The time is right.
You've got your lead lists, you've mastered delivering your pitch, and you're ready to start calling and texting leads.
Only one question before you start - do you have a plan you're confident in?
Phone and Text Message Marketing are some essential marketing skills you should master, each with several layers beyond picking up the phone and calling or sending out mass texts.
Why We're Writing This
At PropertyRadar, we've been helping real estate and property-centric business owners build out and refine their phone and text message marketing strategies for years.
We've seen it all and want to ensure you have everything you need to create, implement, and execute effective phone and text message marketing campaigns.
Not sure where to start on your phone and text marketing journey?
You've come to the right place.
Let's dive into the different types of phone marketing and how you can use them to build an incredible pipeline of potential sellers.
In this complete guide to Phone Marketing, we'll cover:
- What is Phone Marketing?
- Big Picture: Things to Consider Before Starting
- The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Calling Prospects
What is Phone Marketing?
At its highest level, phone marketing uses phone-based tactics to reach out to consumers for marketing purposes.
Straight-forward enough, right?
However, strategically planning your phone marketing enables it to be a targeted, local, and relevant marketing technique.
Above all else, phone marketing aims to provide valuable information to your local prospects and build long-term relationships while maintaining a respectful, neighborly tone.
When we think of phone marketing, simply making phone calls is likely the first thing that comes to mind.
While it's an important piece, phone calling is just one aspect of a phone marketing campaign.
Using tactics like text message marketing, voicemail drops, multiple line dialers, etc., all give you a well-rounded phone marketing strategy (more on all that later).
It's as much of an art as it is a science, and, to start, there are several ways you can leverage phone calling to your advantage to generate meaningful relationships with your target audience.
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Big Picture: Things to Consider Before Starting
At PropertyRadar, we're on a mission to help small businesses.
Before getting started, we ask everyone using our platform to comply with our Good Neighbor Pledge. Following our Good Neighbor Pledge is a great way to market effectively and respectfully.
If you're finding that people are getting angry with you, think about what you're saying and whether or not you're being a good neighbor.
If you cannot find a way to call without people getting angry, we recommend that you stop calling.
We believe that the best way to market locally is by following the Good Neighbor Pledge:
- Marketing should always be 100% legal and legitimate.
- Targeting is what you do, not what you communicate.
- Be intelligent and private with customer information.
- Great marketing has empathy for your customer.
- Honor all opt-out requests.
- Review your marketing efforts consistently.
Consider phone marketing laws and regulations
It's critical to remember that laws and regulations govern your ability to call people, specifically the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and other "Do Not Call" laws.
The FTC manages federal laws, and state-level laws vary from state to state.
Build DNC compliance into your phone marketing plan
The National Do Not Call Registry gives consumers control over telemarketing calls. For small real estate businesses, the practical takeaway is simple: build compliance costs and list-scrubbing into the campaign plan before you call.
The Do Not Call Registry lists address sellers or people calling to sell goods and services to consumers in return for payment.
The National Do Not Call Registry protects consumers, and real estate teams need to treat compliance as part of the campaign plan. If you call across multiple markets, factor registry access, list-scrubbing, consent, and state rules into the budget before dialing.
As of October 2021, when paying for access, you can get five area codes for free - but the annual fee for nationwide calling is $19,000 a year. After five area codes, each additional area code is $69.
Furthermore, a service provider or data provider cannot provide you with data unless you pay that fee individually as a small business. The law dictates that you, as a telemarketer, must be individually registered to access the list to make calls.
With number portability and phone numbers no longer necessarily applying to geographic areas, local businesses can not rely on the fact that only people in their area will have their local area code.
Nationwide calling can be expensive and operationally complex for smaller teams, so plan your target markets carefully and check your obligations before launching phone outreach.
While we expect and encourage all of our customers to follow the law, it's critical to understand the issues present with today's regulations so that you can overcome the obstacles and leverage phone marketing to your advantage.
