The 6 Unbeatable Real Estate Marketing Tools for 2024
If you don’t get your marketing right, you will have a tough time selling real estate. But let’s face it: as a busy agent, marketing often falls by the wayside. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. A wide range of technologies are designed to take marketing tasks off your plate. We will share the most valuable real estate agent marketing tools here!
Key Takeaways:
- 62% of agents spend at least one hour daily on marketing and advertising. Being a successful real estate agent is almost impossible without marketing tactics like email, social media, and lead nurturing.
- 60% of agents prospect every day, and 26% spend multiple hours prospecting every day. Obtaining new leads is crucial for maintaining a strong pipeline, and using real estate agent marketing tools can free up more time for these activities.
- The right tools can save you valuable time and improve the client experience. Better experiences equate to more repeat business and referrals.
- Some tools are necessary for proper competition in the industry. Platforms like a versatile CRM and robust email provider lend toward a strong ROI and save valuable time. We name our favorite tools in the article.
Essential Real Estate Agent Marketing Tools
Parts of real estate marketing include connecting with others, staying in touch, nurturing leads, and positioning yourself as a market expert. For most people, there aren’t enough hours to research, compose compelling communications, reach out to leads, and execute flawless events.
That’s why successful real estate companies should have access to a few essential tools, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) system and a website. We’ve compiled a list of the real estate agent marketing tools that every professional should have to be successful in the business, along with our favorite options for each.
- Real Estate CRMs – CINC
- Real Estate Website Builders – AgentFire
- Email Marketing Tools – Happy Grasshopper
- Automated Communication Tools – Real Geeks
- Real Estate Social Media Tools – Facebook
The Importance of Marketing Tools in Real Estate
Some people skip tools because they want to avoid making a financial investment. Every marketing activity—such as updating client files with new information or writing a series of emails and then sending them out on a schedule—requires your time and effort.
That time and effort that could be applied to meeting new people, following up on leads, or making your next open house extra special. The right real estate agent marketing tools will take many of these daily to-dos off your plate, allowing you to run seamless campaigns in the background while focusing on other areas.
Simply put, marketing tools can help streamline the way you conduct business. You can reach a wider audience, nurture leads that convert into lifelong customers, and grow your presence without lifting a finger. And, with a solid marketing strategy, your business will grow.
Categories of Real Estate Marketing Tools
Lead Generation Platforms
Leads are the lifeblood of every real estate business and are likely the most valuable resource you’ve got. You can kiss revenue and growth goodbye without a steady flow of leads.
That’s why successful agents and brokerages use third-party platforms to provide them with consistent lead flow from which to work. The more leads you have coming in, the more significant potential you have for closing.
Lead generation tools are more than this, though; you can grow your business in a short amount of time when these tools are used properly. So, how can you choose the right lead generation tool for you?
- Look for the right kind of leads – Look for features geared toward finding the kind of leads you want to work with.
- Seek out high quality leads – Any service that pre-qualifies their leads is a good start, whether through ISAs or automation. Some tools even use predictive analytics to find leads most likely to sell in the near future. If all else fails, look at reviews that other agents leave.
- Exclusivity – Non-exclusive services may be cheaper, but these leads are of lesser quality. In some cases, you can pay extra for exclusive leads, and they are oftentimes well worth the investment.
- Alignment with your CRM – Any lead generation service with a clear dashboard that allows you to manage your pipeline is nice. Some might have their own CRM, but you should make sure they allow integrations if it’s not better than your current one.
Our top choice has several great features that set it apart from other platforms. In particular, we find the following functions valuable:
- A comprehensive CRM with lead scoring and routing so that you don’t need to manage a separate technology.
- Bold Leads offers location-based, done-for-you Facebook campaigns out of the box, saving time and making ads easier to run.
- Automated marketing and text concierge keeps leads warm and ensures you can stay top of mind with connections.
Our pick for lead generation: Zurple
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
You’ve probably heard the term “CRM” before, but why are these systems so important?
One reason: efficiency. You want to interact with your customers in the most efficient way possible. This ultimately boils down to organization and automation.
You need to be able to pull up lead profiles easily, and you want to focus your attention on the leads and conversations that matter. That’s what a CRM offers, and it can turn a real estate business into a revenue machine. Some of the most impactful features to look for in a great CRM include:
- Ease of the system – you want to hit the ground running.
- Direct messaging features – being able to email, text, or call right from your dashboard is a huge time saver.
- Conversation history – will offer powerful insights to help nurture leads.
- Organization – What you really want is to be able to customize your CRM to your exact preferences, as every real estate business is unique.
- Task automation – Things like lead routing and assigning statuses saves you the trouble of going in and updating each lead yourself.
