Real estate automation may not be exactly new, but several important factors are indicating that the field may experience explosive growth over the course of the next year. According to recent research, approximately two-thirds of real estate brokerages are not currently using marketing automation. With that said, nearly 30 percent of those surveyed have indicated that they have plans to implement marketing automation within the next year, clearly showing a growing momentum behind what has become one of the hottest technology trends of the year.

1. Improved Use of Resources

Perhaps one of the most significant reasons that marketing automation is poised for such incredible growth over the next year is the fact that it provides agents with the best use of their time and resources. The best possible way for a real estate professional to use his or her time is with clients. The reality is that a real estate professional simply cannot do that if he or she is spending time on marketing. Marketing automation makes it possible for real estate professionals to put their marketing on autopilot and ensure those important tasks are still being handled while simultaneously spending their valuable time with clients, where it matters the most. As a result, marketing automation has become what many are calling the future of the real estate marketing industry.

2. Powerful Marketing Campaign Building

In addition to spending more time focusing on their clients, real estate professionals are also able to tap into the multi-tiered benefits of marketing automation. For instance, with marketing automation, it becomes possible to build incredibly powerful marketing campaigns for individual listings. In the past, only much larger real estate firms were able to provide this type of exposure. Consequently, automation is helping level the playing field in real estate marketing. Real estate professionals are often able to leverage marketing automation to deliver marketing campaigns at a much higher quality level than they would usually be able to obtain on their own. Not only does this provide clients with greater value, but it also helps extend the firm's reach.

3. Greater ROI on Technology Investments

One of the most significant challenges faced by brokers today is spending money on technology that real estate agents and other professionals simply do not use. While many agents have been quick to adopt real estate tech, that is certainly not true across the board. As a result, the ROI on a tech investment can be significantly reduced. Marketing automation helps resolve this problem easily by providing firms the ability to create and update marketing materials for each listing, delivering a built-in return on investment regardless of whether agents prefer old-school methods or are ready to jump on board with the latest tech.

As we move into the coming year, we are likely to see far more real estate firms implementing marketing automation.