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During this period of working from home, there is a lot of opportunity to learn new skills and tune up some that you may already have. One thing that’s worth focusing on is technology that can help your business grow. Here are a few technologies that are worth mastering at home so you can enhance your business without leaving the desktop.
Everyone reading this has probably used a Google app before, whether it’s Google’s signature search engine, their e-mail service (Gmail), or their video hosting social platform (YouTube). If these few apps aren’t enough, Google has a large ensemble of apps which are together called the G Suite. Here’s a few of their apps that are less familiar, and why they might be helpful to a real estate agent.
– Google Docs: Like Microsoft Word for the web, this tool is extremely handy for creating and distributing documents online. It has the unique feature of creating collaborative documents that multiple people can add to and edit simultaneously in a live setting.
– Google Drive: A very versatile cloud-based file hosting platform, or to put it simply, a great place to keep all your files safe online, and to share them easily via email. Google Drive can store almost any kind of file, and makes it easy to organize and find files that you have in your Drive.
– Google Keep: A simple but powerful note taking and list making platform. The dashboard is very easy to look at and very helpful when setting up a to-do list, or a workflow checklist. This is a great one to keep on hand for reminders and tasks. It also integrates directly with Google’s calendar.
G Suite does cost money, but the basic package is only $6.00 a month, and there are a total of about 13 apps included in that package, from a calendar, to a slideshow builder, to a video chat application. Learning G Suite will most definitely help out your business!
If you’re a real estate agent, you might already be familiar with this one, because it is connected directly to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. TransactionDesk features a variety of built-in tools to make real estate transactions simple. You may have used one or two of these tools on occasion, or you might use them for every transaction, but either way, this platform is a great tool to know, and here’s why:
– TransactionDesk provides a one stop shop for documents and paperwork, as well as a dashboard to manage contacts and transactions in an easy way.
– Authentisign is a built-in program that allows multiple parties to securely read and sign documents over the internet. It’s easy to use and very robust.
– InstanetForms provides a quick and easy way to fill out necessary forms and attach them to a transaction, with a seamless integration into Authentisign and even the NWMLS.
– DocBox serves as built-in file hosting, similar to DropBox.
Master these tools and you will surely simplify your transaction workflow!
Mailchimp.com is a no brainer for those looking for an email marketing platform. It’s one of the most popular in the world right now, and it has plenty of free features. The platform lets you import or create audience lists based on your own contact list, and even gives the option to automatically add contacts from an “opt-in” form that can be placed on your website. Then, you can create custom email templates using their simple drag and drop builder, and send or schedule an email to be delivered to your audience list. It almost feels too easy when you’re doing it for the first time, but don’t be fooled, email marketing is still a powerful tool in a real estate agent’s tool belt.
Canva.com is a beautiful and simplistic content creation tool that has exploded on the scene in the past year. The website allows a free platform for creating digital content using pre-made templates and building blocks. They have thousands of pre-made content pieces that you can easily customize to fit your own style and brand, or you can just as easily create your own content from scratch. This tool is especially useful for Facebook and Instagram’s image-based content, though you can make flyers, or videos on there as well.
BombBomb.com is a video centered communications app. Their claim to fame it making it simple to create, publish, and share videos to your audience and clients. The application integrates into all the most popular email and marketing platforms, so you can easily start replying to emails with a video instead of a block of text, in half the time. BombBomb has become a great tool for those who want to strengthen customer service and communications in their business. A free demo is available but the service has a monthly subscription.
Hootsuite.com is one of the most popular content delivery systems for social media. You can connect all of your different social accounts and view the streams on a single dashboard. Not to mention, you can make posts to any of these platforms from a single dashboard as well, and you’re even able to schedule and duplicate posts from the Hootsuite website. This platform is trusted by millions and used daily in most marketing departments. They have a free version that is more than capable of handling the social media duties of a small company or a single real estate agent.
