Date Archives: March 2022

What sets your real estate website apart from the competition? While features like MLS search are essential and reliable for getting your foot in the door, you'll need more than the basics to truly set your real estate brand apart online. Adding a personal touch through customization and the content you create is the best way to make your real estate website stand out for all of the right reasons.

Let's start with content. Even if you don't normally fancy yourself a blogger, your knowledge base on real estate topics, neighborhoods, and market trends put you in a unique position to inform your target audience on the topics that matter to them. In addition to being informative, the content that you — or your custom content creator — develop is the perfect platform to give your website that all-important personal touch.

Inform and Engage

Expertise inspires confidence in your audience, and you're an expert on so many of the topics that are important to real estate clients. Content that informs also tends to convert. In that way, think of the informative content that you create as a preview of the expertise that clients can expect when they choose your brand.

Informative content can be customized to suit your target audience and the places where you do business. If you cater to first-time buyers in budget-friendly markets, then your content can help walk them through the early steps of the purchasing process. If you aim to reach experienced, luxury clientele, then you might choose to focus on more advanced topics. Catering your content to your audience adds a personal touch and keeps them coming back to learn more.

Become a Trusted Source on the Markets That Matter to Your Brand

Your expertise also extends to the communities where you do business, and the neighborhood knowledge that you share through your content is a vital asset for your audience. It's also one of the ways that you can set your brand apart online.

Whether you're discussing local attractions, services, community spaces, small businesses, or events, all of these things matter to people who are considering buying a home in that market. Buyers will be able to visit your website to learn all about the neighborhoods where they're shopping for homes, and sellers will appreciate the way that you showcase the communities where they're selling a home.

Of course, market knowledge also applies when you're discussing the latest real estate trends in your local communities and providing key data that can help your audience make informed decisions. Integration of market data into your content provides another valuable resource while also reinforcing your real estate expertise.

Showcase Your Core Values and Culture

Remember, too, that content doesn't always have to be about providing advice or market data. It's also a great tool for showcasing the personality of your team, and the values of your brand. Share stories about how your team has participated in community events, discuss local non-profits that you support, or simply have some fun with a more personality-driven blog post that peels back the curtain on life in the real estate industry. These may seem like small things, but they ultimately add up to provide a more vibrant impression of your brand.

Customize Your Website to Create a Unique Identity

Customization is one of the core elements of our website design philosophy, and you don't want to post all of that great content on a cookie-cutter website that looks the same as the websites of your competitors. You want a seamless website that is uniquely yours and one that shows off all of the best aspects of your real estate brand.

Our customization options make it easy for you to personalize your website with custom, full-screen background images/video, an editable homepage welcome message, editable page content, and customizable site navigation. You can also easily integrate your latest blog posts, market activity stats, featured listings, and so much more.

When you combine that customization with key features like IDX listing integration, mobile-friendly design, live chat, strong SEO, and robust listings search options, you have a website that offers everything your audience needs in one convenient package.

Give Your Brand a Boost with a Fresh Real Estate Website

Your website is an essential element of all your digital marketing and lead-generation efforts, so getting the design just right is well worth the effort. As we've hopefully shown today, designing your website also presents extensive opportunities for customization, and adding a personal touch. So if your current website isn't quite distinctive enough or lacks some of the features that modern real estate clients want, now is the perfect time to develop a website that truly reflects all of the best things about your real estate brand.

With the eldest in their cohort entering their 40s, the Millennial generation is coming into its own. It's already the largest generation in the U.S. workforce. In recent years, it is also the top generation in both home buying and first-time selling.

Coming up just behind is Generation Z. Believe it or not, the oldest members of this generation are in their mid-20s. They're finishing college, launching careers, and starting families. One of the biggest success stories of the last few years is their strong showing in the housing market.

While Millennials were once wary of buying a home, they are tired of renting. On the other hand, Generation Z always had high hopes about homeownership. With a mindset that harkens back to their grandparents, they see buying a home as a critical goal for early adulthood.

Both these generations will continue to transform the world of real estate for years to come — and that starts with the adjustments agents and brokers need to make. No matter how skilled or experienced you are, you need a digital marketing strategy to connect with today's customers.

Virtually All Your Future Customers Start their Home Search Online — Are You There?

According to the National Association of Realtors, 95% of buyers reported using the internet to search for homes in 2021. On the other hand, just 7% of those surveyed said they touched a newspaper during their search. The typical first-time buyer was also relatively young, 33 years old.

Regardless of age, 41% of recent buyers started their search by going online to do their own self-paced research. Only 19% of buyers began the process by contacting a real estate agent. Once they did find an agent, 91% of buyers said that person was a "very" or "somewhat" useful source of information.

