A real estate expert in Medina County, Ohio, Leslie Burns has been using technology from the very start of her career to reach a wider audience and provide her clients with the most efficient, stress-free experience possible.

Leslie Burns, a top-producing sales associate at M.C Real Estate in Medina, Ohio, first became interested in working in real estate about 13 years ago when she and her husband were searching for an investment property. Although they were working with a local agent, Leslie felt she was doing all the work of finding the property herself. She thought that by entering the business, she could provide a higher level of service and help others in a similar situation. 

Leslie had a versatile background in sales, marketing, accounting, and customer service prior to getting her real estate license in 2011. This experience allowed her to rise to success quickly. In 2012, she was named "Rookie of the Year" by the Medina County Board of REALTORS®.

A lifelong resident of Medina County, Leslie knows the neighborhood and the market as well as anyone. She has served as the Vice President of the Medina County Board of REALTORS® and is now the President-Elect. She is also an active member of the Chippewa Lake Lions Club. Her consistent goal as an agent is to make the buying and selling process as stress-free and efficient as possible for her clients.

Embracing Technology From the Start 

Leslie has always been someone who believes in innovation and leveraging the latest marketing technology. She is a firm believer in the power of social media and has been using it to grow her brand since she first became an agent — which was years before it became the requisite for marketing that it is today. She now has over 2.5k followers on Instagram.

"I've been using social media as long as I've been a licensed real estate agent," says Leslie. "There was a time that I walked into a cupcake store in town and this lady looked at me and said, 'You look so familiar.' And she said, 'Oh, you're the Facebook Realtor®.' So I've been using social media for quite some time. I started my Facebook page, then I went into Instagram and LinkedIn. Those are the three platforms that I use the most."

Leslie also recognized the benefits of having a personalized real estate website from the very beginning of her career. She feels that consistent branding is one of the most critical elements of marketing yourself as an agent and that branding includes your website. Having a personal brand and website enables clients to go directly to your landing page instead of someone else's. 

"I think it's really important for agents to have their own branding," says Leslie. "We can always send someone to another national organization's website, but then they're going to click on 'contact me,' and they're going to be getting an agent that paid for leads. When clients are looking at homes, I want them to go to my landing page, I don't want them to go to someone else's landing page. I want them to hit the contact button, and I want them to find me."

Experiencing the Delta Difference

While she has always embraced the latest technology throughout her career, it wasn't until 2020 when M.C Real Estate partnered with Delta Media Group® that Leslie got to experience all that it can offer for her business. Delta opened the door to many more possibilities, especially in terms of branding.

"The Delta Media technology is amazing," says Leslie. "I love the platform. I love the backend where I'm able to customize my website to my branding, even down to entering the color code to the color of our logo. If you go on my website, everything is consistent. Everything matches our logo, and that branding is very important."

Aside from leveraging all of the customization and design features Delta technology offers, Leslie utilizes many of the automation features within the DeltaNET®, such as email drip campaigns, to stay connected with her clients.

"In my industry, automation is the key, and I mean, DeltaNET has it all," says Leslie. "I love the drip campaigns through the DeltaNET. All of my clients go in there. Every client gets an anniversary reminder that they purchased their home, like a houseiversary."

Leslie also loves that she can leverage the technology from anywhere because it's mobile-friendly. She mentions, "I really like the mobile-friendliness of the Delta Media website because people are able to access it from their phones."

Thinking One-Step Ahead

The latest way Leslie is staying innovative is by embracing AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology. She has been using ChatGPT to help her write emails for several months now.

"The past, probably two months, I spent on ChatGPT, finding really good language to automate those emails for my buyers and sellers." Leslie continues, "And I'm really happy with what I got from using ChatGPT."

In the future, Leslie hopes to see more technology become available for virtual remodeling. She has seen many opportunities to do virtual staging and virtual showings but feels that virtual remodeling is what is missing in the industry. This would enable her to provide her clients with a way to see what a home would look like once it has been remodeled. Then they could do a virtual walkthrough of the remodeled version.

"I would love to see virtual remodeling so that you can get an idea of what you can do with that space," says Leslie. "So you've got your virtual staging, maybe some virtual remodeling, and then you do a virtual walkthrough of the home and see the possibilities."

Always There For Her Customers

Although she automates much of her business, Leslie makes providing a personal touch and truly connecting with her clients a top priority. Whether that means communicating through text, email, or hand-written letters, Leslie wants her customers to know that she is there for those in her community, whether they are former, current, or future clients.

She says, "Right now, my goal, because I've automated most of my business, is working on reaching out and touching, via handwritten letters, all of my past clients. Right now I can't even tell you how many past clients I have. I'm selling about 40 to 50 homes a year and I really believe in personal contact and building relationships. So I really think it's important to keep in contact with your past clients."

It is evident from the feedback of her past clients that Leslie is excellent to work with and a true asset to her customers. By constantly thinking ahead and using the latest marketing tools and technology available, Leslie provides exceptional customer service and communication for those she serves. 

To learn more and get in touch with Leslie Burns, visit her website at www.welcomehomemedina.com.