What is the best way to ensure consistent traffic to your website and build a successful real estate business?
Real estate lead generation is the answer.
In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, about 75% of home buyers begin their search online for homes, and over 90% of buyers use the internet during their search process in some way, shape, or form.
This means that you have to do everything in your power to get your business’s name out there so that potential clients will seek you out on their own accord.
Lead generation isn’t just important to your business; it’s a crucial part of the process of buying and selling homes.
You need to make sure you have the right tools in place to help you generate leads, primarily if you work in real estate sales.
There are many different ways to generate real estate leads, but these eight will get you started on the right path.
When it comes to real estate lead generation, you want as many potential clients as possible to know about your services and contact you as soon as possible so that you can get their business.
Here are eight ways that you can generate real estate leads.
For effective real estate lead generation, network as much as you can
Whether you’re in real estate or some other industry, networking is one of the easiest ways to generate real estate leads.
What do I mean by networking?
In short, try to expand your social circles and connect with more people than you usually would.
Get out of your comfort zone and meet new people—especially if they’re in your industry.
However, remember that network marketing (i.e., trying to get people into your downline) is much different than simply expanding your network.
Advertise your services
Depending on your business, you might need to advertise it.
Be careful with where you place your ads; they could end up costing you more than what they’re worth.
When deciding how to market yourself, you want to ensure that whatever ad or platform you use reflects well on your business.
That way, your customers can associate their positive experience with you and come back again in the future when they need another excellent service provided by a trustworthy professional.
If people only have a bad experience associated with your name once, the chances are good that they’ll never come back for more.
Consider paid advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
Just like anything else on social media, you’ll have to spend money to make money.
The trick is figuring out how much money you can afford to spend and understanding your return.
For example, if a $5 Facebook ad costs you $5 in cost per click but only generates two leads, it may not be worth it.
Suppose a $50-per-day Facebook ad campaign brings in $3,500 in revenue over six months — with an average sales price of more than five figures — that might very well be worth it. Your call!
Paid social media advertising is a popular way to reach new clients and generate real estate leads.
Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn have all rolled out options for paid advertising on their platforms.
If you aren’t comfortable spending money upfront, start by creating an ad on your page or profile.
You can test it on one of your friends or try using interest targeting, which allows you to target people based on their interests regarding who they are connected to or what they like.
Once you get an idea of how many impressions and clicks your post is getting, you’ll know whether paid ads are worth it for you and your business.
Buy other people’s leads
Before you start buying other people’s leads, though, it’s important to understand a few things about lead generation.
For one thing, many businesses get their leads from email lists or phone books.
That makes sense, but there are two problems with that approach:
One is that those people can’t actually buy anything (because they opted into your list); and
The other is that if you don’t spend money on marketing yourself to these folks, no one will ever find out about your business.
The best way to generate real estate leads is to buy them from third-party vendors; then build up your own database of prospects over time.
One of the most effective ways to grow your real estate network is by using social media.
If you’re new to social media, don’t worry—it’s not as hard as it seems.
Twitter can be a particularly effective way to meet new people (and build relationships).
LinkedIn is another great option for those already in real estate because it lets you connect with other professionals based on shared connections rather than random friend requests.
Please make an effort to follow and connect with other agents in your area and send them a message once or twice a week asking how they’re doing.
Invest in events. Speak at them
Connecting with other people in your industry at an event and then building a relationship after meeting them can lead to some of your best real estate leads.
Engage at events by buying tickets and sponsoring booths.
If speaking isn’t an option, do something like submit a vendor application or attend as a volunteer.
In any case, don’t be afraid to talk with people and make sure they remember you afterward.
Make it easy for them: There are many ways that real estate agents build their online presence so that potential customers will find them when they’re ready to buy or sell a home.
Write blogs that generate prospects organically
Many real estate professionals find themselves inundated with phone calls and emails from potential clients, as well as visitors to their websites.
While it’s exciting to have so many people interested in working with you, it can be challenging to manage all of these leads individually.
Instead of responding to each prospect personally, why not write blogs that help people find you?
This can help your business generate more leads organically, meaning you’ll have more prospects reaching out to you than ever before.
Here are a few examples:
- How Do I Know if I Need a New Roof?
- A guide for homeowners to determine whether or not they need a new roof
- What Type of Flooring is Best for My New Home?
Optimize your web presence through SEO
This one is pretty obvious, but it bears repeating: optimizing your website for search engines is integral in generating real estate leads.
Generally, businesses that rank highly in Google’s search results get more traffic and subsequently generate more leads.
It’s not an exact science—search engines change their algorithms regularly, and there are many other factors at play (e.g., quality of content).
But it’s probably worth your time to hire someone who knows what they’re doing.
We offer cost-effective SEO services to realtors who want to improve their website ranking.
