How To Take Advantage Of Automated Marketing

Automated marketing has become a trademark of today’s most successful real estate entrepreneurs for one simple reason: it’s nothing, if not efficient. You don’t necessarily need to work harder to increase your own exposure; you simply need to work smarter. That’s not to say you don’t have to work hard to realize success (you do), but rather that there’s usually a more efficient alternative, and real estate marketing is no exception.

Of course, I am a huge proponent of hard work, but there’s one thing that trumps even the most diligent of marketers: smart marketers. I am sure you have heard it before: work smarter, not harder. Though trite, advertising smarter (not harder) will elevate your career as an investor faster than you ever imagined. Consequently, there’s always the alternative: working harder than you need to, but I digress. Why work harder when you can accomplish more without a dip in results by working smarter? There’s no doubt about it: working smarter is the best way to run a business, and automated marketing is a great place to start.

If you’d rather increase your exposure more efficiently and effectively, you need to address your own marketing automation. Automated marketing solutions exist on nearly every level, and there’s absolutely no reason you can’t implement a few of them into your daily routine.

How Does Marketing Automation Work?

As its name suggests, automated marketing is just that; marketing that doesn’t require you to spend any additional effort on once everything is in place. More specifically, however, automated marketing will allow investors to remove themselves from the equation without ceasing their respective marketing efforts; it’s essentially passive marketing. Provided the right systems are in place, there’s no reason automated marketing solutions couldn’t continue to bring in more leads once an investor moves on to something else.

The advent of technology has awarded today’s most resourceful real estate investors the most precious gift of all: time. If for nothing else, automated marketing strategies executed to perfection can simultaneously free up an investor’s time while generating leads. What more could you ask for?

If you are unfamiliar with some of today’s most popular forms of automated marketing, here are a few to keep in mind.

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Automated Email Marketing

Automated email marketing campaigns are, quite possibly, the most common automated marketing strategies employed by today’s investors. Not only are automated email blasts some of the easiest marketing campaigns to pull off, but their return on investment has proven worthwhile for so many investors. What’s more, it’s entity possible to send emails to everyone on your list with the simple click of a button. Simply write a “canned” email or create a template and enlist the services of a professional email broadcasting service. MailChimp, for example, will see to it that your emails are sent on schedule and with maximum deliverability. All you need to do is determine which leads get which emails, and when.

Automated Social Media Marketing

Social media has transformed the way each and every person communicates on a daily basis. Chances are, anyone with a smartphone or access to a computer have spent countless hours interacting with their own peers via some sort of social media platform. Therein lies the greatest benefit of using this medium to your automated marketing advantage: everyone already uses it. You see, real estate is a numbers game; the more people you can reach out to, the more likely you are to accomplish what you set out to do. And since the greater majority is already on social media, you would be wise to post marketing messages on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. It is worth noting, however, that you don’t need to spend a lot of time curating and scheduling posts. As you may have already guessed, it’s entirely possible to automate your social media marketing efforts. With the help of a professional social media management system, you can automate your marketing posts, even between platforms. Sprout, for example, allows those with multiple social media accounts to monitor and manage all of their posts from a single place. Instead of spending hours on social media marketing, enlist the services of a platform like Sprout and watch those hours turn into more efficient minutes.

Automated Content Marketing

Content is a relatively ambiguous term, but for the sake of this piece, let’s assume I am talking about website content. In other words, it’s entirely possible to automate the content on your website to achieve a maximum return on investment. For starters, a proper website needs content, otherwise known as a blog. That way, there’s a reason for people to continuously return to your page; not only that, but it also looks good to Google if you are always making updates. It is worth noting, however, that there are several ways to automate your content. It is quite common for people to outsource their content to a writer. For a small fee, you could have content posted on your page everyday. That said, the automation doesn’t end there; you need to automate a response. Try adding a call to action in your content; one that collects the information of readers. Offer them something in return for their contact info — a downloadable guide, perhaps. What’s more, it’s entirely possible to automate your call to action and response. Once everything is in place, there’s no reason your website can’t act as a squeeze page to attract new leads while you are off working on more important tasks.

Marketing Automation Tips For Aspiring Investors

• It Only Works If Your Capture System Is Set Up: Automated marketing has served as the foundation of most real estate investors’ careers. What’s better than bringing in leads without putting in anymore work? That said, all of those leads will do you no good if your method for capturing them isn’t automated as well. You need to automate the method in which you collect information. In other words, someone (you) needs to be listening to what your leads are saying. Whatever method you used to automate your marketing, make sure you have the pieces in place to collect the information. That way, you can get back to those that contact you.
• Record Your Responses: As someone looking to increase their exposure, it’s in your best interest to make absolutely certain that your marketing dollars are being spent wisely. In other words, you will want to make sure your efforts are worthwhile. To do so, keep a detailed account of how well (or poorly) your marketing campaigns are performing. Once you know your top driver, you can allocate more funds into the outlet bringing in the most leads. That way, you’ll fully optimize your automated efforts.
• Never Stop Fine-Tuning: Regardless of how well your automated marketing efforts are performing, there’s always room for improvement. However, you are never going to realize said improvement if you don’t re-calibrate your current efforts. Take what’s working, and continue doing it. However, also look at what’s not working, and try to turn them into a positive. Over time, your fine-tuning efforts will pay off.
• Never Assume: I maintain that it is in an investor’s best interest to refrain from assuming whether or not a lead is hot or cold. If for nothing else, the “temperature” of leads can change in a moment’s notice. One minute a lead could be cold, and the next they are ready to do business. That said, assuming someone isn’t worth your while is a bad idea. Even leads that aren’t hot now can turn into business somewhere down the line.

Automated marketing has proven that it belongs in an investor’s arsenal, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be in your own. You may learn — rather quickly, might I add — that an automated marketing system is all that was needed to take your career to the next level.

Key Takeaways

• Automated marketing has proven to be an invaluable asset for today’s best investors.
• Marketing automation could easily be your solution to freeing up more time.
• An automated marketing system is invaluable to an investor looking to generate a large volume of leads.