Generating leads is essential for any business, but it is even more vital for estate agents who rely on commissions to make a living. However, with the ever-changing nature of the market, it can be challenging to bring in new leads consistently. Furthermore, what do you do with the leads once you have acquired them, and what is your long-term strategy?
In today's digital age, relying solely on traditional methods like print ads and door-knocking is not enough. Instead, it would be best to have a comprehensive lead generation strategy incorporating online and offline channels. Therefore, for today's purpose, we will leave print ads and door-knocking off the list and highlight the other areas of opportunity for you to consider.
The Checklist
Optimise your website for search engines and make sure it is mobile-friendly
Your website is your digital storefront and is the first point of contact for many potential clients. Make sure your website is optimised for search engines and easily found by people searching in your area. Additionally, with more and more people using mobile devices to browse the internet, it's essential to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly. A mobile-optimised website will provide a better user experience for potential clients and helps improve your search engine rankings and conversion rates.
Create valuable content, such as blog posts and (NB) videos, that educate potential buyers and sellers on the market and the buying/selling process.
Blog posts, videos, and infographics that provide helpful information on the market and the buying/selling process are a great way to demonstrate your expertise and build trust with potential clients. This content can include market trends, how to price your home right, staging tips etc.
Utilise social media platforms to connect with potential clients and share your content
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok are great ways to connect with potential clients, share your content, and engage with potential clients. Additionally, you can use social media to run targeted advertising campaigns to reach a wider audience which I'll discuss below.
Use paid advertising to drive targeted traffic to your website.
Paid advertising on Google, YouTube, and social media can be a great way to drive targeted traffic. These ads can target specific demographics, such as age, location, intent and interests - ensuring you are visible to potential clients.
Build relationships with other local businesses and organisations, and ask for referrals.
Connect with other local business owners and offer exclusive promotions and co-hosted events. Additionally, consider becoming a member of local organisations or a professional association.
Attend local networking events and join local social media groups to build your network.
Networking events and local social media groups can be a great way to build your network and generate leads. Attend local networking events and participate in local social media groups to build a relationship with your community. Remember to share helpful content over sales pitches and market share posts, and be active in these groups.
Use email and SMS marketing to stay in touch with past clients and reach out to new prospects.
Both are cost-effective ways to keep in touch with your community. You can useemail marketingto sendnewsletters, promotional messages, and other information about you. Additionally, you can nurture leads that are not yet ready to buy or sell through journeys and nurture campaigns, which we'll discuss below.
Invest in the right tools to help you manage and nurture leads.
The rightmarketing automationsoftware can help you manage, nurture and track leads. It can also help you automate your follow-up process to build relationships further and increase your chances of closing a sale.
Your Growth
As your business grows, keeping track of all of 'this' will become increasingly challenging. As a result, you will need software to help you because, let's face it, staying organised, building relationships and staying top-of-mind in your community, as you would have realised, has now become the single most crucial aspect of your lead generation strategy.
BriefYourMarket,Acaboom,Pipedrive,SalesforceandHubspotare great options. However, while it has its immediate benefits, there are also some potential downfalls to consider when looking at integrations. (This is all on the assumption that you already have a CRM).
Let's look at them in more detail:
Complexity and risk of data loss
Integrating a new system can be complex and time-consuming, especially if they have different data structures or protocols. This leads to implementation delays and increased chances of errors or data loss. If you are considering this route, consider a backup plan and have data recovery in place to minimise this risk.
Cost & Maintenance
Integrating a new system can be costly, requiring additional resources such as IT staff, specialised software, or consulting services. In addition, once the integration is complete, it requires regular maintenance, which can be costly and time-consuming.
Limited flexibility and system dependence
Integrating a new system may limit the flexibility of your existing or future systems and upgrades to your current systems, as the integration may only support certain features or require specific configurations. In addition, relying on third-party software for integration can be risky - if they go out of business or discontinue the support, it can create a massive problem for your business.
Improved Efficiency
Having one system for all your business needs can improve efficiency, increase data accuracy, and reduce costs. In addition, an integrated platform (CRMandMarketingautomation) can bring many benefits, like centralising data, analysis and operations, increasing efficiency, communication and collaboration.
Let's explore the main advantages of a combined system:
Better lead management and time-saving
Automate your lead generation efforts,trackyour interactions, and nurture them through targeted campaigns. View your data in one place, making managing your clients and prospects easier.
Increased efficiency and enhanced lead nurturing
Build greatertrustwith your prospects and ultimately convert them into clients by increasing your efficiency through streamlining your workflows, automating your marketing campaigns, tracking your results, and making data-driven decisions.
Improved communication and better targeting
Improve communication with your clients and prospects by automatingpersonalised messagesand follow-ups, making building relationships with your market easier by creating targeted campaigns tailored to their needs and segmenting them based on interests, behaviours, and demographics.
Increased productivity and scalability
Increase your productivity by automating repetitive tasks and prioritising yourtasksbased on their importance, making it easier to focus on the most critical tasks and allowing you to scale your business without worrying about the limitations of separate tools. For example, you can automate your marketing efforts and manage your clients and prospects in one place, making it easier to grow your business and, more importantly, know leads and prospects are ready to take the next step.
Ongoing Success
Consumers now have access to vast amounts of information about products and services, and they often conduct extensive research before enquiring, let alone purchasing.
The "7-11-4" strategy based on Google'sZMOT(Zero Moment Of Truth) concept is around the fact that a potential customer needs to see your brand seven times, interact with it eleven times, and engage with at least four types of content before making a purchase.
Here's a great video from our CEO,Mark Burgesstalking about "7-11-4" and what you need to do to have a more predictable and constant stream of leads flowing into your business:
Final Notes.
By understanding and implementing everything in this article, you can create a comprehensive lead generation strategy that considers all the varioustouchpointspotential customers will engage with you and hopefully help you more effectively target your audience and ultimately generate more leads for your estate agency.