From the moment buyers first show interest in looking at a home, your digital marketing has a chance to hook their attention. The earlier you make first contact and provide value with useful online resources, the more likely you are to be the agent buyers ultimately choose.

Since many buyers don't reach out to real estate agents until well into their process, your #1 asset in gaining their trust is effective digital marketing. Every piece of digital marketing collateral you create makes it more likely you'll be found in online searches relevant to your business.

When you are found early, you can position yourself as a trusted expert and be there every step of the way. That becomes even easier than ever before with today's sophisticated digital marketing, such as video marketing — which spotlights the human touch and builds real rapport.

Let's take a closer look at some digital marketing "must-haves" for today's agents:

• A Fast, Modern Real Estate Website
  Your real estate website is your digital first impression. A modern website is essential — people need to feel comfortable enough on your site to engage and look around. There are several planks to that. First, your website must be fast. Second, it should look great and navigate smoothly on mobile devices. When these foundations are in place, more people will review your resources and might reach out.
  
  
• Plenty of Helpful, Informative Resources
  Blogging is an indispensable tool for the modern agent or broker. A short article from your experienced local perspective can make buying or selling easier. But what to write about? Simply look for problems and questions your customers have. For example, if you work mainly with first-time buyers, you might want to review and explain the different first-time homebuyer programs out there.
  
  
• A Quick Way to Check Out Your Listings
  Listings can be passed directly from the MLS and integrated into your website. When listings are right on your website, you get additional information about how long people spent looking at each one and what features they clicked on. This will help you enhance your listings in the future, which will lead to faster and more lucrative transactions for your customers (and yourself!).
  
  
• Real Estate Video Content
  Virtual tours boost listing engagement through the stratosphere, but they're only the start of what video can do. Video is the most popular content online, and it is especially sought after by younger website viewers. It's a wise idea to have video content that introduces yourself and your practice. Blogging by video also makes your content more shareable and much more memorable.
  
  
• Social Media and Email Marketing
  Social media is a powerful way to start new buyer relationships, while email marketing keeps you in touch over the weeks and months it may take before a prospective buyer jumps into the market. If you're already blogging, you have plenty of content you can share on these channels!

Contact us today to accelerate your digital marketing with the power of automation.

This week, Harley goes over Customer Reviews Import in the DeltaNET.

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There are so many modern tools to make life easier as a real estate agent, but jumping from platform to platform in order to take advantage of your tech can chip away at your productivity gains while making it harder to find the data you need, when you need it. The solution? A reliable, all-in-one platform that combines all of the tech you need in one convenient hub. Here's how to make your technology work together, and give your productivity a boost in the process.

Making your technology work together starts with embracing an innovative, simple all-in-one solution like DeltaNET®6. With the right real estate CRM, all of your technology and key client data are in the same place, always ready when you need them.

Relationship Management

Building great relationships with clients is at the core of real estate success, and your technology should make it easier to manage relationships effectively. That starts with having the data you need when you need it. With a real estate CRM, you don't have to worry about tracking down client data from notes and disparate sources. You will always have the most up-to-date information on your clients, with the data you need to provide great, personalized service at your fingertips.

Lead Segmentation and Nurturing

Of course, real estate technology isn't just valuable for maintaining relationships with current clients. It's also the key to generating, segmenting, and nurturing leads to help you bring in new business. Automated lead segmentation makes it easy to sort through your leads, determine where each lead is in the purchasing/sales process, and ensure that you reach them with the right message at the right time. You should also have access to lead nurturing tools like email drip campaigns, AI-driven newsletters, eCards & flyers, and email templates.

Marketing Properties and Connecting Clients with Homes

Marketing properties is more complex than ever, with so many different tools available to help you promote your listings and connect buyers with the right home. Start with virtual open houses and showings, which allow buyers to tour a home virtually no matter where they're located. Or spread the word locally with printable listing flyers. You can also keep your clients up to date on the latest happenings in their market with auto-generated My HomeFinder, Market Watch, and Seller Reports. Keep clients informed with the information they need, make it easier for buyers to search for homes, and show sellers all of the modern ways that you promote their listings.

Automation of Key Tasks

Your real estate technology should save you time, not take away valuable time from your busy day. Automating repetitive marketing tasks is one of the best ways to guarantee that you'll save time while ensuring that clients and prospects always get the most timely, relevant content for their needs. We've already covered many of the automation tools that your tech should include, like email drip campaigns, AI-driven newsletters, and auto-generated reports on real estate markets. All of these tools make your life easier and help you maximize your marketing opportunities.

