1. If the client wants to hear from you, they will contact you. Otherwise, they want to be left alone.
Not necessarily. Buying a house or a property is a big step for most people, and buyers generally want a lot of advice and information from someone who has experience in the industry (i.e. you). They may not want to contact you with every little question, however. Automated messages are a great way to let clients know you are there for them if they have questions, without being intrusive. Always ask your clients to opt-in for these informative messages and provide an easy way for them to unsubscribe if they decide they don't want the messages anymore.
Messages should be brief yet should provide valuable information about the real estate market, the neighborhoods the clients are looking at, any property laws they should be aware of and so on. If you want to direct them to a helpful website or another resource, include a link they can click to view more information.
Clients will appreciate receiving these messages, as the information will help to educate them and provide them with the advice and information they need to make the decision that is right for them. The messages also help save you time because you don't have to provide each piece of information manually, over the phone or by email. Clients can review everything you've sent, then contact you if they have questions.
2. Social media is useless as a real estate tool.
Not true. Social media can be highly effective if you know how to use it to your advantage. With an automated social media solution, you can create messages in advance and schedule them to post throughout the month so you can make the most of your time and not have to manually update your pages all the time.
Many clients will visit your social media pages before contacting you to get an idea of what your company is like and view some of your featured listings. Social media is a great way to connect with new potential clients. Place signup forms on your social media pages that allow visitors to sign up for your email newsletter so you can engage with them. Post pictures of your current properties, your staff and company events, and post messages about your properties, important real estate news, new regulations, neighborhood information and local events that your company has been involved in.
Keep an eye out for trends on social media that you can get involved in. Use hashtags to join the conversation and increase the visibility of your message. For example, let's say local food is a trending topic. You could post a message on Facebook and Twitter (both now use hashtags): "Want to #EatLocal every day? Check out these great listings that are located within walking distance of the local #FarmersMarket!" When a user searches for #EatLocal or #FarmersMarket, your messages will come up, drawing attention to your great listings and showing that you are an active, up-to-date company that cares about meeting its clients' needs.
3. If clients have feedback, positive or negative, they'll let you know when you ask them.
Not always. Some clients may not feel comfortable providing honest feedback to you over the phone or in person, or may not be able to think of anything specific. Yet client feedback is one of the best ways to assess your sales process and make any possible improvements. So how do you get it? Once you've made the sale and all the documents are signed, send a survey. A survey is an ideal way to gather honest feedback from your clients.
Tell the clients how long the survey will take, and create questions that are easy to understand. You can use multiple choice or ask clients to rate a specific aspect of the real estate agent or the sales process. Also, you should always include a text box at the end of the survey so the client can provide feedback about an issue that may not have been covered in the survey. An automated survey solution will send surveys as well as collect and organize survey data so you can easily analyze client feedback.
Did we miss some big real estate marketing myths? Let us know in the comments!
Want an automated real estate marketing solution that will send messages to your clients by email, text message and voicemail, manage your social media pages and collect survey data all in one? No problem. Sign up for a free SimplyCast account to try automated real estate marketing for yourself.
