Agents are always looking to save money, right? The beautiful thing about technology is that when used right, it can and will save you time and money.
Here are five easy ways technology can save real estate agents time and money:
1. Go paperless. One of the biggest trends I am seeing are agents using DocuSign. DocuSign is an amazing product that really helps agents be more efficient and save more time and money. Clients love it, and as a bonus, it helps you to go "green." Another very popular product is eFax — get any and all faxes delivered right to you via e-mail.
2. Create virtual meetings. More and more agents are using products like Skype and GoToMeeting to have a virtual meeting or a conference call. This is a huge opportunity with relocation clients who can’t simply meet you over coffee. Many agents working virtually or remotely love these products.
3. Web-based e-mail. Are you paying for e-mail? Consider switching your e-mail to a Gmail-based system. Gmail is free and more and more companies are using Gmail to host their e-mail.
4. Web-based documents. I am a huge fan of Google Docs! Why? They are free, easy to use, and easy to share. If you are working on a marketing plan that needs a few "eyeballs" on it, instead of sending around a Word document (where everyone wonders, "Is this the latest version?"), create a free Google doc and share it with whomever you would like. Let them view or edit it as needed. This will save you time and money.
5. Go social. It costs virtually no money to set up Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. In this day and age, all agents should at least set their profiles up on these three social networks. Why? Because people are searching for you! Don’t let the "social media experts" convince you that there’s some big mystery to marketing on the Web: If your clients are online, be present there, too, and see what happens. Read up on social media marketing on blogs such as this one, and keep an eye out for industry experts.
My biggest piece of advice for agents is to embrace technology. It’s not always easy, but we are living in an amazing age. Think of the world before we had the Internet, compared to now — isn’t it amazing?! Don’t be afraid of technology; embrace it and it will save you more time and money in the long haul.
What are your favorite tech tools to save you time and money?
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Katie Lance is the marketing manager for Inman News. Future of Real Estate Marketing is a part of Inman News.
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