Real Estate Marketing

Back in the early days of computing, there was something called "sneakernet."

No, it wasn't a network for buying sneakers. Sneakernet referred to the fact that, most of the time, the only way to make a file print was to put it on a disc and physically walk it over to the printer. A wireless solution was still decades away, and direct connection through cabling was limited by distance.

In effect, the more inconvenient it would be for you to physically access the printer, the more likely it was that's precisely what you would have to do. On the average campus (as research campuses were networked long before businesses) this caused hours of delays every single week.

We would never put up with sneakernet today. But we still do, in a different form.

Most real estate agents are used to logging into one thing to do their social media, another thing to do their email marketing, still another to actually check their email, a fourth to manage property listings, a fifth to administer their open houses, yet another to check the status of open transactions, and so on.

The whole "pile" of applications you need to do your job is known as the technology stack, for obvious reasons. But as the stack gets higher, it also becomes more precarious. The more applications you use, the greater the odds they won't play well together. That means data will eventually get lost.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

DeltaNET customers can manage all their real estate marketing efforts from one AI-driven central hub.

DeltaNET isn't just a Customer Relationship Management solution for real estate agents, even though it is the first and best. In addition to CRM features built with input from agents and brokers, it also delivers seamless access to everything you need to market your practice.

Marketing, advertising, and promotion have truly never been easier.

Using the power of artificial intelligence, you can do it all from a single interface:

• Email Marketing
  Once someone reaches your website or listings, email marketing is the key to building the relationship. It may take weeks or even months for a potential client to decide to take action, but you can be at their side throughout. Develop an email campaign in just a few clicks and monitor it any time at a glance.
  
  
• Social Media Marketing
  Real estate agents and brokers have the best opportunity of any professional to yield results from social media marketing. DeltaNET empowers you to share event-driven updates to your social media feed each time any of your listings undergoes an important status change, spurring your followers to action.
  
  
• Website Management
  After your real estate website is up and running, that's not the whole story. You need valid insights into how people are reaching your site and what they do once they get there. DeltaNET highlights those data points, equipping you to convert more visitors into leads and ultimately into customers.
  
  
• Search Engine Optimization
  Search Engine Optimization is the secret ingredient that helps you show up in searches related to your areas of expertise. DeltaNET makes it easier to ensure your website meets the standards Google sets in content, speed, and security, so you can pursue more prominent search placement without ads.
  
  
• Listing Optimization
  It's no longer enough to have listings on the MLS. Your active listings should also be accessible directly on your website. With a wealth of tools at your disposal, you can add "must-have" features like virtual tours that extend dwell time and inspire engagement, spurring faster and more lucrative sales.
  
  
• Buyer and Seller Reports
  Exhausted from manually researching comps, neighborhood trends, and more? For the highest quality service, this data is essential, but it can take days to compile. For DeltaNET customers, it's a snap to generate Delta Pitch CMA reports, Market Watch Reports, and Seller Reports that build confidence.
  
  
• Open Houses
  Traditional open houses have long been one of the most effective ways to attract qualified buyers and close an agreement quickly. Now, after three years, they are on their way back. Open House Connector ensures even "no shows" will never slip through the cracks, while virtual open houses are here to stay.
  
  
• Online Advertising with Facebook and Google
  In most other industries, advertising through search or social media is a recipe for distress. Things are so much different in real estate — where $20 in ads can transform into $20,000 in commission. DeltaNET is your answer, with Ad Wizard for Facebook or pay-per-click advertising for Google.

Save time and money when you dump the "stack" into the trash and advance to the most versatile and user-friendly real estate marketing solution in the world: DeltaNET. You can get started in just minutes. Contact us to find out more about simple, secure marketing.

As the market continues to struggle, interest rates remain high, and we enter the industry's "slow" season, many brokerages will choose to wait out the tough times and pull back on marketing efforts to cut costs. But the best way to overcome these obstacles is by doubling down on online marketing — not cutting the exact thing needed most. That said, now is the perfect time for agents to learn how to use the latest automated online marketing tools in DeltaNET®.

