“Want to know how to increase customer satisfaction? Want to know how to get more referrals? Want to know how to get more five-star reviews? The answer is to communicate,” Kevin Markarian, founder of northern California-based Marker Real Estate, said to Forbes.
Communication has always been important in real estate, both during a transaction and as an ongoing strategy for retaining clients, building referrals, and generating new clients. But it’s more crucial now than ever. We’re in uncharted territory, and clients and would-be clients are looking for information and leadership.
If you’re wondering how to navigate your communications strategy in these curious times, we’ve got tips.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to clients
This might be obvious if you’re in the middle of a transaction or are currently working with a buyer to find property. As Markarian says, “The good news is that, like a smile, communication has the potential to make all the difference. As a real estate agent, you simply cannot overdo it. Plus, with today’s technological advantages (of course, there’s a phone in everybody’s pocket) communication is essentially free. So why be stingy about communicating? Your clients’ and potential clients’ expectations are high. Before, during and after a transaction, there’s no one thing more critical than communication. Frankly, it’s impossible to overdo it.”
But this is also a critical time to be in touch with past clients and prospects on a regular basis. They want to know what’s happening in the market, what’s going on with rates, how market conditions will personally impact them—now and in the future. This is the time to show your leadership and position yourself as an authority with the knowledge and expertise they seek. Then, when it’s time for them to buy or sell, they’ll look to you.
An ongoing communications plan helps you to focus on retention, reassure buyers and sellers, and stay front of mind so that you can continue to grow your business during this transitional period and ensure future and referral business.
Be smart about your communications strategy
The problem is that an ongoing communications program is time-consuming and can be challenging to prioritize among the many other daily responsibilities you face. Not to mention the fact that generating that content takes an entirely different skill set. Just coming up with ideas for relevant articles and messaging can take more time than you have set aside for your marketing. And if you don’t have GOOD content, you might as well not bother at all.
This is why so many real estate agents and companies use outside resources for their communications program. Chances are good that when you see great content coming from an agent or company, it’s being generated from a source like the Realty Times newsletter. Top real estate agents see the value in using proven marketing tools like these personalized newsletters that are created and sent out monthly, are completely branded to, and all about, them, include relevant, professionally created content, and come in both digital and printable formats. Agents can also use this newsletter to promote their active listings and use the “Wondering What Your Home Is Worth?" function to generate leads.
Think social
This is also the ideal time to start, add to, or overhaul your social media plan. We all know that social media marketing is integral today for any type of business, and real estate is no different. You may already have a strategy down and have the time, skill, and creativity to do your own outreach with dynamic, relevant, lead-generating posts. But many agents don’t.
You can spend some money on a class to learn the tools and tricks of social media marketing and set aside a chunk of time every week to develop a strategy, write posts, track analytics, and continue learning when the social channels inevitably change their processes (again).
Or, you can use a programs like the RT Social Marketing Platform, which give agents an easy way to get in front of clients and prospects without having to become marketing or content experts. The basic program offers relevant, consumer-driven content that’s distributed across social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram with five weekly posts, and includes the Realty Times custom newsletter. Or, use the premium program, which also includes a customized blog website with three weekly blog posts and a lead-capturing and downloadable e-book. There is also a separate lead generation program called RT Social Leads that delivers unique leads each month.
This is a challenging time for all of us, and, at least for the time being, “business as usual” has been removed from our vocabulary. When the economy tightens up for any reason, our marketing dollars are often the first cut. But just as real estate has been deemed an essential business, marketing is an essential cost. The trick to sticking with it right now is to be smarter about your marketing dollars and to choose the tools that can deliver big-time results with a small financial commitment.
