Guide to Real Estate Marketing Technology and Tools
On this page, I’ve described some of the better content management systems, analytical tools, social networking tools and listing tools available for real estate professionals. Nonetheless, the technologies are always changing so I expect this to be a work in progress. If you know of a great online marketing tool I’m missing, feel free to recommend it in the comments.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
These are technologies that power the backend of your website! And thanks to the many benefits of blog platforms over standard real estate websites in terms of ease-of-use, cost, consumer engagement, and ease-of-ranking well within search engines, many agents are now opting for blogs and that is the only CMS I’m going to focus on here.
In terms of a platform for hosting real estate websites, WordPress is my personal favorite. There are two flavors of WordPress… The hosted version, WordPress.com and the self-hosted version: WordPress.org.
4realz Tools
Email Marketing:
Like Constant Contact,
but easier-to-use,
prettier, and cheaper.
Invoicing & Expenses:
New favorite tool!
Functionality blows
away QuickBooks.
These are both
affiliate links.
I use these products
and they rock
Website Analytics and Tracking
Google Analytics is by far the most widely used tool among real estate professionals for analyzing websites… and best of all, the incredibly functionality of the tool is available for free from Google. It is quite easy to install on most websites adn it can be used to track how visitors get to, interact on and take calls-to-action on your website.
Others analytic tools you should consider include: SiteScan, Woopra, CrazyEgg, 4Q, Feedburner, ClickTale, GetClicky, Keyword Envy, SEOQuake
For background on each of these tools (and more), check out this podcast on tracking and analytics for real estate professionals.
Social Networking
There are a number of social networking site developed specifically to engage real estate professionals. Some of the social networks designed to help real estate agents network with other real estate professionals and consumers include: MyDealBook, RealSeekr, PropertyQube, and Zolve.
For a discussion on how agents are using social networks to add value to their business, check out this roundtable discussion.
Also, to see how I’ve been pushing the boundaries a bit with Facebook Pages, check out my HomeSyn Page and the Dustin Luther Page.
Tools to Help Sellers
Some of the tools that were mentioned in our conversation of tools that help agents help sellers included Docusign (a religious experience), Point2Agent (Robust listing syndication), Altos (Great reports to engage sellers), Transaction Point (Great tool), eFax (Couldn’t live without), Real Estate Shows (Great tool for demonstrating traffic)
The most extensive collection of real estate tools that you can find on the web.
Thank you,
Varada
Thank you much Sasi! There’s even more stuff I want to add to this page and when I get a few minutes, I plan to write some updates!
Hi Dustin-
You have a lot of good information here! I am a developer working with a client who would like to add MLS search capabilities onto an e-newsletter. Is there any truth to the rumor that MLS/IDX functionality will be available from each state for free? Otherwise, are there specific services/companies that you provide these services, and are we stuck utilizing one of these third-party companies? Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Stefan
Finding a good IDX solution can definitely be one of the trickiest parts to building a real estate agent website. In terms of the rumor you mention, I’ve never heard of it and can’t image it happening across the county. Maybe one or two states could pull something like that off, but I just can’t see it happening across the country any time soon.
However, there is an IDX solution I like and I *can* get you a decent deal on using the tool, but I’m not allowed to talk about it on the web (they still like folks signing up paying full price via their website, go figure!). If you want to email me… dustin [at] 4realz.net, I’d be happy to get you some more background info.
Hi Dustin, great info! I work for Market Leader and we’ve recently launched a marketing solution called Growth Leader for real estate agents. Growth Leader includes an advertising campaign driving traffic to a website integrated with IDX and contact management system that captures and organizes prospects for agents. I thought maybe it can earn a mention with the rest of the technology tools you’ve listed here. If you have suggestions on how a real estate agent can combine a tool like Growth Leader with other marketing strategies, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Jennifer,
I must say that I was never particularly impressed with HouseValues (now renamed Market Leader), so I haven’t given you guys much thought. I don’t know what you guys are charging for Growth Leader, but I’m a huge fan of building these systems (ads, IDX, CMS) for my clients using some tools mentioned above (like Google Adwords, MadMimi, Google Aps and BaseCamp) because these tools offers so much more long-term flexility. And besides, if you’re pricing structure is anything close to Top Producer’s, which I assume it is, then these other tools will turn out to be much cheaper in both the short- and long-run.
