Demand modern marketing and service from your Realtor

The way the world “works” has been changing for some time now. People are no longer restrained to office or store hours. They prioritize convenience and efficiency, and want their information and purchases handled immediately.

Amazon is a perfect example of this phenomenon. When the online retail giant went from a two-click checkout process to the one-click standard we know today, it resulted in millions of dollars in improved sales. Consumer have now built the Amazon purchasing dynamic into their everyday lives, saving hours of their precious time (which used to be spent on driving, parking, shopping, returning home, etc.) on things that matter more to them. I believe this is just the beginning, and that companies of all sizes will have to adapt and align its form of doing business to this evolution, if they want to remain competitive and relevant.

Realtors and real estate companies are no different, and their clients should demand this cutting-edge level of marketing and technology from the professionals they hire. If you are a home buyer, seller, or investor considering the services of a real estate agent in the near future, the following are some tactics and strategies they should be pitching you.

▪ Video marketing: If a photo is worth a thousand words, video is worth a million. Research has shown that buyers are more likely to request a showing for listings with videos than those without.

Analyzing the data from all of our own strategies and efforts, it is crystal clear that the largest avenue of buyer lead traffic comes from online marketing. At this point in the industry, a seller should absolutely insist on a video package of their home as a minimum baseline service.

I’m not talking about a photo slideshow with corny music or iPhone-quality videos either. I’m referring to a well-produced marketing video using high-quality drones, stabilizers, equipment, and software to properly highlight the property, as well as the lifestyle that purchasing it will provide.

The distribution of this video is also very important. Your Realtor should have a marketing and content distribution plan that includes the major real estate websites (Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, etc.), as well as Facebook and Instagram, which allow you to target local prospects very effectively. Using the video and details of your property, you can create and target the ideal profile of a buyer for your home on these platforms. Facebook specifically allows users to “niche down” their ads, targeting prospects based on income, age range, employment type, etc. For example, if you have a home for sale that is right next to a hospital, we can create a campaign to target the employees of that specific hospital.

▪ Automation: Communication is critical in real estate, and today’s modern Realtor should be aggressive, responsive and efficient across all communications channels. Marketing a listing on all of the major real estate portals and social media platforms (as outlined in the previous step) will generate interest and inquiries via email, text messages and phone calls. But how is your busy agent going to (immediately!) reply to all those emails/calls/texts and let the curious buyer know they have been reached? By utilizing automated email replies, text-replies, and pre-recorded voicemails, which respond immediately to questions and comments from these prospects. (This does not mean that prospects will be talking to “robots”. Automated responses allow agents to initiate conversations with a lead, coming from their personal cellphones and emails when the lead’s interest is at its peak.)

▪ Text codes: Savvy agents can use text codes to deliver information immediately to interested buyers, while simultaneously cataloguing their phone numbers. This is very useful, for example, on Instagram, where users are not allowed to include a web link on a post. Realtors can work around this by adding copy such as “to receive more information, text ####” on their Instagram posts, which does comply with the platform’s rules. They should also add text codes on “for sale” signs, so a prospect driving by the home at 11 p.m. can receive information instantly, simply by texting that number.

It goes without saying that your agent should provide a smooth and overall positive experience, tailored to your personal satisfaction. They should be aggressive in their efforts to sell your home fast and for the most money possible, with the least inconvenience. They should also keep you informed on the status of your transaction from start to finish. Most importantly, they should be there for you even after the deal is done, providing an experience so good that you can’t help but speak positively of them to your friends and family.

This story was originally published May 6, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Demand modern marketing and service from your Realtor."