Real estate is an incredibly personal industry. Because of this, it may seem as though there is little room for the use of innovative technology in your daily efforts. Technology has the potential to enhance productivity in many different ways but sometimes it can feel a bit impersonal. As much as you may want to use technology to simplify your life and boost your efficiency – you don’t want your relationship with clients to suffer.
Although these are reasonable concerns, the reality is that there are excellent technological tools that can improve your business and your relationships substantially when used effectively. Take a closer look at some of the great options available below!
Customer Relationship Management Platforms
Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms are designed to help you save time and effort with your relationship-based tasks while ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks. There are several effective solutions available that can allow you to pre-schedule email drip campaigns, track open rates, set reminders to contact specific individuals as a follow-up and more.
With all of your clients and customers entered into a single database that is easy to manage, you can apply filters to easily sort through your list of both potential and established clients for easier and more effective data management. This also benefits your clients by allowing you to give them frequent touches that can be customized with new listings, market information and valuable real estate tips!
Social Media Marketing
While social media allows you to easily disseminate information and updates to your followers, you may think that it doesn’t offer the same level of personalism as a phone call or personalized email. However, proper social media marketing can be highly effective while still retaining your own level of individuality.
Use social media to post pictures of recently sold properties, listings that are currently for sale and even your happy clients getting the keys to their new home. This is a great way to build rapport and develop your brand in a low-key and affordable way.
While posting a few listings and virtual tours on social media apps is a great idea, you should also take the opportunity to sell yourself. Toot your own horn by showcasing your success stories and special awards to help demonstrate that you’re an industry authority.
360 Video
360 video technology is now more affordable than ever – and it can potentially help you to sell more houses while saving your clients time and energy. With this technology, clients can experience an immersive, 360-degree view of a space to get a truly in-depth look at everything the listing has to offer. Customers generally love the fact that they can get a better feel for a home before they visit it in person, so this feature can help them to weed out listings that are not ideal for their needs and become even more interested in homes that may be ideal for them. You can then help them to tour only the homes that most closely meet their needs and ultimately provide better overall service.
Task Management
Don’t hinder yourself by taking the time to create task lists with pen and paper. There are a plethora of apps available to help you digitally track your short-term and long-term tasks, projects and more. Platforms such as Asana, Nekst and Workzone can help ensure that you’re serving your clients efficiently without overlooking any of your important tasks – all while better organizing your day to reduce stress.
Chatbots
Not all of your website’s visitors are ready to make a purchase or set up an appointment. Some potential clients may visit your website without directly contacting you by phone or email because they are on the fence about moving forward or need more information before making the commitment to meet.
However, a chatbot integration can serve as a less-pressured way for them to get more information about buying or selling a home. This technology can be specifically customized to directly meet your needs and to help you generate more leads from your website. Your customers will love the fact that you provide them with an indirect approach to get the information they need and to decide if they want to move forward with a transaction by contacting you directly.
Streaming Live Video
Take advantage of the live video functionality offered by Facebook and Instagram by using it to communicate directly to your followers, so that you can provide them with helpful tips or urgent market information. You can even give your clients a tour of a property and answer any questions they may have about it in real-time.
While this won’t replace an in-person home tour, it can help your clients find the home of their dreams by helping to narrow their options.
*Pro tip – save your live videos and upload them to a private channel that you market to your clients for viewing and sharing.*
While modern technology can sometimes have a bad reputation in the area of personalized communication, there are several ways it can improve your business and the overall customer experience when used properly. Additionally, many technological solutions can actually help you to create a more personalized experience for your clients. Technology is all about convenience, so make sure you maximize your business by utilizing it to your advantage!
