As the real estate market is coming off one of its best years in 2020, we have suddenly seen a sharp decline in the listing inventory in almost every market over the past few months. The big question is, is this temporary or is this going to be the new norm going forward through the COVID-19 pandemic? After speaking with many local real estate experts, most believe this is a temporary slowdown and they are expecting to see a lot of listing activity in the spring of 2021 and on. Obviously, as a real estate broker you want to be at the forefront of obtaining these listings. We have developed a list of eight tools that can help you get more listings now. Some of them are obvious. Others are not. Hopefully even with those that are obvious we can give you a new twist on how to use them more effectively.

Here are the eight tools You should be using that we think will help you get more listings now. We have also included links to useful websites in each category for those of you who would like to get more information.

1. The Telephone – Did I mention that some of these are obvious? The telephone is an effective tool in generating listings. Many agents are hesitant to use it for fear of rejection. Keep in mind that, especially when cold calling, every No gets you closer to a Yes. The phone can be used to either call and or text. Both can be effective. So, who should you call or text?

• • Past clients – Ask for referrals
  • Friends and Family – Ask for referrals
  • Cold calling expired listings and your farm area.

You can also get a unique phone number for incoming client and lead calls. Google Voice is one of the more used services since it is free. It will allow you to separate your personal calls from your business calls and be more responsive 2 calls from clients and leads. After all, in this digital age your clients and potential clients are looking for instant gratification. The faster you get back to them the more likely you are to be able to close a deal or generate a new client. With a unique phone number, you will be able to recognize these types of calls immediately and respond appropriately. You can also customize your voicemail to them when you cannot answer.

2. Email Marketing – It goes without saying anymore that an email marketing program is a critical means of staying in touch with your existing clients as well as a means to attract new clients.Here are some suggestions on what you can do with email marketing:

• • Develop a client newsletter that includes information that your clients would find of interest. It does not have to be just about real estate. You can include information on interesting activities in the area, cool images taken in the area and you can even add some personal information as to what you have been up to. Always remember to include a call to action. You want to stay top of mine to your existing clients as well as provide them an easy way to contact you. One of my favorite strategies is “don’t make me think” when it comes to marketing in general.
  • Outbound Marketing emails can be similar to the newsletter you send out to clients with some minor tweaks that will help convert prospective clients. The Biggest challenge in outbound marketing is developing the list of who you will be sending the emails to. The two best known email platforms are Mailchimp and Constant Contact.

3. Social Media – Most everyone in the business is involved with social media. Facebook and Instagram are the mainstays. Use them to sell your services, including seller success stories and just solds. One thing I have noticed many brokers are not using hashtags. They are a very important factor in allowing others to find your posts and grow your audience. Using image creation programs such as Canva along with image scheduling programs such as Later will make your job much easier.

4. Video – Do you know how many YouTube videos are watched every day? YouTube videos are watched over five billion times every day (VideoNitch). There are even more stats and guides as to why you should be using video in your marketing program.A few suggestions on how to best use video marketing include:

• • Zoom & Facebook Live Seminars
  • Property Video Tours
  • Self-Promotion
  • Local Interest

5. 360° Virtual Tours are our specialty. Last year was a banner year for us doing over 300 virtual tours. For real estate listings they are a no brainer. Studies have shown that listings with the virtual tour not only sell 20% faster, but also for 9% more. They are a wonderful tool to be able to show prospective sellers how you provide the wow factor for their property. Want more stats on the effectiveness of Virtual tours? Visit our post on “Are Virtual Tours of Homes Worth the Cost? for more details. You can use virtual tours in a number of ways other than just to market your current listings. Of course, using a 360-degree walk-through virtual tour on your current listings will allow you to “bring the house to the prospect” 24/7 and allow you to gain much more exposure than you would have otherwise. One interesting idea related to the viewing of virtual tours is to offer prizes for visitors who visit a certain number of rooms or can identify an item you have hidden within the tour.Here are a couple of more ways that you can take advantage of virtual tours to help you get more listings.

• • Show your recent sales.
  • Share cool home tours.

6. Websites – When you think of web sites as a marketing tool generally you are thinking specifically of your own lead generation website. But there are other websites that can be beneficial to you as well.

Create your own lead generation website.

• • Include IDX Listings
  • Include your virtual tours.
  • Live Chat so prospects can contact you immediately and easily.
  • Include a newsletter sign up link.
  • Have a Blog that answers prospects questions.

Make sure your message is clear. If you have not already done so read Donald Millers, Building a StoryBrand and visit Storybrand to help you define what that message should be.

Make sure you define your unique selling proposition. Why would someone want to work with you versus one of your competitors? What can you say about yourself that no one else can?

Take advantage of other websites that can provide you valuable information such as Zillow’s Make me Move and FSBO and Realtor.com’s expired listings.

7. USPS mail – Believe it or not the good old snail mail is coming back as an effective marketing tool. Especially Handwritten Flyers, Postcards, or letters. The USPS has program, Every Door Direct, that will allow you to send postcards to specific zip codes. It may be a good choice to do so in your farm area. Personally, I do not get a lot of mailers from brokers, but when I do, I actually take a look at them. It is a good way to build a brand. Here are some other suggestions on who you can send snail Mail to:

• • Neighbors of Just Sold Listings – Offer a CMA
  • Farm Area
  • Rental Customers

You might also want to consider sending “Fridge Worthy” postcards. These could include information on recipes, sporting event dates, local activities, or event schedules. Answering the questions of what would have a long-term interest to your prospects, you can determine what to include. It needs to be of interest enough to have them want to keep it for future reference. When you send out your mailing, you never know whether your prospect is interested now or perhaps in six months or even longer.

8. Predictive Analytics Software – It is the use of statistics and modeling techniques with artificial Intelligence to determine future performance

• • Target specific homeowners by length of time at residence and estimated equity
    • Uses artificial Intelligence
    • Using existing historical and transactional data to identify opportunities.
  • Key is getting good data.
  • More information

Studies show that last year, the most popular way brokers grew their business was referrals, using their sphere of influence. It’s no surprise that relationships are at the core of a real estate broker’s success. Providing value to your community and staying in touch  can only help you in the end. All these tools are to try to initiate a relationship. Remember it is a personal relationship that will make or break obtaining new listings.

Obviously, these are not all the tools available to you. We have tried to identify those that we think you could be using now to generate listings now. Hope it helps. We’d love your feedback.