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For small firms and novice real estate agents, lead generation is a challenging ordeal in a highly competitive industry such as real estate. Lead generation is the process of attracting and cultivating potential customers.
As the real estate industry rapidly evolves, lead generation practices have drastically changed. In the olden days, a salesperson’s information serves as leverage to influence a buyer’s decision. But with the breakneck progress of digital media, buyers can readily search for information without the salesperson’s guidance. This shift has taken away the leverage of salesperson information and left real estate agents to generate leads from prospects who are researching a property.
With digital marketing dominating the industry, printed property brochures are becoming less relevant. According to statistics, 50 percent of property seekers across all generations and 93 percent of buyers below 37 years old use the internet during a property search. Furthermore, 56 percent of homebuyers 36 years old and younger and 50 percent of homebuyers between 37-51 years old found their homes online.
With these figures, it is safe to say that effective lead generation goes beyond your usual cold calling and door knocking practices. Here are tips to generate leads in 2019:
Take advantage of referrals
According to statistics, 89 percent of real estate transactions are repeat business and referral deals. This makes word of mouth extremely valuable in generating prospective leads. Referrals remain the number 1 most reliable source of free leads. Build a strong sphere of influence by organizing a list of your contacts and keeping in touch with your previous clients via email, SMS or social media.
Implement a review strategy
In digital media, online reviews are the new form of word of mouth. Statistics show that 70 percent of consumers read online reviews before buying something. If you are targeting the millennial market, plan a review strategy to start generating leads. You can do this by adding a review page on your website, sharing testimonials, or creating videos with customer feedback. After every transaction, make sure to encourage your clients to leave online reviews on your website, blog or social media accounts.
Establish your social media presence
Social media is a great platform to advertise your brand and property listings. You can also post your blog entries and the link to your website on social media to promote brand awareness and increase web traffic. Paid ads will also boost your brand recognition to those beyond your sphere of influence. Among the most worthwhile platforms to invest in are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
Utilize email marketing techniques
Emailing remains to be the top online activity among internet users. Creating an email newsletter for your firm will help disseminate information about your brand and property listings. Email newsletters provide bits of information to prospects at a convenient time. You can include a link to your blog or website or a preview of new properties on the market.
Create a visually stunning website
In the digital age, building a website for your real estate business is paramount to promote brand awareness. Based on statistics, websites generate 48 percent of real estate leads and is the second most effective online channel for lead nurturing campaigns, next only to email.
In building your website, create an engaging, creative and unique profile of yourself or your company. Surprisingly, the “About Us” page is the third most viewed page on a real estate website. Also, incorporate virtual reality in your web design by adding 360-degree views of your listings through photos and videos. Not only is your website your greatest tool to show off your listings, but it is also the best platform where international clients (like OFWs) can appraise a potential home.
Optimize your website and blog posts by using search engine optimization techniques. This will improve the visibility of your website on online search engines like Google and increase your web traffic.
Post listings on property portals
According to experts, property seekers will continue to depend on online property portals in the coming years. In 2017, Lamudi recorded about 15 million users – a five-time increase from 2014.
Posting your property listings on property portals, like Lamudi, will improve your online visibility and generate warm and hot leads. You can also include your social media accounts and a link to your website or blog on your postings to help leads connect to you faster. Furthermore, you can use Lamudi’s Lead Management Tool to generate leads and track sales opportunities.
Create an effective video marketing strategy
Property seekers demand more than just stunning and high-quality images. Based on statistics, videos attract three times as many visitors to a real estate website. Surprisingly, only 4 percent of agents post their listings on YouTube.
If you’re targeting millennials or OFWs, the best way to pique their interest is to create videos showcasing both the exteriors and interiors of your property listings. Although using professional equipment and editing software will boost the quality of your content, using your cell phone camera and basic video editing software will do the trick.
Aside from building your online presence, it is also important to establish your local presence. Ultimately, an agent can benefit greatly from being actively involved in the community. This will help you build connections and boost your reputation in the locality. You can do this by doing community service or simply joining bazaars and expos.
For real estate agents located in Cebu, the Lamudi Housing Fair in Cebu will be a great avenue to meet seasoned professionals and build your local network. Free online real estate marketing trainings will also be offered to help you improve your lead generation and nurturing practices. The Lamudi Housing Fair in Cebu is happening on September 21, 2019, at the Cebu Trade Hall.
For updates on what’s in store for you at the event, follow Lamudi Housing Fair Cebu.
Sources: Invespcro, Carrot, Optinmonster, Follow Up Boss, Campaign Creators, Outbound Engine
