New real estate recruiting and retention tool for brokers

What would you do if a thousand people asked you for the same thing? That’s what happened to us here at Adwerx.

Nearly a thousand real estate brokers asked us for help with a specific part of their business: recruiting and retention.

It wasn’t surprising once we looked at the data. According to NAR’s 2016 report, one-third of real estate agents started at a new firm last year — that’s up by 67% from the year before. And the success of a brokerage is absolutely dependent on the agents. That’s why NAR also reports that 44% of brokers are actively recruiting right now.

Finally, a tool that makes real estate recruiting and retention simple.

We looked at our automated digital ad platform and saw a unique opportunity to help. That’s how we came to develop our newest tool, Digital Ads for Recruiting.

Now brokers can create a list of the exact agents they want to recruit. Maybe these are the top producers in the area. Or maybe they’re new agents entering the market. Either way, they’re the exact agents the broker wants to work with.

Next, the brokers upload an ad with the messaging that best captures why the agency is the right place for their talents. Then Adwerx finds those agents where they are online, across thousands of premium web sites, on Facebook, and on mobile devices.

“These targeted ads make it more likely the agents I want to work with will answer when I call,” said broker Tiffany Kjellander of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate PorchLight Properties in New Jersey.  And she’s right: data from Officevibe shows that candidates with brand exposure are twice as likely to respond.

Do you want to work with just any agent?

Top Florida agent Samantha DeBianchi is building up her team and knows exactly the kind of agent she wants. “I don’t just need agents on my team,” she said. “I’m looking for superstars.”

But here’s the challenge: recruiting the right agents takes time and effort. Many real estate brokers hold networking events. They buy print ads and do direct mail. All to build up that broker brand awareness with local agents in hopes of enticing them to make a move. And all the while running a busy real estate business.

But do you know where most agents are, when not working directly with a client? They’re online. And their mobile devices are never far.

You’re hiring, but so are they.

There’s a flip side to all this recruiting. Because all the while you’re looking to lure away top agents, someone else is trying to lure yours. So the same tool that helps you recruit can help you retain your best agents as well.

“My agents need to know how much they mean to the brokerage’s success,” said Joe Schutt of UNIT Realty Group in Boston.

A retention campaign can remind real estate agents their broker is still their biggest fan. It reinforces that loyalty for agents who, in turn, can become evangelists for their broker.

Recruiting will always be a top priority for brokers. But hopefully, with digital ads, it can be more about the right message to the right agents at the right time.