As a real estate agent, it's up to you to get your name out there. Local print advertising is still a thing, but reaches increasingly small audiences. Technology is now required to market yourself, gain referrals, and boost your sales in a digital world.
Many real estate agents have a love/hate relationship with technology. There is a tech tool for everything, and the options can be seriously overwhelming. On the other hand, the right technology can improve our efficiency and productivity. With that in mind, we've gathered some easy-to-use market tech for real estate agents, perfect for powering your marketing activities.
Project Management for Real Estate Marketing
With online project management tools, you can keep your to-do lists organized and make sure you never miss a step in a real estate transaction. We like Asana because it's easy to use and it's free. (There are premium features, but you probably don't need them.)
But Asana is not just for keeping your deals in line. As far as your marketing goes, it's ideal for mapping out your quarterly or even yearly strategies. You can schedule tasks like email marketing, social media posts, and videos for all your channels. You can manage your marketing content, keep track of closing anniversaries and gift ideas, and delegate tasks to others on your team.
Asana makes it easy to keep on top of tasks whether you're working alone, with an assistant, or as part of a team, so everyone stays in the loop. It's a fully customizable project management tool that connects well with your CRM software so you can easily nurture leads and keep in touch long after the sale. You might also want to check out this comprehensive list of project management tools.
If you want to become the local real estate expert, you need to get out in your community, but your online presence is essential too. Social media is fantastic because of its shareability. When you publish credible, engaging, and informative content, you'll connect with the people you know and they'll share your posts with others. That will help you become the realtor to trust in your neighborhood and beyond.
If you've got a blog, use social media regularly, or edit your listing photos, you need to work with images. Fortunately, there are lots of free or low-cost options to help make your content look great. Here is a couple to get you started.
- GIMP – This sophisticated, open-source image editing program provides the same advanced features as Photoshop without the monthly subscription fee. Use it to clean up listing photos or create stunning social media images. There is a learning curve, but tutorials are easy to find, and the price (Free!) is correct.
- Canva – If GIMP throws your non-techy brain into overdrive, no problem! Canva's got you covered. It's easy to use, even for the most technologically challenged. With drag-and-drop functionality and a treasure trove of real estate marketing templates, you can create stunning flyers and branded social media posts in minutes.
Video Testimonials for Real Estate Marketing
Testimonial Videos for EQ HomesThere's no doubt about it. Video gets noticed! Whatever social platform you're using, at least some of your posts should be video.
- Vocal Video – When it comes to utilizing video, Vocal Video is the option to choose. You can create professional testimonial videos with the click of a button and utilize easy editing capabilities, so you can have professional-looking videos without being a professional editor or designer. Get started today with a free Vocal Video account.
When you decide to up your social media game, a content calendar can help immensely. Some agents plan their content a month, a quarter, or even a year in advance, leaving some flexibility for impromptu posts too.
A social media distribution tool like Buffer can help you post consistently across all your social media channels. Scheduling in batches can save you loads of time in front of your computer. A free Buffer account allows you to pre-publish ten posts at once across three social platforms. If you subscribe to a premium account, you can increase the number of posts and platforms, and access analytics to monitor their success.
- Smartmockups is an app worth checking out to help you manage several areas of your business. Use it to generate leads, market listings, and follow up with your clients after the sale. It's a powerful way to create all kinds of graphics featuring your brand or your listings and save yourself time in the process.
Use Smartmockups to create designs in the app or with Canva integration. Then, see precisely how they look on clothing, phone cases, websites, social media platforms, or print materials. You can even see what apparel will look like on a variety of different people.
You'll need to subscribe to create to eliminate watermarks, but you'll have unlimited mockups and plenty of advanced features at an affordable price.
- Onlyl.ink – Instagram only allows a single link in your bio, and this can be a real pain when you've got lots of different content to share. That's why Block Party designed Onlyl.ink for real estate agents. Now you can create unique microsites to share videos, lead magnets like e-books, and multiple listings. The app also helps you collect detailed contact information from potential leads
With these marketing tech options for real estate brokerages, you can increase your marketing efficacy, which could also increase your sales. While you probably won’t use all of the options outlined above, utilizing even one or two could have huge dividends on your professional-looking efforts.
Note: Ready to start easily collecting, editing, and publishing customer testimonial videos and video reviews? Give Vocal Video a try with a free account, no credit card required.
Author Bio:
Ajay Pondicherry is a technology leader who's currently CEO/Co-founder at Curb Hero, a top-rated mobile application for real estate professionals and used by over 10k agents. He's also a partner and co-owner of Aragon Lending, one of the top 100 ranked US mortgage brokers nationwide based on transaction volume. You can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.