens on Reels or the last “post” on an Instagram carousel. Let the rest of the content speak for itself
Example: Build a carousel of photos for a Facebook and Instagram post for a new listing. Use the caption for the call to action and your contact information. Mix up the use and order of the photos each time so that the audience may see different images each time you post about the listing.
Pro tip: Use ChatGPT to help you write a caption for each social media platform. Here is an example of a prompt that I like to use. Copy and paste the listing information from an MLS syndicated platform, and then add this prompt:
Write an SEO-optimized caption for [List your platform] for agent [who you are and your brokerage] with [contact and disclosure information]. Make it a “just listed” announcement and make sure to call attention to all the special features of the home. Find relevant hashtags, and keep this fun and light.
Pro tip: Invest in Canva Pro and build your brand inside Canva. Upload colors, logos and other elements you use all the time so they are there and ready to go. You should not be uploading this each time.
2. Make market updates fun and beautiful
Everyone wants to understand the market, but nobody wants to read a novel to get the information. Make a quick 30-second video where you explain the highlights, or go around your target market and take some great seasonal photos about your community.
All my favorite social media folks, like Katie Lance and Jimmy Burgess, will tell you (and show you) that video will get you great results, but if you are too camera-shy, use photography to your advantage.
How to do it:
- Use Canva’s infographic or chart templates. Search “market update” or “infographic”
- Add your MLS stats, or leverage a resource like your brokerage reports, and use this as one of your end screens or as a buried post in your carousel post
- Copy and paste the data into ChatGPT and again give it the prompt to make you an SEO-optimized caption for the social media platform on which it will be featured
Pro tip: Create an SEO-optimized post on LinkedIn to provide a market report for the month and highlight your recent sales. This is a great way to track your portfolio and successes and show your audience that you are a professional salesperson who’s always ready to do business.
3. Make a simple flyer template with no photos
Years ago, when I began showing Canva to real estate agents in a marketing and design class, one gentleman stood up in front of the class, trying to vouch for me and my expertise, saying that I was “really good at making colored prints.”
This statement haunts me to this day. Agents, you are more than just the flyers. You are so much more.
Canva
The time agents, admins and assistants spend making flyers, hanging flyers and running them out to the property is just a time-waster, a tree-killer and a stress-booster.
Now, I recommend creating a simple flyer template using one QR code that goes to a live website with real-time updates, a full gallery, video and contact information for the agent.
It’s practical, it’s easy to generate if you need to make it before the photos are ready, and you can drop the code on stickers, business cards and other items that you have invested in and let them work instead of you working trying to size the photos into the right template and still having your client tell you they do not like the colors.
How to do it:
- Using Canva, generate a QR code for the information about your listing.
- Pick a simple template (a postcard size is great), drop the code, the property address, your contact information, required disclosures, and rock and roll.
- Use this template for all your listings, and keep things moving quickly.
Pro tip: Use this for quick direct mail to the neighborhood before an open house. The neighbors can hopefully send a few more folks your way, or they may see your great marketing and want to list with you as well.
4. Capture moments from your day, and turn them into a letter or a blog
One of the things I love about Canva is that it has some great ready-to-use templates for blog graphics or even a personal letter or postcard to your audience.
Don’t try to recreate the wheel. Use these templates to create meaningful and straightforward storytelling moments for your audience.
Blog post idea: Use Canva to make a graphic for your blog or even your LinkedIn article, and write about something that is not only an educational moment but also a milestone in your career. Try to keep it at around 250 words.
Direct mail letter: You can create your own stationery on Canva and then use it to send out a monthly letter to your sphere of influence. Make sure to sign a wet signature at the end of the letter if you can. A simple one-page letter can go a long way. Ditch the “just sold” postcards, and take a moment to make a meaningful connection with your audience. You can also turn this into a JPEG and post it on your social media as well, ensuring that the size is correct.
Canva
5. Make a 1-page business contact handout for each phase of the transaction
You must hustle, grind and work 24/7 to be the best real estate agent. This is one of the “oldest” rules in real estate, but honestly, it’s impossible to uphold, and it may be one of the biggest reasons we have such a high turnover rate in our industry.
Many phone calls, text messages and emails agents receive are from customers, other agents and vendors looking for information or instructions on the next steps.
Canva
You’re more than a salesperson — you’re a community guide, a trend spotter and a resource. A mini-mag shows your value, builds your brand and nurtures your list like no drip campaign can.
How to do it:
- Create your guide and make sure it has your business hours, mailing address, preferred contact information, information on who to contact in an emergency and the contact information of all your favorite vendors you may recommend during the process. Also, on this flyer, list the “steps” to closing, so everyone can follow along. You will give this to your clients and the agents on the other side of the deal. They will use it, and you will get much use out of it, especially when you are working with new-to-real-estate clients or newbie agents.
- Make a who-to-contact after-closing guide featuring information on utilities, local vendors, handymen, warranty information, etc. Give this out a week before closing. It will be a lifesaver in many cases.
Breaking the rules
You don’t need a marketing team, a graphic design degree, or hours and hours of graphic design each week for social media content and branding. You don’t have to do the same thing everyone else is doing. You don’t need to make extra work that is lost in seconds with the consumer.
Currently, scheduling the content is more important than pushing out over-polished, over-embellished content in the algorithm when considering ROI.
I would rather see agents push out a few personalized, natural-looking content posts than flood the feeds with graphic after graphic of announcements.
You need the right tools and the confidence to try something new and ignore the crowd. Canva gives you creative control and lets you express your brand personality, but it’s a tool to use, not a place to spend valuable hours that you could be spending with your loved ones and prospecting for new business.
Remember: This isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being consistent, memorable and creating content that works for you rather than you working to generate content constantly.
Rachael Hite is a seasoned housing counselor and thought leader in the real estate industry. Connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.
