Hi there!
For all marketers and salespeople, we’re pleased to share our findings from 2025, and plans for all clients in 2026. We’ve cut through the noise, the spend and the fluff to provide you with:
2025 Key Insights
Signals from Luxury Buyers & Owners
- Cost-Per-Lead Across Seasons
- Best Performing Social Media Assets
- Nearly 800,000 Emails That Worked (And Didn’t!)
- AI Transformation To Battle MLS Price Hikes
1. Leads don’t behave evenly throughout the year
January was the cheapest month to advertise — and the worst month for direct conversion.
The data shows:
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January delivers the highest volume of “window shoppers” & prospects
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But cost per lead is highest, because buyers aren’t ready to reach out yet
This is not a failure — it’s an opportunity.
Brokers will win by using January to:
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drive high-volume traffic to their own website
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retarget those visitors to return in March
Get them hooked now. Reel them in later.
This strategy only works when you own the traffic & can stay in front of them.
January is the best time to purchase high quality traffic, and keep in front of them through May, November & December
2. The highest-performing ad wasn’t a luxury home or stunning yacht
One of the highest CTR ads we ran all year wasn’t a listing at all.
It was our own company ad featuring direct eye contact.
Our working theory — supported by performance:
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eye contact triggers oxytocin and dopamine
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it increases trust and familiarity
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it consistently delivered the lowest cost per click
What this means for you in 2026:
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your professional headshot is a marketing asset
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ads with eye contact outperform scenery and curb-appeal
- social media is for socializing, not selling
Based on this, we now ensure every client runs campaigns with eye-contact — because it’s proven to be the most profitable ad.
You can use this immediately for all your posts, e-blasts & print brochures:
Top Performing Ads include eye contact and CTA
3. Email clicks don’t come from text — they come from images
We analyzed roughly 800,000 opened emails this year.
The strongest pattern was clear
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the highest click-through rates were on clickable images
This is why, for our clients:
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every listing blast includes their hero image
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every news update includes a visual
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their headshot is included in their email signature
Writing matters, but images generate actions.
4. Marketplace spend was the most expensive line item — and the least durable
The single biggest cost increase brokerages saw in 2025 wasn’t ads.
It was:
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MLS fees
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premium placements
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marketplace exposure
The issue isn’t visibility — it’s ownership.
When those payments stop:
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your listing becomes someone else’s lead
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your momentum vanishes
The brokerages who reported the highest satisfaction were the ones who:
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built traffic to their own website
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retained every visitor for retargeting & e-blasts
Own your leads. Own your listings. Own your future.
Watch this video for long-term ROI in 2026:
Why we’re sharing this
This isn’t a pitch.
It’s a year-end intelligence brief.
If you’d like a complimentary end-of-year report, let’s schedule a call. You just need to be in front of your computer and we’ll help you to analyze every social post, every listing, every e-blast so you’ll know how your specific audience can become more loyal and reliant on your messages.
No more guesswork, just applied learning from 2025 to be used in 2026!
