Real estate can be an extremely lucrative business, if one puts the time and effort into making the business his or her own. It takes a lot of patience, commitment and dedication to manage a book of business. Marketing and promotion are two key factors that are necessary to obtain a successful real estate business. Without the use of marketing and brand awareness, a real estate business doesn’t have much fuel to feed from. Having the power of brand awareness allows for increased business and profitability.
There was been a large increase in brand awareness on social media. Realtors are using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to promote their book of business. It’s as simple as posting photos and videos of properties in which they are looking to sell. These pictures and videos allow the buyer to have an inside look before actually viewing properties. Not only does this weed out a lot of inquiries regarding the inside of properties, it also can save time on the viewing process.
As social media platforms have become a huge success for realtors promoting their properties, many are still using traditional real estate signs to attract buyers and sellers. In 2014, the National Association of Realtors conducted a study that showed 98% of homebuyers begin their search online. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the use of signage is slowly but surely becoming ineffective. Buyers are still inclined to respond to signage if in fact they are interested in a property which has the appropriate signage.
Imagine a potential home buyer is driving through a well-established neighborhood and they see a “for sale” or “for lease” sign in front of a house within the neighborhood in which they are driving thorough. They may not be interested in the specific property in which the signage is posted but are interested in other properties in the area. This could be a potential lead or client for an agent who is looking for business. Signage is an old tactic that allows for immediate contact upon viewing.
Text-to-lead signs have become a very popular way to promote business through signage. It allows an old practice of signage to be incorporated with today’s modern form of communication; text messaging. Text-to lead signage works by allowing the viewer to enter a text code (which is printed on the signage) into their phone as a text message. Once the text code has been entered in the viewer’s phone, they are then sent property data containing pictures of the posted property. Not only does this allow for the viewer to get information instantaneously, it also allows for the agent to capture a new lead.
Lead generation is the most important thing when it comes to real estate and generating new business. Having the appropriate signage is critical and can truly boost a realtor’s book of business. It’s critical to draw the viewer in understand their needs and desires when it comes to a purchasing a new property.