On Wednesday, November 9 at 2 p.m. EST, Delta Media Group's® VP of Sales, Franklin Stoffer will host a special Online Marketing Webinar. He will be joined by Winston Widdes, a Paid Advertising Strategist with Delta. During the webinar, you'll get a chance to learn how to use some of the most essential online marketing tools available in DeltaNET, including:

My Customer for Life (MCFL): MCFL, an AI-driven automated newsletter, makes it simple to stay in touch with customers, even well beyond them making a transaction. By turning on this feature, you can automatically send customers newsletters about anything related to buying, selling, and homeownership that are written and designed by the Delta Media Group digital marketing team.

Social Connector: Social Connector allows you to easily post content from your website directly onto your social media accounts. Not only automatically post a new listing or open house, but also post pre-written blog and newsletter articles as well as publish the latest market data. Social Connector takes the work out of managing your social channels.

AD Wizard: Ad Wizard helps reduce the stress of running Facebook ads. While paid advertising may seem difficult to navigate, the Ad Wizard easy-to-use interface allows you to publish ads in a matter of minutes and ensures that they are optimized for the best results. Whether you are marketing a new listing or promoting your brand, you can easily do it through Ad Wizard.

Market Watch Reports: Market Watch Reports are automatically generated for you to send to potential buyers and sellers in your area. Branded to your brokerage, these reports contain informative market data specific to the client's property address — such as market trends, average home sale prices, recent sales, and current listing data.

Smart Drip Email Campaigns: Another tool that helps you stay connected with clients, Smart Drip Email Campaigns are ready-to-send email campaigns with something specific for everyone, no matter where the customer is in their homeownership journey.

By familiarizing yourself with these online marketing tools, you'll save time in your day and start seeing real results right away. You'll also come out of this season much stronger than your competitors who pulled back as you pushed forward. Register for our upcoming webinar to learn more.

We've all received direct mail marketing addressed to the "Current Resident" of the place where we live... and the vast majority of us will reroute those marketing materials straight into the recycling bin without a look or a second thought. The same holds true online, where spam messages are tuned out while personalized marketing is much more likely to be opened, read, and acted upon by the recipient.

Fortunately, with modern marketing tools, it's easier than ever to personalize your real estate marketing without taking too much time from your busy day. Here's more on how personalized marketing can help you grow your brand and tips on tools you can integrate to make personalizing your marketing much easier than you might think.

Why Clients Prefer Personalized Marketing

While it's a nice place to start, personalizing your marketing is about so much more than just getting the recipient's name correct at the opening of the message. The goal with personalized marketing — especially in real estate — is to send content, data, and information that's genuinely useful to your target audience. Most people who are buying, selling, or planning to do either in the near future are constantly searching for content that can help them make informed decisions.

Personalized marketing is also essential to building relationships with clients and prospects. Think about it from the other side of the table. Remember an experience where the person helping you shop seemed to anticipate your every need, helped you make an informed decision, then guided you toward the product or service that fit best with what you wanted. How much more likely are you to return to that business when you have a similar need in the future?

Now, think about making one of the largest, most significant decisions of your life in buying or selling a home. Wouldn't you want to know that the person you're trusting to guide you through that decision has your best interests at heart and a plan that's tailored to your needs? The truth is that personalization matters at every step of the process, and it all starts with your marketing.

How the Right Real Estate Tech Makes It Easy to Personalize Your Marketing

The best news about personalization? You can make it a part of your marketing while investing minimal time and effort in your busy day. The right real estate tech, starting with our DeltaNET 7 real estate CRM, makes it easy to both personalize and automate some of your most important marketing tasks.

• Automated Email Drip Campaigns
  There are few better examples of automated personalization than email drip campaigns, which are designed to help with the specific needs of each segment of your audience. Whether they're buying or selling, you can keep them engaged with drip campaigns that include content that educates, motivates, and ultimately helps them make more informed decisions. This is the type of marketing that your audience will look forward to opening each time it arrives in their inbox.
  
  
• AI-Driven Newsletters & Automated Reports
  Just like with email drip campaigns, AI-driven print and email newsletters make it easy to keep your audience up to date on the topics that matter most to them. You can also use automated seller reports to keep sellers up to date on the latest market trends and share data that helps them make decisions.
  
  
• Social Media Marketing
  Social media doesn't always feel like the most personalized place, but that all depends on how you use it. With the right social media marketing plan, you can make your social pages feel more personalized for anyone who visits.
  
  
• Engaging, Informative Real Estate Content
  Your real estate website should be more than just a place for people to search for listings and find contact information. By creating informative, educational, and engaging real estate content that speaks to the needs of your audience, you can help your website feel like a more personalized experience for anyone who visits to learn more about real estate topics.
  