I am interested in learning more about how you integrated Facebook Member Login into your site?
Sure Nathan. I started with a plugin called sociable and made some edits so that it fit with the site. Is there anything in particular you want to know?
Dustin,
Great info, thanks for sharing!
I’m a bit of an IDX fanatic, former 1parkplace consultant and current developer of real estate websites using Joomla!. Here’s a link to a top 10 must haves in your next IDX system if you want to share it with your audience.
Cheers!
Tom
http://www.veritycrm.com/idx-systems/top-10-idx-must-haves.html
Some great applications are listed here. I have used many of them myself.
Social marketing is on the rise this year and is going to continue to grow as it becomes more mainstream. But…
The REAL explosion in Real Estate marketing is coming in mobile media.
Instant information available via text message to prospective buyers is the next generation of Real Estate marketing, because the public demands their information now. In this market, we can’t risk an empty info box or missed phone call. Mobile marketing is always on and available 24/7.
For the first time ever, the number of text messages exceeded the number of phone calls. Hmm.
Some information about mobile marketing systems would be very interesting.
Dustin,
I was interested in your comments on Market Leader since I just signed up with them for a year. I have gotten one client so far that should pay for my subscription which runs about $240 a month and guarantees 60 visitors to my site. They claim a 10% signup rate, so that should yield me 6 prospects a month. This also includes a web site which admittedly is not flexible.
What is your take on the cost compared to what you are talking about. As the former owner of a graphic design business, I am familiar with the cost for a custom built site which is pricey for the average agent.
I am a big believer in generating business from the web, but have just begun as an agent and am grateful for all intelligent input.
Rob: I completely agree that I should add some more mobile links! Just about ever section started from a roundtable discussion that I (used to) host with real estate professionals from around the country. Maybe I should find some mobile folks to help inform and create a similar section! Thanks for the idea!
Linda: Truth is I just don’t know much about the Market Leader product. But if the ROI is working for you, then I’m really in no place to argue with that! In many ways, if you like and are closing transactions using their tool generating a ROI with decent margins, then I’d have to think the business is better in your hands than a competitors!
good info. I have never heard of a few of those social network sites. Also, nice blog
Market Leader makes fantastic products…among the best.
However, the technology that is going to have the biggest impact in sales is the migration from Outlook to Communications Server. This will streamline internal communication at the broker level (email, scheduling, voip, live meeting, IM and online presence all in one) and make agents far more productive. In three years, what we now call email will seem archaic.
The other technology I foresee is major portals building their sites on a platform which allow third party developers to create lead generation, CRM and transaction management tools which tie directly into the search portals. Sites like Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com which already dominate search, will have to offer application integration rather than simply offer search and framing of graphs as is the case today.
Bob: You did a comment-and-run once before in talking about Communications Server… and I didn’t “get it” then and I still don’t get it now. What makes the tool so special?
Here was my feedback from last time: “A quick glance at the product page on Microsoft makes it look like their answer to Google Apps. But Google Apps is free, so I’d hope it offers more than integrated chat and VoiP?”
Nothing makes it special Dustin.
Except that it costs money. You could go with a hosted solution but even for me (this Microsoft junkie) I see no reason to use Communications Server at this point.
Also, since most brokers operate with each agent running as an individual (from a tech stand point) using Communications Server would be a waste of money for the broker. Each agent would have to agree to use the server and that just isn’t going to happen.
Most brokers can’t even get their agents to at least use a company email address instead of a free email.
Dustin,
80% of real estate agents already use broker sponsored email. That will increase as the functionality of email takes off.
Brokerages will and are already migrating to Communications Server because it reduces admin costs on several fronts and allows them to offer their agents communication tools which are integrated. If you were a brokerage paying for WebEx, Skype, Exchange and other apps wouldn’t you prefer to consolidate into one application built by Microsoft?
Granted, the bigger the organization, the more the benefit of Communications Server, but eventually we’ll all be using it or parts of it as the technology gets integrated into web-based application sites. We see this trend to show online presence and integrate chat already on sites like Facebook, Gmail, ect.
Heck, if anything, companies are going to start vending out email all-together to them.
