The world of real estate is constantly evolving when it comes to marketing, even more so as we find our way through a pandemic and plan for what’s on the other side.
Lead generation for real estate is part of this evolution. What worked before may not work as well in today’s marketplace. Being a successful real estate agent requires constant change. No surprise there! Evolution of the marketplace means prospective clients or potential buyers may be in a different target audience than you initially worked with. This is worth paying attention to.
Finding new and innovative ways to generate leads is not always easy. Sometimes you have to think outside the box so you can build relationships with potential customers and make your name known.
Here are some real estate lead generation ideas to get you on the right track.
Generating the Right Leads for your Real Estate Business
Real estate is a business that doesn’t always follow the typical advertising routes when it comes to generating leads. The market is different from manufacturing or other service providers. Let’s get started with some lead generation ideas that will work well within the real estate market.
- Facebook Messenger Ads – Traditional ways of lead generation can take a lot of steps to get results. The problem with this process is that with each step there’s a chance that a potential client may walk away or lose interest. However with Facebook Messenger Ads, a prospective client who clicks on the ad is going to get to start a live conversation rather than just entering data in a form for a future response. This can even work for the digital marketing of any commercial real estate ventures. Through a social media platform like Facebook, there are fewer steps where the lead can be lost. The added benefit is that the qualified lead doesn’t feel pressured to give up their personal information but can connect with you personally. It’s a great way to generate leads. It is low cost, and you can offer great response rates.
- Facebook Messenger Bots – Remember real estate lead generation idea #1. Of course you do! Now imagine that the Facebook Messenger Ads are connected with a Facebook Messenger Bot to carry out the conversations that you engage in every day – in an automated way. Save time. Increase conversion from inquiry to prospective buyer/seller. Think about it – there’s no downside here. If you aren’t able to engage with a prospective client’s Facebook message, that lead is likely lost anyways. Facebook Messenger bots interact on your behalf. Not sure you want to figure this all out? It’ll come as no surprise to you that we offer that service too! Feel free to contact us for more information or to book an introductory call.
- Purchase seller leads that are exclusive – This is a new way of doing real estate. Online effort is a must in the real estate vertical now. Using a home valuation website or a “find out how much is your property is worth” service can help you get exclusive leads. Homeowners will use the online service to get an idea about what the value of their property is that they want to sell. Then the company sends that lead to an agent who has previously registered with the site for those leads in a particular zip code (hello Americans!) or postal code (hello Canadians!). It is a good way to find sellers before other agents begin to get inquiries.
- Use circle prospecting – This is a great way to get your name out in a crowded marketplace. Having your name known is the only way to get in many of your neighbour’s sightlines, especially in more rural areas. You need to do something more than direct mail or a door-to-door flyer. A good way to approach this problem is to buy a list of neighborhood phone numbers and then use an app to leave voicemails about your open houses in the area. This is interesting for neighbors as it is relevant to their area and may pique their interest in seeing a local house or have them pass your info on to a friend or family member.
- Narrow your focus using predictive analytics – This is an area of lead generation that is just getting started. There are apps you can use that will take hundreds of data points from the internet and cross them with local MLS to give you a good idea about property owners who may be more likely to sell over the next 12 months. Using apps such as Zurple can make this easy. It will give you targeted demographics not only capturing targeted leads but also helping to convert them to clients. It is helpful as you can focus on specific clients who have good potential rather than a whole neighborhood.
- Go old school – Use the phone and call one person a day who you know. This sounds odd, since you probably know who on your contact list is selling and who isn’t, but it’s more about networking. Almost one-third of people work in an area that crosses the path of real estate, whether it is renovations, insurance, repairs, banking or others. “Cold calling” your peers and keeping in touch with those contacts helps to create meaningful business relationships, trust and hopefully some word of mouth references. One call a day can make a difference. Hard to do. Stay committed. This will work.
- Facebook Messenger Ads – Traditional ways of lead generation can take a lot of steps to get results. The problem with this process is that with each step there’s a chance that a potential client may walk away or lose interest. However with Facebook Messenger Ads, a prospective client who clicks on the ad is going to get to start a live conversation rather than just entering data in a form for a future response. This can even work for the digital marketing of any commercial real estate ventures. Through a social media platform like Facebook, there are fewer steps where the lead can be lost. The added benefit is that the qualified lead doesn’t feel pressured to give up their personal information but can connect with you personally. It’s a great way to generate leads. It is low cost, and you can offer great response rates.
- Facebook Messenger Bots – Remember real estate lead generation idea #1. Of course you do! Now imagine that the Facebook Messenger Ads are connected with a Facebook Messenger Bot to carry out the conversations that you engage in every day – in an automated way. Save time. Increase conversion from inquiry to prospective buyer/seller. Think about it – there’s no downside here. If you aren’t able to engage with a prospective client’s Facebook message, that lead is likely lost anyways. Facebook Messenger bots interact on your behalf. Not sure you want to figure this all out? It’ll come as no surprise to you that we offer that service too! Feel free to contact us for more information or to book an introductory call.
- Purchase seller leads that are exclusive – This is a new way of doing real estate. Online effort is a must in the real estate vertical now. Using a home valuation website or a “find out how much is your property is worth” service can help you get exclusive leads. Homeowners will use the online service to get an idea about what the value of their property is that they want to sell. Then the company sends that lead to an agent who has previously registered with the site for those leads in a particular zip code (hello Americans!) or postal code (hello Canadians!). It is a good way to find sellers before other agents begin to get inquiries.
- Use circle prospecting – This is a great way to get your name out in a crowded marketplace. Having your name known is the only way to get in many of your neighbour’s sightlines, especially in more rural areas. You need to do something more than direct mail or a door-to-door flyer. A good way to approach this problem is to buy a list of neighborhood phone numbers and then use an app to leave voicemails about your open houses in the area. This is interesting for neighbors as it is relevant to their area and may pique their interest in seeing a local house or have them pass your info on to a friend or family member.
- Narrow your focus using predictive analytics – This is an area of lead generation that is just getting started. There are apps you can use that will take hundreds of data points from the internet and cross them with local MLS to give you a good idea about property owners who may be more likely to sell over the next 12 months. Using apps such as Zurple can make this easy. It will give you targeted demographics not only capturing targeted leads but also helping to convert them to clients. It is helpful as you can focus on specific clients who have good potential rather than a whole neighborhood.
- Go old school – Use the phone and call one person a day who you know. This sounds odd, since you probably know who on your contact list is selling and who isn’t, but it’s more about networking. Almost one-third of people work in an area that crosses the path of real estate, whether it is renovations, insurance, repairs, banking or others. “Cold calling” your peers and keeping in touch with those contacts helps to create meaningful business relationships, trust and hopefully some word of mouth references. One call a day can make a difference. Hard to do. Stay committed. This will work.
Final Thoughts
Ways of generating real estate leads need to be refreshed on a regular basis. However, many of these lead-generating ideas are simple. It comes down to being a genuine part of your community so people know your name and trustworthiness. While real estate is a tough business, people want to know they matter and you are concerned that they are getting the best deal possible whether buying, selling or referring others to you. People are trusting you with one if not the biggest purchase of their lives so making sure it means something to you as well will go a long way to generating leads and sales. Try one of these strategies per quarter and give it your best effort by truly committing to a few of these over time. In most cases, your nightmare scenario is you’ve lost some time or a little money – but the rewards far outweigh the risks. And finally, let us know how it goes! If you need a little guidance along the way, feel free to set up some time for a quick call with a Canopy Media marketing strategist – think of our team as your Lucy – introductory calls for a little advice only cost 5 cents 😉
