How SMS Marketing Software Can Help Real Estate Agents Grow Their Business

Recently I read about the economic downturn and housing crisis going on in our country. On one side, rental costs are soaring high, which is forcing Americans to find alternatives to renting a house. They are looking to purchase a new house in a country that has a shortfall of 1.5 to 5 million houses said the report.

But, on the other hand, over 16 million housing units are vacant in the US with an overall vacancy rate being 11.6%. With Orlando, Miami, Tampa, Birmingham, and New Orleans leading in the highest vacancy rates, it presents a lucrative opportunity for realtors to grow their businesses using digital marketing tools.

In addition to the other digital marketing tools, SMS text messages is one of the preferred methods you can use to reach new clients. According to the National Association of Realtors, 93% of agents prefer text messages, followed by telephone at 90% and email at 89% to communicate with clients.

While statistics favor SMS marketing for text message automation, let’s see why should you use it for real estate:

Why Use SMS Marketing Automation Software for Real Estate?

The biggest advantage of SMS marketing I believe is you don’t have to wait around for clients to reach you. The SMS channel offers uninterrupted and fast access to potential customers who are interested in buying properties.

And don’t forget that SMS leads with a higher engagement and response rate than other channels like email. Since real estate is one of the highly competitive industries, it makes sense in my opinion, to use SMS text message automation for a high response rate.

Here are a few more reasons why use SMS marketing automation software:

• The Ubiquity of Mobile: If statistics are to be believed, over 90% of the world’s population today hold a smartphone in their hands that can receive and send text messages. This gives you access to a large population, which makes it perfect to send bulk SMSs on automate even with a mobile app.
• Send Relevant Communication: Based on the client profiles and needs, you can schedule and send relevant property information, open house invitations, and notify when something new comes up. Prospects can individually respond to your messages and show interest in receiving such communications further.
• Book Appointments: The SMS channel makes it hassle-free to book appointments with prospects when they seem interested in your listings. Simply ask customers about what time they are available and finalize the visitation hours to show around the properties.
• Saves Time & Money: Using real estate SMS marketing software like Textdrip, you can automate sending SMSs by creating drip campaigns. Doing so is also cost-effective as we have competitive pricing that allows you to take advantage of SMS automation for your real estate business.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more that you can do with SMS marketing software. You can nurture and build relationships with clients by sending relevant content and tips that drive more interactions and improve sales.

How to Use SMS Automation to Grow Your Real Estate Business

SMS text messages hold great power, but with that power comes great responsibility. (My Spidey senses have turned on)

Well, it may seem enticing and compelling to use SMS to your advantage, but it can really soon turn to abusing the power of this channel. So to be careful and not misuse SMS, here’s a process of how to use SMS automation to grow your real estate business:

1. Comply with TCPA Norms

While you may want to use real estate SMS marketing to grow your business if you aren’t compliant with TCPA norms, you may see many unwanted lawsuits coming your way.

To avoid getting sued, always get permission from prospects before you start sending them marketing messages. Each person on your contact list should have opted in to receive messages from you. Also, provide an option for them to opt-out.

Another thing to keep in mind is to respect people’s private space and not send messages at odd hours. If possible, then strictly follow the business hours and schedule your real estate SMS campaigns during those hours only.

Lastly, set a frequency of sending your messages, e.g. 1 or 2 in a week. However, you can go beyond that limit only when you have some urgent updates or need prospects’ immediate attention, or want them to take action.

2. Select the Right Automation Software for Your Needs

The right SMS automation software would act as a partner in growing your real estate business. If you ask me, my recommendation will always be Textdrip and I have reason to back it up.

Wondering why I believe Textdrip is best? It’s because it has lower barriers to entry, meaning it’s one of the most affordable SMS platforms with a simple pricing of $19.99 per month for sending messages.

The best part is you can try it all—run drip campaigns and automate your SMS workflows with a free trial. You can even send mass broadcasts with a touch of personalization to make them feel like they’re coming from a real human.

