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Generating more listing leads can be extremely difficult. But it’s never impossible. Unless of course… you have a flawed plan. Or worse, no plan at all.
If you’ve hit a point in your career where you’re only getting buyer leads, it may simply be a matter of refining your lead generation system and your plan for growth. We’re about to do just that.
To help you eliminate the guesswork involved in getting more real estate listing leads, we’ve boiled it all down to seven essential tactics:
1. Build Your Brand
2. Nail Your Marketing
3. Work Your Network
4. Warm Up to Cold Calling
5. Attend Events & Host Your Own
6. Find Your New Friends
7. Buy Real Estate Leads
Let’s start with the foundation.
Build Your Brand
Put simply, your brand is what other people think of you and your real estate business. You have many competitors in this field, and branding is your differentiator. Everything you do to attract clients should fit into a compelling and cohesive brand experience.
Want to improve your real estate branding so you can generate more listing leads? Start by answering these three essential questions:
What Is Your Unique Value Proposition?
A unique value proposition (UVP) is a statement that informs prospective clients about what sets you apart from the other agents in your market. Think of it as an elevator pitch, but in writing. It’s what shows you’re not a dime-a-dozen agent.
Your UVP should be concise. It should be punchy so that it’s as memorable and clear as possible. Most UVPs are only a sentence or two in length.
Use numbers whenever possible. Stats and figures give prospects something to hold on to. Plus, they go a long way in boosting perceived credibility.
Does your value proposition speak directly to sellers? For example:
“I have helped more clients sell their Seattle homes in the last five years than any other agent. My client’s homes sell in an average of just 20 days, 25 percent faster than the average for my area.”
What is Your Mission Statement
Your mission statement takes your UVP and turns it into an action that’s tied to a greater purpose. It explains what you do, who you serve, how you’re different, and why you do what you do.
A well-crafted mission statement serves two very important functions. First, it keeps you focused on your priorities, your overarching purpose, and the meaningfulness of your work. And second, it tells your prospects and clients exactly what they can expect when they work with you.
A mission statement does not need to be comprehensive, overly specific and detailed, or even a complete sentence.
To get the creative juices flowing, consider these two examples:
RE/MAX: “To be the worldwide real estate leader, achieving our goals by helping others achieve theirs. Everybody wins.”
Atlassian: “From medicine and space travel, to disaster response and pizza deliveries, our products help teams all over the planet advance humanity through the power of software. Our mission is to help unleash the potential of every team.”
Who Is Your Target Market
You can’t be everything to everyone. If you try, your brand will end up blending in instead of standing out. So take the time to identify a focused target audience.
Try to be as specific as possible. To narrow down even farther, consider creating profiles (or “personas”) based on your top two or three ideal clients.
Let data be your guide. For example, if you’re interested in a particular neighborhood, get all of the information you can find about the demographics in that area. Learn about who follows you on social media. Get a customizable website with MLS listings which attracts buyers and sellers and – crucially – collects and analyzes data about visitors’ activities.
Nail Your Marketing
Now that you’ve considered the essential brand identity questions for your business, you’re ready to move on to the second step: adjusting your marketing strategy to attract more listing leads.
Yes, you can buy online real estate leads. But you also need to incorporate that lead generation strategy into a solid marketing plan that includes tried-and-true best practices as well as the newest cutting-edge ideas.
To provide the briefest of checklists, here are three marketing strategy must-haves.
A Social Media Strategy Designed To Get More Real Estate Listing Leads
Don’t underestimate the power of having a strong digital presence through social media. It may be among the simplest and most effective ways to generate leads.
Of course, if you’re looking for more listing leads, be sure to post content that’s especially relevant for potential sellers in your area. Provide useful tips, helpful advice, and insightful statistics that demonstrate credibility and trustworthiness. With each impression, you’re increasing the likelihood that you’ll be top-of-mind when they’re ready to sell.
If you haven’t already, take 15 minutes to create a Facebook page for your business that’s tailored specifically to accommodate potential home sellers. Always remember to keep your professional profiles public so they’re discoverable by the networks of people you are connected to.
Here’s the definitive beginner’s guide to real estate social media marketing!
Advertising Investment
First, define which advertising channels you’ll use to promote your business. Then determine your budget for each channel. Sometimes it’s easiest to decide what you can afford on a monthly basis at first, and as you identify what performs best, you can map out your annual budget.
