As a real estate agent, you’re typically the busiest person in the room!  COVID-19 has changed that.  Social distancing, government mandated quarantining and most recently, the announcement that in-person showings are no longer a “critical business/service” (at least here in CO) is limiting your ability to serve clients directly.

If you’re finding yourself with more time on your hands, here are 12 things that you can do NOW to work on your business, take care of your clients and SOI, and position you to hit the ground running when this COVID crisis is behind us.

Having your contacts in one place, easily able to track, sort, and communicate with in a variety of ways is a game changer for your business and relationships. If you’re not using a client relationship manager (CRM), now is the time to start! (Check out the Modern Day Agent Product Library for our list of favorites.)  If you have a database but want to level up, start implementing segmentation, groups and tags so that you can make your communication even more targeted and relevant, which leads to greater engagement and email open rates.

Whether it’s a resource page that answers buyer, seller or renter concerns relating to COVID-19 or a local restaurant guide sharing your favorite restaurants, along with their current take out and delivery options and hours, creating consistent, helpful content is a powerful way to provide value for people while also becoming their source of real estate and neighborhood related information.

Have you been putting off creating videos?  Now is the time to dive in!  Video is a great way to answer commonly asked questions, bust misconceptions and help people get a sense of your personality and what it would be like to work with you.  Great video assets are an investment that you can put to work for you for many years to come!  Check out some of the videos and topics that The Knoll Team in CO and Matt Leighton of VA have put together to get your creative juices flowing!

A lead magnet is the “opt in” form that you see on websites that provides an item of value in exchange for someone’s name and email address.  When implemented well, a good one will help you generate tons of leads! Be creative in what you offer. Newsletters are too broad and not captivating enough to get that opt-in.  Home valuations can be found anywhere so they aren’t unique.  What is something that your ideal client would want to get their hands on that YOU are uniquely positioned to create and provide? Offer that.  Leadpages.net is an option to check out for opt-in lead pages and opt in pop-ups.

Automation will make your heart sing!  Imagine it – someone (aka a brand new lead) clicks on the lead magnet on your website and immediately receives a thank you email (or lands on a thank you landing page) with a link to the content you promised.  That is followed by a strategic series of emails to keep them engaged, share more about you, provide other valuable resources and invite them into a conversation, thereby automagically nurturing them until they are ready to transact.  This all happens behind the scenes while you’re on showings, writing contracts or playing with the kids.  Pretty great, huh?  Most email service providers provide a plan that will allow you to set up automated email sequences.  For help setting up automation, check with your provider.  Here’s an example from Mailchimp on how to set up a simple automation sequence.

That’s right…start calling your past clients and SOI – every day.  Check in to see how they’re doing.  Answer questions. You don’t need to make it about real estate.  Be human and show you care. People are more likely to pick up your call now that they have time on their hands and are craving connection. Don’t pass up this opportunity to connect and be of service!

Now is the time to post, interact, and use Stories!  People have extra time and much of it is being spent on social media!  They’re looking for helpful, useful and entertaining content.  Try to post what you can but even more importantly, don’t forget to engage with THEIR posts. Commenting is just as important, if not more, than posting yourself.

Whether you use BombBomb, QuickPage or send a short video message through your phone, Facebook or Instagram Messenger, a face to camera video can make people feel more connected to you than a simple call or text.  Why?  Our brains respond to faces, non verbal communication, and eye contact in a primal way. (For more cool research on this, I highly recommend reading ReHumanize your Business by Ethan Beute and Stephen Pacinelli.)

When this crisis passes and people are ready to make a move, they will be researching you online and you need to make sure to have your online presence dialed in.  If I googled you, could I find you?  Is your real estate image polished and professional?  Do you have social proof (reviews)?  These things are a must today.  BrandYourself.com is a great resource to help you!

Social proof is one of the most powerful ways to build trust with online consumers.  Start building a process to ask for reviews from your clients and partners. Aim to have a minimum of 10 reviews on multiple platforms.  I recommend starting with Google My Business, Zillow and Facebook (your business page).

People are in a survival mentality right now.  Fear and isolation are challenging all of us, both mentally and physically.  What can you do to lighten someone’s load or make someone’s day?  Consider sending a card or handwritten note or better yet, send them a bouquet of flowers!  Here’s a local Denver business who is offering quarantine flower deliveries!  These meaningful gestures go a long way and can be incredibly memorable.  Especially when someone is down.

Get creative here!  Most of the people I talk to are feeling the burn of being trapped at home.  How can you help inject an element of fun for your SOI, past clients, friends and family?  Consider hosting a Netflix watch party, a virtual comedy show, virtual game night, virtual poker night, or virtual Zoom happy hour. There are so many creative ideas out there – pick a few that sound fun to you and get people involved!

This is a challenging time for all of us. However, focusing on foundational business activities that you can control, being of service, and bringing a little sunshine to someone’s day will serve you now and in the long run.