Leading power brokers shared their strategies for effectively reaching and engaging with consumers during a session titled, “New Strategies for Engaging Consumers,” during the 2017 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.
REALTORS® and brokers from across the country listened as the panel discussed the importance of utilizing new technology, automating as many processes as you can and social media and maintaining contact with previous clients. Here are some of the key takeaways:
Embrace technology:
“We are all trying to gain the attention of consumers, and where are we going to find that attention focused? It’s on their mobile devices,” said Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates and co-moderator of today’s panel. “So we need to be engaging consumers on their cell phones.”
The panelists all touched on the importance utilizing social media as a direct marketing tool and warned against falling behind in the technological revolution. “What happens to your business when people start asking their Amazon Alexa ‘I want to go to an open house,’ and you are still debating if you should get a Facebook page?” said Blefari.
Automate what you can:
“If your core operation isn’t humming along, all the extra work you are doing to engage consumers is for naught,” said panelist John Murray, President of Realty Pilot and managing broker/owner for Key Realty. “Brokerages need to invest in tools that can help automate everything that can be automated.”
Many panelists recommended investing in a tool to automate daily posting on social media accounts. “We should all be posting content that is relevant and interesting to consumers,” said co-moderator John Featherston, founder, president and CEO of RISMedia. “But we aren’t content creators and finding that relevant content to publish each day can be a full time job. There are companies that, for a low price, will make sure that consumer.”
Stay in touch with previous clients:
“It is so important that agents stay in touch with their previous clients, because without that continued relationship less than 13 percent of clients will go back to their agents,” said Helen Hanna Casey, President of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. Panelists recommended group texting, sending cards and even something as ‘old school’ as making a phone call.
However, when making that phone call, panelist Paul Wells, President of The Wells Group and Broker at RE/MAX of Barrington, has his agents do a little research. “Before our agents call clients, we have them check the clients Facebook page,” he said. “If they just got back from Mexico, our agents talk with them about Mexico. They can connect personally before diving into real estate.”
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