Every real estate agent worth who’s been around the block a few times understands that sign riders are still a powerful way to create a smoother buyer experience while increasing sales. While online tools have done much to change how people search for available properties, in most cases, sales are still closed through old-school means, and real estate sign riders remain an effective tool in making these sales happen.
If anything, there has never been a better time for these often-overlooked tools in the real estate business. Today sign riders come in a wider variety of designs than ever before and they are being integrated with new types of communications technologies.
Many real estate professionals, however, fail to understand the context where real estate sign riders are able to provide the most value. The biggest mistake is to assume that newer digital tools are a replacement for signs and sign riders, when they are, in fact complementary.
The idea that real estate signs and riders are “obsolete” and could be replaced by newer, supposedly cost-effective marketing tools fails to take into account two things: how customers make the decision to buy a property and how physical signs are still better at making an emotional appeal compared to their virtual counterparts.
Real estate sign riders are more powerful than you might expect
Customers today typically discover a property through a few ways. They may look through an online listing, find out about the property through a referral, or they might see a real estate sign while they’re going about their day.
Even in the first two cases, they may still need to rely on visible signs and riders to point them to the right direction and prevent them from wasting time figuring out where the property is on GPS or other means. In all of these cases, having real estate sign riders can provide real value at the discovery to both your prospects and your real estate practice by making the discovery process smooth and hassle-free.
Sign riders can also provide your real estate business with additional benefits at the decision stage. As many prospects today may try to scout the location of the property without informing you in advance, the information found on the sign rider can very well push the customer into deciding to purchase the property or at to least contact you with more details.
Being physical objects, real estate sign riders can also help buyers get a better feel for the message that you are trying to convey. According to a neuroscience study reported in Forbes, print also tends to carry more emotional weight and impact compared to its digital counterparts. Considering that sign riders are near the point of sale, they can be very powerful, if only for that reason. Rider signs can be also printed in full color and be made into a variety of appealing shapes and designs to better match an intended response or message, as needed.
Rider signs go high tech
Perhaps most interestingly, information on real estate sign riders can even be leveraged as part of an automated lead collection and nurturing strategy. There are now apps that allow real estate professionals to instantly send their contact information as well as the details of the property when a customer texts a number placed on a rider sign.
The customer’s phone number is also sent to the agent — while the customer is still in front of the house. This can potentially allow an agent to immediately meet the potential buyer if needed. The data can also be instantly sent through a CRM system to better help the real estate business create and execute better marketing strategies.
Conclusion
One might think because everyone has a smartphone and computer these days that there’s no more value left in old-fashioned tools like printed signs and sign riders. Quite the opposite has happened. The emergence of new technology has made sign riders more diverse and more interesting, further increasing their appeal and their effectiveness, especially within the real estate industry.