According to Pew Research, Millennials are the largest generation in today's workforce. But many employers, including in real estate, are still wondering how to attract and keep them as part of their businesses.

Tapping into the energy and drive of the Millennial employee is the key to growth. However, real estate firms need to rethink their strategy when it comes to recruiting new sales associates.

Once you embrace a change in perspective, connecting with Millennials isn't as hard as it seems.

One reason this has been a challenge across many industries is the question of definition. Many sources have conflicting viewpoints on what makes a Millennial. To clarify, this cohort is aged 25 to 38. Millennial "elders" have navigated a downturn job market for much of their lives.

In fact, many Millennials found their career trajectory stifled by the Great Recession. While recruiting, you may meet younger Millennials who have chosen real estate as a first career and older ones who come to it from another background.

So, how can you connect with this tech-savvy, collaborative generation?

Consider these approaches:

1. Make Sure Your Website is Modern and Compelling
   Just like your leads, future sales associates look to your website first when forming an opinion about your brand. Your site needs to convey a good first impression: Modern, compelling, and active. It should have an eye-catching design that's free of clutter and renders well on mobile devices. It should also convey enthusiasm and offer plenty of content on the employee experience.
   
   
   
2. Use Video Marketing in Recruitment and Promotion
   Video content is the most popular on the Web, hands down. It gets watched, shared, and remembered. That's true not just for your leads, but also for future team members. Use social proof, just like you would when video marketing to clients: Ask sales associates what they love about working with you and post the results to YouTube. Millennials are more likely to tune in.
   
   
3. Empower Your Organization with Leading Technology
   The days of Post-It notes and overstuffed filing cabinets are over, but there's a catch: Some real estate firms are still using a mushy mess of dozens of different productivity apps instead of a single, streamlined system. The more you can update and unify your technology, the more impressed Millennials will be – they can learn and get value from new tech fast.
   
   
4. Teach New Associates Best Practices with CRM
   Customer Relationship Management transforms sales associates' workflow. CRM organization makes it easy for associates to see where their leads stand in the journey and when it's time to follow up. CRM also enables associates to track clients who are already engaged in a transaction. This saves hours of work while enabling personalized attention – both appealing to Millennials.
   
   
5. Get Savvy with Social Media When Building Your Brand
   Although Facebook has lost some trust among Millennials, social media marketing is still effective. Many have a basic understanding of pay-per-click advertising and digital marketing collateral, too. If your firm is already using Instagram to share terrific real estate photos, consider creating a recruitment account as well. Twitter can also be effective.
   
   
6. Highlight Your Ability to Help Associates Market
   Millennials want to reach competence and create value as soon as they can. One of the easiest ways for them to do it is by leveraging marketing automation. Delta Media Group customers get access to a variety of real estate automation tools like eCards & Flyers, My Customer for Life Email Campaigns, and Customer Review Sharing to nurture lead relationships.
   
   
   
7. Emphasize Work-Life Balance
   Career growth is valued by many Millennials – but they work to live, not live to work. It's automation to the rescue again, as many daily tasks can be made much easier. My HomeFinder, Market Watch and Seller Reports simplify the market research process. Open House Connector™ and Facebook Connector™ strengthen face-to-face and social marketing.

Technology and Automation Are Crucial to Becoming a Real Estate Employer of Choice

Change is inevitable, and that's very true in real estate. Over the last few years, more and more firms have been focusing on their online brand. Now, recruiting sales associates is taking a big turn toward the digital realm as well.

In the new decade, a tech-driven hiring strategy will be essential. It will enable you to communicate your value proposition for a new generation of workers. Plus, it will help you save more money and accelerate hiring since applicants can do plenty of self-directed research about you.

Once they are hired and onboard, delivering that "promised experience" will be key to retention.

Get ready today by discussing your needs with the experienced digital marketing team at Delta Media Group. We'll help you harness the power of technology and innovation to attract top talent to your business. Contact us today.