That’s not just it. There’s so much more you can do and a lot more other good stuff in the pipeline that I’m excited to share but I hate being that guy. (Sorry Mark)

3. Define the Purpose of Sending Real Estate Messages

Now that you know the best SMS marketing automation tool for real estate, it’s time to get to know the purpose of sending text messages. You just can’t shoot ‘What’s up?’ messages and expect users to ask for property details.

Define the purpose of sending each message and what results you can expect out of it. Do you want to warm up the cold leads? Want prospects to visit an open house event? Want them to book an appointment with you? Or do you want them to attend real estate events?

Regardless of what your purpose is, having one helps you get conversions from text messages. So, ensure each text message you send has a clear purpose and next step for prospects to take.

4. Types of Real Estate Messages to Send

There are several different types of messages you can send that serve different purposes. We take it that you’ve cleared up your purpose, let’s define what kinds of messages you can send to your target prospects:

• Welcome Texts: Whenever a new prospect joins your SMS marketing list, send them a welcome note and set clear expectations of what they’d get from your SMS marketing campaigns.
• New Listing Alerts: These are new listings of properties that your prospects may find interesting and want to visit or purchase them. You can either insert a link for them to visit or add images and other information to give them an idea of what this listing entails.
• Open House Visits: Want people to visit open house properties? Craft a simple message with details about when prospects can visit and get a look of the same. You can also ask for their preferred time and book appointments for the next open house event.
• Appointment Booking & Reminders: These messages help you book appointments or send reminders to events so that your prospects remember upcoming events. Sending such SMSs help increase the chances of your prospects attending these events.
• Purchase Offers: Such types of text messages serve the purpose of informing prospects about the price drop or promotional offer on a particular property they are interested in purchasing. Such messages reactivate leads and move them further in your funnel.

5. Design Your Real Estate SMS Marketing Funnel Workflow

Designing a marketing funnel may look simple, however, it’s complicated enough and requires careful consideration and planning. The reason is simple, there will be several stages in your marketing funnel and you may not know at which stage of the funnel your prospects are stuck.

Sending the right message designed for the right prospects in a particular stage of the funnel can compel them to take action. This also increases the chances of your real estate SMS campaign’s success.

Generally, a funnel is divided into three stages: The top of the funnel is where people become aware of their problems, the middle of the funnel is where leads consider the solutions, and the bottom of the funnel is where they take action.

Most users likely enter the middle stages of your funnel because they are already aware of the problem they want to solve. So, sending messages that cater to the top-of-the-funnel stages won’t yield any fruitful result.

If that’s the case, then how do you know what messages to send?

Well, there’s no way to be certain what stage of the funnel your prospects belong to other than sending a few different message types to see how they react to them. Do they click the link or book an appointment for a property visit? Or are they getting directly to the price negotiation?

Based on their reaction to your message, you can label them accordingly and send tailored communications that are guaranteed to boost engagement and purchase rate.

6. Create Powerful Real Estate SMS Templates

Now this step of the puzzle involves creating powerful, personalized, and friendly SMS templates that help establish connections with your prospects. Your texts shouldn’t feel robotic and rigid and should be written in a friendly tone with a human touch.

Go beyond addressing your prospects by their names and include personal interests, tailored content, tips, or offers to win your customers. Also, create multiple variations of a single SMS template and do split testing to find which one works better.

This can include creating multiple texts for property listings, open house visits, and other events. Doing so helps filter the bad leads that are not interested in what you have to offer.

The last piece of advice I want to give you is to keep your SMS simple and concise and include all the necessary details within the 160-character limit if possible. Make your each word count by keeping it short, to the point, and engaging. Also, try sending your SMS that ends with a question to inspire users to respond.

7. Track and Improve Important Metrics

Tracking and monitoring the important SMS marketing metrics and benchmarks help you understand the customers better, optimize real estate SMS strategy, and run targeted SMS automation campaigns. They give you answers to why something works and why it doesn’t.

There are several important SMS KPIs you must track and improve for better real estate SMS outcomes. Here are some metrics to keep in mind:

• Return on investment
• List growth rate
• Delivery rate
• Response rate
• Unsubscribe rate
• Customer acquisition cost
• etc.