Consider the impacts of local call regulations
Remember that the law "covers any plan, program, or campaign to sell goods and services through interstate phone calls…."
Another law reads, "the National Do Not Call Registry covers interstate telemarketing calls under the FCC rules."
We encourage you to follow the Good Neighbor Marketing Pledge to proactively avoid getting yourself into any situation that could end up in persecution and enforcement.
Even if you comply with the National Do Not Call Registry, your goal for follow-up calls should be to provide helpful information and not sell services.
We believe in the best practices of calling to provide value, impart information, answer questions, and not sell.
Keep in mind that none of this applies to customers with whom you have established a business relationship over the last 18 months or business-to-business calls. Review the DNC website to view all other exceptions.
With all this in mind, let's jump to how you can implement effective Phone and Text Message Marketing strategies to grow your business.First, we'll take a look at calling prospects as a method of following-up.
The Step-by-Step Guide to Calling Prospects
Despite the rise of social media marketing and digital marketing campaigns over the last decade, calling is an evergreen strategy and remains as essential as ever.
Calling is more than simply picking up the phone and dialing, hoping for your prospect to answer, and trying to push your way through a conversation.
It takes time, upfront research, and a carefully rehearsed set of talking points to do it correctly.
A planful approach to calling to reach customers takes shape in a few ways:
Step 1: Research Your Prospect
There's nothing that will derail a call more quickly than sounding like you're unprepared.
Public records can be your best friend if used correctly, giving you the insight you need to sound like you've thoroughly done your research.
For example, if you're the owner of a lawn-care company attempting to follow up with customers in your area, make sure to note things like lawn size and if there's an HOA present.
If you're a house cleaning company, leverage property characteristics in your marketing and messaging, including the size of the house, the number of stories, and if there's any record of lingering damage.
Using public records alongside demographics can ensure you're not wasting your or your prospect's time. A little research goes a long way. A better tool helps close the deal.
Step 2: Uncover a Specific Problem
Once you've re-engaged with your potential customers and shown them you've done your homework, your next step is to uncover a potential problem or pain your prospects are having.
For instance, the owner of the lawn-care company can follow up with homeowners who own property on two-plus acres with messaging around how much of a hassle it must be for the homeowner to do all the landscaping themselves, especially in the heat of summer.
While you may be successful with a particular problem message, it's essential to test different messages to see which resonates most effectively when calling.
Step 3: Tailor a Problem-Based Value Proposition
While the target audience you serve may have similar use-cases, be sure to differentiate your value proposition based on segments within your target audience.
Location-based marketing tactics and ensuring you're collecting from public records will help you personalize messages on a much greater level.
Let's see how the owner of the lawn-care company would do this...
The homeowner with a two-acre lot has a fantastic property; better yet, she lives at the end of the neighborhood.
That's great, but when the lawn care owner looks at the neighborhood on a map, it shows the homeowner lives right next to the community pool.
Upon further research, the owner of the lawn-care company realizes that the HOA has strict guidelines on how landscaping can look within a 500-foot radius.
With this location-based marketing data, the owner of the lawn-care company can now reach and tailor their value proposition, reminding the homeowner that specializing in highly-manicured, HOA-regulated landscaping is something they're known for.
Once you've delivered this value proposition, it's time to move the conversation forward, set concrete follow-up steps, and drive towards closing a deal.
Step 4: Set Next Steps
Like any form of traditional marketing, ensuring we set concrete next steps while we have the prospect engaged is critical.
Let's continue with our example...
With the homeowner agreeing that having a highly manicured lawn-care specialist would be important for her, the lawn-care company shouldn't stop there.
By proposing a time for a consultation and even offering to set them up to receive notifications, it builds a form of accountability with the homeowner prospect.
Without setting the next steps, the owner of the lawncare company has put in significant efforts without long-term business commitment - an end-result that doesn't benefit anyone.
