5 Social (Media) Distancing Tools for Real Estate Agents

The real estate world is facing unprecedented times. Social distancing and covering up are slowly becoming the new normal and will be in place in the months to come. Fortunately, it appears that the worst is behind us. Slowly, but surely, we are moving in the right direction.

Despite the challenges, one thing is clear: There is no slowing down real estate professionals’ aspirations. You have remained resilient and steadfast in your commitment to serving your clients and communities during the CoVID-19 outbreak.  You have discovered and implemented, in a short period of time, innovative ways to hold open houses, list homes, complete transactions, submit offers, and scan documents. Your efforts will pay off, more than you can imagine, so do not give up now.

In this blog post, our real estate digital marketing team highlights 5 social (media) distancing tools that you can use to generate new leads and engage existing customers.

1. Advanced Map Search

The Advanced Map Search is an innovative tool used in real estate websites to assist home buyers throughout their research process. The tool is very user friendly and is designed to help users filter for things that matter most for them.

The application is unlike any other mapping tool in the real estate industry and has many unique features. For instance, it enables buyers to sort homes by local amenities, such as schools, parks, shopping malls, and restaurants. Home buyers may also use the tool to find a home with best transit access. Even more importantly, the tool is equipped to help home buyers find homes with their favorite upgrades. The advanced map search tool is all about improving the user experience without being obstructive and will help you set yourself apart during these unique times.

2. Email Marketing Campaigns

Email and real estate marketing are a match made in heaven. When done correctly, email marketing campaigns have the potential to help you increase revenues, attract new leads, and strengthen relationships with existing customers. In fact, recent studies done by Forbes Magazine show that 63% of email marketing campaigns in the real estate industry receive positive engagement. This means that they have the power to convert more leads than blog and social media posts.

Email marketing campaigns can be used for several purposes. You may use them to conduct online surveys and polls to get a sense of what customers and followers think of your offerings and services. You may also use them to send out monthly newsletter roundups of your blog content and new property listings. Whatever the purpose for sending promotional emails, it is important to supply your readers with unique and relevant content and to stay in touch with them every step of their buying or selling journey…even during bumpy times like CoVID-19.

3. Virtual (Live) Tours

When real estate investors and home buyers cannot visit properties for sale in person, the second-best alternative they have is to watch virtual (live stream) tours of them. The live-stream tool, which is an embedded feature in real estate websites, has more far-reaching benefits than photos and pre-recorded video content.  That is because it affords home buyers with an opportunity to view a listing in real time and in the comfort of their home. Interested home buyers can also interact with you, ask questions, and request to see specific parts of the home. When combined with accurate listings data and high-quality photographs, a live streamed tour has the power to convert 1 in 4 interested home buyers.

4. Facebook

With more people staying at home than ever before, we are also spending more time on social media platforms like Facebook. Facebook is a visual platform and is a tool that can be leveraged to share news, tips, community updates, and new listings. Its paid advertising programs have extremely granular targeting options and can help you reach the exact market you want, from first-time home buyers to investment real estate buyers. For consumers, it is also a great platform to ask questions and engage with real estate pros through Messenger and Reviews. When this all passes and things go back to normal, it will be much easier for you to reconnect with prospective buyers and people interested in selling their homes.

5. Instagram

Instagram is another social media platform that can be used to increase your engagement numbers and attract new leads. Home buyers, sellers and real estate investors frequently come to the platform to view the type of listings in their area and to stay on top of the upcoming events, such as open houses.

If you had to choose one social media platform to open, Instagram would be the one. With over one billion active monthly users, most of whom are affluent and have money to spend, it is perfectly suited for the real estate industry. Its video- and photo- based content formats make it easy for realtors like you to show case properties and to track users who engage with your content. It is also a platform with the highest engagement rates, which means more opportunities for you to convert leads. On average, realtors see 10x more engagement from Instagram than through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn combined.