3 Easy Ways to Future-proof Your Real Estate Business

What can real estate agents do now to prepare their business for the future?

Experts Kristi Kennelly and David & Jonah Stillman have a few ideas. During a recent conference, they (and many others!) shared action steps Realtors can take now to make sure they're staying ahead of the curve—and top of mind with their sphere and farming area.

Here are the top three ways that agents can impress clients and ensure their business lasts for the long haul:

1. Be a Video Marketer

Did you know videos posted on social media receive 1200 percent more shares than other posts? This statistic alone should be enough encouragement for you to begin creating video content. How do you start incorporating videos into your daily routine?

Replace One Phone Call

Send a potential client a selfie video introducing yourself and how you can help them when they're ready. They will retain 95 percent more information from a video and will appreciate how personalized the message was.

Replace One Newsletter

Emails containing videos receive 200-300 percent higher click through rates than emails without. Neighborhood data and current market rates are easy information to turn into quick videos that to feature in your newsletters. Find a free video tool online, like Lumen5.com, to quickly generate your information into an easy to digest video.

For more information of video content, check out our blog post on three types of videos that generate leads.

2. Be a Micro-Targeter

In recent months, Facebook seems like an untrustworthy, scary place. Facebook is aware of your feelings and is bringing the focus back to family and friends. Is it still worth investing time and money into it then? Short answer - yes; long answer - yes, as long as you're smart about how you are staying active.

Organic Reach

With Facebook shifting the focus of the Newsfeed back to family and friends, it has unfortunately become "pay-to-play" to be successful, right? Wrong.

• Ask questions to keep your followers engaged in your posts
• Create audience lists in Facebook of your VIP clients/prospects to optimize the chances of them seeing your latest updates
• Use hashtags and polls to further grow your engagement
• Video, video, video

Don't Forget About Email

Contrary to many beliefs, email is not dead. According to Kristi Kennelly, email is still 40 percent more effective at acquiring customers than social media and is 5x more likely to be read. Combine your new knowledge of video marketing with your emails to insure success. And don't be afraid to be automated—invest in marketing automation software so you are available 24/7 so when someone does reply to an email, they don't have to worry about whether or not you received it.

Check out our blog on how to be available 24/7.

3. Get Ready for Generation Z

Generation Z, born 1995 – 2012, are starting to hit the housing market. In fact, according to the Gen Z gurus David and Jonah Stillman, over 100,000 of them have an average home mortgage of $140,000 and 90 percent plan to buy their first home online. So what does this mean for you as a real estate agent?

Expectations vs. Acceptance

Phyigital or the blending of digital experiences with physical ones could be the easiest way to describe generation Z. Gen Zers are 100 percent phyigital. Tools like virtual house tours that were once "nice to have's" are now mandatory. They will not accept that you don't have these tools; instead, they expect agents to have them.

Hyper Customize Everything

Generation Z has grown up in a world where they're able to customize everything—and they expect their home buying process to reflect that. A real estate agent is no longer the only expert they trust. Gen Z'ers will ask opinions from anyone they know, (and don't know via online reviews) for opinions. Agents working with Gen Z'ers need to understand that if they are not tailoring conversations specifically to the clients' needs, they will move on to a different agent who will.

To view the original article, visit the WolfNet blog.