Creating the perfect customer journey comes with knowing that one journey won’t suit all of your contacts. Instead, by having optimised marketing channels, content and touching base with your database at the correct frequency. 

Take a past client versus an active buyer for example. You wouldn’t want to be sending them the same information right?  You would be focusing on sending your active buyer your latest listings, open home times and auction dates via email and sms. Whilst, your past buyers would receive monthly updates about the local community and market they have moved into. 

Below we outline 3 simple customer journeys with bonus tips about using automation to make your journeys easier than ever. 

The nurture sequence: 

Real estate is built on relationships, and each touchpoint you have with your future, current and past clients will frame the relationship you build with them. And while 90% of buyers say they would use an agent they have previously worked again, only 14% realistically do.

The nurture sequence is perfect for those in your database that are not currently in property mode. Whether they have engaged through social media, they are a past client or previously attended an open home, these people have provided you with the little piece of gold that is their contact details. Do not take these for granted. If you are consistently sending them new listing emails, and open home invites not only will they likely unsubscribe it could prevent them from enlisting your services in the future (If they don’t like your sales and marketing methods they are probably not going to let you sell their home). 

Instead, make each piece of content you send to these contacts compel them to be interested in real estate content even if they are not in ‘property mode’. 

For example: 

Try sending them a monthly newsletter and preference survey, as well as quarterly suburb/ market reports with an appraisal offer. 

Your monthly content newsletter will be a non automated email that is aimed to provide easy to digest information about; the local market, sales stories, community involvement and key business offerings. This could be created in-house or be curated by a real estate marketing professional. 

The property preference survey is an automated email that sends once a month to your larger database, this can be the perfect opportunity to gauge return to market interest and have people re-enter your buyer/seller sequences.

The seller sequence: 

A seller in this sequence could be someone new to your database like an online enquiry or someone who has reengaged in your marketing and shown signs of reentering the market as a seller. Your potential sellers are going to want to know you are the best person to sell their property. 

Realistically, those who have already made a definitive decision to sell will be actively calling agents (usually based on family and friend referrals). So it is important you start engaging with them more regularly in the earliest stages of research.

This might look like them going from your nurturing sequence and naturally progressing to the seller sequence as they re-enter research and finally property mode. For example, they  receive your monthly newsletter as they do each month but, this month in particular they  click on a selling property guide and request a market report banner. You can begin sending them more sales focused content around the market, and your recent sales list.

This could look like this:

Be sure to check out our automated customer journey checklist to see what alerts to send to sellers. 

The buyer sequence: 

Buyers in your database could again be those who are re-entering the market or they could be brand new contacts that have enquired online or attended an open home. Regardless of the source of your buyer, you want to ensure that you are presenting them with listings relevant to their needs. This is where your buyer sequence has you covered. As the sequence with the most recommended alerts, the buyer sequence ensures you are keeping future buyers regularly up to date with your new listings, open homes and auction dates. At the same time providing them opportunities to update their preferences if circumstances change and to easily request information or contact you for enquiries.

Key takeaways: Not all customers are the same, therefore sending the same content to all of your contacts is not only going to damage your database it will see you missing out on opportunities to sell and list more. Ensuring your content is customised and relevant doesn’t necessarily mean it will take you more time. Automation is the perfect tool in your tool box when it comes to the perfect customer journey.