What is “database marketing”?
It could mean several things. Calling your sphere of influence, email marketing, and following up in your CRM could be considered marketing to your database. Referral marketing tools that keep you top-of-mind like market snapshots and homeiversary cards could be considered an element of marketing to your database.
In this instance, I use it to refer to software and strategies that seek to go beyond traditional CRM and platform features to maximize conversions in your database. These include reverse prospecting tools, predictive analytics to people likely to buy or sell soon, and tools to convert cold leads.
Especially for those spending money on leads, getting the most out of every contact is essential to maintaining a positive ROI for your real estate business. Leveraging your database intelligently can be a great step to realizing that ROI.
Unlike most of my review lists, these tools aren’t mutually exclusive. For example, you could use Buyside to promote yourself on listings and pair buyers and sellers in your own database, Revaluate to flag likely movers in your database, and SquadVoice to call and convert cold leads in your database.
Top Database Marketing Software for Real Estate
Buyside
This software is perfect for busy professionals who want to increase their chances of securing a sale. It has all the features needed to match buyers and sellers, and makes it easy to follow up with clients and quantify the benefits of using your buyer database.
Revaluate
Revaluate is a predictive analytics tool that uses external data to predict likely movers in your database. It is important to keep track of events such as divorces, graduating kids, and marriage in order to better target your marketing efforts.
Others
- Bytecore
- Bytegain
- First.io
- SkylerAI
CRMs and Platforms
Your CRM or platform solution may have some tools that overlap with this category. Quite a few have predictive analytics that try to surface past contacts that are ripe for reaching out.
Referral Marketing Software
I’ve separated “database marketing” from “referral marketing”. The former identifies opportunities. The latter is marketing to your database. Referral marketing includes strategies like cards, gifts, client events, regular market reports, and other relationship management designed to generate leads through both repeat business and referrals.
Examples of some services that would work for a referral marketing strategy include:
- Evabot
- HomeKeepr
- ReminderMedia
- The Pop By Kit
Reverse Prospecting
Tools like Buyside are ideal for real estate professionals interested in reverse prospecting.
Reverse prospecting describes when you already have a client – a seller – and are going through your own (or someone else’s) database to find a buyer.
Your MLS may already have some reverse prospecting tools. Matrix, for example, allows you to search which agents have sent out listing alerts that featured your listing. You can follow up with those agents to try to find a match with a buyer.
When doing it with your own database, you can maximize the odds that perhaps the buyer will come from you or your brokerage, and allow you to complete both sides of the transaction. It’s an ideal tool for larger teams and brokerages who have lots of listings and buyers they can match in-house.
Final word
These aren’t likely things you’ll be purchasing in your first year or two as a real estate agent. But for mature businesses that are seeking an edge to their ROI, or have a large database of past cold leads they don’t know what to do with, there are some popular solutions that can move the ball forward.
