How to Have Success With SMS Text Marketing

Expanding your marketing program into the world of SMS texting can be a major boon to business for real estate agents

By Michelle Huffman

Ads are ignored, emails are deleted on arrival and phone calls go straight to voicemail—it’s hard to get anyone’s attention these days.

But text messages may be different: They brag a 98% open rate and 45% response rate, and 90% of people read them within the first three minutes of receipt, according to a widely cited study from mobile research firm MobileSQUARED.

With the promise that prospective clients will at least see your message, real estate agents should not only be utilizing this marketing tool but also making the most of it.

Ways to use text marketing

Agents are texting all the time: According to the National Association of REALTORS^®, 94% of REALTORS^® most often communicate with clients via text message. Here are some ideas for taking what you’re already doing to the next level:

Make personalized videos to get that face time.

“I love SMS messaging,” says Tina Wilcher, team lead with Century 21 Exclusive Properties in Bellaire, Texas. “I know they’re going to open it because my open rate is in the 90th percentile, so I create personalized videos instead of sending just the typical message.”

The videos she creates are akin to a voicemail message—confirming appointments, offering directions to showings, sharing listings or setting up meetings—but they offer clients and potential clients a chance to see her face and connect more personally.

She recently ran into a former colleague and texted him a video message saying she was happy to see him and reminding him of her real estate career to start planting the seeds of a working relationship.

Amplify the visibility of listings.

Sharing listings or price changes with prospects as soon as they become available via text gets their attention. They know you are on top of the market and allowing them to move quickly on homes. Even if they are not active buyers, they may want to know the kind of properties going up for sale in their area.

Use a short code.

Placing your phone number with a clear call-to-action to text or a five- to six-digit short code with a keyword on signs, flyers and listings allows buyers to ask questions immediately rather than playing phone tag, online marketing firm Constant Contact suggests.

Build your text list through open houses.

When hosting an open house, encourage people to sign up for reminders and other information by subscribing to your text list or allowing them to opt in to receive updates on the listing. Follow up via text with those who opt in to understand what they’re looking for and convert them from leads to clients.

Hold onto online leads with autoresponders.

Create a quick connection with online leads without being invasive, no matter the time or how busy you are. If someone fills out a form on your website and opts in the automated system will send them a text with information about when they can expect to hear back from you, real estate site The Close recommends.

Engage clients by keeping them up to date with their community.

Wilcher loves checking out her prospective clients online to get to know them a little before engaging and is diligent about keeping notes on their interests. If you are, too, text prospective, current or past clients to know about potentially relevant events or engagements happening in their communities.

Text messaging benefits

While the numbers offer a promising reason to text, there are other reasons agents have started tapping out texts:

Personalization

People feel compelled to respond to text messages quickly in a way they don’t with other communication channels, opening an opportunity for conversation and relationship building. “When I text someone, they know it’s specifically for them,” says Chad Basinger, CRS, sales agent at eXp Realty of Southern CA, Inc. in San Diego, California. “I try to be funny; it’s a big part of who I am, so I try to convey that over text and have that back-and-forth.”

Affordability

“Another huge benefit of SMS, especially for smaller businesses, is that it’s very cost-effective,” says Ioana Sima, chief marketing officer for marketing tools TextMagic and Touchpoint, adding that marketing through pay-per-click advertising can be expensive and search engine optimization has a long payback period. “Even with a modest budget, subtle testing and tracking, you will gain relevant insights into the effectiveness of adding texting to your marketing mix. You might be surprised that your next closed deal only costs you $30 in SMS marketing costs.”

Integration

Many platforms allow you to integrate your CRM, scheduling and other marketing tools so you can track your texts or even send them from your computer. This also allows you to segment your audience to avoid the dreaded mass text but also get the right information in front of the right people.

Text messaging drawbacks

Agents still need to be careful about text messages, in part because they do feel more personal to recipients. Here are some things they should watch out for:

Legality

Similar to emails and phone calls, there are rules you need to know about sending marketing messages over text. Ensure you have consent either through a message or opt-in (see sidebar). Sima also recommends using verified business numbers to send texts. Make sure you have an opt-out option if you’re sending anything other than a personal message.

Timing

Texting is not a one-sided marketing message. When you send a text message, be mindful of the client’s time and make sure you have time to reply to client responses. “With texting, there is always another person on the other end of the line with an immediate need that you can resolve,” Sima says, so be prepared to answer questions quickly.

Create your own mobile toolkit when you enroll in our Mobile Technologies: Virtual Agent Certificate at CRS.com/certificates.

Photo: iStock.com/DrAfter123