Millennials are taking up more and more of the buying market every year; 2015 was the third year in a row that this age-group took the top spot — making up 35 percent of all buyers.
If you’re not already, it’s time to take advantage of this shift by changing some of your tactics. Consider how texting, Snapchat and blogging fit into the new model of reaching and selling to millennial customers.
1. Make testimonials front and center
Millennials are growing into adults in a world that’s ruled by Yelp and online review sites. As such, they’ve come to rely on what people are saying, not businesses.
Use this to your advantage by making plenty of room for great testimonials on your website, blog, social pages and more.
“I have a testimonial page that I update frequently, and I have one particularly strong one in the top right corner of my website. I’ve had a number of clients reference these testimonials, so I know they’re being read and valued,” owner of Smith Mountain Homes, Paul Moore said.
Consider calling out your best testimonials on social media once a week. Tag your clients so they’ll see it and share as well. This way the social post is seen by their friends as well, which might drive more referrals and clients.
Pro tip: Call out your best testimonial on the front page of your website to get the most value out of it.
2. Get onboard with Snapchat
Snapchat is one of the newest social players on the field, and it’s one that many millennials are already active on. In fact, as of April 28, 2016, the platform is averaging 10 billion views per day, according to Bloomberg. But what makes it uniquely valuable for real estate agents?
“Being in real estate, our daily activities often involve viewing all different kinds of properties. From dumpy investor flip opportunities to multi-million dollar beachfront homes, and everything in between,” John Steele of Steele San Diego Homes said.
Steele continued: “After using it [Snapchat] consistently for a few weeks, we started to notice that we were getting more and more messages and comments about the properties we were viewing. Not only from friends and family that we knew, but also from total strangers all around the world.”
Be sure to use the “add to my story” feature when snapping, which allows those who follow you to see your snaps for 24 hours; it’s almost a way of creating your own “reality real estate show” Steele said.
Pro tip: Use Snapchat as a way to casually interact with your potential clients on a daily basis.
3. Communicate via text
We all know millennials are attached to their cell phones, but the funny thing is: they don’t like talking on them much. So what is their preferred method of communication?
Instead of sending an email, which will likely elicit a longer response time, shoot the client a text message. The ease of using this form of communication will bode well for you and them as you’ll likely get a response sooner, and they’ll likely see your message sooner.
Pro tip: Rely on email for longer, more detailed communications — text is best for a quick question or update.
4. Feature millennial-friendly homes
If you have a website or blog for your real estate business, use this as a platform to show your knowledge and interest in millennial-friendly homes.
What are millennial-friendly homes? According to experts at forsalebyowner.com, these are open, single-story floor plans with wood or tile flooring that have environmentally friendly or green features.
You could feature a green or “millennial-friendly” home once a week on your blog or social media with a catchy name like, “Eco-friendly Friday” or “Millennial Monday.”
Pro tip: Show millennials you know what they want with weekly call-outs of the homes you know they’re most interested in.
5. Maintain a high-quality blog
Millennials get almost all of their information online and know the difference between sales content and high-quality information that they can trust.
Maintaining a blog, and making sure the content you present is high quality, is a great way to get potential millennial buyers on your side.
Not only will great blog content help increase your SEO rankings, making it easier for people to find you when searching online, but it will also help you build rapport with clients who haven’t decided to take the homebuying plunge yet.
Use your blog as an opportunity to show your experience and knowledge of millennial-friendly homes, as mentioned above, and don’t forget to share your best homebuying (and selling, if applicable) tips.
This builds value before you even speak with a potential client, which helps you ultimately get more of these millennial buyers.
Pro tip: Use a blog to create high-quality content that will not only drive leads but also build trust and rapport.
Reaching millennials requires you to change a few things or perhaps add a few new marketing tactics to your repertoire.
Remember to feature the type of homes that appeal to them on your blog or social media pages, get onboard with Snapchat as soon as possible and let your customers speak for you with great testimonials placed on your website.
Jessica Thiefels is a lifestyle and marketing blogger. in San Diego, California. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.