Data and Analytics

In order for your tech to truly work together, you need access to data and analytics that help you make informed decisions. That includes keeping track of your own data on matters like email marketing, but also the data that your clients provide. With IDX search tracking as well as tracking for property searches, saved properties, and views, you can anticipate the needs of clients in order to provide them with the best possible service.

Real Estate Website

Just like you want your tech to work together in order to make your days more efficient, your clients and prospects want a real estate website that works together to provide everything that they need. That starts with IDX listing integration and MLS search to help them find the perfect home. You will also want real estate content, to provide advice, highlight your markets, and tell the story of your business. When your website has all of the features that your audience wants to see, it becomes a constant source of lead generation for your real estate brand.

Ready to Take Your Real Estate Tech to the Next Level?

If you're tired of being pulled in every direction by technology that doesn't work together, there's a better way. DeltaNET®6 makes it easier than ever to market your business, grow your brand, serve your clients, easily integrate with other popular tech platforms, and discover data-based insights that can help you thrive. You shouldn't have to choose between having great tech and having tech that works together. With the right real estate CRM, you get the best of both worlds.

Over the last few years, real estate agents have been looking for new and better ways to save time by incorporating technology. The pandemic accelerated key trends already taking place in real estate. The right technological tools are more important than ever for running your practice efficiently.

One of the most valuable parts of that process is Customer Relationship Management.

Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, was already in use in a wide range of industries before it ever reached real estate. Outside sales teams from coast to coast rely on it to monitor and manage the complex web of relationships that move their efforts forward.

But many real estate agents haven't made the leap yet, in part because a true CRM for real estate was hard to find. With better options than ever before now available, it's time to take a second look at the CRM trend and see exactly what it can do for you.

What Is Customer Relationship Management All About?

Customer Relationship Management is the modern answer to one of the biggest challenges that have always plagued real estate: Keeping track of people. It was not that long ago when the average agent would spend days each week just tracking down prospects, leads, and even their own customers.

The days of the overstuffed filing cabinets are over, however, and there's a better way to do things. A Customer Relationship Management app centralizes all the data on your prospects, leads, and current customers. It gives you complete visibility into relationships and the next steps for everyone you know.

This helps you monitor all your current transactions and determine if leads are standing still or stepping forward on their real estate plans. Using the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning can also make it easier than ever to follow up with each person and inspire action.

In effect, a real estate CRM is a "command center" that brings everything together into one place. This is essential for real estate agents who've found themselves struggling to get results from a hodgepodge of productivity and scheduling apps that don't necessarily work together effectively.

The right CRM has the potential to replace dozens of other applications, including those you may now be paying expensive licensing fees for. Because all of the features are designed to work together, you never need to be concerned some piece of the puzzle won't "integrate" or share data with all the rest.

How Does a Customer Relationship Management Suite Work?

Behind the scenes, there are two key elements to how CRM works. First, it connects to your website and social media, collecting and parsing the information that flows through those channels daily. This allows you to respond instantly when leads signal, through online behavior, that they are ready to act.

Since so much of real estate is done online, most of the data the CRM uses is collected automatically. The second element is data you input manually based on your personal networking and other face-to-face encounters. This puts your entire network "on your radar" as represented by your CRM.

At any time of your choosing, you can get an instant update on any prospect, lead, or customer. You can also look back through your entire history of interactions with someone. This means you will always be ready to provide value to them based on their unique interests.

All in all, it only takes a few minutes a day to get measurable value from your CRM. In the time you save, you have more opportunities to build your business in meaningful ways and boost your relationships. A CRM doesn't replace the human element — it makes that element more consistent and easier to deploy.

Why Is Machine Learning So Important in Customer Relationship Management?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning transform the best real estate CRMs into a reliable "center of excellence" for your whole practice. Since they learn as they go, they can make connections between thousands of data points that even the best human analyst would miss.

This equips a real estate CRM to easily and accurately score your leads based on the behaviors of past leads who became customers. Monitoring data 24 hours a day, your AI-driven CRM suite can signal you when it's the ideal time to follow up with someone, and even suggest how to do it.

Real estate CRMs can also automate social media, email marketing, and more.

These automated workflows may take an hour or so to set up at the very beginning. Like the rest of the CRM suite, though, they then work behind the scenes and report back to you. You can see exactly what results your campaigns are having at a glance.

Contact us to discover the power of DeltaNET®6 real estate CRM for yourself.

When it comes to training options for real estate technology, there are a few different schools of thought on what works best. Some want videos, others swear by user guides. At Delta Media Group®, we're big on easy, on giving you — the one using all of that tech — the power to transform your training into exactly what you want and need it to be. 

