There is no question that technology has become a driving force in the real estate industry. Not only are you required to build a strong online presence, but the increasing demands on you as a broker have likely caused you to turn to automation tools in order to manage your client data, and your to-do list. Marketing automation in real estate brokerages, has become extremely common as it allows for you to maintain touchpoints with large numbers of clients both hot and cold, without having to always be hands-on in that capacity. Despite this, many brokers are slow to adopt these tools, fearing the complexity or that the human touch will be lost.
Here are a few things to consider if you are wondering how to strike this balance.
You Still Control The Message
Sometimes it can feel unnerving to automate portions of your business because it feels as though you are giving up some level of control. However, just because you are using a marketing automation tool like a chatbot or social media content scheduler like HootSuite, you still have control over what is said, who it is said to, and when it is said. You can control the imagery used, and select different messages based on the unique concerns of your prospect. The best part is that you only have to set up these emails or posts once, then they can be reused for each new client fitting the bill. That saves agents a lot of time while increasing their touchpoints with current and future clients.
Segment and Personalize
Investing the time to create carefully tailored emails for contact lists that are segmented by the type of client, allows you to create a more personalized outreach to subscribers. For instance, if you are working to attract FSBO leads, you should create a lead capture that specifically appeals to people considering selling their house themselves and automatically add them to a segmented email list that receives content relevant to FSBOs. Fill your emails with solutions to their deepest pain points, testimonials from similar people you’ve already served, and personality to seem more human. The result will be an increase in open and click-through rates which will ultimately bring more leads and referrals.
Automation Is Just Another Tool In Your Toolbox
There is no denying that the real estate marketing automation tools out there today are brilliant and getting better every day. They are very effective at drawing people into your funnel, nurturing them through their buying journey and creating leads. Still, even though these tools are meant to save time and energy and increase responsiveness, there is a risk of becoming complacent after using them for a period of time. Rather than treating these tools like a “set it and forget it” button, actively monitor them, measure results, and make adjustments as necessary. It should be one of the many things you utilize to run your business.
Staying True To You
While automation tools can alleviate much of the strain caused by the demand for constant touch marketing, they are not a replacement for the human touch that you bring to your business and brand. Make sure you mix in a healthy dose of person-to-person contact, including phone calls, door knocking, open houses, educational seminars and community events. Don’t just rely on tech to bring business and recruits to you.
Weichert brokers and agents have discovered that when done correctly, these powerful resources can allow you to be in multiple places at once, expand your reach, and impress your audience. We coach our offices not to substitute tech for personal contact, but rather use it to complement your arsenal of tools to run your business. Weichert, for example, provides a CRM, complete with a mobile app, sophisticated tools for open house management and follow up, as well as the contact management and branded outreach automation, which is great for organizing contacts and staying on top of follow up. But Weichert also coaches on hosting call sessions, door knocking and regular open houses to integrate personal touch points as part of an overall marketing plan.
For more information about how Weichert agents use marketing automation to realize that next level of success, go to www.weichertfranchise.com.
