We spend a lot of time and money on marketing campaigns. So when someone calls or emails, it’s natural to assume they’ve seen your agency’s Facebook ad, or maybe a canvassing letter sent in the post. Statistically, however, your ‘new lead’ could well be a past client, or someone calling because of a past client’s recommendation.
Why it’s important to keep in touch
A report from the Nielsen Consumer Trust Index reveals that 92% of people trust a recommendation from friends and family over any form of advertising. It’s also said that more than 75% of an agent’s business comes through referrals and word of mouth. That’s why it’s not just important to build relationships with current clients: it’s also vital to keep in touch with them after the transaction has completed.
Where to start?
It’s clearly crucial to maintain your relationship with past clients, but where do you start? It’s all about understanding those clients’ needs and interests, then personalising your communication with them.
The key here is to make sure that any interaction is helpful, rather than invasive or annoying. A lot of people may not be bothered about your RightMove market share stats but they will want to know that you offer great service and have a strong track record. They also definitely want to know how their local property market is performing.
An occasional, relevant update will show you have your finger on the pulse of changing local housing market trends. It will also keep your agency’s name fresh in clients’ minds, so they call you first when they next come to buy, sell or rent a property.
If you find you have barely enough time to chat with current clients, keeping up with old contacts may sound like an impossible challenge. Fortunately, it’s not as tricky as it sounds.
Start with the basics and use smart solutions
There are a myriad of marketing options out there. However, focusing on the basics of regular social media posts (even one per week), emails (even just one per month), good website content and blogs (again one per month) will take you a long way quickly in keeping the conversation going. What is key though is that the content you use in these channels is relevant and engaging.
Products like Dataloft Inform make it easy to keep your clients – past and present – engaged with your brand. Inform allows estate agents access to the latest data, providing a stream of interesting and relevant local stories, statistics and insights, fine-tuned to a specific postcode if required. This can also be a valuable source of property insights for estate agents, great for keeping your team up to date with what’s happening on a local, regional and national level.
Using smart solutions to keep past clients engaged and interested in your brand will not only save staff time but should also lead to some positive and long-lasting client relationships.