  
• Properties in Motion, Virtual Open Houses & Showings
  Not everyone will be in position to visit homes in the communities where they're searching. Providing them with all of the tools they need to shop online is another great way to personalize the experience. You can use our Properties in Motion platform to easily create HD video with voice-over to showcase homes. DeltaNET 7 also makes it easy to host virtual open houses and showings for clients who are shopping from a distance.

Now Is the Time to Take Your Marketing to the Next Level

With markets cooling off and inventory rising along with interest rates, it's more important than ever that your marketing delivers results. Embracing personalization is one of the most dependable ways to differentiate your brand from the competition, generate more leads, and attract more clients.

Digital marketing has the potential to open doors, create connections, and take your real estate brand to the next level. Is your digital marketing in need of a refresh? Just like with real estate markets, digital marketing trends evolve over time, so it's wise to re-examine your marketing tactics periodically to ensure that you're maximizing ROI and generating as many new, high-quality leads as possible. Start with a closer look at these reliable digital marketing tactics to build trust, grow your brand, and streamline your lead generation.

Start with a Great Real Estate Website

Your real estate website is the essential element for a successful digital marketing strategy, and there's more to consider than just how nice your website looks. Ideally, you want to provide a seamless experience, allowing your audience to research listings, neighborhoods, communities, and your real estate brand, all in one convenient package. Of course, you'll also want to integrate search engine optimization (SEO), which will improve your visibility in search results and help leads find you. Many digital marketing tactics drive traffic to your website, so you want people to be impressed and informed from the moment they arrive.

Explore New Opportunities for Content Creation

Are you creating informative, entertaining real estate content that generates leads and demonstrates your expertise? Real estate content is a key element of a successful real estate website and should be a pillar of your digital marketing plan. Blog posts are a great place to start, but don't be afraid to try out other types of content, as well. Video content is more popular than ever, so why not grab your phone, pick up a few peripherals to make filming easier, and become the next real estate video star? Even if you don't take a starring role, creating property videos like you can make with our Properties in Motion platform is a great way to market your listings.

Optimize Your Social Media Marketing

Effective social media marketing is one of the best ways to grow your brand online and take your digital marketing to the next level. Focus on the most popular social platforms for real estate, like Facebook and Instagram, as you grow your social presence. The real estate content that you create is ideal for social sharing, and you can use your social presence to drive more traffic to your website. Remember that engagement is crucial for social success. The time that you spend interacting with your audience and building connections is just as important as all your other social marketing activities.

Save Time and Generate Leads with Smart Email Campaigns

One of the most appealing things about digital marketing is that you don't always have to invest a ton of your own time in order to find success. Smart drip email campaigns are an excellent example of that concept in action, allowing you to stay in touch, inform your audience, and nurture leads with pre-planned, automated email marketing. Take advantage of email marketing campaigns designed specifically for different segments of your audience, from buyers to sellers, and remind them why you're the right choice when they're ready to take the next steps on their real estate journey.

Quickly Expand Your Audience with Paid Advertising

While the payoff is worth the wait, some digital marketing tools and tactics take time to yield the desired results. But what about when you want to generate more leads right now? With AdWizard Paid Advertising and Pay Per Click Advertising, you can easily create, launch, and track paid advertising campaigns on the biggest social platforms. Start planning your next Instagram or Facebook advertising campaign with easy-to-use tools that allow you to customize every key aspect of your ad. These tools are a great place to start if you're new to digital marketing and searching for ways to quickly expand your audience.

Show Your Value with Social Proof

As you use your digital marketing to turn more leads into clients, remember that those existing clients can be a big help in attracting new business. In addition to good, old-fashioned referrals, your clients can give your marketing a boost by leaving reviews and providing testimonials online. That type of social proof is worth its weight in gold, so be sure to share it on your website and social pages.

How Will You Level Up Your Marketing for 2023?

The most successful real estate agents and brands always have one eye on the future, so now is the perfect time to start planning for a successful 2023. If your marketing is in need of a refresh, we're here to help you level up your lead generation with dependable and innovative tools designed specifically for real estate. Start planning ahead now, and make 2023 your best year yet.

Quick — what's the most powerful form of marketing for real estate agents?

