As you may have heard, the use of text messages to advertise business and engage customers is at the base of a very steep incline. The use of mobile marketing is set to grow over 2,700% over the next four years.
Just as the Internet changed the way a real estate agent markets a property and looks to gain prospective buyers, mobile marketing, and specifically, text message marketing is going to change the landscape again.
There are five key reasons why text message marketing for real estate is beneficial.
1. It is a 24/7 marketing tool. Once you set up the system it markets for you automatically, even while you sleep.
2. It is easy. You simply complete a few fill in the blank sections on the website and the system runs by itself
3. It provides great information. You can only include 160 characters in an SMS text message, but if you can insert a short URL into the message the user can click the link in a smart phone and open up the full MLS listing. You will never have to touch a flyer box again!
4. It is inexpensive. Compared to the cost of printing, reprinting and stocking flyers, text message flyers are very inexpensive.
5. It builds your database. When someone takes a paper flyer (or two, or three) from the box, you have no clue who they were. You could go through hundreds of flyers and never have any idea of who was looking at your property. With digital text message flyers for real estate you capture the cell phone number of the person requesting the information, and if the system has a mini-CRM built into it, you can send automated, triggered responses directly back to the prospective buyer.
Just as the Internet changed the way real estate transactions occur, text message and mobile marketing is going to change the landscape again. Even if you aren’t a big proponent of texting, your prospective buyers are, so you need to change with the ever changing technological environment.
by Jeffrey W. Arnold, Principal, Pocket-Promo LLC who is an innovating thinker and an industry expert in the field of ‘new media’ marketing techniques for small businesses. After a successful career as a financial industry executive, he has launched his own mobile marketing company and is helping clients successfully navigate the marketing options in a Web 2.0 world.
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I see where you’re going with this but whenever I get a text that isn’t from someone I know, or is advertising something, I delete it straight away. Worth thinking about though I guess…
Text messaging is a great way to keep in touch with clients and is best used with prospects that have already called you with some interest. Some clients prefer to receive text messages over phone calls, so it is turning out to be quite beneficial to my real estate business.
I agree that sending text messages is very convenient. It is also inexpensive compared to all the paper cost of printing and all that is needed for a flyer/pamgplet.
One way of keeping in touch with your potential clients is by using text messaging. More convenient and easy when making deals in the real estate business. Nice post! It adds additional knowledge! Keep it up!