No one likes to receive unsolicited cold calls or texts. In fact, there are consumer protection laws that make cold texting and calling illegal. So, while cold texting is unlawful, you can use other compliant strategies to connect with property owners as a realtor, real estate investor, or other real estate professional.
These strategies can help you get property managers, homeowners, and home buyers to opt-in to receive your content, helping you build trust and engagement with this crucial audience. To start, let’s talk about why compliance matters in real estate text marketing and communications.
Why Compliance Matters in Real Estate Texting
The United States and the United Nations both have regulations that help protect consumers from unwanted phone calls and text messages. In the U.S., this is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), while the U.K. legislation is known as The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Both of these laws lay out that businesses need to have explicit consent before sending any type of promotional text message. Those who do not follow these rules in their respective countries run the risk of non-compliance, including legal fines, lost trust from consumers, and irreplaceable reputational harm.
To build a compliant SMS subscriber list, you’ll need to get explicit approval from your audience to opt-in to receive text messages from your businesses.
Alternative Strategies to Cold Texting
As you’ve seen, cold texting can cause a whole host of problems for your business. Instead, there are a few alternative ways to get SMS subscribers and new leads:
- Utilize Other Communication Channels to Get Opt-ins: Email, social media, and websites can be great places to get text message opt-ins from clients and potential clients. One of the easiest ways to collect approval is to use a form. This form collects a prospect's name, phone number, and email and sets forth the terms and conditions to subscribe to your content. Consider giving away valuable information, such as property insights or market updates, to get even more opt-ins.
- Set Up SMS Keywords: Keywords allow customers to text a specific keyword to a shortcode number and receive information while opting into your text list. Keyword triggers are flexible and can enable you to segment your audience. For example, you might include a note in your newsletter: "Text ‘HOME’ to [INSERT SHORTCODE] for your free property valuation report!” On the other hand, you may have a specific text keyword solely aimed at investors, one aimed at cash buyers, and others looking to buy a new home.
- Provide Value-Driven Content and Immediate Texting: Another way to get opt-ins is to hook prospects with value-driven content and then allow them to text you directly. This may be as simple as putting a button on your website to let customers click and text you immediately. An auto-responder could send the prospect the correct information and add the sender to your SMS texting list.
Examples of Effective and Compliant Real Estate Text Message Templates
If you’re ready to send compliant real estate mass text messages, utilize these templates for some of the most common occurrences.
- Opt-In Confirmation: “Hey [INSERT NAME], you’re now signed up for text from [INSERT COMPANY NAME]. Thanks for subscribing. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.”
- New Listing Notification: “Hi [INSERT NAME], check out this new property that just hit the market in your area [INSERT LINK]. Text INFO for details or STOP to opt-out.”
- Market Insights: “Hey [INSERT NAME], home values in your neighborhood are increasing. Get your free home valuation here: [INSERT LINK]”
- Interactive Content Links: “Hi [INSERT NAME], these properties are just what you’re looking for: [INSERT LINK]. Want more details? Text INFO for more info.”
- Follow-Up Messages: “Hey [INSERT NAME], it’s [INSERT NAME] with [INSERT COMPANY]. I’m just following up. Would you like a quick update on property trends and market values near you?”
- Seller Resources: “Hey [INSERT NAME], thanks for contacting us about selling your home. To help you with the process, we’ve put together a resource with some of our top tips. Check it out here: [INSERT LINK].”
- Seller Questions: ‘Hi [INSERT NAME], it sounds like you’re ready to sell your home. I’d love to help. Here are some top questions our sellers want to know: [INSERT LINK].”
These templates are a great starting point for anyone in the real estate industry, but you can tweak them for your needs. And, with Sakari’s SMS marketing software, you can automate many of these messages to help you streamline your marketing efforts and customer pipeline. Now, let’s look at some of the best practices for real estate SMS campaigns.
Best Practices for Real Estate SMS Campaigns
Following best practices can help elevate any marketing campaign; the same is true for SMS campaigns. Here are some tips for creating engaging and effective SMS marketing strategies:
- Personalize Your Messages: Even when you send messages to your subscribers, it’s important to utilize personalization text messages when possible. Texting software like Sakari helps you create personalized messages by inputting a recipient’s first name and other pertinent information.
- Timing is Key: Sending text messages at the right time can increase your engagement and effectiveness. Some of the best times to send texts to your audience include mid-morning or early afternoon. Avoid sending texts late at night or early in the morning, as people tend to ignore messages sent at odd hours.
- Implement Testing: Using data can be a great way to test what’s working best for your real-estate business. Look to compare messaging side-by-side to see what is most clear and what has the higher response rate. With texting software like Sakari, you’ll be able to measure the engagement of your messages and track metrics such as response rates and opt-out rates.
- Proofread Thoroughly: Proofreading your communications can help ensure you come across well to your audience. Be sure to double-check your messages for spelling and grammar, especially the spelling of your subscribers’ names.
How Sakari Simplifies Real Estate SMS Marketing
When it comes to SMS marketing, Sakari is a leader for a reason. We help streamline and elevate all aspects of your SMS marketing while deepening your customer relationships. Here’s how Sakari can help you take your SMS marketing to the next level:
Built-In Compliance Features
As we’ve discussed, following text messaging rules and regulations is crucial for any business. And while it’s become the norm in real estate to send cold-texts, that can often lead to greater consequences. Therefore, if you’re looking to ensure compliant messaging, Sakari can help.
Our platform helps you manage opt-in and opt-out processes effortlessly to ensure compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the United States and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements in the European Union.
Seamless Integrations
Managing and syncing your customer data across platforms manually can be inefficient and time-consuming. We know the pain. That’s why our powerful API makes it easy to sync your customer data with integration support for top CRMs and marketing tools such as HubSpot, Pipedrive, ActiveCampaign, and Slack.
Scalability
Whether you’re just getting started as a real estate professional or a veteran of the business, having technology that can scale to your needs is crucial to your success. Sakari’s SMS text messaging platform makes sending a high volume of messages to your audience effortless.
The flexibility of Sakari means you’ll be able to create unique audience groups, automate campaigns, include personalized messages, and easily adjust messaging based on real-time data and analytics.
User-Friendly Dashboard
Speaking of analytics, Sakari’s real-time monitoring dashboard puts all your data in one place, making it easy for you to see your campaigns. Our dashboard helps you discover insights and effortlessly make adjustments to your campaigns based on real-life customer data.
Dedicated Support
At Sakari, we’re SMS messaging experts, and we’re here to help your business succeed.
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Cold Texting Property Owners FAQs