Understanding How SMS Marketing Works and How It Can Help Real Estate Agents Close Sales

The average consumer checks their phone 52 times a day according to a 2018 Global Mobile Consumer survey from Deloitte. Consumers are so attached to their mobile phones they are four times more likely to view an SMS marketing text then open an email. They are also more likely to read the entire text without getting distracted by other media.

Because of this, SMS marketing has become one of the most invaluable tools for real estate agents. It provides many advantages over traditional marketing methods and offers potential buyers a quick and easy way to get information on the property of their choice.

Why use SMS marketing?

Studies show 80-90% of home buyers start their search online, with 30% from that group beginning their search on their mobile device. Insights like these underscore just how vital SMS marketing can be for real estate agents looking to get ahead.

Using SMS marketing to further your business is relatively straightforward. There are multiple software services out there that can help you set up your campaigns. Once you have chosen and subscribed to a service, you can use it to contact clients and set up auto-reply systems to free up your workload.

How can it help?

SMS marketing services allow you to set up campaigns to help streamline a variety of your services including:

Share property and agent contact information

Imagine a potential buyer passes one of the properties in your portfolio and sees your yard sign and real estate sign rider telling them to text a code to a local number to learn more. They text the code on the sign rider and instantly receive a reply with a beautiful photo of the house and more information on the property, like the number of rooms, facilities, and price.  At the same time, you get sent the texter’s cell phone number so you can reach out to them. That’s SMS marketing in action.

Studies conducted by Salesforce and HubSpot, two leading customer service companies, show that texting someone your contact information makes it 100 times more likely to connect and do business with them. SMS marketing software allows you to automate this to save time. If a client texts a specific code to a number, they can be automatically sent your contact information and a short introduction to schedule a call or appointment with you. Automating this service allows you to respond to leads instantly, even beyond business hours, and makes the client feel they are being attended to right away.

Grow your database

Many consumers prefer to be contacted by text versus email. With this in mind, you can set up an SMS opt-in service for clients to subscribe to. Make it simple and easy to join, like texting a keyword to a number so clients can automatically sign up for updates and alerts from you on potential properties they may be interested in. This can help you grow your leads. Remember to keep in mind that people prefer to receive marketing texts once or twice a month. Daily mass text blasts would not be in the best interest of you or your clients.

Reach your target audience

SMS marketing services help you save time by sending one message to multiple members of your client database in one go. If your database is sorted and organized, you can reach a target audience with a specific message.  Are you looking to set up a series of viewings for a chic apartment next weekend? With an SMS marketing service, you can craft and send an invitation to all your clients who are specifically hunting for apartments. Pace and target messages you intend to send to specific groups and audiences to get the most from the service. Clients may be at different stages in the buying process or looking for different things.

Keep in touch

As your database grows, SMS marketing services can help you stay in touch with your many clients. Set up automatic messages to remind them of appointments they have to view a property or send them updates on new properties or services you offer. It’s a great way to help you create value for yourself in the eyes of your clients.

Make your website mobile-friendly

With more and more internet users accessing the web on their phones, it’s important that your online assets are optimized for the mobile view. This greatly increases the chance of visitors to your website staying longer and browsing your portfolio. It’s also important to include a call to action button that’s visible at any given time on your site. You can link this to your SMS software and, with one tap on this button, viewers should be able to reach you via text (or call if you prefer) to make an inquiry or schedule an appointment.

SMS marketing has enormous potential for real estate agents. Keep an open mind and experiment. Advancements in mobile technology are growing by leaps and bounds with benefits to both agents and clients, so it’s best to always be on the lookout.

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