These days, the first thing that comes to mind might be something like social media. And it's true that of all the professionals active on Instagram, Facebook, and the rest, real estate pros have the best shot at transforming all that time spent scrolling their feed into real business value.

Next, you might think of email marketing. And it is the best in at least one way: Experts estimate it has the highest ROI of any digital marketing technique. After all, it only costs a few cents to send emails all month long. And each one could help you close a transaction valued at $50,000 or more.

But neither of these is the best option.

In fact, there isn't one.

Over the last few years, digital marketing has made a big impact on the world of real estate. Millennials are stepping up as the biggest group of homebuyers, and Generation Z is just one step behind them. In both cases, these younger buyers look to the internet when it's time to launch a home search.

It's crucial to be where they are since they might be deep into that search before they reach out to local real estate agents. But, despite all of the techniques that can reach your audience, there isn't a surefire approach that definitely will. It's crucial to have a variety of methods at your disposal.

"Doing It All" Versus Doing a Few Things Well

Whether online or off, effective real estate marketing helps you do two things:

• Build and deepen relationships with prospective customers before they contact you directly
• Turn those prospects into leads who are engaged with your brand and prepared to call you

Both these functions are crucial to growing your real estate practice. Buyers of any age or background can take weeks or even months before they decide to enter the market – with marketing, you can be sure they're on your radar. As you communicate with them, they're more likely to choose you.

Likewise, you can motivate and inspire prospects to become leads who are ready to take action. Yes, you can't get someone to buy a house when they aren't ready, but you don't have to. Education is the key — as a real estate expert, you can highlight when it might be the right time for them to make their move.

The question then becomes, "How do you do it?"

There are dozens of different marketing tactics that can help your business grow. The challenge is to apply a variety of skills but practice them consistently. Inconsistent marketing usually fails to make a difference. At the same time, it leads to frustration and disappointment.

Getting reliable ROI from marketing also has a few easily identified planks:

• Choosing an approach you can make part of your routine, hone, refine, and improve over time
• Using digital marketing automation technology to save time and accelerate the value you'll get
• Once automation is working, moving on to and setting up another digital marketing technique

An AI-driven center of excellence for marketing is the secret behind some of today's fastest-growing real estate agencies and brokerages. Using an all-in-one real estate solution like DeltaNET®6, you can ensure that you are in constant contact with leads through a full range of digital channels — while spending minutes a week.

What should your marketing toolbox look like?

These are some of the most potent marketing moves around:

• Social Media
  Facebook and Instagram are second to none when it comes to getting the word out about your listings. Many people surf "aspirational" properties on Instagram because its visual nature is ideal for real estate photos. LinkedIn can be an effective way to connect with motivated luxury buyers.
  
  
• Email Marketing
  Email marketing helps you share your expertise and position yourself as a trusted expert who'll be there when your subscribers need you. Beyond listings, agents should also publish articles that answer burning questions and help solve problems your ideal customers are having on their real estate journey.
  
  
• Open Houses
  Face-to-face open houses are becoming popular again. At the same time, digital tours aren't going away — used correctly, they can attract would-be buyers from a much larger radius. Brush up on your staging skills and make sure both forms of open house are in your marketing quiver.
  
  
• Real Estate Website
  Your real estate website is where it all begins, tying your digital brand together. A good website is fast, easy to navigate, and provides visitors with useful information. The more blogs, videos, and other content you share on your site, the more likely you are to appear in relevant online searches.

Contact us to learn more about marketing automation for real estate professionals and teams.

Marketing is vital to the success of any real estate business, from individual agents and the smallest boutique firms to the largest national brands. But is your marketing sending the message that you intend? Just as importantly, is it differentiating your services from the competition in a meaningful way? Now is the perfect time to take a fresh look at your marketing and make sure that it says exactly what you want it to say about you.

Consistency Is Key

In the rush to grab the attention of your audience, it can be easy to forget that one of the most important goals of marketing is simply to get them to remember you. Not just your logo, but your business, what it has to offer, and how you can help them. When someone from your target audience in your target markets sees your marketing materials in any setting, you want them to associate it with your brand right away.

That's why it's so important to ensure that your marketing materials, from digital ads to postcards, have a consistent, seamless feel and appearance. Your logo is part of that consistency, but so are the color schemes that you use, images, fonts, and messaging. It's much easier to have your marketing say what you want it to when your audience immediately associates it with your brand.

How Are You Adding Value?