That's why we're thrilled to announce the launch of DeltaNET® Academy, available directly within the DeltaNET CRM. With DeltaNET Academy, users have access to slideshow-based training courses that break down Delta Media Group's industry-leading, all-in-one CRM and wealth of features to their basics, making them simpler than ever to understand. Only a few clicks and admins can easily:

• Assign specific courses to specific sales associates
• Send courses to an entire office to help them master certain tools
• Use modules in multiple courses in order to spotlight tools more than once

Custom course creation also allows admins to set the metaphorical syllabus. Building your own courses is easy: Choose what you want to highlight and assign it to your team. Then, when a course is completed, associates can take a quiz to ensure they've got a handle on all the information. Plus, DeltaNET Academy tracks who's doing what within the system, so you'll know exactly where everyone stands. Consider it a progress report — we're sure everyone will be a pleasure to have in class.

Don't forget our promise of easy, either. DeltaNET Academy provides a user-friendly, intuitive platform that doesn't feel like a hassle or homework. We're still offering videos and guides, but we're also giving our clients more options with hands-on, engaging learning that gives the power of training back to brokerages. 

"When building DeltaNET Academy, we weren't looking for a tool that 'checks the boxes' when it comes to its capabilities," Director of Partner Success Harley Wolfarth says. "DeltaNET Academy gives our users control over course content, visibility, assignment, and even tests/quizzes while keeping those controls and settings in places where you expect to find them. We think we've made something that will make your life easier, not just because your agents and staff can be better trained by the courses you create, but because the process to create those courses is clear and easy as well."

Evolution is part of our Delta Media Group-DNA, so you can be sure we're already working on plans to expand the training offerings within DeltaNET Academy as well. And best of all? DeltaNET Academy comes without any extra cost. No hidden fees. No surprises. Just comprehensive training that gives you and your associates the knowledge to make real estate's most powerful CRM and tech tools work for you. 

No one wants to get schooled by their tech. So, jump to the head of the class with DeltaNET Academy and learn the ins and outs of Delta Media Group's game-changing features. 

"DeltaNET Academy is a platform to not only educate team members with pre-populated real estate CRM and marketing training, but it is also the platform to empower firms with the ability to create their own custom training programs for anything," Delta Media Group CEO/Owner Mike Minard says. "I'm excited to see how DeltaNET Academy transforms how real estate professionals leverage technology further as they are more empowered in their understanding of how much powerful technology is available to them today."

Credibility matters in real estate. As a real estate agent, you want to start building trust with your target audience as quickly and effectively as possible. Trust matters to clients who are considering referring you to people within their own network and to prospects who are sorting through their many options to find an agent they can trust with one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. Fortunately, there are more tools for building trust with technology than ever before for real estate agents.

Building Trust with the Right Technology

While there are many good, old-fashioned trust-building tips that still apply now as much as ever, we're going to focus on some of the many modern tools that make it easier to build trust with a tech-savvy audience. Not only can the right technology help you build trust, it can also make your life much easier in the process.

Know Your Clients and Their Needs

Most of our tips will focus on building trust with prospects, but it's wise to remember that the process of building trust with existing clients never really ends. One of the best ways to build strong relationships with clients is to remember who they are, their real estate goals, and the details of any interactions that you've already had with them. The right real estate CRM makes it much easier to keep track of all that data and guarantees that you have it at your fingertips whenever you need it.

Build a Great Real Estate Website

A great real estate website might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of building trust, but it's a critical factor in a number of important ways. First, modern real estate prospects simply expect any agent they're considering to have an appealing, informative, modern website. Most people start their search for an agent online, so they're more likely to choose an agent with a robust, engaging online presence than an agent with a dated website or no website at all.

But it's not just about being seen. As you'll see in the next few tips, your website is also the most reliable place to integrate much of the other trust-building technology on our list. It's where people will consume your content, be persuaded by your social proof, and discover why your brand is the right choice for their real estate needs. So if you don't have a website or your current one is a bit outdated, a fresh investment in your online presence can be a key first step in building trust.

Share Advice and Expertise with Real Estate Content

One of the most straightforward, dependable techniques for building trust and credibility online is to prove to your audience that you know your stuff when it comes to real estate. Creating informative, timely real estate content, whether it's a written blog post, video content created with your phone, or a mix of both, is the perfect way to show your expertise.

Provide real estate advice, analyze market trends, create neighborhood guides, share seasonal home improvement tips — basically, anything that your audience might be interested in learning about regarding real estate. When done right, your content will continue to build trust long after it's first published on your website.

Integrate Reviews and Testimonials

Few things are more trustworthy than a referral, and social proof essentially serves as a referral from an online source. Social proof consists of things like online reviews and client testimonials, which can have a major impact on establishing your trust with an online audience. But even if they're very happy with your services, a client won't necessarily think to leave a review or testimonial unless you ask. Once you have some reviews and especially testimonials, make sure to showcase them prominently on your website.

