It can confidently be said that the majority of consumers prefer SMS text messaging over any other form of communication. This is strongly highlighted in MobileMonkey's 2020 SMS Marketing Statistics report, some of which is highlighted below:
67% would rather use text messaging to communicate with a business.
77% are more likely to have a positive viewpoint of a business that uses text messaging.
Text messages hold a 98% open rate with a 45% response rate and an average 90 second response time.
As texting becomes an integral part of the way you do business, you can rest assured that BoldTrail offers you multiple ways to utilize SMS messaging in your communications with your contacts!
Sending a Text Message
There are many places within BoldTrail from which you can manually send a text message to your contacts:
1. The "Send Text" button in a contact's record.
Sending a text message to a specific contact from their record in the Smart CRM will likely be your main method of communication other than emails.
All text communications, regardless of how you sent them in BoldTrail, will be automatically logged and tracked in each contact's record.
For more information on sending emails, click here.
2. The option to text multiple contacts in the Smart CRM.
Sending text messages en masse can be used to send a re-engagement message to newly imported leads directing them to your new BoldTrail website or you could send an invite to your SOI to a virtual meet-and-greet event.
For more information on mass texting, click here.
3. The "Text" button in the Listings tab.
One of the easiest ways to get new listings into your clients' hands or to send a list of matching listings to a lead is to text a link to the listing(s).
This text message option auto-generates a link to the selected listings which will send the contact to your website where BoldTrail is able to track their activity and provide you with further insights into their behavior for more successful follow-up.
For more information on texting multiple listings, click here.
Writing a Text Message
Once you have chosen one of the above options to send your text message, the threaded text editor will open and you may create your message.
TIP: When looking at the text editor you will also have the option to send a CORE Video via text message instead of a written message. Texting a video message is a unique and fun way to get interactive with your contacts and drive more engagement.
For more information on Premium Video Powered by BombBomb, click here.
If you have chosen to text from the Listings tab, a message will be pre-populated with a merge tag that links straight to your BoldTrail web page with the listing(s) displayed.
If you are creating your own message, previously saved canned responses are available to choose from and you can also manually add merge tags within your message as desired.
Wherever you want the merge tag to display, type the { symbol and the full list of available merge tags will appear for you to choose from. In order to type the fancy bracket, hold down Ctrl and then tap the bracket button. For Mac users, hold down Command and then tap the bracket button.
For more information on merge tags, click here.
Additional Text Options
If you'd like to further enhance your communications, you can add a personal flare to your text messages by using emojis, including media attachments (such as GIFs), Premium Videos, and MLS numbers.
Note: All attachments sent via text must not exceed 5 MB, with a total of three attached files per text message.
Text Message Attachment File Types
File Type | Extension |
Image files | .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .gif |
All of these options, combined or used alone, make it easier for you to successfully enhance your real estate business by recognizing and responding to those in your book of business that are among the 67% of consumers who prefer text messaging!
Please Note: Sending YouTube links in text messages may result in the carrier marking the text as spam. This means the text may not be delivered
T-Mobile Text Delivery Best Practices
In March 2017, T-Mobile rolled out a new scam flagging service powered by First Orion. Once a number has been flagged as "scam", future calls to all T-mobile customers are automatically alerted as "Scam Likely".
This means that when customers enable Scam Block, T-Mobile will stop "scam" calls before they ever reach them- which can cause problems when attempting to text leads using a T-Mobile number. Other carriers such as AT&T have similar policies in place.
If you are having trouble texting leads with T-Mobile numbers, you can try the following steps:
1. Register with First Orion. First Orion is a call transparency service that vets and verifies business numbers to prevent legitimate numbers from being flagged as spam.
2. Report your Caller ID number as a valid number to T-Mobile. T-Mobile allows you to create a free account to report valid business numbers, ensuring that they are being properly identified and not being flagged as spam.
3. Re-subscribe the lead, and try again with a manual text.
4. Text from your personal cell (to see if the number can even receive
texts).
5. If the issue is with the message, clone the campaign and edit it to
be more unique so it is not seen as spam.
6. Purchase a personal Smart Number. This will reduce the amount of traffic coming from your number.
Text Messaging FAQ
What logic exists in BoldTrail to help deliver automated text messages to an
Agents leads?
All automated text messages sent from BoldTrail that are not part of an
active conversation will include the following information:
Agent Full Name
Office Name
Language specifying how to opt out of text correspondence: “If you'd
rather not communicate by text message, reply with STOP”
What does BoldTrail consider an ‘active conversation’?
The system identifies an active conversation when an Agent replies to an
inbound lead text within 24 hours. Conversational outbound texts messages
via BoldTrail will not include the automated Agent information mentioned
above.
How can I prevent my text messages from being sent to spam?
We've gathered a helpful collection of guidelines for optimizing text deliverability from your BoldTrail CRM. You can use the best practices outlined in the article above to learn how text messages are screened, change your SMS practices, and reduce the likelihood that your text messages will be sent to spam!
Have more questions? Please reach out to Customer Support via the blue chat bubble to the right or by emailing support@insiderealestate.com!