Search online for “real estate marketing tools” and you’ll come across practically every software application and resource you might need. Email marketing platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) databases, social media monitoring programs, and many other tech tools — including video conference software — have been increasingly tailored to help real estate agents achieve their marketing and sales goals. The trick is knowing the premier tools to use.
The tools below are considered some of the best video conference software around — ones that can come in handy for everything from prospecting remote buyer leads to recruiting to team meetings and webinars. Read up on what makes them great and add one or more to your repertoire of real estate agent tools.
The Most Popular Video Conferencing Software on the Market Today
Google Hangouts
Google the Great and Powerful has a heavy hand in how brands and professionals market today, including live interactions with leads and customers via Hangouts — considered by many to be the best conference call service and digital outreach tool. From both desktop and mobile devices, you can start a group conversation that incorporates video, chat, and multimedia sharing. Conversations can be ongoing (think those lengthy Words With Friends games you’ve had for months on end) or set for scheduled times with individual or multiple people. The next time you need to speak with an interested prospect who lives miles away or a client late at night the day before closing, Hangouts is a great tool to employ.
Skype
Though Skype has been promoted as a great means to connect with friends and family a long way away (notably through tearjerker commercials), but it’s also among the best video conferencing software for real estate agents. Communicating and sharing documents with leads and clients is a cinch, as you can easily conduct one-on-one video sessions and distribute a variety of file types via the platform. This streamlined interaction means you can share listing photos, comparative market analyses, and other essential items for your buyer and seller clients. Instant messaging and screen-sharing are also heavily used features of the free service — a blessing for agents who want to be able to chat quickly with associates or share charts, graphs, reports, and other documents related to their transactions.
GoToMeeting
High-definition screen quality, expeditious invite creation, multiple mediums for making calls, and the ability to swiftly switch presenters are just some of the most attractive features of this highly rated video conferencing tool, which is perfect for agents and brokers who hold weekly roundup meetings. The ease of use of GoToMeeting affords agents and brokers the ideal means to communicate core issues and goals remotely. Given that the service has sister products that are just as useful, like GoToWebinar, it’s a handy all-around solution.
WebEx
Whether you need to converse with just a couple colleagues at different locations or conduct a webinar for 100-plus prospects, WebEx has the video conferencing solution for you. The sleek display makes it simple to toggle from a screen showing listing details to your device’s camera so you can talk directly to your leads. Some of the most widely used features of the service include the scheduling capabilities from mail clients like Microsoft Outlook, the ability to record meetings, and a whiteboard function which allows users to write and draw information to illustrate their presentations.
FaceTime
How could we not list one of the more obvious real estate marketing tools that is in the pockets and purses of millions of agents across the country? Those with iPhones, iPads, and/or Macs can benefit from this simple video calling function offered by Apple. Sure, you don’t get bonus features like the other software listed here, but the simple and straightforward nature of FaceTime is arguably its greatest appeal: You literally tap or click to connect with someone else with an iOS-enabled phone, tablet, or computer and you can instantly talk face to face. Ask clients from the get-go what mobile devices they have — if the iPhone or iPad is one of them and you have one as well, you’ve found an easy solution.
The High-Quality Video Conference Options You May Not Know About
Fuze
Whereas the aforementioned group are the more well-known options, the apps featured in this section, including Fuze, are top-notch, but simply don’t get as much publicity. Fuze a consistent user experience regardless of the device used, an intuitive HD interface that allows up to 12 streams at once, and rich media sharing capabilities, which is perfect for when you want to share your PowerPoint listing presentation. Add in easy conference scheduling via Outlook and Google Calendar and integration with Dropbox and Box and you have a comprehensive, versatile tool at your disposal.
AnyMeeting
Collaborating with and training team members, presenting to leads and clients, and offering information to hopeful home buyers and sellers are just a few ways to use AnyMeeting. Webinars held with the platform can be easily organized from start to finish, including ticketing for attendees so you know which leads to pursue after it’s all said and done. Meanwhile, phone and video conferencing can loop in up to six participants and allow you to brand your business with white-label features and share several file types, including PowerPoints and PDFs. The kicker is the note-taking tool, which permits users to track the conversations they have with those they represent and hope to represent.