From blog posts on your real estate website to your latest updates on social media, it's important to always keep one question in mind: How are you adding value for your audience? Your audience encounters marketing constantly, whether browsing on their favorite device or seeing billboards when they drive down the highway. If a piece of marketing doesn't add value for them, then they know how to tune it out quickly.

In real estate, your knowledge of market trends and the communities where you do business both create dependable opportunities to add value to your marketing. From email drip campaigns to AI-driven newsletters and content, there are endless opportunities to add value by informing your audience. Integrating information on topics that matter to your audience into your marketing will help you keep their attention, and provide insight into the type of local knowledge they can expect when they choose your services.

Unlock the Possibilities of Localized Content

The content that you create is one of the most effective, reliable tools for adding value and differentiating your brand from the competition. Don't just give your audience the Census facts about a neighborhood. Take them on a video tour of the neighborhood, or create a blog post on the best places in the neighborhood for a meal. Don't just tell parents that a neighborhood is great for kids. Give them a rundown on some of the best local attractions for kids, or highlight annual events geared toward families.

The same basic idea applies to any real estate audience that you're aiming to reach. Consider the needs of that type of client, the benefits of the communities where you do business, and the way that those things intersect. It's not just about the cost of a home, or the quality of a school district. It's about the lifestyle that they can expect to enjoy when they live there.

Building Connections Requires More Than Branding

Especially for individual agents, one of the easiest mistakes to make with digital marketing is to only focus on what you can do. In competitive markets, your audience is likely to receive marketing materials from multiple agents, each one highlighting statistics about the successes of that agent. While this can certainly be useful information, it's shared so commonly that none of the ads really set themselves apart.

One way to stand out and be more memorable, especially with social media marketing, is to share a little bit more about the person behind the image of the agent. Do you love cats, long walks at local parks, spending time with your kids, or volunteering at a local non-profit? Do you have special experiences in the markets where you do business or a unique perspective from living in many different places? All of these things can help you stick in the memories of your audience in a way that statistics or generic marketing statements can't match.

It's Time to Make Your Marketing Work for You

Your marketing can do so much for your brand, but it works best when you invest conscious effort into making sure that it says exactly what you want it to say about you. Remember, too, that where your marketing is seen plays a role in what it says. If you want to appeal to a modern real estate audience, then it's critical to invest in modern marketing tools and tactics.

Generational marketing is more important to real estate agents than ever.

In generational marketing, you segment and focus your marketing based on techniques and messaging relevant to an age group. For instance, Baby Boomers often respond to mailers, but Millennials require a technology-forward approach.

There are four generations in today's housing market, each with its own concerns and challenges. Generational marketing crafts customer touch-points to improve their experience and meets them where they are in terms of their unique expectations.

Let's take a closer look at the generations and how they differ.

Understanding the Different Generations in Today's Marketing Environment

Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers are aged between 57 and 75 years old today. They are the generation that built many of America's modern institutions, benefiting from the post-World War II boom and an environment where many of the country's main competitors were focused on recovering from conflict.

From a marketing perspective, Baby Boomers require a personal touch. They are not as comfortable with digital marketing, but "guerilla marketing" tactics still work well for them. Many will buy their last home in the coming years, though an increasingly large portion has already done so.

Generation X

Aged 42 to 57 today, Generation X was once known as "the MTV Generation." Most came of age in the "me first" environment of the 1980s, representing a break from their parents' views. Many are now in the prime of their careers, with high disposable income paired with an eye toward retirement.

Over the years, Generation X has tended to prioritize saving over spending, but that doesn't make them spendthrifts. You can reach Generation X with a variety of tactics. Email and social media are mainstays, but traditional mailers and brochures can still be effective.

Millennials

Aged 26 to 41, Millennials are currently the largest generation in the U.S. workforce. The eldest of this cohort were among the last people to grow up without the internet. Since their teen and college years, "always on" connectivity has become ubiquitous through a panoply of mobile devices.

Living through multiple economic meltdowns, Millennials have usually been wary of large financial institutions and the idea of a home as an asset. That said, they are buying in greater numbers than before. They will make up the majority of both buyers and sellers for the foreseeable future.

Millennials focus more than others on doing their own research online long before they reach out to a real estate agent. As such, they demand an omnichannel digital marketing experience that meets their needs all through the buyer journey. Email marketing is essential to building a relationship with them.

