You’ve probably tried at least one AI tool by now. Maybe you entered a prompt, received something that sounded stiff and generic, and decided that AI wasn’t for you.
I hear that a lot. And I want to push back on that.
Participate in the INMAN Intel Index Survey
The problem isn’t AI. The problem is that we use one tool and expect it to do it all. The agents and brokers that I see success with don’t use a single platform. They use a short stack of specialized tools, each doing the job it was built for.
Research in one place. Draft their voices somewhere else. A list of photos and brand visuals processed by those specifically designed for real estate. The results are better, the process is faster, and it’s not that complicated once you understand how it actually fits together.
Here’s how it works:
A step-by-step guide to mastering marketing with AI
Think of it more like a relay race than a solo sprint.
The workflow has four stages.
Research and Raw Materials > Drafting with Your Voice > Visuals and Brand Graphics > Packaging and Distribution
Each stage has tools to succeed at that particular job. Everything would be easier if we stopped asking for all four on one platform.
Step 1: Do your research with Perplexity (or Gemini)
Let me tell you something: AI tools won’t magically recognize your city. What they can do is quickly and efficiently search, summarize, and surface what already exists online. This is really useful, but only if you’re using tools that show you where the information is coming from.
This is why I start all my content projects with Perplexity. All results are accompanied by a source link that you can click to review. It’s important for accuracy and it’s important for compliance. Always know where your information is coming from.
Try the following prompts to get started:
“Upcoming Community Events [neighborhood] With Links of the Month” “Best Parks, Trails, and Dog Friendly Spots” [city]” “Recent News Affecting Homeowners” [ZIP code]“Give me 10 blog post ideas for real estate agents.” [city] Create an overview and get 3-5 supporting statistics with source links for this topic. [your topic]”
Google Gemini is a powerful alternative, especially for market statistics, school ratings, and walkability data. Try both to see which one gives you better results in your particular market.
Your only job at this stage is to gather solid raw materials such as facts, statistics, local details, and links. Save everything. It will be handed over in the next step.
Step 2: Draft in your voice using Claude Projects
This is where workflow becomes powerful.
Most agents will first draft directly in the AI tool they open, paste it into a topic, and hope they get something usable. The output tends to sound the same as everyone else’s. No context. This tool doesn’t know about you, your market, or how you talk to your clients.
Claude Projects solves that. A project is a dedicated workspace where you upload your brand voice, sample creation, audience details, and compliance guidelines to follow. The more examples of content you create, the more accurate the output will be.
Once this is set, every prompt you run within that project will produce output that looks like your own, rather than something extracted from a generic template.
The actual workflow I’m using is:
Get research, notes, and verified links from Perplexity. Create specific, detailed prompts for whatever you’re working on within your Claude project. Paste everything you learned from your Perplexity research into the prompt (see below for information on what to include in the prompt).
For blog posts:
“Write a 900-word post for homeowners.” [neighborhood]. Use a warm and educational tone. Include these statistics with your citations. Finally, provide a soft call to action to schedule a consultation. ”
For neighborhood guides:
“Create a 600-word community guide.” [area] Targeted at educational buyers with school-age children. ”
To reuse a completed draft:
“Give me 5 social captions, 60-second video scripts, and 3 email subject lines for this post.”
Set up one Claude project and call it Marketing Hub. Store your brand guidelines, past content examples, and compliance notes there. Over time, it becomes more useful rather than less useful.
Step 3: Make hyperlocal content work
There is one thing that most agents overlook. The more specific and community-focused the content you publish, the more search engines and AI tools will recognize that you own a specific geographic area.
That means writing about your neighborhood, local events, Main Street coffee shops, and the dog park that every Goldendoodle owner asks about.
This type of content is not only good for search rankings; That way you sound like a real person who actually lives and works in the community.
Uncover local facts using Perplexity. Convert to content using Claude. When you repeat it consistently, you begin to build something that gets stronger over time.
Step 4: List photos and visuals using Nano Banana
Handles written content. Now let’s talk about the visuals. Because images still do a lot of the heavy lifting in the real estate industry.