Using Auto Dialers as Part of Your Phone Marketing and Mobile Marketing Strategy
Why you should use auto-dialers
Phone marketing campaigns wouldn't be complete without using a power dialer.
Power dialers allow you to follow up with several prospects at once by calling more people in less time since you don't need to input each number manually.
Standard dialer features include the ability to import contact lists, and KPI reporting and usage data.
Single-line and Multi-line Dialers are two main types of auto-dialers as part of your mobile marketing efforts.
You can use a Single-line Dialer to start building a dialing automation strategy
A single-line dialer tool allows you to get through calling more people in less time since you don't need to input each number manually.
If the person doesn't answer, the dialer gives you the option to leave them a voicemail that you've already pre-recorded.
Then, the dialer will automatically move to the following number on the list.
You can significantly improve your call volume per hour by leveraging a dialer to automate your calls.
You can use a Multi-line dialer to scale your dialing automation
The next step up from a single-line dialer is a multi-line dialer tool.
Multi-line dialers call multiple leads at one time and connect you with the first person who answers.
These tools will move on to the next lead after an unanswered call, helping you move through your call list rapidly and efficiently.
Risks of a Multi-line Dialer
As with any tool you use to scale your business, there are some risks to using a multi-line dialer.
Your line may hang up on someone who may have answered, or multiple people may answer at the same time - giving someone a callback message when they pick up, leading to a forgettable experience.
However, this is less of a pervasive issue given the recent advancement in dialer software sophistication.
Benefits of a Multi-line Dialer
On the other hand, the benefit is that you can achieve a higher number of calls while talking to more people since you're prioritizing those that answer.
According to data from Mojo Dialer, single-line dialers allow you to make up to 85 calls per hour while a multi-line dialer tool allows users to make up to 300 calls per hour.
You can use data screens and call outcome tracking to monitor performance
Single-line and multi-line dialers include helpful tools like personalized data screens and recorded call outcomes.
Once connected with a call, you'll be prompted with a screen showing you key details about that person.
This will give you relevant information so you can have high-impact talking points on hand to drive a better conversation.
Dialer tools also allow you to record the outcome of that call.
At the end of the call, you'll know whether that person wants you to call them again, whether or not they are a hot prospect, or whether they should be added to a new list.
You can then record the outcomes of the call and the best next steps you should take to follow up with this person based on the conversation.
Auto-dialers are essential to running a successful calling campaign at scale.
Without them, the time you spend dialing each phone number for every call adds to lost business.
Ringless Voicemail Alongside Calling
At the highest level, Ringless Voicemail allows you to follow up with a prospect by leaving a voicemail without ever making a call.
It's a great way to complement your calling strategy, enabling you to put a "voice" to the number.
When you follow up with your prospects in more ways - whether it's your voice or your face - you strengthen your relationship building and create more valuable long-term connections.
Why you should use ringless voicemail
You can leave voicemails without ever having to call a prospect
Ringless voicemail can be useful for short, respectful follow-ups, but it needs to be handled carefully. Treat it like a regulated call: use it only where consent and applicable rules allow, identify yourself clearly, and keep the message helpful.
The main benefit of ringless voicemail is that you can follow up with what feels like a personalized message without having to spend time calling each person and leaving the same voicemail multiple times.
You can reach large audiences without ever having to pick up the phone
Ringless voicemail is a very effective way to follow up with large numbers of people with whatever message you'd like to share in a personal format.
Leveraging ringless voicemail as a follow-up method can help increase your outreach efforts' effectiveness.
You can generate awareness without ever having to pick up the phone
If someone has already seen a postcard, online ad, or received an email from your business, that may increase their awareness of your brand.
Since you've already engaged with the prospect, following up with ringless voicemail may drastically cut the time between conversations.
Mixing multiple touchpoints can create more impressions to build trust and potentially increase the response rate over time.
Let's now take a look at another form of mobile marketing - text messaging.
