Your Home Shoppers Want to Hear from You!

Interesting article recently in Realtor suggesting agents might want to reassess their follow-up efforts with home shoppers.  Keeping in contact not only puts you "top of mind" with active home shoppers but can also be a referral source, as well.

The key thought is many home shoppers don't have a "specific" interest in mind when they first start looking at homes and staying in touch is possibly the most underrated and underused sales process in the industry.

Software facilitates staying int ouch!

Of course, all of us have many, often competing priorities for our time.  Yet, 36% of home owners say they find it beneficial to receive communications -- even if they aren't in the market for a home, today.

Topics of interest range from what's for sale to home maintenance pointers.  Why not have a set of pre-established emails that go out on a periodic basis to everyone in your prospect file?

CRM systems are designed to facilitate this process -- from registering your prospects to creating a set of followup emails to actually sending them on a scheduled basis.  Once you have the followup details down, your home shoppers will receive tips and pointers from you on a regular basis -- without any additional work needed.

And, why not apply the same process to your home buyers?  Here's a group of people living in a new neighborhood, using different appliances and concerned about their new home.  Remind your homeowners that you're available for warranty questions --  and encourage the "warm and fuzzy" by sending out an email with the closest restaurants (coupons might be a possibility, too) -- or a trail guide to local recreation hot spots. There's always room for info regarding the new appliances, HVAC systems and electronics, too!  After sale communications are another key referral source!

Not quite sure how to get started with this process?  Contact us to discuss CPS•CRM and WarrantyWatcher customer service software -- easy-to-use and cost effective ways to communicate with prospects and buyers!

Millennials ... An Aspirational Demographic

Millennials -- those born in the 20-year span between 1977 and 1996, 87 million strong.  Sometimes called Generation Y, this demographic group is now between 19 and 38 -- and many are just starting the process known as household formation.

Social Media Wall: integrating traditional marketing & social media

You would think that is all good for the real estate and home building industries! Unfortunately, the recent business slowdown particularly impacted this group in terms of unemployment, "career" jobs and wages -- so their entry into a homebuying mode has been delayed. However, Millennials are a confident, resilient and patient demographic according to CEL & Associates.

In only 5 more years, Millennials will compose nearly 50% of the workforce -- and be an increasingly market influence.

CEL reports several, other Millennial demographic indicators: Millennials love personal branding and are never far from connectivity.  They look for a "work/life balance" lifestyle and are very involved in social media to provide civic, political and social identity. Review this Millennial comment regarding advertising impact:

"The most convincing advertising of all is seeing your own friends buying, wearing and using the product.  We engage with our peers through social media, I've bought countless items because of what I've seen on Instagram alone."

How to market homes to a Millennial audience? Take a look at a new way to integration traditional marketing copy and images with social media content -- CPS' Social Media Wall.  Put your social media Tweets and posts to work to help create the civic and social identity needed for your aspirational buyer!