Build a Strong Social Media Presence

You likely already use your social pages for social media marketing, and that's a great place to start. But are you taking advantage of the other ways that you can build trust through social? As you build your social presence, you will have more and more opportunities to engage with your audience. That engagement is crucial to building individual relationships that can lead to business, and also for proving your real estate expertise to a wider audience. 

Build Trust and Save Time by Investing in the Right Real Estate Tech

For building trust with a modern audience, it's only fitting to use the most modern, up-to-date tools. With DeltaNET®6, our digital marketing services, and an excellent, customized real estate website, you can start building trust as soon as a prospect discovers your brand online. Make your life easier and generate more leads by investing in the right real estate tech to build trust with your audience.

This week, Harley goes over the customer list in the DeltaNET.

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If you're in a large agency or brokerage, your branding naturally dovetails with that of the team. Still, no matter if you work independently or within an organization, you should keep an eye on how you present yourself to potential customers — especially online.

Branding may sound complicated, but it's simply the process of communicating in a thoughtful and consistent way to help people understand the three biggest things they need to know about you:

• What you do
• Who you do it for
• How you do it differently

No real estate agent is perfect for everyone, yet newcomers to the field often cast a wide net. They worry that if they get specific about what they do, they will alienate potential customers and get less business. The opposite is true: When your brand is specific, you attract more of your ideal clientele.

In the first year or so, any real estate agent will spend plenty of time learning the ropes. It's not out of the ordinary to be unsure what kind of customers you want to work with or what problems you enjoy solving. After some experience, it's essential to start tackling these big questions.

The sooner you do, the sooner you can go from chasing leads to attracting referrals.

Every interaction you have with the public or customers has the potential to influence their perception of your brand. Of course, we can't control everything and shouldn't try. But understanding your vision for your brand will help ensure you're upholding your values and aspirations.

Here are some ways to come to grips with real estate branding:

• Decide Which Clients Energize You
  It's okay to conclude that certain clients just aren't right for you — there are plenty of people out there and enough agents to help them all. Do you resonate with first-time buyers or luxury buyers? Boomers or Zoomers? Think about who you communicate best with and what interactions give you more energy.
  
  
• Zero In on Specific Problems to Solve
  For a brand to speak to someone, it needs to be crafted for their needs. For example, do you know first-time buying programs inside and out? If first-time buyers are your core customers, then your knowledge can become a cornerstone of your brand. The same applies to any type of problem or question.
  
  
• Have a Visually Consistent Style
  Your real estate website is where most of your future customers will first "meet" you. Be sure it has a consistent style, with the same colors and fonts used throughout. Then, reproduce those fundamentals on all other collateral, such as your business cards, email marketing, or direct mail fliers.
  
  
• Talk in Terms of Benefits, Not Features
  Benefits are what happens for the client. Features are just details of how they get there. Get to the nitty-gritty: Do you consistently get your sellers' homes to closing in 30 days or less? This concrete, numbers-focused figure will be much more enticing to them than a whole list of your credentials and education.
  
  
• Make Following Up Part of Your Routine
  No matter if you're working with a lead or a satisfied customer, following up is crucial. It shows them you care about their success and builds the relationship. You may need to follow up 7-10 times to get business from a lead — and some agents follow up every month with past clients to request referrals.
  
  
• Extend Your Brand to Digital Platforms
  Of all the different professionals who spend time on social media, real estate agents have the best opportunity to grow their business. Dig into social platforms to find out where your audience is active and what they're looking for — then provide helpful, informative content that leads back to your site.
  
  
• Network with Your Real Estate Peers
  A clear, well-defined brand makes you the "go-to" problem-solver in a specific arena. That means your peers, who also aren't trying to do everything for everyone, will be more likely to send business your way when they encounter someone who meets your criteria, but not their own.
  
  
• Have a Written Marketing Plan
  Your marketing can be thought of as your brand in action. Write down your key marketing goals and select a handful of ways, not more than three, to pursue them. Then, make sure all your communications consistently showcase what your brand is all about.

Leverage the Right Technology to Make Branding a Natural Part of Your Business Workflow

Branding for real estate is a big topic, but having the right technology on your side can help. When you use a real all-in-one solution like DeltaNET®6 to manage your relationships, you'll spend less time figuring out where people are and more time giving them the value they expect.

Contact us to learn more about how real estate marketing can enhance your brand.

