Clever Ways to Use Text Message Marketing for Real Estate

As a real estate professional, many things you do are time-sensitive. It's possible that you can lose out on a deal simply because you were waiting for a buyer to listen to the voicemail or check their email and they acted too slow. Text messaging allows agents to provide updates to buyers and sellers that are quicker and more immediate than email.

Communication in real estate is critical. Text messaging or SMS (short message service) gives agents, Realtors, and brokers a valuable channel where prospective buyers can easily contact them, allowing them to increase sales.

If you didn't already know, text message marketing in real estate is a powerful tool when used right. Let's consider the following statistics:

• 93% of real estate professionals prefer to communicate with their clients through text messages
• Text messaging as a whole has an open rate of 98%
• 90% of text messages are opened within three minutes compared with 20% of people who open an email
• Text messages have a response rate of 45% compared to email's 6%
• 68% of buyers would rather receive property info via text messages

And even more telling, people respond to a text message within 90 seconds—by contrast, they respond to emails within 90 minutes.

There are many benefits to leveraging text message marketing in real estate. Text messages can be a great way to send important reminders to your current clients. In Amarki, you can schedule and deploy automated text messages to remind clients of any important dates. One example is to set up an open house reminder text message that will send two days prior to the open house and then the morning of.

It's cost-effective and generally less expensive than other forms of marketing, such as direct mail. Text messages create a far more personal touch to your marketing efforts. It's easy for clients to miss your emails in the sea of other messages they receive in their inbox. As people don't typically get as many text messages, they will at least see your SMS message.

You can even launch mass text message marketing campaigns, but before you do this, you should ask your contacts how they would like to hear from you. While millennials may prefer texts, older generations might prefer email or even a phone call.

Automated text messages can also be a great way to stay in touch after your clients have closed on their home. Here are just a few examples of text message templates you can consider setting up:

• Two weeks after close check-in: How is everything going? Are you getting settled?
• One year anniversary after close: Can you believe it's been a year since you bought your home? Congrats!
• On the client's birthday: Happy Birthday, [name]!

You may not realize it, but sometimes even the smallest touch can have a big impact. Incorporate text messages as one more touch in your marketing strategy.

Using the right tool or platform is a big investment in your bulk text message marketing strategy. It will empower you to reach potential buyers effortlessly and save you time and money. Here is how you can benefit from a perfectly chosen text message tool:

• Initiate a personalized, one-on-one text conversation with clients or prospects
• Increase attendance and engagement by scheduling important reminders
• Entice new clients with special keywords and calls-to-action

So, do not limit your clients to just calling or emailing. Make your new home listings, price drop alerts, and links to real estate video tours available for them by choosing the right tool or platform, like Amarki.

About Amarki: Amarki was built by real estate experts for Brokerages and Agents based on years of industry experience and firsthand feedback. We developed a marketing tool accessible to anyone, no matter the experience or marketing budget. By providing an intuitive tool that works "for" the agent, Amarki is able to remove the complexity of marketing tasks making agents more active. Check us out by clicking here.