Real Estate Lead Generation in the Age of Social Media
Filed Under Interactive Voice Response, Real Estate Prospecting Ideas, Social Media | 3 Comments
Lead generation is critical when it comes to a real estate agent’s marketing efforts. If leads aren’t coming in then you will eventually go out of business.
In the past a real estate agent could depend upon tools like direct marketing mailers and response hotlines. Now social media and all it’s promises of great lead generation have come along and seduced a lot of agents without delivering any verifiable goods.
Don’t get me wrong…I like social media and think that it can be a great networking tool. But there are some key things you need to think about.
First off you need to stop saying things like “I need a Twitter account” or “Oh man, Pinterest is blowing up…I need to jump on their and get started using it for homes and stuff.”
That’s jumping the gun and putting the horse before the cart.
Instead you need to think more strategically.
Understand your prospects
Good lead generation always starts with knowing your target prospect inside and out. This means good research about this audience. Go door to door, call them on the phone, talk to them at the local groceries or park. Get to know them. A good social media lead-generation strategy is always established on good customer research.
Understand the local economy
How has the recession impacted your market? Is unemployment high? Foreclosures high? When it comes to social media you need to be sure you are talking to your audience with a sensitivity that respects the local economy. If you sound like you are out of touch then you’ll ruin your reputation.
Capture and maintain leads
Once you’ve understood your market and the economy, your social media lead generation strategy needs to look at how you intend to capture and maintain data on your leads. CRM programs like Batchbook can help you manage social media leads.
Give good customer service
You need to think about how you treat customers is going to impact your social media efforts. Reviews on your services could show up in places like Yelp. People are always looking online for opinions. What they read will definitely impact what they think of you. You have to make sure you are giving great customer service. Bad feedback can easily hurt your efforts.
Evaluate tools
The worse possible thing you could do is jump onto every new, shiny social media platform that comes online. Instead you need to think about what you are trying to accomplish, who your ideal customer is and where he or she will likely spend time online. Facebook has proven to be very effective lead gen social media for real estate agents, with Twitter a distant second. Blogging has also proven to be effective in generating leads. Pinterest has potential in that you could build boards of house or interior designs ideas people could follow. YouTube might be helpful, too.
Your Turn
The goal with your social media lead generation campaign is not to waste your time. And that’s exactly what can happen if you don’t approach social media thoughtfully.
So tell me: have you had any success using social media to generate leads?
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Want fresh, new ideas on making your phone ring with prospects? Then grab this free 7-part online video training series.
Related Articles
What Kind of Time Are You Putting into Social Media?
15 Interactive Voice Response Possibilities to Discover Now
Filed Under Interactive Voice Response | Leave a Comment
Get this: the future is coming. Fast.
Sometimes we don’t look outside our little angle of it, and that means we miss some good possibilities. Other times we simply sense something is out there…a piece of the puzzle we need.
See, some people estimate that by mid-2010, close to half of the agent’s in business today will be out of business.
Fortunately you can protect yourself from becoming that statistic. That’s where Interactive Voice Response comes in.
I’ve compiled a list of 15 ideas, tools and strategies involving interactive voice response to help you grow your business in spite of the current economic fallout. Tell me what you think.
1. Target the move up buyer. Strike while the iron is the hottest using interactive voice response and your listing inventory will soar.
2. How to turn multiple transactions a month. Follow these 6 powerful steps to create a stable, low-maintenance monthly flow of leads from renters.
3. Rejection free strategy to listing 1 FSBO a month. This strategy comes from a soft-spoken lady who nearly took over her real estate market with an original, but not new, approach: she was nice.
4. The ultimate listing presentation. This listing presentation closes 19 out of 20 interviews–in your favor. Here’s how to harness its persuasive power.
5. Shutting out competition. Attract a flood of home buyer leads by learning how to correctly use the single, most potent lead generation source out there.
6. Make your magazine ads produce profits. This may shock you, but homes magazines produce profit. Use ‘em right and you could be at the head of a landslide of leads.
7. 5-step maverick secret helps ordinary real estate professionals turn unprofitable direct mail advertising into thousands of dollars a month.
8. Key to listing expireds. Combine this crystal-clear 4-step postcard strategy with your UPS and you could accumulate expired listings almost effortlessly.
9. Four effective keys to contacting pre-foreclosures. This is prospecting technique using interactive voice response will have astronomical effects on your listing inventory.
10. Buyer ads using interactive voice response that will have your phone ringing off the hook.
11. How to get 300% more sign yard calls. A simple message with three trigger words on a sign rider can compel practically every single hot buyer or seller who sees your sign riders to call you.
12. Slash marketing costs. Learn how to easily track every single response from every single ad with pinpoint accuracy…so you can eliminate those sources that lose money and maximize those sources that make money.
13. Beautiful strategy to snap up listings. How to use every home owners curiosity and pre-occupation with the value of their home to your advantage.
14. Generate FSBO leads for less. Did you know you can generate up to 45 leads a month for under $8? Find out how.
15. The one quality all top producers share. Discover this secret and how top producers leverage interactive voice response to create a career that consistently and predictably generates cash.
That’s all I’ve got. And feel free to add any other ways you’ve used interactive voice response to work with more clients. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
The Two Most Productive Lead Generation Activities in Real Estate
Take Advantage of This Psychological Buyer Quirk to Sell Any Home Now
Social Media Does Matter: Selling Houses During Hard Times