Text Message for Time Management in Real Estate

Real Estate professionals are extremely busy people, but missing leads are not the way to establishing a solid business reputation, and closing those sales. Implementing a text message marketing plan may seem like one more ball to juggle, however just the opposite is true. With a modern marketing upgrade, imagine taking a few of those balls away – daily tasks and job demands are easier to handle than ever before! More focus can be directed in the right place. Time management is an incredible career booster.

Between office meetings, scheduling client appointments, and conducting property showings – real estate agents can truly benefit from the streamlined approach text message marketing provides. Staying connected with buyers and sellers is the real key to success in this industry. Text marketing brings that level of personalized, direct communication to the table. Potential buyers are able to reach their agent immediately, and receive the response they are looking for. Appointment scheduling can be automated online, plus confirmation and reminders will be sent out so that nobody’s time is wasted. Unnecessary lengthy phone calls are long in the past!

In addition to establishing and maintaining strong connections with clients, real estate professionals need to focus on the homes they are trying to sell. Taking photos and videos are very important in order to properly market a property listing, not to mention staging homes so they look their best for images and showings. These are more necessary tasks that an agent must juggle, however this is another area where text message comes into play to take some of the pressure off of time management. The real estate professional is able to use a text message marketing platform, such as Social Fuse, in order to create a mobile website for each property listing. This process is simple, and from here, potential buyers can text-in for access.

They are able to view detailed images of the property, or watch a virtual tour – and the best part is, they can do all of this whenever it is convenient for them! Now they will be fully informed about property details before they reach out to you in order to schedule a viewing or a meeting in person. Create a mobile business card for yourself – the real estate professional – and link your potential buyers to it via text so that they may contact you, or just learn a little more about who you are.
SMS text message marketing is the perfect way for you to capture, track, and follow up with your leads – particularly those who you may otherwise have missed! The greatest part is, your potential buyers don’t need to change their routine or work day at all, and neither do you. Lead generation and client management is a breeze.

Uncommon Industries Getting into Text Marketing

Text marketing is everywhere. The ease and convenience of the simple marketing method are irresistible to all sorts of industries out there. Connecting with people by reaching them on the device they can’t live without makes complete sense. Even though a cell phone is a very personal device, people don’t mind being marketed to this way – as long as they maintain a level of control. Being sure to abide by a few simple rules and regulations will ensure that this level of two-way communication will work in everybody’s favor.

The most common industries using text marketing today are restaurants and retail stores. This form of marketing is brilliant for providing customers with coupons, promotions and discounts. Before, people used to clip coupons for savings – with mobile marketing, it is as if these coupons are sent straight to your cell phone. Restaurants in particular love how easy it is to let their customers know about dinner specials, happy hour deals, or special events. Staying in communication with customers is a surefire way of making sure they choose your establishment over any other. In a retail environment, SMS marketing is a perfect way to let shoppers know about sales, new merchandise, or provide them with mobile coupons for their next shopping trip. Perfect for this holiday season!

Marketing is the most obvious and most common use for text marketing, however a mobile platform can easily provide a few other benefits. A few industries that aren’t into advertising are discovering that SMS marketing can really benefit their business. Let’s take a look at a few examples. Churches are finding that implementing a text marketing campaign helps them stay connected to their members. It is a perfect way to let everyone who opts-in know about when services are being held as well as announcing who guest speakers may be. The best part about using text message marketing is that a church can send messages of enlightenment to worshippers. This allows the church to connect with individuals beyond the services.

Another industry finding success using text marketing – in a non-marketing manner – is doctor offices. This actually applies to doctors, dentists, veterinarians, or any industry that requires people to make appointments. Allowing patients to text-in their information, and give you the permission to reach them via text message, means that you can set up your database to receive automatic appointment reminders before their scheduled time. This can be a few days before, a day before, or even the day of. Providing people with a basic reminder allows them the opportunity to reschedule or cancel if they need to. Therefore your office will no longer experience no-shows, open time slots can be used much more efficiently.

Three Text Message Resolutions for Retail

There really isn’t a better fit for the retail industry than text message marketing. If your retail store hasn’t embarked on a mobile marketing campaign, then getting in gear for the New Year is a great way to kick off 2013. People spend time clipping coupons for discounts, only to forget them at home, or lose them in the mail pile or junk drawer. By the time you remember where that coupon is, or come across it – often times it has expired and is useless anyway. All that wasted time can be completely eliminated if that coupon was sent directly to your cell phone. The mobile phone is the one item nobody is ever without, so now if you decide to pull over and run into the store – you’ll have the coupon saved in your text message inbox!