Generation Z

Believe it or not, Generation Z is already making its mark in the housing market. If younger Millennials were the first "digital natives," then Generation Z makes up the first "mobile natives," some of whom had their first iPad or other tablet computer as early as kindergarten.

This naturally shapes the Generation Z predisposition toward digital marketing. With the oldest now 25, fresh waves of Gen Z college graduates will be coming each year. They will be starting careers and even families. In general, they have a very high opinion of the value of a home as an asset.

Many in Generation Z are sanguine about buying a home and even wish to do it before they turn 30. One striking aspect of the recent seller's market is the unexpectedly robust activity of Generation Z. From a marketing viewpoint, they are much like Millennials, seeking authenticity and alignment with their values.

Building a Generational Marketing Strategy that Works

• Determine the Generational Focus of Your Ideal Customers
  Generation goes hand in hand with life stage. You no doubt already have a general idea of your usual customer's generation: First-time homebuyers have very different needs than Empty Nesters, after all. A generational profile gives you a strong idea about what kinds of problems customers need to solve.
  
  
• Adjust Your Marketing Mix Appropriately
  Older customers usually respond well to mailers, brochures, and face-to-face events. If you are working with Baby Boomers or Generation X, make certain your marketing reflects that. Since they also tend to enjoy voice calls more than younger customers, ensure it is easy to contact you by phone, too.
  
  
• Use Automation for Consistent, Value-Added Activity
  Aside from Baby Boomers, virtually all your prospective customers respond well to social media and email marketing. Email marketing in particular is essential to building a long-term relationship with prospects who may take weeks or months to enter the market after their first contact with you.

Generational marketing may sound complex, but it is worthwhile, even if you work with many different categories of customers. Contact us today to discover how marketing automation can save thousands of hours of work while giving you compelling, helpful, and effective generational marketing.

Successful real estate agents build trust as experts in their local area. To attract the right customers to your practice, your marketing needs to make a human connection before you meet for the first time.

That may seem like a challenge — and it does take some getting used to — but it is the key to lasting real estate success. When you master it, you make the shift from "chasing down leads" to enjoying a steady flow of lead generation through your marketing.

Many real estate agents and brokers find marketing a challenge.

There are three big difficulties real estate pros can have with marketing:

• They find it hard to summon up the confidence to be the answer to their clients' problems.
• They are worried about appearing "pushy" or insincere in their networking and meetings.
• They don't quite know how their current skills translate to today's digital marketing realities.

These are understandable worries to have. Often, an agent or broker never says, "I don't want to do marketing and won't do it." Instead, they find other priorities to occupy their day. Weeks and even months go by without ever getting around to those marketing tasks they find intimidating.

Getting through this starts with busting a big myth about real estate marketing.

Your marketing CAN be approachable — and it can reflect your values and personality.

Step into the Age of Real Estate Digital Marketing

Real estate thrives on relationships. Throughout those relationships, there'll be plenty of times when you need to influence the other person to take the right step – whether that means signing up as a customer or doing what they need to do to move their transaction forward.

Nobody wants to be "that guy," the pushy salesman only out to make a sale.

Luckily, you don't have to be. There's been a big pivot in marketing — not only in real estate but in many other spheres — to make it more friendly and accommodating to the potential customer. It starts with sincere respect for the other person's time, attention, and intelligence.

It wasn't long ago when businesses of all kinds were making hundreds of calls a day to look for potential clients. Those days are over. Customers now have all the information they need at their fingertips, and they're less likely to take unsolicited calls.

As a result, real estate experts are shifting their focus to digital marketing.

The heart of good digital marketing is to solve problems and respond to questions your ideal customer already has. Marketing technology doesn't replace the human element but enhances it, ensuring you can consistently deliver valuable communications to clients and leads based on their own interests.

That fosters the all-important trust that enables leads to become customers. And only digital marketing ensures you're there every step of the way, even if takes weeks or months for the customer to dive in.

Let's look at some great ways to make your marketing more humane and approachable:

• Use Instant Messaging
  Seconds count when a prospect contacts you for the first time. Today's digital natives are increasingly comfortable with instant messaging, which sends a message directly from your website to your phone using an app like Facebook. Responsiveness can make the difference!
  
  
• Follow Up for Reviews
  "Following up" is the name of the game in real estate, but it doesn't stop when someone becomes a customer. You can already tell who's pleased with your services — translate that into something more tangible by directly asking for a review on Facebook, Yelp, or Google.
  