Communication is one of the most important skills for any real estate agent to develop, and there are more ways to communicate digitally today than there have ever been. Effective communication can make all the difference in landing a new client, building trust, and helping your current clients achieve their real estate goals. With young, tech-savvy buyers and sellers making up an ever-growing slice of the real estate market, mastering digital communication is critical. Here's how to communicate with confidence and what tools you'll need for the job.

Before we get into digital communication tactics, it's worth remembering some of the tried and true communication tips that apply to any situation. No matter how you're communicating, it's crucial to put the focus on the person you're communicating with, listen carefully, ask questions, and be responsive to their needs. Always aim to be courteous, punctual, reliable, and considerate of the client's time.

While body language doesn't matter in most forms of digital communication, tone does — especially for text-based conversations. Before you send a message, make sure that you're saying exactly what you're trying to say, and that your tone is appropriate for the situation. By remembering the basics for good communication, you'll be better prepared to master the many channels available for communicating digitally.

Mastering the Many Digital Communication Tools in Your Toolkit

With the basics out of the way, let's dig into some of the key tools that you'll be using to communicate digitally. Remember that it's helpful to make communication as seamless as possible and be available through a variety of digital platforms to suit the varying needs of your clients.

• Your Real Estate CRM
  Remember all of that talk about listening, asking questions, and responding to the needs of your clients? Your real estate CRM is where you store all of the information that you learn during those communications so that you always have it available during future conversations. In addition to storing key information, the right CRM will provide an all-in-one suite of tools that make it easier to communicate with clients and prospects.
  
  
• Easy Email Communication
  Email is certainly one of the most popular ways to communicate with clients who are actively buying or selling a home. But it's also a great tool for nurturing leads and attracting new clients. Take advantage of automated smart drip email campaigns and AI-driven newsletters to turn more prospects into clients. Automation makes it easier to lighten your own load while still sending relevant, targeted email marketing to each segment of your audience.
  
  
• SMS Text Messaging
  Not every conversation requires a call. SMS text messaging is a convenient option for both you and your clients. When SMS text messaging is integrated into your real estate CRM, you can send texts from the desktop and mobile versions of your CRM. Just as important, you can keep an archive of all of your SMS text messages with each client so that you can easily keep track of text conversations.
  
  
• Social Media
  In addition to the many benefits offered by social media marketing, social platforms also rank among the most popular digital communication tools. Whether through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or a communication-centric platform like WhatsApp, make sure that you're available to communicate on the platforms preferred by your clients.
  
  
• Remembering Special Days
  Whether you're nurturing a lead or keeping in contact with a past client, remembering their special days is a great way to show them that you care. Take advantage of tools like custom eCards & flyers to reach out on the days that matter most. Start with an easy-to-use template, add branding, and customize it to suit any event that matters to your clients.
  
  
• Keeping Clients Informed
  Not every client will need constant back-and-forth communication about a pending purchase or sale. Some will be in "wait and see" mode while they plan their next move, which means that your primary role will be to keep them informed of the latest developments in their real estate markets. For those clients, auto-generated My HomeFinder, Market Watch, and Seller Reports can keep them up to date on the topics that matter most to achieving their long-term real estate goals while ensuring that lines of communication remain open.

Simplify Communication By Leveraging Real Estate Tech

With so many different ways to communicate digitally, it can be easy to fill a bit overwhelmed with the possibilities. That's why it's so important to have the right real estate tech on your side, to streamline communication and ensure that you have the tools you need to build great relationships with clients. DeltaNET®6 is a real estate all-in-one solution that puts all of the latest tools at your fingertips, making it easier than ever to master digital communication.

This week, Harley goes over the Team Overview in the DeltaNET.

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Marketing is often a challenge for real estate agents. It's notoriously difficult to be an impartial judge of your own marketing. That's true not only here in real estate but in virtually all industries. It's a problem faced by companies of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs to Fortune 50 enterprises.

The crux of the matter is that marketing is subjective. You can develop a blog post, a video, or even ads that excite you, but have you stepped into the customer's shoes? Sometimes, even the best efforts can go awry. And that may lead to missing out on the value of a substantial part of your marketing budget.

Luckily, digital marketing can make the whole matter much easier to deal with.

There'll always be an element of "art" to marketing, but digital marketing is more scientific than ever. That's science in the literal sense: You make a prediction, test it, and gather data. There's more data available about the bottom-line impact of your marketing now than there has ever been before.

That has two powerful effects on marketing strategy:

• You no longer have to "guess" what works, as you'll receive data within just a few days
• You can continuously improve your marketing by focusing on what has proven results

Using Technology to Your Advantage in Real Estate Marketing

Real estate changed more than virtually any other industry at the outset of the pandemic. Professionals from all across the nation had to work together to develop new ways of thinking about and doing their work. It was crucial to protect both their customers and themselves.

