When working conditions change radically, agents need to transform their approach to stay active. While meetings and open houses might be impossible during a worldwide crisis, it is an ideal time for real estate education and development. Discover real estate skills and abilities to master now for a better career in the future.
Get Organized
Organization is critical for agents who are constantly dealing with multiple properties and clients. Even well-organized agents can take this time to reassess their current systems and make meaningful updates. Explore software options for scheduling, sending promotional emails, and other routine tasks. Automating these essential duties save time while helping agents stay on top of all the important details.
Update Databases
Databases are crucial to an agent’s success. Listings, clients, and agents are all organized using databases, which typically require periodic updating. Often a dreaded task with all the other work on an agent’s agenda, now there is more time to devote to tweaking data and making essential updates to ensure the data is valid.
Write Content
Agents with blogs and dedicated social media accounts attract more targeted traffic to their listings. Writing content is time-consuming and regular posts might be skipped when an agent is busy. Use the downtime to craft compelling content that addresses the unique concerns people have during a worldwide crisis. Also craft evergreen content about topics such as first-time homebuyers and staging a home. Timely content benefits agents today while timeless articles will continue to attract traffic in the future. Creating a current body of content keeps agents in front of clients, establishing trust and authority for the better days ahead.
Be a Social Media Influencer
Get interactive on social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Become a social media influencer by posting relevant content about the current market and world conditions. Interact with others, join local and industry groups, and deliver meaningful answers during a time of questions. An agent who can keep people informed and hopeful during challenging times will be remembered when the crisis is over.
Take Online Classes
Agencies, local colleges, and online educational centers all offer free and low-cost classes to help agents develop better real estate skills and abilities. A quick online search can help agents locate online courses that help them become better at everything from business development to accounting. Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate affiliated agents can access the robust offerings at the Be Better University® to help build their professional careers now and in the years to come.
Get to Know SEO Strategies
Search engine optimization (SEO) strategies put agents and listings in front of more prospects. Choosing relevant keywords with high volume and low competition helps an agent’s content to crawl up the ranks of the search engines. Keywords should be naturally peppered into the content, titles, tags, and metadata. Refreshing old content with updated keywords and tags maximizes the resources an agent has and helps generate more leads.
Learn Photography and Videography
Panoramic images, aerial photography, 3D photography, videography, and virtual reality are all ways to attract buyers to available properties. These cutting-edge technologies create images that reach out to people searching for properties. The right photographs and videos can sell a house faster and attract buyers from other areas. Investing in professional photography makes a difference, but is also an added expense. Agents with time on their hands can learn these technologies to take images that are sure to attract more listings.
Earn Field-Related Licenses
Many licensing courses, including the class for a real estate agent, can be taken online for a minimal fee. Agents should consider earning additional field-related licenses to broaden their expertise and become more profitable. Options may include becoming a notary public or a real estate appraiser. An agent can visit his or her state licensing page to review the possible options.
Stay Connected
While in-person meetings and open houses are impossible, agents can still stay connected. Send email newsletters and text message updates, based on the person’s preferred method of contact. Use sites such as Facebook Live to offer real-time tours of properties. Schedule video meetings and conferences to stay in touch with other professionals. Make phone calls to regular clients to see how they are doing and if there is any way to help. An agent who stays connected during the hardest times will be remembered and consulted as the global situation improves.
Plan for the Future
Make plans for the future and how to celebrate when the crisis is over. People will be ready to embark on life and get back into business. Now is the time for agents to develop a plan to connect with clients and other professionals when the time is right, Consider a party, seminar, expo, or other gathering to bring people together and talk about real estate.
Mastering real estate skills and abilities now is a way to ensure greater success in the future. The accolades an agent achieves today through ongoing real estate education become the money-earning skills of tomorrow.