Our pick for real estate CRM: CINC
Real Estate Website Builder
Every agent needs a website. It’s the heart of your online presence and where all leads should be directed to find more information about your business. In this day and age, you cannot get by without having a serviceable website.
Real estate websites must be IDX-enabled, meaning there’s a home search function that’s integrated with your MLS. IDX keeps your website current and detailed. Some website builders require you to add IDX yourself, but industry website builders usually include IDX by default. Not all IDX tools are built the same. Some have advanced search features and others include extra information for home search, like data about local communities.
If you’re a team or brokerage, some website builders even offer subdomains or microsites for individual agents.
Most real estate websites are lead capture sites. Some use forced registration that requires a sign-in to view listings, while others opt for a more passive approach using pop-up capture forms or landing pages. Ideally, your website is fully integrated with your CRM, so you should be provided with an extensive lead profile that includes what website visitors are most engaged with and how long they spent on your site.
Real estate website builders are set apart by a few features that support this industry specifically. Rather than a general web-building platform, choose one focused on real estate with these options:
- Highly customizable WordPress website that you own (many web companies own the site they develop, which makes changing things clunky).
- Home Junction feature provides hyperlocal data for better targeting.
- Uses leading IDX plug-in Showcase IDX (as detailed above).
Our pick for real estate website builder: AgentFire
Email Marketing Software
Even though text and social media marketing are becoming increasingly popular, research shows that email is still the best channel to reach out to people. Email is arguably one of the most efficient real estate marketing strategies with a median ROI of 122%!
However, there’s no way that you can keep up with sending emails out consistently to hundreds of past, present, and future clients on your own. You need a tool that automates and streamlines your email marketing efforts. Luckily, because email marketing is considered crucial, there are plenty of email marketing tools available.
Most CRMs offer some form of email automation to assist you with sending follow-up emails and drip campaigns, so you may see no point in investing in an extra tool. However, tools that specialize in email marketing are uniquely geared to send out awesome nurture campaigns that attract customers new and old to your business. Look for the following features when choosing:
- Template library that can help you design professional communications.
- Added features like an automated email marketing system, text services, or ringless voicemail drop.
- Personalized emails that infuse your voice and brand.
- Integrations with whatever tools you’re already using.
Our pick for real estate agent email platform: Happy Grasshopper
Automated Real Estate Communication Tools
Today’s communication tools – like chatbots, text concierges, and other AI platforms – can keep leads warm for you. Having a chatbot on your website and/or social media is very helpful in getting prospects the information they need right away.
Like cold calling, prospecting site visitors can be a huge time sink, which is why you should have a text concierge do it for you! A real person (or very convincing AI) will work your leads the minute they respond to text funnels, qualifying them and leading them to an appointment with you. Often, these services upload conversations to your CRM, which is when you will receive a notification about an available lead.
The power of intelligent real estate tools is no joke. Data is a goldmine, and the more data points you have, the more effective your follow-up and marketing strategies will be. Any service that provides predictive analytics is worth considering, as it can help you stay vigilant and approach sellers first. Plus, many tools offer smart suggestions to improve follow-up and client interactions.
Our choice offers some special features:
- Predictive CRM software with automated campaigns.
- Success assurance concierge service from real humans.
- An “opportunity wall” suggesting when to reach out to contacts.
Our pick for automated real estate communication: Real Geeks
Speak with an industry expert agent advisor. Together we will find the best solution based on your goals and needs.
Social Media Management Tools
According to NAR, 77% of real estate agents use social media. If you’re in the 23% that haven’t taken the hint that social media is a powerful tool for your business, it’s time to get on this train!
Improving social media presence is something many agents are prioritizing. Social media marketing, though, is not as simple as it may seem, especially because we don’t all have the time or expertise to post consistent, engaging content to multiple platforms. That’s why tools that can help you to manage are often invaluable.
Many platforms offer paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads have become the modern lead-generation tactic for many agencies. The ad budget for these is relatively inexpensive when you compare it to the revenue and exposure you gain from them. Plus, many of these companies take care of content and scheduling for you, saving you loads of time doing it yourself.
Finally, social media tools that integrate MLS with your ads are essential, but having new listings appear in ads automatically is golden. You don’t want to promote listings that are no longer relevant, and you want the process of updating your ads to be seamless.
Our pick for social media integrated tools: Facebook
Find the Right Tools for Your Needs
Building your marketing toolkit is essential for growing your brand. These six tools are a great start to elevating your marketing approach. Expanding your online presence, growing a consistent lead pipeline, communicating with prime efficiency, and staying top-of-mind with clients all lead to increased commissions.
