When to use text for recruiting

Social media, video, direct mail, email, and texting are some of the most common methods of recruiting real estate agents. But they vary in effectiveness.

We’ve written before about social media, direct mail, video, and email.

So, when should you use texting for recruiting?

The answer is…

As a last resort. And there are two major reasons why.

#1 – Scalability

There are regulations that govern the use of mass texting. Running afoul of those regulations can get very expensive very quickly.

And, the companies that offer mass texting platforms require you to prove the list you import consists of people who agreed to receive texts. In recruiting, producing real estate agents almost never opt in to receive recruiting texts.

So, that means you either need to send texts individually or in small numbers. That’s time-consuming, especially if you have hundreds of agents who fit your recruiting criteria.

Then there’s the issue of responses. Agents might not be available when you send the text and you might not be available when they respond. I’ve seen recruiting text conversations stretch out over days. It’s much quicker and more efficient to just pick up the phone and make calls.

#2 – They’re ineffective compared to other recruiting methods

About a year ago, we ran a pilot program where we sent recruiting texts to producing real estate agents. The response rate, and therefore the conversion rate, were both abysmal

We actually had a substantial number of agents tell us they would prefer we call them rather than text.

When we make recruiting calls on behalf of our clients, we rarely have an agent request a confirmation of the appointment by text. They almost always ask for a confirmation email.

And, our clients who do text confirmation reminders to agents report a lower show-up rate than those who confirm using email first.

Texting has its place in recruiting. But, it’s best saved as a last resort if you can’t get an appointment with an agent through other recruiting methods.