What’s in Your Utility Belt? 7 Must-Have Real Estate Marketing Tools

Imagine you’re a home improvement contractor. You’ve going to a job site and must carry all your tools in one utility belt. What tools would you bring? Well, that would depend on the job, of course, but you’d certainly make sure you have ever tool you need. You’d also ensure you have the best tools because that will make you more productive and successful.

That analogy is applicable to your success as an agent. You want the right tools for generating real estate leads, working with prospects, and selling properties.

There are a lot of real estate marketing tools out there. Here are seven that are absolutely essential, particularly in these challenging times.

1. HD Camera. Having an HD camera is a must for two reasons. First, you need to take good property pictures. Second, you want to be able to shoot video walk-throughs of homes. Chances are, you already have these capabilities on your phone. But if you don’t, consider upgrading.
2. Conferencing App. These days, online meetings are the norm. So, you need a conferencing app. Everyone seems to be using ZOOM these days, but there are alternatives, such as Skype and Google Meet. Pick one and learn how to use it.
3. Real Estate CRM. A contact management system (CRM) is crucial. An article in com revealed that 87% of salespeople say they’ve increased sales due to using a good CRM. That’s because a CRM — particularly one that syncs across all your devices, including mobile — helps you to better follow-up on real estate leads, nurture client relationships, and manage listings.
4. Lead-generating website. The days of the “brochure” website are long gone. Today, your real estate website needs to be a lead-generator. It must convert prospects who visit your agent website into a call or email enquiry. It should also incorporate the latest tools in lead generation, such as lead capture forms (that automatically populate your real estate CRM) and IDX integration for displaying listings.
5. Client referrals system. By far, the highest quality leads are referrals, and the best source of referrals is your past clients. If you do a great job for clients, some referrals will trickle in. But if you want to double or even triple referrals, you need a system that builds loyalty with your clients. Look for a real estate marketing system that’s comprehensive and includes a real estate direct mail newsletter and email marketing.
6. Geographic farming system. With the exception of client referrals, the leads that are most likely to convert are those from people who already know, like and trust you. That’s why real estate geographic farming is so effective. If you use the right geographic farming system, residents in a targeted area increasingly see you as their go-to agent. When they call, they’re already predisposed to working with you.
7. Lead-conversion system. As you know, not every prospect who calls is ready to buy or sell next week. Many good leads have longer timelines. So, an important marketing tool to have in your utility belt is a good lead-conversion system; one that uses real estate direct mail to build prospect relationships so they quickly see you as their ideal choice.

Takeaway: Review the real estate marketing tools you’re currently using. Do you have every tool you need for the job? Is it time to upgrade any?

As any contractor will tell you, always make sure you have the right tools for the job!