  
• Share Visual Content with Instagram
  Instagram is the most popular social media platform for real estate agents because it is built from the ground up for visual content. This is a terrific way to share breathtaking real estate photography. Many Instagram users look at it for inspiration for months before they finally decide to enter the market.
  
  
• Implement a Chatbot on Your Website
  You can't be at your desk 24 hours a day, and you probably don't have a big help desk staff to do it for you. An AI chatbot is the next best thing. It makes your website interactive by empowering visitors to ask questions in "natural language," which the bot then responds to with the appropriate content.
  
  
• Stay in Touch with Email Marketing
  Email marketing is more personal and intimate, giving all your communications a "one on one" flair no matter how many people you're talking to. This keeps you top of mind as buyers and sellers alike weigh their options. You can easily share new listings and content, too. DeltaNET®6 ties together your email, blog, and other marketing so that they can be managed in just a few clicks.

Contact us to learn more about digital marketing in real estate.

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.

The National Association of REALTORS® reports that 75 percent of buyers say that they would recommend their agent to others. But even though they may have been very happy with the service you provided, their willingness to refer often fades as they move from buying a home into the next phase of their life. That's why it's so important to maintain that connection with past clients over time. Here are some tips to help you maintain relationships with past clients using real estate technology and generate reliable sources of new business in the process.

Staying Connected Starts with Your Real Estate CRM

The right real estate CRM isn't just a great option for generating and nurturing leads. It also provides valuable resources and tools for staying in touch with past clients. All of the information you gather over time can provide insights that make it easier to stay in touch with clients in a personalized way and give them reasons to refer you to others. Your CRM is also where you should find automated tools for staying connected and keeping past clients informed.

Keep Past Clients Informed with Email Newsletters and Content

Few tools are better than email for connecting with past clients. It's something that your clients check multiple times a day, it's unobtrusive, it can be automated, and it's an easy way for you to reach out at any time. There are so many different types of content that you can send via email, whether you're keeping past clients informed or simply finding excuses to say "hello."

For a client who has just purchased a home, you can send content that can help them transition to their new neighborhood and advice that helps them make the most of their new home. Home improvement tips and recommendations for local service providers can help them enjoy their new home. Neighborhood guides, advice on local attractions, schedules for local events, and information on the latest neighborhood happenings can all help them build deeper connections with their community.

By having a plan in advance for how you want to keep in touch with different types of clients, you can automate much of the email outreach process through your real estate CRM. On occasions where automation isn't the perfect fit, email templates make it simple to send personalized, meaningful messages.

Remember Their Special Days

Whether it's a client's birthday, kid's birthday, graduation, anniversary, or "house-aversary," remembering the special days of your clients goes a long way toward maintaining trust and showing them that you care. Your real estate CRM should provide tools for sending customized eCards and flyers, which you can use to celebrate any occasion. Of course, your CRM should also be where information on those special days is stored in the first place, so that you always have an easy way to remember the days that matter most to your clients.

Use Social Media to Build and Maintain Relationships

Social media isn't just for blasting out the latest info on all of your best new listings. It's also a great tool for staying connected with past clients and reminding them why you're the right choice when they're referring an agent to others. As you get to know a client, always look for common ground and keep a record of those commonalities in your CRM. Anything that can provide a starting point for conversation is valuable, whether it's a shared love of a local sports team, involvement in a community organization, or shared excitement about an annual local event. Investing some time each week in staying connected with past clients through social media goes a long way toward earning their referrals.

Remember That a Personal Touch Goes a Long Way

While technology is the main tool for staying in touch with past clients, sometimes a good, old-fashioned personal touch can make a big difference. A hand-written note certainly stands out in this digital age and shows that you have invested time in reaching out to a past client. A small, personalized gift can also be a great reminder for past clients, as long as it fits within ethical guidelines.

Connecting with Past Clients Is Easier with the Right Tools

Staying connected with past clients is important, but that doesn't mean that it has to take too much time from your busy day. The right real estate all-in-one solution, like DeltaNET®6, makes it easy to automate key marketing tasks, keep past clients informed, and remind them why you're the right choice for their (or their friends'!) real estate needs in the future. Mix in modern technology with old-fashioned touches like the occasional hand-written note, and you have a recipe for staying top-of-mind with all of your past clients.