Fring
The video conferencing platform is quite useful for an array of different professionals, including agents. The app uses a specially designed communications platform that makes instantly connecting with leads, clients, and colleagues through video a crisp, streamlined experience. The screen quality is extremely high, and the video conferencing comes with essential features like moderator control (managing who can talk and what each person on a given call can see on the screen) and a simple configuration on laptops, PCs, and mobile devices, on which you can easily add and organize contacts.
ooVoo
Hundreds of thousands of downloads and positive ratings and reviews from iOS and Android users alike can’t be wrong. This intuitive video conferencing service offers several intriguing bells and whistles for both its free (you see ads occasionally) and premium (no ads) plans — notably, the ability to talk with up to 12 folks at any given time for free. Screen quality during these many-person calls doesn’t deteriorate either. Recording conversations is simple too, which is accommodating for those times you need to go back and re-hear what was said during a lengthy talk.
Rabbit
“Easy on the eyes,” “insanely helpful collaboration tool,” and “one of the most uncomplicated tools around” are just a few ways to describe Rabbit, a Google-backed service that provides video conferencing technology for real estate agents. Dozens of conversations can be set up at the same time and organized into groups that are simple to recognize at a glance and start up again instantaneously. Visual content of just about any kind can be shared with one or more users or groups, meaning you can provide listing tours to all of your qualified leads digitally in a matter of minutes and be there to answer questions right there and then.
BlueJeans
Larger agencies and brokerages that host regular conferences and meetups may want to stream those events online to broaden awareness of their brands and position themselves as thought leaders. Using a video conference platform like BlueJeans can help them accomplish this, as the service offers a Primetime feature that allows for businesses and professionals to display their events across the web. The famed TED Talks are live-streamed and recorded using this tool, proving it’s an optimal resource for the big-name real estate firms. Having said that, BlueJeans also provides plenty for smaller agencies and brokerages, including the ability to hold meetings with job candidates, clients, leads, and team members, and record conference calls.
The Lesser-Known, Up-and-Coming Video Conferencing Software to Try
Gruveo, Room, and appear.in
If downloading and learning video conferencing software is a hassle for you, your best bet is to lean toward one-time sign-in platforms like Gruveo, Room, and appear.in. Anonymity is the name of the game for each of these services, as none requires personal contact information to use their video conferencing capabilities. Any conference call or client conversation you have via the three platforms is completely secure, and the software works right from your browser, which means you don’t have to worry about prolonged (and annoying) installs. Simply agree on a video meeting code with the person/people you wish to speak with, enter the code in the apps, and you have your own private chat room.
vLine
This video conference service is similar in many respects to Gruveo and Room, but it differs in the entry point for calls. Instead of having all call attendees enter the same code to start, you share a special link via email, chat, social media — wherever, really — and once others click the link you’re ready to chat away. The vLine platform also doesn’t require any downloads, and chat rooms can be kept open for however long you want without your screen freezing or delays occurring. Though marketed as the ideal tool for executives, engineers, and educators to collaborate on projects, vLine is an excellent medium for keeping tabs on all parties associated in your deals: from clients and fellow agents to lenders and appraisers.
Meet.fm
The best conference call service is one that provides all of the tools necessary to complete tasks professionals need to handle when out and about: Remotely meeting with new recruits, prospects, and coworkers. But what about those other responsibilities you have to take care of periodically, like presenting your sales metrics to your broker or hosting a Q&A session with interested leads? That’s where Meet.fm’s virtual parties functionality comes into play. Send invites to those you have to submit work data to or pitch on your services using this nifty tool. The company’s online support is a click away, so you can get the assistance you need.
BigMarker
The main selling point of this video conferencing tool is monetizing the video conferences themselves — specifically, webinars that can be held for the general public as opposed to a specific audience. While that’s not your primary real estate marketing goal, offering general tips and tricks on buying and selling homes, securing mortgages, improving personal finances, and how to get a real estate career off the ground via BigMarker’s platform can generate helpful buzz for your brand. Desktop-sharing, 9-way video conferencing, sleekly designed landing pages promoting your online events, and in-depth webinar analytics are a few of the principal features of this distinct service.
The Not-Technically Video Conferencing Tools You Should Still Check Out
Periscope, Meerkat, and Hang w/
Alright, this is technically cheating since none of these apps are video conferencing tools, per se. However, they are burgeoning video resources that — while intended for use for personal purposes — can still aid your real estate internet marketing efforts. The primary use case that appears to be taking off with agents is to live-stream open houses and listing tours. For those times when your audience can’t make it in person to peruse your listings, any of these tools can come in handy. Each of these video streaming apps allows viewing on both mobile and desktop devices (though the latter is still a mild work in progress), meaning your leads can watch your as-it-happens recordings on the go and on the couch.
What other real estate marketing tools do you use to connect with leads and clients remotely? Share your software preferences with us below!
