Real Estate CRM Tools to Personalize, Process and Nurture Leads

Real estate is often a highly personal business. The emotions that come with finding the perfect property forge strong relationships between real estate pros and clients--but maintaining those relationships after closing day can seem daunting.

Nurturing prospects is also a crucial part of keeping your business healthy and growing, but in the chaos of closing deals, those valuable contacts can slip between the cracks. Real estate customer relationship management software helps maintain and deepen those connections using the following tools.

Centralized contact management for email, social media and more

Businesses big and small know email and social media marketing can be some of the most rewarding and most competitive means of engaging clients. A CRM can simplify this process by:

• Importing social media contacts
• Syncing email contacts
• Reminding you when it's time to post via task tracking

This will organize your contacts all in one place to maximize your potential reach.

Audience segmentation for increased impact

When it comes to successful audience engagement, one size does not fit all. Audience segments let you deliver highly relevant content to specific groups. Go beyond simply labeling contacts as buyers, sellers, or prospects. Maximize engagement by drilling down to neighborhoods, age groups, professions and other categories that help you speak to each potential client's interests and values.

For example, after importing social media contacts as mentioned above, you see most of your Facebook followers are in the market to buy. Deliver content most relevant to them by posting new listings and content relevant to home buying in your area.

Personalized automation

Personalized automated messages combine the convenience of electronic, self-managed engagement with the individualization clients want and expect. You can automate the following to stay on a client's radar without spamming purely promotional material:

• Birthday cards
• Holiday greetings
• Well wishes
• And more

Prospect nurturing

Current prospects are future sales, but guiding new contacts through to the client stage often requires multiple touchpoints. Mizan Ayers used Contactually's reminders to close three deals in two months that, in his words, "would have been lost had it not been for the reminders I receive from the system."

Stay engaged with prospects and nurture leads by creating an automated workflow specific to your prospect's needs. Providing valuable information, such as the benefits and unique features of different neighborhoods for recent transplants, can demonstrate your knowledge and authority and promote confidence in your abilities. Automating this process frees you up to do more in less time.

Time, task, and team management

Even the brightest minds let things slip now and then. Use task management features to track your progress and make the most of your time. A real estate CRM should help you track:

• Conversations
• Meetings
• Appointments
• Contracts
• Important reminders

Digitally streamlining communication keeps an entire team on the same page. Delegate what needs to be done and be notified of updates through digital alerts for faster response and better teamwork. No need for playing phone tag.

Mobile is a must

Choose a CRM that lets you manage your contacts wherever you are. A mobile-friendly platform is a must for real estate pros on the move. Test on both desktop and mobile to ensure it has everything that you need. Well-designed software will allow for an intuitive user experience on any device.

Combine key features with timely trends

There are some core functions many CRMs will share. Even the oldest of these programs act as a digital directory and are capable of some email marketing. A good contact management tool should include key features and have the flexibility to meet evolving demands. Look for a platform that is constantly seeking to meet users' needs by inventing and integrating.

To view the original article, visit the Contactually blog.