Marketing automation

Marketing automation is technology that more efficiently manages marketing processes and campaigns across multiple channels automatically. It streamlines repetitive tasks, follows user behavior, and delivers targeted content to get customers into your leasing pipeline.

Although marketing automation has been a buzzword in the real estate industry for a while now, there’s nothing stale about it. The technology continues to evolve to help marketers save time and convert leads in a shifting environment.

Let’s take a closer look at the applications of marketing automation in property management, then explore implementation best practices and successful outcomes.

Making customers happy

Today’s prospects and renters don’t want to be limited by office hours and physical locations. They expect automated, self-service tools that new smart technology and websites can offer, including self-scheduled and self-guided tours. With automation solutions like intelligent text response and chatbots, you can provide customized, automated responses to questions from prospects while they are still on your site. This leads to more qualified and rent-ready prospects when they get to your leasing agents.

Recovering missed opportunities

Never lose a lease because someone forgot to follow up or, worse, didn’t answer the phone. Marketing automation provides a high level of customer service at all hours of the day with automated follow-up via text or email and automated call routing to a call center when you’re away.

Keeping data accurate

At its most basic level, automation eliminates human error and keeps data clean by updating changes to data across your database. One of the best-known forms of real estate marketing automation is listing syndication. Using up-to-date pricing and availability information from your property management software, automation updates your listings across multiple online rental sites daily.

Increasing staff efficiency

Marketing automation is your secret weapon in an increasingly chaotic digital marketplace. Automating processes saves time, giving back the hours that you would otherwise have had to spend scheduling appointments, responding to text messages, and posting vacancies every week.

Implementation considerations

When adding self-service functionality to your website, getting started with chatbots and automating customer relationship management can sound like a lot—and it is. The good news is that you don’t have to do it all at once. The key is to be smart about the process and choose a provider that makes it easy to add on to your automation stack as you feel ready. Get started, evaluate, and then build upon your success.

The bottom line

Property marketers must constantly innovate to keep pace with consumer trends and demands. Marketing automation is one way that busy marketing teams, even smaller ones, can make a big impact. Customers will appreciate the convenience and around-the-clock access to information and assistance. Leasing agents will appreciate the increase in efficiency and the opportunity to focus on high-value activities with well-informed prospects.