One of the biggest and trickiest challenges of running a real estate business, especially a local one, is generating high-quality sales leads. Effective sales lead generation through digital marketing will help get a pool of prospective clients in contact with your real estate agency, which will result in more sales.
With the rapid rate at which technology is advancing in the field of real estate, it is no secret that brokers and agents can feel overwhelmed and even confused when it comes to deciding what to include in their digital marketing strategy. This is because times have changed.
Similar to a bargain property that has been demolished and built back up again, the world of real estate marketing has been flipped on its head. Online listing sites, digital CRMs, social networks, and blogs have replaced park benches and billboards.
Here’s how you can make the most of digital marketing to generate more leads and take your real estate business to new heights.
1. User-Friendly and Intuitive Website
If your real estate website is not generating you leads, then it is not doing its job. Your website should be more than just an online brochure; in fact, it can be your holy grail for real estate lead generation. With the help of an experienced professional web designer coupled with the knowledge of what your prospective clients are looking for, you can develop a responsive and user-friendly website that’s optimized for mobile browsing. For example, you can include features, like custom property display, through which you can highlight your high profile listings or properties. Your featured properties or listings will get maximum exposure without really being too intrusive for your website visitors and without looking very different from your overall website.
IDX is another great feature that you should have on your website. Many people consider it the lifeblood of real estate websites. This is because IDX allows information from local MLS (multiple listing services) databases to easily feed into comprehensive and updated listings pages on an agent’s website.
2. Host Virtual Tours
A majority of real estate advertisements are purely photographs and written copy. This means that you will have to do things a little differently to stand out from the crowd. It is no secret that virtual tours of a property are incredible and engaging pieces of content in your digital marketing strategy. Of course, a virtual tour of the property isn’t quite a ‘magic bullet’; however, they do provide potential buyers with a much better idea of what a real estate property is truly like.
Try to invite prospective home buyers into the property from the convenience and comfort of their homes. And from there, these prospective buyers can decide whether or not they would like to inspect the property in person. Some of the important qualities that you should try to incorporate in your virtual property tours are:
- Rather than digital illustrations use real footage of the home
- Ensure that the video of the virtual tour is both responsive and interactive
- Make the virtual property tour 3D and user-friendly
- Leverage Social Media
You have to make the most of Facebook’s real estate marketing tools and have a strong presence on other social media sites, such as Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram. According to a study published by the National Association of Realtors, social media has become integral when it comes to scoring clients and closing real estate deals across the industry. Facebook is a no-brainer in today’s digital landscape and remains a staple of digital marketing for most real estate agents.
One of the main reasons for this is that Facebook’s user demographics, which has the target audience for almost any real estate business age and income-wise. Facebook also allows businesses to easily publish listing-related content and updates, book appointments, curate reviews, and communicate with customers on a single platform. Also, effective Instagram strategies coupled with gorgeous visuals and brief, simple posts are likely to keep you relevant and accessible to any potential client!
According to The National Association of Realtors, 69 percent of realtors are using Facebook, while 61 percent are using LinkedIn for professional use.
Moreover, LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms help streamline the tedious form-filling process to such a degree that it considerably helps marketers collect leads. It is worth mentioning that the feature makes it very easy for prospects to share their information since the forms are already populated with the relevant details contained in their LinkedIn profile.
- Start an Email Campaign
As a real estate agent, you know it often takes months or even years for a buyer to find their dream home. To generate real estate leads for your business, it is vital for you to incorporate effective email marketing into your digital marketing strategy. Ideally, a well-rounded email campaign will funnel prospective clients through predetermined actions mainly based on their profile and prior engagements with you.
Email marketing also makes the sales cycle go much faster. Note that a direct mail piece may take several days to reach its target. And some pieces may get tossed, and others might sit around for days or weeks before the recipients take action. With email marketing, it is possible to send an email, receive a response, and set up a showing with your prospective buyers in just a matter of minutes. Keep the content relevant. If you give your prospective customers content that’s pertinent to their situation, they are more likely to take the next step.
- Blogging
Blogging is an excellent digital resource that you can integrate as a page of your website easily. Regardless of the medium, your main goal is to provide comprehensive information that provides your prospects with valuable insight on selling or buying a home in your market with a personalized touch.
Responsive websites with a blog usually have 434% more indexed pages, which helps real estate professionals achieve better SEO.
Final Thoughts
Although real estate marketing has changed considerably in recent times with a growing number of channels, with some smart changes and tweaks to your marketing strategy, you can easily generate more leads effectively.