The summer sales season is just around the corner, and not only are homebuyers gearing up to snag a home in a blazing hot market, but agents are doing the same.  This year, possibly more than ever, agents will need to set themselves apart from the rest of the competition in order to win more listings and boost sales overall.

If your phone is already ringing off the hook for listings, prices, and client calls, then maybe you’re already on your way to a huge season, but if you’d like to boost that business and keep the phone ringing, then consider doing some things to set yourself apart from other agents.  Here are some of our top tips!

Leverage Your Phone Even More

You likely spend an unhealthy amount of time on your phone as it is, but one thing that can help set you apart from your competition is to actually leverage it better than you ever have.  As an agent, you’re likely conditioned to make calls to your clients to talk about listings or gauge their interest in your services, but an increasing number of potential clients (estimates of up to 90%!) would rather be contacted by text message instead.

Texting can certainly be a nuisance in some instances, but for clients who are legitimately looking to list, buy, or just enlist your help in the process, texting can be invaluable as it gives your client base an opportunity to respond quickly, on their own time, and without having to do much more than lift their phone.  Additionally, you can text links to listings, photos of houses in your inventory, and get down to the fine details through text that you can’t necessarily do through a phone call or email.

Use Media More

Not only does using your phone more strategically make sense, but it gives you another weapon that many agents forget about entirely: video.  Most iPhones and other smartphones are capable of high definition, movie-like images which means you can use video more than you ever have without having to use special equipment.  Not only that, but you can upload your videos immediately or share them with prospective clients.

Perhaps even more valuable than simply posting listings and taking videos of your houses is that you can leverage video for customer testimonials to gain even more business.  Customer testimonials are a great way to have your existing clients share their experiences in a genuine way that can be used as marketing collateral for those seeking your services.

Internet Advertising

Internet ads may seem like an often overused (and sometimes annoying) way to gain business, but for agents looking to grow their business and set themselves apart, ads can be just the ticket.

Google, more specifically, has almost a monopoly on the internet advertising game.  Virtually every ad you see online is powered by Google’s extremely smart algorithm and can help you highly target your prospective customers.  One of the great things about leveraging Google ads (or other forms of internet marketing such as Facebook and social media) is that you can create ad budgets, limit your ad spending, and spread it over a long period of time.

Finally, internet ads can push more customers to your lead generating website, forms for lead generation, or towards listings that fit their buyer persona giving you an even greater advantage over your competitors!