The Real estate sector is a service organization that depends on customer engagement for success. For a real estate firm or agent to be successful, it is important to engage with customers to understand their needs and offer them a solution for their needs. This calls for constant communication. One of the most simple and effective tools for communication is SMS or short message service. An SMS is a text message comprising less than 140 characters and sent through a mobile phone.
SMS when it was launched was a great innovation in communication. Since then, many online chat applications and messengers have become popular. In the world of marketing, SMS still plays a very important role. The following facts tell you why SMS should be used as a marketing strategy by companies:
- An SMS can be received by anyone who has a mobile phone. It doesn’t matter whether they have an Android phone or iOS phone, any phone will do. They don’t need internet connectivity. All that is required is a mobile phone with the network coverage.
- When a customer receives a marketing call, he is unlikely to pick the call. The chances are that the customers don’t like marketing calls and may even block the caller. This is because telephonic calls are intrusive and disturb a person who is working. An SMS has no such problem. The recipient can read the message at his convenience and can even reply to messages while doing other work. This is why more than 86% of customers indicated that they prefer receiving marketing messages through SMS.
- An SMS would be opened by 97% of recipients within 3 minutes. This makes it a very effective tool for marketers. A marketing message is very likely to be read by recipients.
- The response rate to SMS marketing is more than 46%, which is higher than email marketing. This makes SMS a very powerful marketing communication tool.
SMS marketing for Real estate
In the real estate sector, constant communication is needed with customers. SMS is a good way to do this. A realtor can subscribe to an SMS marketing service. This service will allow realtors to send mass text messages at low prices. It would offer software using which messages can be sent to selected people instantly. The software can be used to automatically send messages and even send auto-responses.
The following are some strategies that the real estate sector can use for effective SMS marketing:
1) Get new leads
One of the ways to get new leads is by reaching out to new customers. A database of potential real estate customers can be used and an introductory message sent. The message can provide details of the realtor with the services offered. The unique USP of the realtor can be highlighted in the message. This kind of message can help bring in new leads. The marketers can then follow up with the leads.
2) Send information to customers
Customers need to be sent information on listed. Whenever a new property is added, an SMS can be sent informing customers of the property. This message can even contain an MMS, where pictures or a video walkthrough of the property can be attached. A link to the realtor’s website can also be included in the message.3) Engage with customers
A powerful way of engaging with customers is to use keywords. A keyword is a special code that the SMS marketingthe software would recognize and sent an automatic response. When a message is sent with details of a new property. A keyword can be provided with it. If a customer responds using the keyword then a message can be automatically sent providing more details of the property. If the customer wants a callback from the sales team, he can use another keyword for it. Keywords can thus ensure engagement with customers.
4) Send updates and alerts
Updates can be sent to customers using SMS. These updates can include information about property showing or property sale information. Updates on other service information like date of registration etc can also be sent through SMS. This will help in ensuring customers are constantly updated.
5) Get feedback
Feedback is very important. It helps the realtor identify areas for improvement so that action can be taken. Feedback can be taken by sending a feedback question and asking customers to reply with the rating.
SMS marketing can be very useful for real estate in 2021. As the real estate sector is gearing up to increase sales and recover from the pandemic, SMS marketing can help reach out to more customers. It can improve customer engagement and help improve sales. If you are in the real estate business, it is time to start using SMS marketing to get better results.
