Real estate market is the one that requires constant work on increasing your client database. But there are a few tricky questions out there. How to acquire new customers and not to lose the current ones? How to find time for marketing and actual real estate work at the same time? How to remember everything and not drop dead from exhaustion?
I’ll say it straight away: it is possible to combine everything. You just need to know where to search for help. Here’re some tips that make the life of realtors much easier.
Get Recognizable
For that, create a landing page, website, or blog (or all the three together). Yes, it will take you some time, but modern business is impossible without presentation on the Internet. You can also use social media profiles. However, create the separate accounts for your business, don’t use your personal pages.
Update your pages with your latest deals as a real estate broker, interesting news and offers, related events, pictures, and jokes. Don’t make your website (or whatever) strictly formal, add some character and personal charisma.
Automate Your Marketing
This is how you can spare your time: use automated marketing tools where it is possible. Here are some services a wise real estate consultant won’t refuse.
CRM – customer relationship manager – will help you to manage your contacts and information associated with them. You can import all your clients into the CRM, segment them according to some custom fields, and use this database to send personalized emails and offers. This way, you will have the following profile, for instance: John Smith, Client, Seller, Divorced, Birth date: 12/12/1970, Kids: No, Pets: Dog, German shepherd (some more fields can be added, according to your acquaintance with a client). By the way, there are CRM specifically designed for real estate agents.
Automated email replies – one more thing that will make your work more efficient. Use for example MailChimp to send welcome emails or responses to a new lead. However, be very careful with automated answers, since too much of this will make you sound impersonal.
Email signature generator for real estate consultants – necessary thing for every professional. This service will help you to create a free HTML email signature in few minutes. Moreover, it will be good-looking, adaptable to any mobile devices, and clickable (links to your website or social media profiles, banners, pictures, real estate quotes etc.). Bonus feature – you can build it into your MailChimp templates and go drink some coffee – you’ve just spared some time for a break.
One tip for you here: it’s a good idea to add a photo to the email signature for realtors, it will draw more reader’s attention, and your contact info won’t go unnoticed.
Personalize Your Messaging
People like to feel that you remember their needs and preferences. So use your CRM and send your customers personal emails, where it is possible. And I don’t mean addressing by name; it goes without saying. Send some newsletters, offers, and events that will meet your client’s needs. For example, you can inform Mr. and Mrs. Johnson that there’s going to be a nice festival for their children nearby. And Mr. Polanski will appreciate the information about the new training center opening in the neighborhood. Ms. Clemens will be pleased to hear there’s a new rental offer near her office. You’ve got the idea, right? Your main point as a realtor is not only deal with a real estate but communicate with people, and make them enjoy communication.
One should mention several more things about personalization. Emails, sent from a “name,” and not from a “company” have better open rates. For example, it’s better to send a letter from Joshua Bennett, than from Real Estate Consultants, Ltd. Same thing with the email address: don’t use things like “noreply@,” “info@,” etc.
Do not trick people. If you make out a catchy subject line, promise something in the email header, make sure you deliver it in your email body. For example, if you promise a discount, you really should give one; if a person expects to get some piece of useful advice, don’t disappoint him/her. It is a vital thing for a real estate consultant who cares about his/her reputation.
Conclusion
No matter what you do, don’t be a hanger-on. If you go too far in your aspiration of being remembered, people will mark you as a spammer, both literally and figuratively. Common sense is needed no matter whether you are a real estate agent, cosmetics distributor, or legal advisor. Find the fine line between automation and personal involvement, check the reaction on your pages and emails (via Google Adsense or other tracking tools), and continuously improve your work on the assumption of the feedback you receive.