Communications Server not only saves money, it gives brokerages an opportunity to recruit and retain by offering sophisticated infrastructure they don’t have to build and is cheap to maintain.
One of Microsof’s biggest problems with the technology is they have a hard time explaining its huge value proposition. The website does a poor job of communicating how much corporate America will be impacted by it.
Communications Server is the upgrade to Exchange Server. However, in addition to offering email and calendar it will include; video conferencing, instant messaging, online presence (mobile, websites, desktop and the company intranet), and provide a platform for Voip calling, sharing desktop, sharing applications in the cloud. In a nutshell, its Skype, Outlook, WebEx, GoToMyPC, your IM client, and a whole lot more in a single application.
Unified Communications (and Office Communicator) will have even more impact on sales people than ActiveSync did. (this is what allows you to get your email on any device with an internet connection)
It will be the technology that most future broker intranets (ie Sharepoint sites) CRM, transaction management and lead generation tools will need to be built on or fully integrate with. This means no more putting contact information in multiple places.
Big things are on the horizon in terms of agent tools that leverage what is already the dominant email platform (Outlook)….Communications Server will change the way we all view email communication. Brokerages that invest early will benefit and agents that stay with free email (because they like the idea they can switch brokerages at any time) will fall behind.
Here is an example of what can be done today with the most superficial features of Office Communicator:
Trulia will need to offer more than just basic content that agents can frame to get inventory…They need inventory and will give alot to get it. They will ask brokerages that have agents on Communications Server to provide that information in the same feed as their listings. In exchange, Trulia will show agent online presence even though the agent isn’t on the website. Any inquiries (IM or email) will patch directly into the agent’s broker email and can be accessed at work, at home, on your mobile. We chat for a bit about a property you saw on Zillow a minute ago and I can elevate the conversation to a video call instantly from my mobile phone.
Communications Server will change the way we view email even more than web-email did. The days of waiting two hours for a response are over.
It costs upwards of $2500 for a brokerage to add/delete a single phone line and add email. As Communicator integrates voice via a USB connection, adding, deleting or moving lines is almost cost free.
If I owned a brokerage with more than 20 employees I’d upgrade for that reason alone. It also virtually eliminates long distance charges as these calls from an office or cell phone can be made over the network.
All other things being equal, if a brokerage offered me free long distance, email, video conferencing, text messaging, and online training I’d seriously consider joining them.
Here is a better example of what can be done today with Communications Server as it apply to next generation websites:
My brokerage Coldwell Banker has all its agents on Office Communicator. CB could provide a feed to Realtor.com which allows them to show my online presence regardless if I am on realtor.com or not.
Right before a lead comes in, I go into a scheduled meeting. Communicator (which is connected to my calendar) changes my presence to ‘In a Meeting’ which triggers a business rule in Realtor.com to swap out my contact info and online presence with my partner so we don’t miss the incoming lead. However, only seconds before the lead comes in, my partner gets a phone call. The Communicator system recognizes he is on the phone and changes his presence to ‘In a call’. This causes the incoming lead from Realtor.com to be routed to a predesignated person…say an assistant I have set up in Communicator.
The assistant fields the lead, and during the IM conversation sees I am out of my meeting and my status is back to active. Without dropping the live lead from Realtor.com, she passes it to me. We IM for a bit on a property, I email additional info which still engaged with this lead, then I elevate the conversation to a phone call or email. If this lead is also on Communicator (currently several large companies are) and allows me to add him to my contact list, I can check his calendar and suggest an appointment that works for both of us.
This barely scratches the surface of what this technology offers.
Communications Server will fully integrate with Windows Mobile 7. Microsoft will offer their own version of the iPhone (but with a keyboard and app store) and have already purchased the company that will build it (Danger, the same makers of the Sidekick). Microsoft will eventually offer integration with the iPhone (as well as Blackberry and the Symbian operating systems), but like Exchange email, will be slow about it so to give their own phone time to catch up and grab market share.
Sold on using WordPress; do you have a solution for adding property descriptions into wordpress? My database is mysql based and currently I use a php page to list properties.
Howard: Not sure what you’re looking to do. Getting descriptions shouldn’t be any harder than getting any other field, but it also looks like you’re in the UK, so maybe there’s something else going on. We’ve managed to add an entire property search to WordPress (check out this example on RCG’s Home Search).
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