Real Estate Tools Help Add New Clients During Slow Periods
When agents come across slow times, current property data and real estate marketing automation tools can be used to attract new clients and keep them updated as conditions change. As we all know, successful people keep themselves busy during downturns.
There are plenty of prospects sitting out there even if they just might not be ready to take action now. When an agent has some free time, that is an opportunity to reach out to new prospects and get them in the sales funnel. This way, when the market does break upward, those prospects know who to call. The agent will have plenty of clients in their contact list who are prepped and ready to make a move.
But to take these efforts to the next level with the smart use of technology, consider using current property data feeds and real estate marketing automation tools.
Property Data API and Email Marketing Automation
These are some solid reasons why an agent should use these programs:
Create Content Automatically for Buyers
Current property data such as home sales and pricing trends can be fed right onto an agent’s website. To obtain current market data, just add a Property Data API (a piece of software code provided by a data aggregator). The information will then be fed onto any page on the agent’s website. Plug in the prospect’s contact information into the automated email program and the type of homes they are looking for. The program will pull listings that meet that criteria right out the local MLS and send it to them.
Creates Content Automatically for Potential Sellers
Add the data tools to a website. In the automated program, plug in homeowners who have expressed an interest in selling. The software will send them market updates with the number of homes for sale, existing inventory, trends in sale prices, and other critical data.
Email Campaigns Sent on a Consistent Basis
The key to marketing is to not make just one contact with a prospect. But to make repeated contacts. Stay in front of prospects on a regular basis. The repeated touches will result in brand recognition. In addition, that consistent outreach could come at a moment when a buyer or seller decides, yes, I’m ready to act. When that moment takes place, an agent wants their name to be top of mind.
Shows Who is Active
With some real estate marketing automation programs, such as Listing Leader by Home Junction, agents can also check a dashboard to see which recipients of the email are actively opening and reading the content. That is a HUGE buying signal. Obviously, these people are very, very interested in market conditions. Reach out to them to see if they need additional information or guidance.
Prioritizes Clients
Another benefit of the dashboard that allows you to see which prospects are more active is that it helps agents prioritize which clients to focus on first. They may have a huge database of prospects. Many times it is hard to determine who is lower down in the sales funnel and ready to make a decision. But with this email activity dashboard, an agent can SEE in real time, the clients who are continually reading the content and who are more likely to be closer to taking action.
Offer to send the latest property data on your social media websites. People who respond are obviously interested in current real estate conditions. That could also be a sales signal.
Saves Valuable Time
Sure, during slow periods, agents might have more free time. But then there will be periods when they get busy. Perhaps they have an open house coming up. Or they are busy on a direct mail campaign. Maybe there is a personal, family matter that takes up their time. Hey, life happens. But with an automated real estate marketing program, an agent can relax knowing an automated email will be sent out to ALL of their prospects in the program on a consistent scheduled basis.
This is certainly an incredible time saver compared to if the agent had to hand type a message to each and every one of those prospects. And, had to do that every week or at a certain time in the month on a consistent basis. The life of a real estate agent, and life in general, does not work that way.
Same goes with property data. The data feed updates the information on Home Sales and Price Trends. Use that as your content to distribute to prospects.
Lowers Cost
This is the technological age. The cost of highly-sophisticated marketing automation programs have come way down in price. Give Home Junction a call to see their pricing options. For all the time that is saved and the leads that are generated, agents will find the cost to be minimal and a savvy investment.
Target Real Estate Market Segments
Now that an agent has this remarkable, automated bucket to fill with prospects, as many know, here are some market segments to target:
Renters
Many renters, especially Millennials, know it’s generally smarter to invest in a home than to keep sending money to a landlord. Many renters will be on the lookout for homes for sale. They will want to know about market conditions. They will especially want to know about home prices and trends during a slow period when it tends to be a buyers’ market.
Keep them in the loop. Educate them again on the benefits of buying a home. Educate them about the mortgage process. And stay in touch with them with your automated real estate marketing program.
Former Clients
As we all know, referrals are golden. Most of the clients that you helped move into a home will still be curious about market conditions. After all, they might want to keep track of the value of their home, their most valuable possession. (You can also easily add a home value estimator tool to a website for quick, computer-generated estimates). Offer to send them market information. They will appreciate it. And at that point, they also might be likely to let you know any family members or friends who might be in need of a real estate agent and interested in that data.
Expired Listings
When the market is slow, many listings will expire. Reach out to these prospects. Offer to send them this valuable Property Data. Get them in the pipeline. Get them in your automated real estate marketing program. They might not want to keep their home on the market, but you can be sure they will want to be kept up to date on what is taking place out there. Offer to provide that information for them. Automatically. On a consistent basis.
FSBOs
Same with this group. When a market is slow for sellers, they might become more likely to finally agree it’s better to use a Realtor to sell their home. They will be interested in market information as well. And when you send it to them, they will be able to see the value and in-depth knowledge and tools a professional real estate agent brings to the table. Property data tools they don’t have.
Investors
Slow markets are when this segment of buyers is most active. Be sure to get them in your database. Attract more of them with your array of current property data tools. Keep them in the loop with your automated email program. Real estate markets are never consistent, that’s a certainty. But look for the opportunities in between the peaks.
Use property data feeds and real estate marketing automation as valuable tools to attract prospects with valuable and consistent updates on market conditions.
