13 Certified Real Estate Lead Generation Tips To Give Your Rolodex A Fresh Update
Real Estate Agents! You know that a lot of people are looking for properties…
…but they can be so hard to find!
Where are all these people?
Real estate lead generation can be such a pain, BUT it turns out that there are a lot of ways to get leads without breaking the bank.
Whether you are looking for seller leads, real estate lead, estate lead, or even buyer and seller leads at the same time… I’ve got you covered!
And in this blog post, I’m going to give you 13 real estate lead generation ideas that are proven by seasoned real estate agents to work like a charm.
Let’s get to it!
1. Create your real estate website.
Cold calling is a thing of the past. You don’t want to do that anymore, who does!
Next you’re probably thinking, “Next thing on the list is creating a website or landing pages... great. Like that’s an easy task!”
But the thing is… a lot of real estate agents forgo creating their own website or landing pages, thinking that they can survive on Facebook alone.
But it’s really not a good idea.
Here’s why:
Around 90% of home buyers search Google for info related to buying a home, and most of them take around 11 searches before taking an action on a real estate site.
And, guess what, they most likely won’t find your Facebook page when they search on Google!
Here’s an infographic showing the search behavior of home buyers in the United States:
On your website or landing pages, you have total control over what you publish and how you market your content.
It’s truly one of the best way to generate high quality leads through digital marketing.
You can do Google Ads, Facebook Ads with the Facebook pixel, email marketing, and a whole lot more – things that you can’t do without a website.
WordPress is one of the best and easiest-to-use website builders out there. If you want to learn how to create a real estate website with WordPress, you can start with this video by WPBeginner:
2. Start a real estate blog.
A blog is a component of your real estate website, and this is where you can share your knowledge on your local real estate scene.
If you’re looking to generate any type of lead and strengthen that customer relationship.
Here’s a few real examples:
- Seller leads (Anyone looking to purchase a home in the zip code that you work in)
- Buyer and seller leads (Provide them predictive analytics on the market and homes in the area)
- Estate Lead
- Exclusive leads (because these are yours and nobody else’s!)
Your blog is a marketing tool, and it’s free! You don’t have to focus on Zillow anymore.
Don’t believe me? Check this out…
Bill Gassett of RE/MAX Executive Realty swears by the power of a well-maintained blog in bringing in leads:
“Over the years my blog has brought a substantial amount of yearly business. In fact it is one of my top lead generators.”
If you can set aside time to write and publish at least one blog per week, blogging might be a good fit for you.
The key here is to publish really good content that gives actionable tips that will help readers (most likely property buyers) with their problems. AND stay consistent!
Pro tip: Want to stand out quickly? Share hyper-local topics that only a local real estate agent would know. Like what are the best restaurants in town, things to do, places to visit, etc.
Check out Esther Lee’s guide on starting a real estate blog for more in-depth discussion.
3. Don’t ignore Craigslist for real estate lead generation.
Craigslist…?
Yeah, that site with (lots of) shady deals.
But it’s not all that bad!
In fact, Jeff Cohn sold 60 homes in 2015 on Craigslist alone!
It’s a powerful tool for real estate lead generation, but you have to know the tricks to stand out, avoid looking sleazy, and more.
When used right, Craigslist can be a crucial part of your real estate marketing plan.
Here’s an infographic from Easy Agent Pro on how you can create effective real estate Craiglist ads:
If you want more tips on how to get real estate leads from Craigslist, check out Tyler Zey’s ultimate guide on getting leads from Craigslist.
4. Hunt FSBO…and help them sell their home alone.
Yup, you read that right.
FSBOs are maybe some of the people most annoyed with real estate agents.
Once they post their property for sale, they get tons of calls from agents telling them they can “sell their home for top dollar”.
Out of all the agents telling them that it’s way too hard to sell their home on their own, why don’t you be the only one who genuinely tries to help them do it?
Give them tips on having a great open house or how to increase the value of their home.
Show them something like this:
This way, when they finally give up and decide to use an agent, you’ll be the first to come to mind.
Want to know more about this little secret? Read all about it here: The #1 FSBO Tip That You Have Not Heard Yet.
5. Master hosting effective open houses.
Open houses still work.
This is what Rita Burke, a broker associate at Kenna Real Estate in Denver, will tell you.
And it’s not just a hunch. It’s because she sold 3 homes in a year through open houses.
Open houses put your listing in front of the right people, so even though they’re time-consuming and requires a lot of effort, they’re still worth it.
But holding an open house won’t magically bring viewers to the front door.
You have to know how to market it the right way – and how to WOW viewers as soon as they walk through the door.
This article on how to host an effective open house is the perfect guide for you.
6. Use a real estate SMS lead qualifying service.
How many times did you wake up to see an SMs inquiry from a lead?
The only problem is it was sent hours ago!
