Being a real estate agent in 2019 is no easy task given that realtors nowadays face more challenges than opportunities. Housing and property shortage, lack of demand, and inflation are some of the more noteworthy issues; however, the real challenge is generating new leads and connecting with customers. With so many tools available—both traditional and digital—coupled with the ever-increasing number of tasks and responsibilities real estate agents have to carry, it can be overwhelming to develop a strategy.
The underlying issue here is the element of uncertainty that technological advances bring to the table - that is to say with the availability of so many channels of communication, real estate agents may get confused as to which one will provide them with the most reach or help them generate new leads effectively.
Because the number of potential customers is limited, real estate agents have to take their strategy up a notch to stand out among the crowd of other agents and get new customers. But what are the best means of doing so? Do they refer to the traditional methods of cold calling, door knocking and social events (i.e. open house and networking events) or do they approach the issue from a more modern perspective, utilizing new forms of marketing in the form of digital platforms?
The answer is not conclusive in that there is no single best way of handling the matter. Nevertheless, one tactic that combines the best of both worlds is SMS Marketing and that may be one of the best ways of generating new leads and building a customer base.
Understanding SMS Marketing Essentials
In an age where smartphones almost instantaneously launched mobile phones into the technological stratosphere—making them the most widely used electronic devices—the importance of SMS marketing cannot be understated in the grand scheme of advertising/marketing. In simple terms, SMS marketing is a tool used to spread promotional messages or campaigns for marketing purposes by means of mass messaging.
Through the implementation of this technique, companies can build or expand their clientele while simultaneously building a customer feedback loop, which in turn helps increase customer loyalty. In other words, SMS marketing’s functions are not only limited to extending the reach of a company through the SMS promotion of their products or services; it also helps form a two-way communication with your client base, contrary to the more traditional forms of marketing.
SMS marketing can additionally be used to target a specific demographic in accordance with the needs of the company implementing it since it is a permission-based messaging service which requires people to opt-in by way of subscription.
SMS marketing presents a unique opportunity for companies to reach far more people at only a fraction of the cost. In that regard, it is more advantageous as well as a cheaper approach when compared to the more traditional marketing methods. The effectiveness of SMS marketing lies in the fact that mobile phones have become a common commodity for the masses, and because all of them have some sort of cellular reception, reaching people through a text message is almost a non-issue.
Given that most methods of marketing require more steps than one can count for the masses to access the promotional info a company is trying to disseminate, SMS marketing stands out for its simpler — almost primitive to an extent — approach. Text messages are intuitively easier to access, grab the attention quicker and generally do not require much attention span because they are by design short and concise — ultimately making them the optimal channel of communication.
That is, however, not to say it is the only way forward. If carefully incorporated with the rest of the marketing strategy — whether digitally or in traditional methods—SMS marketing can boost the effectiveness of the whole marketing campaign by acting as a complementary piece.
Like any other successful business, real estate is not limited to its main function of selling the property. Selling property may be the most important part of the job but not the only one. In order to sell properties, real estate agents have to build a network of potential buyers who they can refer to when selling a new property. And this is where real estate text message marketing comes into play — it can help captivate a share of the market in the simplest way possible, providing agents with new leads in a way no other form of communication can.
Through SMS marketing, real estate agents can target a specific demographic based on criteria at their discretion, and try to attract new customers through text messages. It is simple, yet effective.
SMS Marketing Samples for Real Estate
The housing market is unpredictable by nature and potential customers are always on the fence as to what decision to make. This makes it hard for an agent to constantly keep his leads interested but not impossible. It is always about knowing how to engage your customers in a way that sparks new life into their interest.
Contrary to emails and phone calls (the latter is at times off-putting as it drives customers away), which are either missed or ignored, text messages offer a viable alternative because they have over double the response rate. With that said, here are some scripts — which are short, informative and to the point — which real estate agents can use for text message marketing.
Here are some real estate SMS marketing examples from Easy Agent Pro:
- Hi there, thank you for signing up for texts from [company name]. Are you seeking to sell or buy a home?
- Hi [customer name], [your name] here from [company name]. You’re now subscribed to receive info about a new listing in [area name].
- Hi [customer name], I’d love to set up a few showings for you. What neighborhoods are you interested in?
- Thanks for joining us at the open house [street name]. Please reach out if you have any questions about the property.
- Hi [customer name], the home you loved at [street name] just dropped from X price to Y price. Would you like to place an offer?
- Hello [customer name], it’s [your name] here! Are you still interested in searching for a home in the [street name]?
- Hey there, great choice of neighborhood. What size of house are you looking for?
- Hey there, it’s a great time to buy in [neighborhood name]