Texting As Part of Your Mobile Marketing Strategy
Also known as "SMS marketing," text messaging significantly influences your prospects.
Therefore, it's a great way to follow up with your prospects and build valuable relationships.
However, the most important rule to remember when text message marketing is to ONLY text those who have opted into receiving texts.
As a matter of fact, 75% of prospects are comfortable receiving text messages once they’ve opted in.
To start, text messaging marketing only works with mobile numbers, so ensure that your lead lists have both a business/landline phone number and a mobile number listed. Don't always assume that the primary number listed for a lead is a mobile device.
With text marketing, there's the idea of one-on-one text messaging. Therefore, your follow-up texts should appear custom and personalized, even if the same message is sent out to multiple people.
If you're using a text message marketing provider, chances are they offer that sort of feature.
Text marketing has two main ways you can follow up with someone: with a question or a value statement.
Additionally, you can incorporate mass texting where one message goes out to multiple prospects. Once again, most if not all text message marketing services should have that functionality.
Why You Should Use Text Message Marketing
Mass texting allows you to connect with large audiences easily
To reach several audiences at scale and implement a successful text message marketing campaign, you'll first want to choose a text message marketing software that allows for mass texting.
When you send out a blast to your lead lists, you want to be able to view the replies individually. This will allow you to follow up with those people one-on-one.
While the initial blast from your text message marketing platform goes out to a large group of people, it is not a group text. Sms marketing can be a bit tricky this way, so we'll break it down...
Group texts are sent out to everyone, and then each reply is visible to each recipient that was initially added to the group. Group texts do not allow you to create a one-on-one environment.
Instead, your blast should consist of individual text messages that you can follow up with and maintain individual conversations.
A tactic we strongly recommend is using text message marketing software that incorporates "dynamic" or "templated" text fields.
Dynamic text fields (something most text message marketing platforms should have) automatically populate each prospect's information in that field, rather than you having to type it out every single time for every prospect.
Here's an example of dynamic text message templates in a text marketing platform:
If sending text messages to a group of people, three of which are named John, Susan, and Peter, you can send a blast through the SMS messaging software that reads:
"Hey {first_name}"
John would then receive a text that says "Hey John", Susan would get a text that reads "Hey Susan" and so on.
Additionally, a feature most large text message marketing services will deploy is access to a success or strategy team. They focus on helping you be successful, so make sure to leverage them as a resource.
Looking for a successful team or helpful online resource guide is a key topic you should research when choosing a text message marketing service.
Mass texting allows you to deliver personalized follow-ups at scale
Similar to calling, personalization at scale in text message marketing is achieved through segmenting your audience and testing your value propositions.
It's one of the most important things you can do to ensure your SMS marketing strategy is as successful as possible.
Text messaging that sounds the same across audience segments just isn't going to work. To achieve great results in your SMS marketing, follow a few steps:
Implementing a Formal, Yet Friendly, Tone
In SMS marketing, people can interpret text messages in various ways.
For instance... does it make more sense to say "Hey" or "Hello"?
Should we be using exclamation points or periods?
Should we ever address someone as "man", "dude", or "girl"?
There's a lot that goes into planning your voice, but it's important to decide which path to take to ensure you're keeping your text message marketing appropriate.
Responding to Text Messages from Prospects
Text marketing campaigns often are only as good as how quickly you respond to your leads.
We recommend taking every step to enable notifications on your phone and within your text message marketing service to ensure you're responding to your leads as quickly as possible
You're 80% more likely to get a positive response if you reply to a lead within 5 minutes of receiving an SMS message.
Speed to lead is essential in text marketing and can set you apart from your competition who take their time to follow up with leads.
Incorporating Media Into Your Text Message Marketing
There are a few different tactics you can deploy to enhance your text messages, including:
- Adding Video or Pictures (also known as MMS messages).
- Using QR Codes in your text messaging campaigns.
- Including Surveys to collect feedback from customers.
