A marketing plan fits on one page. It has five parts: your income goal turned into closings, who you serve and where, three channels you’ll commit to, a budget, and a 12-month calendar with a weekly routine. Every month, track leads, appointments, closings and cost by source. Every quarter, review the numbers and change one thing.
Part 1: turn your income goal into closings
Start with the gross commission you want and divide by what one closing pays. Say you want $105,000 and your average closing pays $10,500. (That’s a $420,000 sale at a 2.5% fee, used only as an example, since commissions are negotiable.) You need 10 closings. For scale, NAR’s 2026 Member Profile says the typical member closed 9 transaction sides and the median gross income was $59,200.
Then decide where the closings will come from. The same report says repeat clients were 28% of business and referrals 22%, about half combined. If you’ve been in business a while, you might plan 5 closings from people who know you and 5 from new marketing. If you’re new, most have to come from new marketing.
Last, turn the new closings into leads. Online leads typically close at roughly 0.4% to 3% (industry estimates, not a single study). At 2%, 5 closings take 250 leads.
Try it: Commission goal plannerWork back from an income goal to closings, leads and a lead budget.Part 2: who you serve and where
Name one or two kinds of client by what they need: first-time buyers, people relocating for work, owners selling a condo. Describe the need or the property, never the person. Fair housing law bars ads that show a preference based on a protected class, so read fair housing words to avoid before you write anything.
Then name the place: a short list of ZIP codes or neighborhoods you can get to know well. The farm area finder ranks ZIP codes by turnover, the share of homes that sold in the last year, so you can see where homes change hands.
Part 3: three channels to commit to
- One for people who know you: a monthly email newsletter, a call list or a home anniversary letter.
- One local: a farm mailing, open houses, your Google Business Profile, or a sponsored ad in your ZIP codes on OfferBacked (from $10 a month per ZIP code, a flat fee for visibility, not leads).
- One online: Facebook ads, Google ads or steady posting on Instagram.
Three is enough that you don’t depend on one source, and few enough that you’ll work all of them every week. Add a fourth only when the first three run on routine.
Part 4: the budget
Set a yearly number, divide it by 12 and give each channel a monthly amount. The marketing budget calculator turns your commission income into a yearly and monthly budget with a starting split across channels. The well-known “10% of gross commission” rule is coaching lore, not a study, so don’t treat it as a target.
If a channel costs time and not money, write hours per week next to it. Time is the budget for unpaid channels.
Part 5: a 12-month calendar and a weekly routine
List what repeats each month: one mailing to your farm (about 12 a year is the practitioner convention), one newsletter and one market update. Then add the dated items, such as a client event and each past client’s home anniversary.
A weekly routine keeps the calendar honest:
- Monday: answer every new lead and set the week’s follow-ups.
- Tuesday to Thursday: calls and notes to people you know, plus your posts for the week.
- Friday: log leads, appointments and spending while you still remember them.
A one-page template
| Part | What to write down | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goal | Income goal, average commission, closings needed | $105,000 at $10,500 a closing is 10 closings |
| 2. Who and where | Clients by need, and your ZIP codes | First-time buyers and condo sellers in two ZIP codes |
| 3. Channels | One for people who know you, one local, one online | Monthly email, farm postcards, Facebook lead ads |
| 4. Budget | Yearly total and a monthly amount per channel | $500 a month: $100 email and events, $200 mail, $200 ads |
| 5. Calendar | What repeats monthly, and your weekly routine | Mailing in week one, newsletter in week two, calls daily |
| Tracking | Leads, appointments, closings and cost, by source | Updated every Friday, totaled at month end |
The dollar figures are examples, not recommendations.
What to track monthly and review quarterly
Ask every new contact how they found you, and keep four numbers for each source: leads, appointments, closings and cost. A spreadsheet with one row per source is enough.
Once a quarter, sit down with the totals:
- Work out cost per appointment and cost per closing for each channel. The lead cost and ROI calculator does the math.
- Mark each channel keep, fix or cut. Allow for the lag. Buyers found online often take months to transact, and farming, by practitioner convention, takes 6 to 12 months or more.
- Make one change and write it on the plan. Changing everything at once tells you nothing.
For help filling in the channels, see 40 real estate marketing ideas for a small budget. For the budget line, see how much a real estate agent should spend on marketing.
Common questions
What should a real estate marketing plan include?
Five parts on one page: your income goal turned into closings, who you serve and where, three channels, a budget, and a 12-month calendar with a weekly routine.
How many leads do I need to hit my income goal as a real estate agent?
Divide your income goal by your average commission to get closings, then divide the closings you need from new marketing by your close rate. Online leads typically close at roughly 0.4% to 3% by industry estimates, so 5 closings at 2% take 250 leads.
How often should I review my real estate marketing plan?
Track leads, appointments, closings and cost by source every month, and review the plan every quarter. Mark each channel keep, fix or cut, and make one change at a time.
Updated October 2026. General information for real estate professionals, not legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, platform rules and program terms change, so confirm them at the source.