If you’re a real estate agent, you know that marketing never sleeps. But managing email campaigns, social media, listing updates, and... Custom real estate infographics published by myRealPage.com
If you’re a real estate agent, you know that marketing never sleeps. But managing email campaigns, social media, listing updates, and lead follow-up can eat up hours of your day. That’s where real estate marketing automation comes in.
With the right tools and workflows, you can automate repetitive marketing tasks, keep your audience engaged, and free up more time to focus on closing deals. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what marketing automation is, why it matters for agents, the best areas to automate, and the tools and strategies you need to get started.
What Is Real Estate Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation for real estate is the process of using software and workflows to run repetitive marketing tasks automatically—without sacrificing quality or personalization.
For agents, this often includes:
- Sending drip email campaigns to nurture leads.
- Scheduling and publishing social media content in advance.
- Triggering follow-up emails when a lead takes action on your site.
- Automatically sending new listing alerts to interested buyers.
- Routing leads to the right team member based on location or property type.
When done right, automation works quietly in the background, keeping your brand visible and your leads engaged.
Why Marketing Automation Matters for Real Estate Agents
- Saving time – Spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time meeting clients.
- Improving follow-up – Never let a lead slip through the cracks.
- Scaling outreach – Reach hundreds (or thousands) of people at once with personalized messages.
- Enhancing your brand – Maintain a professional, polished presence across all channels.
In today’s tech-driven market, automation isn’t just nice to have—it’s a competitive advantage.
Key Areas You Can Automate in Real Estate Marketing
Automation allows you to deliver a consistent, personalized experience across multiple channels:
Email Campaigns and Lead Nurturing
From monthly newsletters to multi-step drip sequences, automated email campaigns keep you top of mind without manual effort. You can even integrate with your MLS® data to send relevant listings and market updates automatically.
Real Estate Drip Email Marketing Guide | Real Estate Newsletter Guide
Social Media Scheduling
Plan and schedule posts in advance to keep your profiles active—even when you’re busy with clients. Tools like myRealPage’s MLS®-connected templates can create listing posts in minutes.
CRM-Triggered Follow-Up Emails
When a lead registers on your site, downloads a guide, or saves a listing, automation can send an instant follow-up email—making your response feel personal and timely.
New Listing Alerts and Updates
Automatically notify your buyers the moment a property hits the market that matches their criteria.
Lead Scoring and Routing
Assign points to leads based on their actions (like frequent visits or inquiry forms) and route high-value leads to the right agent.
How to Get Started with Marketing Automation (Step-by-Step)
Many agents know they should automate, but don’t know where to begin. The good news? You can start small, build on what works, and before you know it, you’ll have a system that runs smoothly in the background. Here’s a simple flow to follow.
Step 1 – Choose What to Automate
Start by identifying the repetitive tasks that take up the most time but don’t require your constant attention. In real estate, these often include:
- Email campaigns – Automate monthly newsletters, property alerts, or drip campaigns for buyers and sellers. For example, send a “Welcome” email to new leads, followed by a 5-step drip series on how to buy their first home. See our email template ideas here.
- Market update emails – Keep your database informed about sales trends in their area without manually pulling data each time.
- Follow-up sequences – If someone downloads your home valuation guide, automatically send them tips on preparing to sell.
Beyond email, think about your social media presence. With myRealPage Marketing, you can create templates using your own brand colors, fonts, and style. Just pick a template, and our system will pull in your MLS® listing data—photos, price, bedrooms, bathrooms—so you can plan an entire week of content in minutes instead of hours.
You can also automate daily operational tasks such as email reminders for appointments, posting open houses to social media, scheduling calendar events, and setting reminders for follow-up calls or meetings with clients.
Step 2 – Select Your Tools or Platform
Choose tools that integrate well with the systems you already use. The best automation setups allow your CRM, website, and marketing tools to “talk” to each other so information flows seamlessly. Look for platforms with built-in integrations or support for third-party connectors like Zapier. You can see myRealPage’s integration options here.
Step 3 – Map Out Your Campaign or Flow
Before you set anything live, decide exactly what messages you’ll send, in what order, and to whom. Segmentation is key—sending the right message to the right audience will make or break your automation strategy. For example:
- Buyers could receive new listing alerts and neighborhood guides.
- Sellers might get staging tips, market reports, and sold case studies.
- Past clients could receive quarterly check-ins and anniversary messages.
By clearly mapping out your flow, you ensure each contact gets content that’s relevant to their needs and stage in the real estate journey.
Step 4 – Set Triggers and Actions
Automation runs on “if this, then that” logic—known as triggers and actions. For instance:
- Trigger: A lead signs up for a market report.
- Action: Send them a personalized email with recent sales in their area, followed by a drip sequence on selling in the current market.
Other examples could be sending a welcome email when someone registers on your site, or creating a task for your assistant when a lead visits the same listing page three times.
Step 5 – Test, Monitor, and Optimize
Automation is not “set it and forget it.” Run a small test first—maybe to 10% of your audience—and see how they respond. Testing can be as simple as checking:
- Did the emails send correctly?
- Were the links working?
- Did the right segment receive the right message?
Once you confirm everything is working, roll it out to your full list. Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and replies to identify what’s working and what can be improved. Over time, small tweaks—like changing a subject line or timing—can lead to big gains.
The Best Tools for Real Estate Marketing Automation
Popular options include Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Follow Up Boss, but these often require complex setup. myRealPage combines MLS® integration, website tools, and built-in marketing automation designed specifically for real estate professionals—saving you time and reducing costs.
Pro Tips to Get the Most from Your Automation Strategy
- Personalize automated emails with the lead’s name and relevant content.
- Space out communications to avoid overwhelming people.
- Use strong, clear calls-to-action.
- Review performance monthly and adjust as needed.
- Keep your contact list clean and up to date.
FAQ: Real Estate Marketing Automation
What is real estate marketing automation?
It’s the use of software and workflows to automatically run marketing tasks like emails, social posts, and lead follow-ups—freeing you to focus on selling.
How can I automate my real estate email campaigns?
Use a platform that lets you set up drip campaigns, schedule newsletters, and trigger emails based on lead actions—ideally one connected to your MLS®.
What are the best tools for real estate automation?
Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Follow Up Boss, and myRealPage are popular options, but myRealPage is built specifically for agents and includes MLS® integration.
Can marketing automation replace a CRM?
No—automation works best when paired with a CRM to store and organize lead data.
Is myRealPage an all-in-one solution for automation?
Yes—myRealPage combines websites, MLS® tools, email marketing, social templates, and automation in one platform.
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