3 Tips to Scale Your Phone Marketing Efforts
Upgrade to a dialer
Scaling from manual calling to a single-line dialer to a multi-line dialer can help you improve your phone marketing strategy over time, allowing you to reach larger audiences.
Utilize other tools
To have a holistic marketing strategy, you should leverage phone marketing alongside other marketing tools and techniques, such as email drip campaigns, doorknocking, and direct mail.
Grow your team
Once you build out your systems, tech stack, and go-to-market strategies, you'll be able to scale your team the right way.
Always follow the Good Neighbor Marketing Pledge
Given the nature of phone marketing, it's important to always adhere to the Good Neighbor Marketing Pledge:
Marketing is always 100% legal and legitimate
Marketing must always be legal, honest, and transparent. Recipients of your marketing should be able to identify you and your business quickly.
Targeting is what you do, not what you communicate
If someone asks, answer generically by letting them know you're a business that operates in the local community. In particular, you thought they might be interested in your product or service.
Be smart and private with customer information
Marketing materials must never include details about your customers that they might believe to be personal and private.
Great marketing has empathy for your customers
Having empathy is being understanding and sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of your customer and how they will perceive your marketing outreach.
Honor all opt-out requests.
You must honor any recipient's request to opt out and no longer receive marketing from you.
What are you waiting for? New opportunities are waiting!
Access enhanced public records data to discover property and owner data opportunities with PropertyRadar.
Connect with local homeowners in your area by phone, email, mail, in-person, and online with PropertyRadar. Try it free, or watch a free demo, here.
Phone Marketing Software Side-by-Side
| | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | WAVV | Mojo Dialer | JustCall |
| Dialer Technology | Latest, state-of-the-art wireless tech | Antiquated copper wire tech | Wireless tech |
| Native Integration in PropertyRadar | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Call Recording | Free | | Free |
| Call Me Price | Free | | Free |
| SMS Blast | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| SMS Templates | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| SMS Scheduling | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Ringless Voicemail | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Personalized Voicemail | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Voicemail Blast | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Visibility into property details including value, comparables, equity, loan history, and more | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Accelerate your sales process and connect with more homeowners in your area by phone, email, mail, in-person, and online with PropertyRadar. 
FSBO Scripts That Convert: Cold Calling, Voicemail, and Text Message Templates
FSBO cold calling is fundamentally different from general real estate prospecting. When you call a FSBO seller, you are not convincing someone to sell their home. They have already made that decision. Your job with every FSBO script is to demonstrate that professional help will net them significantly more money even after your commission. Every element of your FSBO cold calling approach should build toward that single value proposition.
The FSBO scripts below are designed to work with PropertyRadar's property data. Before you dial any FSBO seller, you should already know their equity position, how long they have owned the property, and key property details. This 30-second research step transforms generic FSBO phone scripts into informed conversations that close at dramatically higher rates.
FSBO Cold Calling Script: The Data-Driven Opening
Most FSBO scripts start with a weak opening: 'Hi, I noticed your home is for sale.' That opening tells the seller nothing they do not already know. It sounds like every other FSBO cold calling script they have heard this week. Here is a data-driven FSBO script opening that immediately differentiates you:
'Hi [name], this is [your name]. I am a local agent in [neighborhood] and I have been tracking the market in your area closely. I noticed your property on [street] and I wanted to share something interesting. Your home has about [X years] of ownership and based on recent comps within a half-mile, properties like yours are trading at [price range]. I have some specific data on what your home could sell for with professional marketing exposure. Would it be helpful if I shared that with you?'
This FSBO script works because it demonstrates three things immediately: you know their neighborhood, you have done your research, and you have specific value to offer. PropertyRadar gives you the data to make this FSBO cold calling script authentic. You are not guessing. You actually know their equity, their tenure, and the recent comps.
FSBO Voicemail Script: Under 30 Seconds, Maximum Impact
Most FSBO sellers screen calls from unknown numbers. Your FSBO voicemail script needs to accomplish three things in under 30 seconds: identify yourself as a local expert, offer specific value, and give a reason to call back.