In real estate lead generation, a lightning fast response can be the what separates you from the rest… and this is crucial considering the following stats:
Luckily, you can use SMS lead qualifying services to give a faster reply.
SMs lead qualifying services are companies that provide literally 24/7 support for you in the form of real-life agents (not bots!) who ask leads questions like what’s their budget and preferred location… so that you’ll wake up with happy, pre-qualified leads.
If you want give this a try, a quick Google search with the key phrase “real estate SMS lead qualifiying service” should be a good start.
7. Organize educational events on buying, selling, or renting.
Seminars or conferences are a great way to make your name known in the local community.
To hold effective educational events, here’s an important tip:
Kinda similar to how you should handle FSBOs, give the audience what they need and not what you want to give.
It’s tempting to persuade your audience to start owning instead of renting, but not all families can afford it just yet.
So be the nice guy and educate renters on how to get the best deals or how to take care of their rented space to avoid repair costs. Or maybe help buyers understand the full financial picture of buying a house.
One of the best people to target is first time home buyers because they most likely have a ton of questions keeping them up at night.
Here’s an example seminar I’ve found for first time home buyers:
Notice that it’s free, lasts for just an hour, and offers free appetizers – so what can people lose?
The key to holding educational events like this is to be so helpful that they can’t help but like you.
This will lead to referrals and maybe future sales down the road!
8. Niche down.
It’s been a known fact in the medical industry that specialists earn more than generalists.
And this principle extends to the real estate industry.
Real estate niche marketing pays off because you can stand out, focus on one niche, and better brand yourself.
Your niche can be anywhere from the type of property to the demographic categories of buyers.
Here’s more info on real estate niche marketing.
9. Look for divorcing couples.
Divorcing couples are one of the possible demographic-based niches you can target.
This may sound like you’re preying on broken families… but the reality is that 61% of divorcing couples sell their homes.
And these couples are sick and tired of all the paperwork involved.
They need someone who can take the burden of selling their home – which can be a very emotional task – off their shoulders.
This is where you enter the picture.
One quick way to find divorcing couples is by running ads on Facebook. And it doesn’t even have to be pushy.
Here’s an example:
Divorcing couples want nothing more than to get things over with, and this ad knows that deep desire well.
Like I said before, it’s all about giving them what they want.
Here’s a quick guide to running real estate Facebook ads targeted to divorcing couples.
10. Join groups on Linkedin.
Are you on LinkedIn? If not, you should be!
Because here’s the thing:
According to a 2017 study by HubSpot, LinkedIn is 277% more effective for generating leads than Twitter and Facebook.
Generating real estate leads on LinkedIn takes more than setting up a profile. You need to have an active presence on the site.
One way to do is to join groups whose members include your potential buyers.
Once you’re there, you can initiate a conversation with them and slowly build a relationship.
For more tips on how to use LinkedIn for real estate lead generation, check out this guide by Matthew Bushery.
11. Use Facebook lead ads.
What better way to get leads than to use an ad specifically made for this very purpose?
When Facebook rolled out lead ads, it was a field day for real estate agents.
Everybody was trying it. And you should, too.
People love it because it’s easy to use and eliminates the problem of sending people out of Facebook – which they hate.
When played right, it can totally replace your landing pages and make your social media marketing plan for real estate more cost-effective.
Want to learn more? Check out the strategies in using Facebook lead ads for real estate here.
12. Use retargeting ads.
Have you ever visited an online store, added some items to your cart, but then life gets in the way so you weren’t able to finish your purchase?
Then, when you browse other websites, you’ll see ads displaying those exact same items that you planned to buy.
That’s retargeting.
When people visit your real estate website, most of them are not ready to buy just yet.
So they’ll leave and forget all about you. So they become your ex-visitors.
It hurts, but retargeting ads are your ally.
You can use lead generation retargeting ads to double your leads in no time.
If you want to learn more about retargeting ads, check out this comprehensive guide.
13. Create listing videos.
And last but not the least is listing videos.
Listing videos are incredible tools in differentiating yourself from other agents and engaging your target audience.
The key to creating engaging listing videos is to explore the property while engaging your audience emotionally.
What mood does the property evoke, and how can you show it in your video?
Take a look at this listing video of Hurlingham, Conyers Farm:
Wow.
Now that’s a kickass listing video.
Aside from the awesome cinematography, what really makes it effective is how it helps the viewers imagine how their day-to-day life would be if they lived in that property.
But here’s the thing:
Your video doesn’t have to be as fancy as that. We all know a video like that probably costs thousands of bucks.
You can shoot simple scenes with a DSLR camera, edit it quickly, and you’ll instantly be set apart from the rest of the agents in your area.
Now It’s Your Turn
So those were 13 amazing real estate lead generation ideas that you can start implementing right now.
Now I want to know:
What lead generation trick works best for you right now?
Share it with all of us in the comment section below!