Nano Banana is a recommended tool for real estate imaging work. It understands the shape, perspective, and realism of a room in a way that common imaging tools can’t, and the differences show up in the final product.
What it can actually be used for:
Photorealistic virtual staging that looks like a furniture catalog has been placed in an empty room. Present the same space in multiple styles to appeal to different types of buyers without disguising the property. List Photo Organize: Remove clutter, cords, brown spots in the grass, trash cans in the driveway. Keep your photos accurate while presenting your property in its best light. Branded agent graphics: Stay consistent across signage, social posts, and mailers with a sleek headshot, a photo with a neighborhood backdrop, or an image of the agent and property together. Batch processing: Generate multiple photo variations from a single shot, saving real-time time for large lists.
Consistency is key when it comes to personal branding. If your headshot looks different on your website, yard signs, business cards, and Instagram, your brand will feel disjointed. Nano bananas help keep them together.
Step 5: Create a newsletter in less than a day
Newsletters are one of the most profitable marketing channels for agents and one of the most abandoned. Here’s an easy way to assemble it without spending your whole Sunday.
Gather your content first (10-15 minutes): Use Perplexity or your local news feed to get 2-3 local stories, upcoming community events, small business or restaurant spotlights, and current market statistics.
Draft by Claude (5-10 minutes): Paste everything into your Marketing Hub project and see the following prompt.
“Turn this into a monthly newsletter for my past clients. Use clear sections and short paragraphs, and include a call to action for my site.”
Drop it into your CRM or email platform. Copy and paste it into KW Command, Mailchimp, Follow Up Boss, etc. end.
Once you get comfortable with that workflow, you can eventually automate parts of it using tools like Make.com and Zapier that are connected to AI. But start simple. The manual version takes less than 30 minutes and is much better than not sending a newsletter at all.
What every copywriting prompt should include
If you want high-quality blog or email content powered by AI, the prompt is just as important as the output. The best prompts include several key elements.
Purpose: What is this work supposed to accomplish (educating, converting, nurturing)?
Audience: Who is it for and what do they care about?
Core message: One important point you want your readers to remember.
Key Takeaways: Facts, statistics, or ideas that you should definitely include.
Tone and voice: how it should sound (and what to avoid).
Format: Structure, length, and layout expectations.
Call to action: What the reader should do next.
Constraints: Style settings (no fluff, no emojis, AP style, no em dashes, etc.).
SEO (for blogs): Target keywords and search intent.
The more specific you are upfront, the more strategic and useful the outcome will be.
AI tools cheat sheet by task
Task Tools “Why” the complexity of market and regional research Provides clickable links and real facts. Blogging and Voice Control Claude learns your style so you don’t sound like a bot. MLS Listings and Email Claude / Write.homes We respect fair housing language and MLS standards. Photo Editing and Staging Nano Banana was built specifically for room geometry and realism. Social Hooks and Scripts Claude/ChatGPT Ideal for batch processing captions and fast video scripts.
3 things to keep in mind
Build your workflow: Choose a simple sequence and repeat it. Research with Perplexity, draft with Claude, and visuals with Nano Banana. Consistency creates momentum. Please be sure to check before publishing. AI reveals what’s online. It does not fact check itself. Check all statistics, check all source links, and read all drafts before it is published under your name. Let AI augment local expertise, rather than replace it. You know information about the market that is not accessible with tools. A street that floods every spring, a neighborhood that gets multiple offers back, a school that just got a new principal that everyone loves. That knowledge is contained in the content. AI is simply a way to quickly transform it into something publishable.
You don’t have to be a technical person to make this work. It requires a simple process, a short list of the right tools, and a willingness to try it once. Start with one blog post. Follow the steps above. Let’s see what comes back.
I think you’ll be surprised at how close it sounds and how little time it takes.
March is Marketing and Branding Month at Inman. As the spring sales season begins, we examine the proven tactics and new innovations that are driving results in today’s market, and celebrate the industry’s top marketing and branding leaders with Inman’s Marketing All-Star Awards.
Marci James is the founder of Be Inspired Digital. Connect with Marci on Linkedin and Instagram.
