Whether you’re brand new to the real estate game or you’re a seasoned veteran, it’s essential to continuously improve your business practices. In a market where there’s more competition than ever before, leveraging resources can help set you apart as a top realtor. From CRMs to educational resources, there’s a plethora of available tools to help boost your sales. Keep reading for actionable tips to help up your game as a real estate agent.
1. Website
The easiest way for potential clients to find you is through the internet, and as a realtor in 2024, clients will expect an easy way to connect with you online. Creating a real estate website will boost brand awareness, streamline important information, and professionalize your business.
While having your own website is essential to a successful real estate business, remember that the more detail and personality you add, the more leads you’ll see from your site. Bonus points if you optimize your website to improve your search engine rankings. Regularly update your site, throw in some outstanding client testimonials, and watch your website attract quality leads. At the very least, make sure to have all your contact information easily accessible on your site, active listings uploaded, and an about page to personalize your brand.
Not sure where to start? For a professional, easy to use, and affordable website, we recommend GoDaddy, WordPress, or Weebly. Weebly and GoDaddy both offer extra SEO support to help your website get in front of clients organically.
2. CRM
As a real estate professional, you’ve probably already heard buzz about Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. A good CRM offers a wide range of benefits such as simplifying client communications, automating marketing efforts, and keeping a detailed record of leads. The amount of time you’ll save coordinating birthday messages, regular check-ins, and holiday greetings will pay for the cost of your CRM in no time.
Not only do CRMs help streamline your recruitment and retention efforts, but they’ll also be able to provide actionable insights into your marketing strategy. CRMs can provide you with data on where your leads come from, who is engaging with your advertisements, and how qualified a lead is. With so many helpful ways to use CRMs, it’s important to lay out your CRM strategy prior to getting started so you know exactly what upkeep and insights you’ll need.
While all CRMs help boost your business with automated email marketing and reporting, it’s still important to weigh your options to make sure your chosen software is a good fit. We recommend a CRM that is user-friendly, has a customizable dashboard, has no limit on contacts, and fits within your budget. Two affordable recommendations are Monday.com or Freshsales.
3. Business Cards
Even in a digital world, business cards are a marketing tool that can’t be replaced. From the grocery store to professional conferences, business cards can make it simple to promote your brand and pass along your contact information. As a real estate agent, you can find long-term clients pretty much anywhere, so it’s important to make a memorable and actionable impression.
Increase the efficacy of your business cards by adding a personal design touch and a call to action for successful lead generation. And we can’t stress enough, don’t leave your house without your business cards!
Vistaprint is a great, affordable option to order business cards and has a dedicated team to help you with your design. If you’re in a time crunch, Staples offers same-day business card pickup.
4. Social Media
Similar to creating a website, social media posts will amplify your online presence, bringing you more leads and an engaged clientele. Current and potential clients turn to social media to look for their next purchase, so you want to make sure you’re not losing out on customers due to your absence on social media. Social media also does a lot of the marketing heavy lifting for you by using each platform’s algorithm to push your posts to relevant users.
There’s a lot of opportunities when it comes to promoting your real estate business through social media. With so many platforms to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to begin. A good place to start is Facebook and Instagram. Facebook has the most users and multiple marketing tools to take advantage of, such as interacting with local real estate groups, targeted real estate ads, and the ability to host events from your profile page. Instagram is home to a large number of real estate specific users and interested buyers. Because Instagram is focused on aesthetics, this is a great place to upload content of your listings to show potential buyers.
If you’re feeling inspired to boost your digital marketing, TikTok is a great place to promote listings and cast a wide net to potential clients. It’s possible to go viral on TikTok, grabbing the attention of everyone from first-time homebuyers to experienced investors (and everyone in between). Other social media engines to try out if you have the time are YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X).
Read up on social media real estate marketing tips to boost your profile and pick the right strategy. High quality, platform-specific posts will attract interested buyers, making it easier than ever to close on a listing and improve your sphere of influence. Keep in mind that being on social media doesn’t mean posting every day on every platform; it’s perfectly fine to pick one or two that appeal the most to you and your clientele.
5. Quality Referrals and Resources
Clients view realtors as a wealth of information and a resource for their journey as a property owner. Especially if you’re working with a first-time homebuyer, they’ll be on the lookout for information. Use this opportunity to establish yourself as a trusted resource to build long-term (and lucrative) client relationships.
Gather information on frequently asked client questions and stay in the know on your local rules and regulations pertaining to home owners. Be ready to provide investor clients with helpful rental management tools like those built by TurboTenant. You can even get your own branded promotional code and referral link to share with investor clients! The easier you make it for your investor clients to manage their rentals, the more likely it is that they’ll come to you for their next investment purchase.
Other referrals to have on hand for clients include appraisal services, home inspectors, contractors, and other service-focused vendors that would be helpful for new home owners.
6. Virtual Tour Software
Virtual tour software is a newer realtor tool that provides a unique opportunity for clients to view properties from anywhere, at anytime. Virtual tour software creates attractive and accurate property listings that clients can view from the comfort of their home. The most important benefit of virtual tour software is the time and money you and your clients will save scheduling, coordinating, and showing properties in person, since the best software will already make buyers feel like they’ve already visited the property.
What do you need to get the most out of virtual tour software? Clean and stage your listing to make sure you’re showing the space in its best light. Use a tripod to capture clear shots of the property to increase the quality of your tour. Once you have your virtual tour on hand, upload it to your website and social media to attract buyers!
Let virtual tour software vet potential clients for you so you can avoid spending time on uninterested or unqualified leads. For affordable recommendations, CloudPano and Matterport are both robust options coming in at less than $20/month.
7. Lockbox
Another way to save time in the showing process is to invest in a secure lockbox. Lockboxes make it easier to retrieve house keys for each individual listing, saving the time and money you would spend driving back and forth to retrieve keys. Plus, if the property’s seller is busy, you can still have safe access to the keys.
Throw out the historical and dangerous methods of passing off keys under the doormat and feel at ease with an easy-to-use lockbox. For extra security, a Sentrilock lockbox, which allows real estate agents to use a Bluetooth device or unique code to open the lockbox is recommended. For a more affordable but secure option, try the Kiddee AccessPoint KeySafe.
Conclusion
There are a plethora of tools to take advantage of as a real estate agent to increase sales and make your life easier. In a competitive market, don’t overlook the above recommendations as they will form and optimize your marketing strategy and workflow. Worried about cost? The amount of time you’ll save alone with our must-have real estate tools will offset the cost of any resource in no time.
TurboTenant loves to work with the top real estate agents, which is why we’ve developed exclusive resources just for you. Don’t forget to check out our real estate agent resource page to build out your professional toolkit with curated tools, information, and deals!