Getting Real Estate Leads – How Do You Want to Keep Them Hot?

In real estate, keeping in touch with past and future clients is a long game. A client who bought with you may sell with you five, ten, or twenty years down the line. An investor you once worked with may be back in the region a few years down the road. This makes annual lead engagement an important part of any long-term real estate career. However, actually taking the time to stay in touch with every contacting your real estate lead database can really cut into your time for doing real estate work throughout the year. The answer is in automation. Even a little automation can save you hours each year keeping in touch. The right automation strategy can improve your results in reconnecting with past clients when they’re ready to re-enter your local real estate market.

Here are the top ways to automate lead tracking for your real estate contacts.

Automated Holiday Greetings and Birthday Wishes

The most traditional way to stay in touch with long-term clients is holiday cards and greetings. Real estate agents have been sending holiday cards since the dawn of the industry. Clients have been getting beautiful cards annually to remember their real estate agency, realtor, or agent. Today, it’s very common to receive our season’s greetings and birthday wishes by email, and email is easy to automate.

Using modern marketing automation software, you can easily weave together your calendar, client list, and beautiful email templates to send your best wishes – always on time and for every single client, every year. 

Scheduled Reminders to Send Hand-Written Cards

Of course, if you really want to send hand-written cards to all or a select few of your clients, you can automate that as well. Set a calendar alert to remind yourself when it’s time to write out those personal messages on beautiful cards. In fact, you can automate everything but the pen and the stamp. 

Set a scheduled order of the cards, envelopes, and stamps. Order address stickers for yourself and, potentially, your entire mailing list. Automation can save time even with hand-written cards if you know how to automate each step of the process. You can even order yourself a new set of calligraphy pens or beautifully colored ink for each card, all to arrive in time to address and send.

Seasonal, Annual, and 5-Year Home Maintenance  Tips

One friendly and topical way to stay top-of-mind with your leads – and especially your past buyer clients – is to send home maintenance tips at helpful intervals. Consider seasonal tips that are uniquely specific to the weather of the region and home design. Gauge the right pace to keep touch; once to four times a year. Some clients like a regular contact, but the longer the connection, the more likely that annual outreach is more welcome.

For a longer view, you might consider 5-year tips designed to help longer-term homeowners. Mention maintenance like roof and siding that are on a longer-than-annual schedule and are sometimes forgotten. Interest your past clients and provide useful information at the same time.

News-Track Your Investor Company Clients

Do you have large-portfolio investors or companies as clients?  You can automate staying in touch with them as well. Set a news tracker to send you any news regarding your investor clients. Watch several channels to catch when they expand in other regions or something positive happens with the company. 

This gives you the opportunity to send your best wishes and professional interest each time your clients experience business success. You can set up automated messages, provided they are unique each time or send yourself an alert to draft something special.

Semi-Annual Gift Cards or Memberships

If you want to send something of value to your clients with each message, you can automate this as well. Gift cards can easily be ordered and sent on a schedule. Include a special note. You can order the cards with your own branded backing or mail them to your house and include them in hand-personalized letters to each of your clients. 

If you want to try something more unique than gift cards, consider memberships instead. Gym, co-op grocery, or bulk shopping are all interesting options that both enrich your lead’s enjoyment of the area and remind them that you are committed to their next real state experience.

Automating Gift Baskets and Realty Swag

If you like to send gifts, you can automate every aspect of the gift-giving process. You can :

1. pick your dates or customize them for each client
2. automate submitting the order for the gifts
3. have their names put on the gifts and sent directly to each client or have them sent to your home to distribute in your own personally assembled realty gift sets
4. set up randomization or personalization of the gifts that are sent
5. send gluten-free cookies to one family and a deli basket to another

With the right notes in your CRM and automation software, anything is possible.

Quarterly or Annual Market Updates

For leads interested in reselling, or who might be, send the annual or quarterly market reports. The state of the market is often a persuasive point of fact when current homeowners are considering when to sell – and who to sell with. A good forecast of the current and upcoming housing market is a great encouragement. Include it in your newsletter, send a laminated card, or include it in a friendly email letter.

Send an Annual Free Assessment Mailer

Finally, you can even reach out to offer home assessments. Clients who are truly considering their next home sale might be acutely interested in an assessment of their current home value. Recent improvements and renovations and the evolving market make sellers eager to know just how good a price they can get, and how competitive their home may be. Offer them some good news and practical advice in a single package in return for calling you first when they’re ready to start the selling process.

Send automated offers through email or mailers to let your clients know that your real estate business is ready to help them get started.

Staying in touch with clients is easier for real estate agents than ever before. With marketing automation tools, you can provide both massive and personalized engagement to keep your services top-of-mind whenever your leads and past clients are ready to return to the real estate market. Contact us today to learn how to master your marketing automation tools and strategies.