Businesses in almost every industry now use SMS marketing, and the real estate industry is not any different. In fact, you may have come across promotional text messages from a couple of real estate agents telling you the best housing or land offers. As with any marketing channel, the ultimate goal of real estate SMS ads is usually to advertise what they are selling to people.
However, there is a big question you need to consider if you are considering real estate text messaging marketing – do customers trust real estate SMS advertisements or just ignore them? Read this article to find out the answer and more.
Table of Contents
Real Estate SMS Ads Works
Contrary to what some people may think, real estate SMS advertisements work. Statistics show that the open rate of text messages is around 94%, which shows that many people check their text messages. Good SMS marketing campaigns help speed up lead generation and conversion. Realtors can use SMS marketing to reach their leads and potential customers instead of knocking on doors to advertise their properties to people.
Several benefits come with using text message advertisements in real estate. First, you can rest assured that your target audience will receive your message because they do not require an internet connection. Besides, text messages make communication more personal, especially when you use them right. You can get responses faster and can even automate the sending of SMS campaigns to make things easier.
It’s All About Your Strategy
The truth is that customers trust real estate SMS advertisements, but it all depends on how you position yourself. If your text message campaigns do not add value to your subscribers, they are likely to get tired and start ignoring them. Some may even unsubscribe from your messaging list to avoid receiving such messages.
If you want your audience to trust your SMS campaigns, you must put effort into them and follow the best practices.
Creating Successful Real Estate SMS Advertisements
If you are keen on creating successful SMS marketing campaigns to boost sales for your real estate business, you must consider several essential factors. We will discuss some of these factors over the following few subsections.
Value Your Customer’s Privacy
You need people’s approval before you can send any form of SMS campaign to their phone. Therefore, don’t just copy random phone numbers and start sending promotional text messages to them, as this can have grievous legal consequences. Instead, devise a plan to make people subscribe to your messaging list. One trick some businesses use is to offer a free bonus or coupon to new subscribers.
And once you get new subscribers onboard, send them a welcome message and let them know the frequency of your SMS. Remember, your subscribers are not your friends who you can frequently message at any time of the day. And if they share any information with you as part of your campaign, ensure it does not get leaked.
Keep It Short and Simple
As a realtor, always keep your marketing text messages short and simple. The ideal character count for a good marketing SMS is not more than 160 characters. Don’t get carried away with long stories that add no value to your target audience. Instead, make sure your messages are straight to the point and short. Besides, as a rule, do not include long links in your marketing text messages, as this disrupts readability. If you want to include links, consider shortening them and ensuring they are relevant.
Target the Right Audience with the Right Message
To run a successful real estate marketing campaign, you must target the right audience. For instance, if you are in the US and have a property to sell, it is almost a waste of time targeting someone in Europe or Africa since they are not your immediate market. Doing so will not only mean wasting resources, but the recipients will also find the messages meaningless and likely ignore them.
Use Call-To-Actions
Crafting a good text message is almost useless if you don’t tell your audience what you need them to do. So, in every real estate SMS marketing campaign, ensure you include a clear call-to-action that states what you need from your recipients. If you are advertising a property, you can include a link to a section of your website where you’ve outlined the features and details. Remember, your end goal is to generate more revenue, so promote the properties you sell when you can.
Send Personalized Messages
Adding a personal touch to your real estate marketing messages can get more subscribers to engage with your brand. Instead of referring to your subscribers as “customer”, “subscriber”, “person”, or any other lame names, try referring to them by their first name to make your message read personal to them. This way, they feel they matter to you and will likely become returning customers.
Summing It Up
From the different points in this article, it is evident that SMS marketing is an excellent way for real estate agents to reach more people and drive sales. Besides, considering that the open rate of text messages is around 94%, there is no doubt that customers trust real estate SMS advertisements.
However, remember that it depends on how well you use this marketing channel. If your messages are not valuable, they can piss off your subscriber and cause them to ignore future messages. Therefore, ensure you have a good text message marketing strategy and follow the best practices to succeed.