FSBO voicemail script: 'Hi [name], this is [your name] with [company]. I work with buyers in [neighborhood] and I noticed your property on [street]. I pulled some recent comp data for your area that might be helpful as you price your home. Happy to share it with no strings attached. My number is [number]. Looking forward to connecting.'
This FSBO voicemail script works because it offers something specific (comp data) rather than a generic pitch. The 'no strings attached' language lowers the barrier to a callback. Keep your FSBO voicemail script under 30 seconds. Anything longer gets deleted before the seller hears your number.
FSBO Text Message Script: The Channel FSBO Sellers Actually Respond To
Text messaging has higher response rates than phone calls or voicemail for FSBO prospecting. Many FSBO sellers who screen calls will respond to a well-crafted text. Here is a FSBO text message script that generates responses:
FSBO text message script: 'Hi [name], I am [your name], a local agent in [area]. I have a few pre-qualified buyers looking in your price range in [neighborhood]. Would it be helpful if I shared some recent comps from your street? No pressure either way.'
Two elements make this FSBO text message script effective: the mention of specific buyers creates urgency without being pushy, and the 'no pressure' close respects their decision to sell FSBO while keeping the door open. Follow up with a second text 3-5 days later if there is no response. Consistency wins FSBO listings.
FSBO Objection Handling: 'I Want to Save the Commission'
This is the number one FSBO objection you will encounter, and your response needs to be data-driven, not emotional. Here is the FSBO objection handling framework:
Seller: 'I want to save the commission. That is why I am selling on my own.'
Your response: 'I completely understand that motivation, and I respect it. Here is what the data shows though. NAR research found that FSBO homes sold for a median of $360,000 compared to $425,000 for agent-listed homes last year. That is a gap of $65,000. Even after a typical 5-6% commission, sellers who use an agent netted significantly more than FSBO sellers. I would love to pull the specific comps for your neighborhood so you can see what the numbers look like for your home. Then you can make the decision that makes the most financial sense for your situation.'
This FSBO objection handling approach works because it reframes the conversation from 'saving commission' to 'maximizing net proceeds.' You are not arguing. You are presenting data and offering to make it specific to their property. PropertyRadar gives you the hyperlocal comp data to back this up for any property in any market.
Advanced FSBO Scripts: The Follow-Up Sequence
One call rarely wins a FSBO listing. The best FSBO cold calling systems use a multi-touch sequence across channels. Here is a proven FSBO follow-up script sequence:
Day 1: Initial FSBO cold calling script (above). Leave the FSBO voicemail script if no answer. Send the FSBO text message script 2 hours later.
Day 3: Second call attempt. New angle: 'I noticed your property has been active for [X] days. I have some data on why homes in your price range are taking [average DOM] days to sell and what the top-performing listings are doing differently.'
Day 7: Send a personalized FSBO prospecting letter (see Blog 13) with a specific comp and free CMA offer.
Day 14: Third call. Reference the mail piece: 'I sent you some comp data last week for [street]. Did you get a chance to look at it?'
Day 21: Final text: 'Hi [name], just checking in. My offer for a free, no-obligation CMA still stands whenever you are ready. [Your name], [phone].'
This multi-channel FSBO script sequence uses PropertyRadar data at every touchpoint. The property intelligence you pull before your first call powers every subsequent message. That consistency and specificity is what separates agents who convert FSBO sellers from agents who just dial and hope.
FSBO Dialer Integration: Scale Your Calling with PropertyRadar
PropertyRadar integrates with the WAVV dialer for efficient FSBO cold calling at scale. Build your FSBO prospect list in PropertyRadar, push the skip-traced contacts to your FSBO dialer, and start calling with property data on screen for every lead. Built-in DNC and litigator filtering protects you from compliance issues that other FSBO dialer solutions do not catch.