At the same time, the way buyers and sellers approach transactions have also changed forever.

It was once unthinkable for someone to buy a home without setting foot in it. Now, these transactions take place routinely, especially when someone is planning a big move from out of state. A fast-growing population of younger buyers and sellers means more people are managing their home search online.

That has huge ramifications for your marketing.

Many of the trends unleashed by the pandemic will never be reversed. Instead, agents and brokers will be expected to adapt and incorporate new technologies in new ways. Technology is a key driver of your marketing success since you can see its results almost right away. By comparison, ad placements and conventional local media often provide no insight into whether or not you're getting ROI.

Let's look at some concrete ways you can boost your marketing results:

• Balance Open Houses with Virtual Tours
  In the "before times," open houses had the potential to surface several qualified buyers for each event. Open houses are returning as an important part of your marketing mix, but virtual tours are sought by nearly every buyer. Also known as "3D walkthroughs," these tours typically use a panorama of photos to create a robust digital experience. Buyers thousands of miles away can now see a home up close.
  
  
• Capture Data from Listings, CRM, and Website
  Each digital platform offers its own "analytics data" you can use to understand how people find you and what they do once they have. For example, the average amount of time people spend on a listing grants clues about which ones are most effective. By gathering and consulting your data regularly, you can be certain you're spending your marketing time and resources on the things that truly resonate.
  
  
• Automate Digital Marketing for Better Consistency
  To be successful, digital marketing needs to be consistent. Yet, manually setting up and managing an email marketing list, your social media feed, and more can take hours. Reliable, AI-driven solutions, including DeltaNET®6, can make the process easier. For instance, hands-free social media updates can be issued to your feed several times a day based on changes in listings.
  
  
• Keep Your Real Estate Website Up to Date
  Your real estate website is a powerful "digital-first impression" where most of your future customers meet you. Before they reach out, they're likely to check out everything on your site, so make it worthwhile. That means helpful, informative content that empowers them to solve problems and resolve questions. In today's smartphone-driven culture, it also means a responsive layout that's great for mobile users.
  
  
• Create a Seamless "First Contact" Experience
  Once you've signed an agreement with a customer, it's crucial to set the right boundaries. No answering calls at two in the morning! If a website visitor reaches out, however, seconds count. You have the best odds of getting a new customer if you respond within five minutes. Make sure it's easy to contact you, providing options for phone, email, social media, and even texting for real estate.

Contact us to find out more about digital marketing today. We look forward to helping you soon.

Your real estate website is your digital first impression.

Today's buyers are more likely to meet you online than through a showing or other face-to-face event. This is only growing more true as Millennials and Generation Z buyers enter the market. Technology is essential to the lifestyles of younger buyers.

No matter whether you're a solo agent or work within a large brokerage, you already know you need a website. But is your website actually producing the business value you expect from it? For many in the industry, the answer is no. The website isn't making the strong first impression you want and deserve.

When agents first get started, it's not out of the ordinary to post a simple website as soon as possible and hope for the best. But your website is more than just a brochure that introduces you. It draws the right people to your door and helps turn visitors into customers.

Even if your website isn't doing much for you right now, it's never too late to change your strategy. Done right, your website has the potential to work for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even while you sleep. It is the key to growing your practice while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Your Website Tells People What to Expect from You – Is It Sending the Right Message?

Your website communicates more than just what's on the page. Yes, visitors are looking through what you have to say about yourself and your business. But they are also reading between the lines, making decisions in seconds. They judge your digital brand based on your website's user experience.

User experience is everything that impacts a person while they use a website, yours or anyone else's. It includes the look, feel, navigation, speed, ease of use, and how well the website helps someone to meet their needs or answer their questions. Some of these factors can be very subtle.

Developers and designers spend thousands of hours figuring out how to deliver the best user experience for a given website. Luckily, because user experience incorporates so many different elements, there are always plenty of ways you can improve it — even if you don't have dazzling technical skills yourself.

Let's look at some of the biggest elements that influence your digital reputation:

• Ease of Navigation
  The most important topics on your website should be reflected in the top navigation bar, where they only take one click to find. It's wise to avoid having any information that takes more than three clicks to reach. If you can't avoid having some "buried treasure," make sure your site has a good search function.
  
  
• Mobile-Friendliness
  An increasing number of people use a smartphone as their primary or even only method of going online. A truly mobile-friendly site is responsive, meaning it changes to fit the display size and inputs available for a smartphone or tablet user. Even older websites can often be made responsive in a few clicks.
  
  
• Professionalism
  What does it mean for a website to "look professional?" Professionalism is communicated by things that are easy to take for granted: The site has a consistent layout, color scheme, and fonts, relevant imagery is used, and everything is organized in a way that makes sense.
  
