Text Messaging Etiquette for the Real Estate Industry
I was inspired to write this blog by an article I saw on Facebook. It was short and sweet and straight to the point but it missed a few points I think are important.
Text messaging has taken over from phone calls and emails. More people text now than call or email and if you have teenagers you'll know they text all the time. My 16 year old son sends over 3500 text messages every month and he doesn't currently have a girlfriend, when he did it was over 7000.
Here are some points:
- Before you text anyone you should ask permission first. Not everyone has an unlimited text plan, and not everyone has a phone that accepts text messages.
- Keep it professional always.
- When texting with clients and business associates be as professional as possible, use proper punctuation and spelling. It's best not to use abbreviations and short forms and you should treat text messaging the same as if you were talking on the phone or emailing.
- When it comes to text messages don't treat them any different than phone calls. Would you call a client at 5am or after midnight? If the answer is no, then don't text them either.
- Text messaging is immediate but don't expect the recipient to drop everything and answer you as quickly as you would rattle off a text message. Just because you don't get an answer immediately don't text your client, realtor, loan officer every five minutes expecting an answer.
Text messaging can help a transaction flow smoothly and can show clients that you are more accessible and tech savvy. Text messaging is less obtrusive than phone calls and can be more convenient but don't jeopardize your professionalism for the sake of convenience.
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