We expect convenience, ease and seamless technological integration in almost every aspect of our lives … why should real estate be any different?
Venture capitalist investment and newly founded upstarts are popping up across the industry, upsetting the status quo and posing legitimate competition to traditional brokerages. This means that, as a broker, your ability to provide better technology solutions for both consumers and agents has gone from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must.’
Understandably, this can be a daunting ask. According to a 2017 NAR report, 48% of all firms cited keeping up with technology as one of their biggest challenges. But the truth is, technology isn’t your competition and it doesn’t have to be complicated; in reality, it should serve as a complement to the robust organizations you’ve worked so hard to build.
So, when it comes to marketing technology, where should you invest? Clearly, a website is imperative, but it’s not enough. You could have the greatest website out there, but if people don’t know who you are or how to find you, it means nothing.
If you want to find today’s buyer, you have to go where they already are. And more often than not, that’s on social media.
Consider this: more than 50% of buyers only talk with one agent before deciding who to work with. This means being top of mind is incredibly important. Yet many agents still rely on expensive, traditional tactics like postcards and park benches to get their message out. With a user base of 2.5B people across the Facebook family of apps and services, our platform will not only widen your visibility, but it will also do so exponentially and for far less.
Your agents want the ability to stay on top of their business, efficiently market their listings and effectively communicate with any and all potential clients. What they don’t want is to have to devote hours to onboarding and management. And the truth is, they shouldn’t.
The vast majority of what agents spend on Facebook is spent inefficiently. Offering a Facebook program at the brokerage level means that your agents’ dollars will be used effectively, offering you a real differentiator for your business as you work to recruit and retain top talent.
If you’re not quite sold or find yourself reticent at the idea of having to spend hours learning new technologies and constructing and managing a campaign, you’re not alone.
While this might all sound hard and expensive, Facebook works with a variety of marketing partners who will essentially ‘do it for you,’ enabling you to get all the benefits of a full-fledged Facebook program, without the headache of having to set it up and manage the back end.
This is a worthwhile investment. Economies of scale matter and a fully integrated, centrally managed program allows you to negotiate better terms for your agents while leveraging the power of your brand and data to empower your agents. That provides them with better results and maximizes their hard-earned marketing dollars. Furthermore, a thoughtful system that scales within one network not only makes everyone do better, it makes better business and financial sense.
Next week, watch for tips to help you select a partner that’s aligned with your business goals and highlight some you may want to consider. Until then, see how many real estate businesses are already driving successful business outcomes on Facebook here.