There are a great number of uses for text message marketing for the retail industry – many of them go beyond the direct advertising technique. If you haven’t educated yourself about how the basic technology works, and how it will enhance your business – make this your New Year’s resolution. Perhaps your store already has a mobile marketing plan in place, and it is working wonderfully. Great! This places you ahead of the game, and you are off to a good start for 2013. This does not however, let you off the hook with a goal-oriented resolution for your retail store. There are many opportunities to improve, and take text message campaigns to the next level. Here are some good retail related resolutions:

1. “We will appreciate our locals.” Every establishment started somewhere, right? Even though expansion is a great sign of success – it isn’t as difficult to accomplish anymore in this technologically advanced day and age. Now, the focus has turned to remembering your roots, where you started, and who was there for you. Provide special promotions to your local neighborhood, or send messages showing your appreciation for your community. People enjoy a sense of solid loyalty, and they will return the gesture.

2. “We will send less emails.” For a while, it seemed like everybody was constantly sending email advertisements and promotions. More often than not, they go ignored, as inboxes fill with frequent useless messages. People get annoyed and overwhelmed by bulk emailing. The reason you chose to incorporate text message into your marketing campaign is to streamline and simplify your connection strategy, so do just that!

3. “We will remember timing is key.” It really is. Send your loyal database information about a flash sale, or a limited promotion. If people feel a sense of urgency to redeem a text message deal or coupon, they are more likely to take advantage of it.

Text Message to your Restaurant Guests

Creating an opt-in list for your Restaurant using the text message does not have to be a difficult process. Once you build your list of loyal customers, applying interactive marketing campaigns can be a lot of fun. Purchasing a list of random cell phone numbers is simply not an option. The main reason text message marketing is so successful, is because spam is almost non-existent. The mobile marketing industry intends to keep it that way. Besides, you wouldn’t want to give your restaurant a bad reputation. It isn’t hard to start compiling this list – especially if you provide a decent incentive. Guests have to opt-in – or text-in – in order to add themselves to your marketing database. In many instances, a little instant gratification can go a long way. For example: “Text BURGER to 96000 to receive 50% off your check!” Not many people will be able to resist such a deal, a discount simply for sending a text message? It’s a no brainer. Upon texting in for the deal, the customer will receive an instant reply asking for their confirmation to receive future marketing messages from your restaurant. They will most likely be so thrilled to save a few bucks at lunch they will be anticipating what you send them next.

Implementing a text message campaign in your restaurant doesn’t mean you need to completely forget about traditional marketing methods. The best way to make people comfortable with a new form of advertising is to blend it with something familiar. Billboards, posters, signs, or commercials are all forms of traditional marketing. For a restaurant, table tents are often a successful form of advertising a special or promotion. Post your call to action on a table tent, so that diners will see it right away upon being seated. Perhaps it is even a good idea to encourage staff members to talk about your text messaging promotion with customers, to answer any questions they may have on the spot. Once your opt-in list starts to grow, you can send mass messages to all of your customers. Let them know about meal specials, happy hour deals, or special events.

There are ways to program your messaging system to record when guests have an upcoming occasion, such as a birthday or an anniversary. From here, you can send them a text message offering them a prime table to celebrate, or a discount for their special day. A simple text message can really accomplish a lot for your restaurant. By making your guests feel comfortable, you can be certain they will be choosing your establishment over others to catch up with friends, connect with family, or even entertain business clientele. Text message marketing is a fantastic choice for restaurants.

Text Message Marketing Rules Number One

Text message marketing is the number one choice when it comes to mobile marketing and services. It is more popular than ever, and this goes to prove that effectiveness combined with simplicity is truly a winning combination. Even though there is so much growth in the mobile field starting with email, and moving on to applications, instant messaging, and social media - SMS is hardly considered lowly. Everyone knows how it works, and nearly everyone has a phone with text messaging capabilities. It’s hard to believe not everyone has a Smartphone, however this is the truth! This is why Text Message Marketing is so effective. It reaches all people. Those who are technologically savvy, as well as those who are not. Text messaging is not only popular, it happens to be the number one form of communication in general. More text messages are sent and received over phone calls made, or emails sent. People enjoy the convenience of a condensed message, right in the palm of their hand.

By 2013 the volume of messages are expected to be 10 trillion, according to Portio Research. This means that if marketers want to reach the highest number of consumers, they must learn to implement text into their marketing plan. It’s important to consider the fact that mobile spam is turning into a real privacy issue – therefore it is essential that creating and maintaining a text marketing platform is controlled, and guidelines are strictly abided by.

