COVID-19 lockdowns have transformed the way we do business, with the real estate industry forced to adapt overnight. In the past, face-to-face networking and open houses were key strategies in generating leads. As we move towards the future of real estate, you need to be innovative with digital lead generation strategies & platforms to build your network of buyers, sellers, investors, and property managers.

Digital Lead Generation Strategies

Build your Personal Brand Online

Your social media presence is more crucial than ever, offering a straightforward and inexpensive way to expand your network. If you can offer friendly, helpful advice and become a trusted and familiar face on someone’s Facebook feed or LinkedIn profile, you will be top-of-mind when they start looking for a realtor.

Remember that social media should always be a two-way communication channel, so take the time to answer people’s questions, conduct surveys to find out what content they would like, and respond to comments. Don’t just stick to posting on your page – join some local community groups and answer any questions you see about buying a house or the rental market.

Create Helpful Content

Creating content such as videos, blog posts, social media posts, and e-newsletters is vital to generate organic leads online and nurture the prospects in your sales pipeline. Think carefully about what your audience wants to know. You might put together insider tips, suburb profiles, quick guides to getting the most at tax time, or information about new properties on the market.

Experiment with text-based content, images, and videos to see what works best for you. When creating content, you should follow these golden rules:

• Be authentic and consistent so that people get to know you
• Keep it informative and professional
• Break down the jargon to help people feel more comfortable with the process
• If using video, add subtitles using online software to improve the user experience. We know that 85% of Facebook viewers watch videos without sound and statistics are similar for other online platforms

Use Video in Your Real Estate Campaigns

A compelling video can showcase more about a property than a photo or written description. For this reason, video marketing has become a critical component of real estate campaigns. Moving forwards, realtors who haven’t embraced this format will lose business as sellers search for agents who have.

Depending on the property, it may be worth having both a home tour and an aerial video. The use of drones makes previously prohibitively expensive aerial photography accessible for most property sellers.

Build Emotional Connections

Buying a home is usually the most significant purchase that anyone makes in their lives. You don’t just purchase bedrooms and bathrooms; you buy into the local area, the schools, the shops, and the community. So, how can you help buyers connect emotionally with a listing?

Start by making it personal. Imagine what life would be like there, and start to paint a picture for your clients. What is the top local cafe for breakfast on the weekend? Where can you go to walk your dog? What do the locals have to say about the schools in that district? Just like home styling allows people to picture themselves in that house, creating videos and blog content about the local area helps buyers to imagine their lives if they move.

Encourage Referrals

As well as helping to build emotional connections with your prospects, sharing information about local businesses and community events on your social media page or website will help you to grow your prospect list by connecting you to more people in the area. You may even find it leads to a lucrative stream of community-based referrals.

Another way to generate referrals is through positive online reviews and recommendations. Word of mouth will always remain the best form of advertising because it comes from a trusted source. We refer to this as “social proof.” Even if you don’t know the person who left the review, you are likely to trust an independent source. Encouraging past clients to leave you a positive review or testimonial can be as easy as asking the question.

Run a Paid Advertising Campaign

Advertising platforms like Google Adwords and Facebook can also help generate new leads. They allow you to target a specific audience segment, using age range, location, relevant interests, and other demographics to hone in on the right people. As well as targeting those looking at real estate online, think about people who have searched for moving companies or researched mortgages.

Rather than going directly into sales mode, you will probably get the best results by sharing useful content like the type that we discussed above. For example, a video advertisement offering an update on how the real estate market is going in Detroit will generate more clicks than one encouraging you to “call the best agent in town!”

Try an Online Lead Generator Platform

If you have been struggling to generate qualified leads without meeting prospects in person, digital lead generation strategies & tools like LeadConvertor can provide high-quality real estate leads. Not only that, but it will send automated emails and text messages to nurture prospects so you can spend more time closing deals.

To find out more about how to keep your sales pipeline full, check out our About the Platform page.