The Most Important Tech Investments Real Estate Agents Can Make Today

marketing planReal estate agents need to be tech savvy when marketing their listings – investing in these technology tools will help realtors stay competitive

Like any industry, technology is moving the housing market and real estate in new directions. Tech-savvy Millennials are going to be the largest demographic of home buyers very soon. In the next year or two, the vast majority of agents will need to have certain technologies under their belt.

Here are the basic tech investments all current real estate professionals should look into ASAP.

Easy, Simple Call-to-Actions

On your website, social media, signage, or other advertisements, your call to action is absolutely crucial. You can have the most lovely, informative copy in the world, and a weak or inaccessible call to action will mean cold, cold leads.

When it comes to your website especially, make sure you’re making it easy for visitors to click in-text links that will take them exactly where they want to go — phone call, webform, contact page, etc. Here is an informative, quick read to give you some more stats and suggestions for your website’s call-to-action.

Besides your digital copy, your real-life signage needs to make contacting you easy as pie. Many realtors are turning to QR codes and other easy physical-to-digital means to get potential clients to act immediately upon seeing your yard signs or ads.

Some have been skeptical that QR code use is all that popular in the U.S., but the States actually has an extremely high QR code usage rate, second only to Japan. QR codes on yard signage for a home you’re selling, for example, can give potential buyers a direct line to more information on the home by just snapping a quick picture on their phone or tablet. By extension, they’re more likely to follow up, schedule a tour, and make an offer.

Organization System For Client Info

Did you know that the average American will move around a dozen times during their life? If you’re lucky, you’ll have many repeat clients throughout your career. To keep clients satisfied and keep your head on straight when it comes to names, sales, and other data, invest in a good digital organization system. That could be as simple as a detailed Google sheet or as complex as specialized software that links to your calendar, email, and phone. Regardless, try to avoid only keeping paper files on your clients.

Immersive Online Home Tours

Another major real estate listing trend? 3D virtual walkthroughs of homes. These have been available for years now, but are just starting to become somewhat of an industry standard. Home buyers are searching online more than ever before on their house hunt, and a digital walkthrough of sorts can help connect the buyer with the home before they even step inside.

Don’t worry, the 3D tours are actually not that complicated to make. There are a couple of software options that walk you through it. Zillow announced the launch of their software in 2017, and Matterport is a popular option.

There are plenty of little apps nowadays that will make your life as a real estate professional a bit easier. Ask your colleagues, poke around on forums for your profession (like some subreddits on Reddit), and experiment to see what you like best. Just remember, always keep innovating and reshaping the way you do business!

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Valerie M.

Contributor at Small Business Marketing Tools
Valerie M. is a writer from Upstate New York. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The State University of New York at Fredonia in 2016 and is currently working at a digital marketing agency where she writes blog posts for a variety of small businesses all over the country. Valerie enjoys writing about music, animals, nature, and traveling.