Text Message Marketing is entirely the most inclusive data submission and delivery system out there, let alone the most effective. There are a few reasons to review as to why SMS is top of the list when it comes to mobile marketing. Firstly the cell phone is the most common form of media on the planet, with an average of 5-billion subscribers – this is 70% of the world’s population! Regardless of the country, they say every single phone out there is capable of text messaging – no matter which mobile network the user is signed up with. 80% of these subscribers use text messaging on a regular basis. The statistics are wild when it comes to this technology. For businesses not to be tapping into this by now is crazy. People are hesitant, they worry SMS is just a fad, and will fade quickly, however this is not the case at all. SMS will evolve, but it stands strong as a solid base to mobile technology, which seems to be branching out in so many directions – some of these branches will break off and not stick, but some will blossom. They all stem from the same trunk – the trunk being Text Message Marketing. For a business to take the time to learn about this technology and use it properly surely will be beneficial in the long run.

Use Links with Text Message for Real Estate

Text Messaging in the Real Estate industry has really shown some great results. There are many different ways to use text message marketing, and it can be applied to nearly any industry out there. The reason text messaging does so well in real estate specifically, is because this industry is notoriously one of the more tech savvy ones. The real estate industry welcomes new technology and new forms of media when it comes to marketing. Making the sale is always important, but the competitive nature of realtors brings this technology to a whole new level. Text Messaging provides Real Estate professionals with the right tool to aid their business in marketing, selling, and tracking those numbers. SMS allows realtors to manage clients and potential buyers effectively.

The cell phone has really turned out to be a magical device. Allowing the user not only to communicate in multiple ways – but also to research, map, photograph or even purchase, right in the palm of their hand. The smartphone has completely changed the game for the real estate professional. They are able to build exposure and create a brand in just a few simple clicks. Connecting with prospective buyers and sellers is important – but building a relationship with these people will build their trust, and this is where the most effort needs to take place.

Consumers love their mobile phones for many reasons, but the one thing they love the most about it – is having the ability to text. Even those who don’t yet own a smartphone are capable of using this simple technology. This type of marketing doesn’t leave anyone behind in the dust, and that is what makes it so powerful. People love to have information instantly, and through the use of sign rider, realtors are able to give prospective buyers that instant gratification they seek. “Text 123MAIN to 96000 for more information.” The buyer can text-in, and view pictures, learn property details, asking price, and even take a virtual tour. There are great possibilities here. A few brief sentences can have quite an impact, plus this doesn’t mean that information is limited. Within the basic limit of 160 characters, the realtor can include links to images or video. This also provides the opportunity for the realtor to create a mobile business card, and include that as a link for the prospective buyer to click on. Mobile business cards are great. They can give the interested buyer more detailed information about you, the realtor. Maybe a personal touch – such as a little history about you – can be quite effective. Include a friendly photograph, and of course, your contact information. This can even be set up so that the person can add you to their contacts with just a simple tap.

Four Examples of Relationship SMS Marketing

When it comes to SMS marketing, there are two types of customers you’ll want to target for your business. Regardless of which industry you business is in, there are new customers, and there are existing customers. Many businesses tend to place their focus on obtaining new customers. Marketing to get new business is very important, however it is equally – if not more – important to make sure your current customers get the special treatment they deserve. The best customer for any business out there is a return customer. This is commonly known as relationship marketing. Generating repeat business is the way a business owner can establish a solid reputation in the community, not to mention, this can even lead to a word-of-mouth form of building a customer database. This is the ultimate goal, because not only is it elusive – it is powerful, and best of all, free!

SMS marketing provides a highly successful technical way to reach out to existing customers, however a little instinct is needed on the part of the business owner as well. Messages to existing customers need to feel personal and they need to be significant enough to establish their trust and loyalty. It’s important to remember that your customers are human beings, not just consumers. Here are some simple guidelines when it comes to creating your relationship SMS marketing campaign.
Offer something of value. You’ve heard this a million times, but it is even more applicable here. Your communication should speak directly to what customer wants or needs. You don’t want to waste anyone’s time, so provide a message that is relevant and it will go appreciated. Using a survey or list segregation can help in this process.

Make your message unique. You don’t need to be obscure to use slang to stand out from the crowd, but try your best to think beyond the formal office language. People have a tendency to tune out such speech. Keep it casual. You want your business to come off friendly and approachable, yet intelligent.
Make it last. Of course you’ll want your relationship marketing to last the lifetime of the customer. The only way to get to there is if your system can remember everybody for years ahead. Keep track of each customer’s shopping history – even from ages ago. This allows you to perfect your individual marketing and anticipate their needs.

Go beyond SMS marketing and make real contact. Based on your customer preferences, offer them recommendations at the point of sale. Don’t rely too heavily on technology, such as email. Use text message marketing to enhance an already established relationship. Recognize special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries and use this as an opportunity to provide VIP specials or promotions.