25 years ago or so you would need to have any type of content printed on some material and physically in your hands if you were to read it. The Internet has changed all of that, of course, and definitely for the better if you ask pretty much anyone. Those of us who’d still prefer to read the news rather than watch a video sharing it won’t be doing so with a newspaper anymore, although there are some folks who still have one on their front step each morning. Enough about that, we discuss the best ways to generate leads for real estate agents here and the reason we talk about this is those collections of written words viewed digitally make up what is known as content.
We won’t go into too much detail about the technical workings of it all, but the way search engine algorithms are wired nowadays there is a great deal of value in having genuine and quality content related to your business or venture. As a realtor your business is helping clients buy or sell homes, and that’s the entirety of why real estate lead generation is so important for you in the first place. Yes, it will be beneficial to higher search engine rankings for realtors if you have blog on your real estate website and place entries there frequently. But leveraging content marketing for lead generation success effectively goes much deeper than that and that’s what we’re going to look at here.
All of this is go on top of the existing suggestion that realtors will do very well for themselves by taking advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. But success with lead generation requires you to have a multi-tiered approach to it, and this is definitely in line with that. So let’s get right into it.
Plant Seeds First
We will get to the 7 powerful strategies shortly here, but before we do it’s important to understand what quality content is. As a real estate agent content creation should involve putting together informative pieces of writing along with photo and / or video content that puts your expertise on display. We will also say this; there are plenty of other professions where you can have someone contribute to your lack of extensive know-how on whatever subject matter it may be, and make it seem like you’re an all-knowledgeable one.
That’s not as doable in real estate. If these clients who see your content and choose to contact you after reading / viewing it then they are going to expect to see that same level of expertise reflected in you and the services you provide to them. Might that be more difficult for a newer realtor as compared to a more experienced one? Absolutely, but as it is with everything in life you start at the start. Gain knowledge and expertise and then start to place it into quality content made available through your website and social media channels along with any other professional networking avenues may have.
Have the expertise and knowledge already but don’t document it very well? Pay someone to do it for you, and you may even be able to find a writer who is equally capable with A/V stuff too. It’s fairly common to need to invest in ways to generate leads for real estate agents, and content generation may be a part of that for you.
The 7 Strategies
- Quick Responses to Inquiries
You need to snap right to it when a lead comes in and respond to the individual in a speedy manner. Ideally no more than a day should pass, and that includes weekend days. Time is of the essence in the real estate business, and delayed responses mean you risk losing the lead to a competitor. If you’re able to respond to the lead within an hour you’ll be doing a whole lot of good in getting your connection with this potential client off on the right foot, and that is a huge part of the best ways to generate leads for real estate agents.
- Have a Personalized Follow-Up Ready
If you reply to them with any type of generic follow-up email or message you’re not going to create the impression you want, because someone who is considering making such massive life purchase is going to be looking for a realtor who will take this as seriously as they do. Any type of conventional form-like response is NOT going to create that impression for them at all. Take the time to personalize your communication with the lead. Reference specific details from their inquiry or conversation, and address them by name if they have shared it with you.
- Provide Value
It is imperative that lead clearly sees the value proposition in working with you. Simply stating you’re a real estate agent and you’d be happy to help them with real estate purchases or sales isn’t going to be at all conducive to them looking further into listing with you, or using you as their buyer agent. Real estate lead generation certainly isn’t so simple. What you need to do instead is present relevant information and then move to ‘based on _______ information, this is what I believe is your best approach to marketing your home for sale in order to both speed the sale and get you the best price on the home you’re selling.’ Of course, this will be different if they are prospective homebuyer client.
- Employ Different Communication Channels
Different leads will be reached better with different communication channels. Some may prefer email, others may be more likely to get your contact if done by phone calls or text messages. Use a mix of channels to reach out to the lead and determine which method they prefer. A common approach is to suggest a means of contact in the content you publish on your site or social media channel and then make it a 1-click process for them to utilize it.
- Stay Consistent with Prospective Clients
No smart and intuitive realtor is ever going to see real estate lead follow-up as 1-time events. It’s important to stay consistent with your communication with the lead. Follow-up calls or emails should be very firmly scheduled and you need to adhered to that scheduling and contact them at that exact time and by the means of contact they’ve indicated they prefer. This will show the lead that you are committed to helping them and will increase the likelihood of conversion after you’ve done what you need to do to generate leads for real estate agents.
- Patience is Important
It is very rare that a lead is converted into a client quickly and easily. Realtors who choose to not continue their follow-up after being disappointed with results from their first attempt are not doing themselves any favors. Keep at it and be patient. Consistent and persistent follow-up is key to converting real estate leads, and many times there are would-be clients who are testing the commitment, diligence, and resolve of a realtor by doing this as a means of testing whether or not they are the dedicated real estate professional they want to be working with going forward.
- Offer Tangible Incentives
We’ve made quite clear how effective real estate lead generation can naturally be quite a drawn-out process, and the last of our strategies we’re sharing here today it to make incentive offers to prospective clients when they first respond and show their interest in working with a real estate agent. One of the most common ones is to offer a free market evaluation if they’re considering selling their home, but there are other things you can try. Some realtors will have their own moving van that they offer to allow people to use if they agree to list with them.
It’s okay to have monetary value attached to these offers, provided you are strongly convinced there’s a good chance these leads can be converted into clients. Be creative and think about what type of offer would appeal to YOU if the roles were reversed and you were the person being contacted by a real estate agent.
Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively as the only realtor registered to receive them. It’s a proven-effective way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and a look at our testimonials page is enough to make clear how many realtors like you are very happy they’ve already made the decision to sign up.
