If anything has been clear in the ever-changing real estate landscape, it’s that technology is here to stay. 2014 gave real estate agents plenty of examples of how tech is the future of real estate. The Zillow-Trulia merger and the acquisition of Move by News Corp have been the highlights of a year of mergers, acquisitions and innovation in real estate technology.
Now the real question is, how is a real estate agent supposed to leverage technology to get more listings? I speak with real estate agents all the time at my job at Dizzle. One of them recently told me in frustration, “I have all of these great ideas, but I’m not seeing them turn into new listings.” All of this new innovation is supposed to empower agents to get more listings.
Here are four tips to help harness the power of technology in 2015 to make your real estate business more successful.
- Trust in online home search.
If there is one thing that the big real estate search sites have done for real estate, it has been making it very easy for potential clients to get information on the listings they want to see. There are dozens of real estate search sites out there, and you better believe that people are using them! According NAR’s annual profile of home buyers and sellers, 92 percent of buyers used the Internet in their home search, and 50 percent used a mobile website or application.
- Embrace social media.
Homebuyers and sellers are using social media more than ever before. Having a presence on social media is becoming a necessity if you are serious about connecting with your clients. There are a number of reasons why social media is important, but the most important part of it is the “social” component. When your client likes your page, it shows up on their friend’s news feeds. That is basically a word-of-mouth referral, and we all know that is the most valuable type of lead for any real estate agent!
- Use performance marketing.
Old fashioned advertising is great for taking up space on a park bench, but in 2015 there is no excuse for not having attribution for your valuable marketing dollars. Analytics and attribution are going to be king in the real estate tech space, and agents who value their time and money are making sure they get attribution for their marketing spend. Tracking phone calls and clicks helps you hone in on what’s working, and save on what’s not!
- Take your brand mobile.
In today’s day in age, when two out of three Americans have smartphones in their pockets, how can you afford to not have a branded mobile presence? There are a lot of apps being marketed to real estate agents these days, but make sure you’re getting the most out of your valuable marketing dollars. Mobile home search is great, but you need more than that if you’re going to stay top-of-mind after you hand over the keys. Providing value through a mobile app 100 percent branded to you is the best way to ensure that your brand has a place on the home screen of your client’s smartphones long after the deal is done. Dizzle has been innovating on this concept, and might be worth checking out if you’re looking to stay on the cutting edge in 2015.
For more information, visit http://dizzle.com.
Will Caldwell, a San Diego resident, is the CEO and co-founder at Dizzle. Dizzle is your personal “Angie’s List” offering a branded app filled with your personal vendors with the goal of staying top of mind and providing value after closing.