  
• Trust Markers
  "Trust markers" are things that help frame you as a credible and established expert. In real estate, the most important are seals and logos you're entitled to use as a member of a professional organization or holder of a recognized certification.
  
  
• Helpful, Informative Content
  Content is anything you publish with the goal of helping others make more informed decisions. Blogs and video are the most common forms of real estate content. They provide a reason to explore your website in detail. They can also help you capture traffic from relevant online searches.
  
  
• Information About You and Your Practice
  You are your most important brand asset — the star of the show. The best way to make an introduction is with a video message first-time visitors can use to learn about you. Answer their big questions: What makes you different? Who do you help and how?
  
  
• Easy Ways to Get in Contact
  When someone contacts you for the first time, seconds count. Make it easy for them to connect by phone, email, social media, or text. Alerts from your website can help you respond more quickly.
  
  
• Your Current Listings
  Last, but certainly not least, your listings should be reflected right on your own website. MLS gives you plenty of options to incorporate your active listings. When visitors can browse listings directly from your website, they are much more likely to reach out to you or subscribe to your email marketing list.

Contact us to learn more about boosting your online reputation.

Are you covering all of your bases with real estate lead generation? With so many different ways to generate leads, it can be easy to overlook some of the valuable, reliable tools that can help keep your pipeline stocked to the brim. Diversifying your strategy can help you reach a wider pool of potential clients and give you the confidence that you're leaving no stone unturned when it comes to generating leads. That's why it's so important to understand where most leads come from and how you can ensure that you're maximizing your lead generation opportunities.

Start with Your Real Estate Website

Your real estate website should be one of your best sources for leads online, but simply setting up a website isn't enough to guarantee success. For your website to become a lead-generation machine, it needs to provide a seamless experience with the right features and design elements. This is important both for attracting prospects to visit your website in the first place and turning them into qualified leads once they arrive.

• IDX Listing Integration
  Many of the prospects who visit your website will be coming to look at listings first and foremost, so it's important to make that process as easy as possible for them. IDX listing integration makes it simple for prospects to search for homes in your markets, and those listings will be a key source of leads.
  
  
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  While SEO doesn't generate leads directly like some of the other items on our list, it's a critical factor in attracting traffic to your real estate website. Over time, SEO helps you achieve a higher search engine ranking, which leads directly to more traffic. And more traffic to your website ultimately means more leads.
  
  
• Real Estate Content
  The content on your real estate website helps you build trust, establish your real estate expertise, and show prospects how you can help them achieve their goals. Whether it's in the form of video content, blog posts, or both, your content helps convince prospects to take the next step.
  
  
• Social Proof
  Social proof in the form of reviews and testimonials is one of the key factors in the decision-making process of modern real estate prospects. Integrating social proof throughout key areas of your website is a must for maximizing your lead generation.
  
  
• Lead Capture Forms
  Once a prospect has spent some time on your website and seen what you have to offer, the goal is to have them fill out a lead capture form. This is where they'll provide contact information, outline their real estate needs, and take the first key step toward becoming a client.

Social Media Marketing and Relationship Building

The biggest social media platforms continue to rank among the best sources of leads online, so it likely comes as no surprise that social media marketing is so popular in real estate. Whether you're showcasing listings on Instagram, building relationships on Facebook, or sharing your best video content on TikTok, building your social presence is a must for generating leads in 2022.

Referrals and Your Personal/Professional Networks

The most highly qualified leads often come from referrals, and referrals are still one of the most dependable sources of leads for your real estate business. For individual agents, those referrals can often come from your personal and professional networks, in addition to your current clients. Building and maintaining great relationships still goes a long way toward generating leads, no matter who you're trying to reach.

Virtual Tours and Open Houses

More than ever, buyers are choosing to tour homes from the comfort of their current location with the help of virtual open houses and showings. Just like their in-person counterparts, these tools are key sources of leads — and not just for buyers! When sellers see that you're promoting listings with the best modern tech, they'll be more likely to choose you as well.

Social Media and Search Engine Advertising

Building your social media presence and boosting the SEO on your real estate website are both well worth the effort. However, it also takes time to see results. Paid advertising on social media and search engines provides more immediate results as a source of leads. Paid advertising is great for boosting visibility while building up your online presence and for supplementing your other lead-generation efforts.

Covering Your Bases for Lead Generation in 2022

Whether you're interested in opening new avenues of lead generation or optimizing your existing strategy, achieving your goals is so much easier when you have the right tools for the job. With our DeltaNET®6 all-in-one real estate solution, all of the tools, tech, and resources you need to generate leads are always at your fingertips.