Marketing for real estate agents is about to become more challenging.

Real estate agents have long looked warily at Zillow, a media firm that aggregates data on 110 million American homes through its website. Since its launch in 2006, it has diverted many home buyers and prospective sellers to begin their research on its homepage.

Zillow's next move will be more disruptive: It's hiring real estate agents.

Zillow Offers customers in Atlanta, Phoenix, and Tucson will now work with Zillow employees licensed through Zillow Homes, the company's real estate brokerage. Homes will be listed by Zillow employees.

Zillow employees won't represent sellers outside the Zillow Offers program. However, it will be much easier for Zillow to make that decision in the future as market conditions change.

Plus, the company's expansion threatens to "suck the air out of the room" when it comes to marketing for real estate agents. Independent agents and smaller brokerages will find themselves competing with a juggernaut in America's hottest markets.

What should real estate agents do to prepare?

Technology and Automation Are Essential to Successful Marketing for Real Estate Agents

A recent NAR report showed successful real estate agents get nearly 66% of their business from repeat and referral customers. After the first two years of practice, referrals should begin to grow substantially.

The key to capturing that growth is to deliver personalized, high-touch care during the customer experience and after. However, as your business scales, it becomes more challenging to devote time and attention. The key is automation through reliable, AI-driven real estate technology.

Today's machine learning tools integrate seamlessly into your workflow, enabling you to communicate with one, one hundred, or one thousand clients with the same combination of warmth and precision—everyone receives relevant, useful messaging enlivened by personal touches that build trust.

A CRM is Step One for World-Class Client Care in a Competitive Environment

Without Customer Relationship Management software, your clients are invisible.

A modern CRM enables you to see at a glance where every prospect, lead, and client stands in their own individual buyer journey. Through integration with email marketing and social media tools, it empowers you to deliver the most helpful and informative content at the push of a button.

If you are not using a CRM yet, now's the time to make the leap. The industry's top brokerages already have. A growing number of new agents are starting their career with streamlined, high-tech processes.

Once you add existing customers and contacts to your CRM, it unlocks opportunities to recognize and meet their needs at every stage of the process. Even if leaps lapse or take months to dive into the market, you'll always have follow-up options.

Four More Ways to "Zillow-Proof" Your Career and Set a Course for Success

Once your CRM is up and running, you can stay engaged with both current and past customers. CRM will help you water your garden, but you still need to plant the right seeds. Here's how to do it:

1. Actively Request Referrals … from Everyone
   Referrals aren't just for clients. Friends, family members, and others you spend time with should hear about what you have to offer … again and again. You never know when someone in your circle may be able to send one of their contacts your way.
2. Showcase Testimonials and Success Stories
   A modern real estate website really shines when it includes social proof that shows other customers "just like them" love your work. Request a quote as soon as you can after closing day and share it on social media. If you're handy with video, a recorded testimonial is even more powerful.
3. Network Within Your Community
   Your local expertise is the stock-in-trade nobody else can duplicate. Many of your clients will be from right within your neighborhood, so make yourself known at chamber of commerce events, real estate meetups, and networking groups. You can even extend that online to LinkedIn and Facebook.
4. Master the Art of Follow-Up
   A CRM equips you to promote listings and connect with others on social media, email, and more. Get used to following up diligently with undecided prospects, including everyone who attends your open houses. It may take 6-8 contacts for someone to make a decision, so don't give up.

As 2021 dawns, marketing for real estate agents is inseparable from digital technology. Never has it been easier to build long-lasting relationships not only with new clients, but previous ones who will power your referral engine.

Delta's all-in-one real estate CRM is the premier proptech solution built on years of feedback from real estate agents. With tools like pre-populated email drip campaigns, automated social media, and the My Customer for Life newsletter, what once took hours every month can now be done in minutes.

To learn more, contact Delta Media Group today.