Ad placement is crucial. Rather than placing ads where all of the other listing agents are and hoping for the best, think specifically about the home sellers in your target market and where they spend their time – both online and in person. Do your research and allow the findings to help you determine the best place to advertise.
Important: In addition to the monetary cost of advertising dollars, think of the time cost involved with setting up and managing your campaigns. Should you be the one creating your seller lead generation campaigns, or an advertising expert who will be more effective and efficient?
Marketing Automation Tools
The best real estate marketing automation tools do it all. With Market Leader Professional, for example, you get a customizable website, a fully-integrated CRM, and the ability to automate campaigns, newsletters, and content pieces like postcards, flyers, and video-enabled mobile-responsive emails which will help you stay top-of-mind with your contact database so they think of you when it’s time to sell.
Work Your Network
If marketing is primarily about trying to reach prospects “out there,” networking is primarily about connecting with the many listing leads you’ll find “right here” in your social spheres. You’ve built your brand. You’ve developed a marketing strategy. And now it’s time to work your network.
Let Friends and Family Know You’re a Real Estate Agent
It’s simple. It’s basic. And we mention it here because it’s an essential part of every lead generation strategy. Personal connection often trumps any other kind of connection.
And chances are, someone who is part of your family or friend group is currently thinking about selling their home. If not, they probably know someone who is. Make sure it’s your name that’s fresh on their mind.
Tap Into to the Wider Social Circle
What organizations, teams, and communities are you a part of? What about friends of friends? Are you part of any groups on social media?
Most people belong to a bunch of networks without even realizing it. Here are some examples:
- Church groups
- Clubs, like Rotary, rec sports teams, and alumni organizations
- Online group like Nextdoor communities and neighborhood Facebook pages
This wider social circle is full of high-quality prospects and excellent referral sources. All of whom are more likely to choose you over a stranger without a shared interest.
If you want to learn more, here’s the best guide to real estate networking you’ll ever find.
Warm Up to Cold Calling
Some real estate agents dislike cold calling because it’s frustrating. Others feel anxious just reading about it. The truth is, it’s often both frustrating and frightening.
Some argue that it’s one of the most important ways to generate listing leads. Others argue that it’s a waste of time. Again – both are true.
Like it or not, cold calling is still an effective way to get more real estate seller leads. The key is to understand who to target and how to talk to them. Here are two groups to target as part of the fourth step in getting more listing leads. (Learn the cold calling best practices!)
Here are two groups to target as part of the fourth step in getting more real estate listing leads.
Call FSBOs—“For Sale by Owner” Real Estate Listings)
Even though they might be resistant to the idea at first, many DIY home sellers can be persuaded to work with you instead when they realize how much you can help.
Find FSBO listings on sites like Craigslist, ForSaleByOwner.com, and Zillow. Then give them a call, using the best FSBO script you can find to increase the persuasion factor.
Call Expired Listings
A step-by-step guide for getting more listing leads would be incomplete if it didn’t include a tip about expired listings. These would-be-sellers are often in a tough spot.
They had hopes and dreams of selling but couldn’t. And now they’ve either given up or they’re unsure about how to move forward. You can be the agent who sweeps in to restore their confidence. Be sure to use the best expired listing scripts for each situation.
Attend Events & Host Your Own
Top-performing listing agents are always connected to a wide network. They’re always on the lookout for new ways to develop relationships.
One of the best ways to do that is to attend in-person events and to host your own. Here are the top three ways to expand your reach so you can get more listing leads.
Attend Networking Events
There are many different kinds of events that are meant to help you establish a stronger network. But if you want more seller clients, look for meetups, community events, and smaller conferences that will put you in contact specifically with sellers from your target market.
Struggling to find any events that are a good fit for you? Host your own!
Host a Community Event
Rather than going to meet prospects, have them come to you. It can be related to real estate, but it doesn’t have to be. Have fun and get creative with it.
Host a party, charity dinner, concert, local business giveaway event… the options are endless. It could be small or large, simple or extravagant.
As long as you’re reaching out to potential home sellers in your area and getting a chance to mingle, you’re on the right track.
Host Open Houses
Another great way to attract home seller leads is to host open houses. Captivating ones, not boring ones.
Think of them as another kind of networking opportunity or community event. Make it the kind of event which potential listing leads in your area would actually want to attend, then show them what they can expect if they work with you to sell their home.
Find Your New Friends
You could be the kind of lone-wolf real estate agent who shoulders everything on their own. There may be advantages to that. But it also comes at a great cost.
You need help from a circle of friends: go-to contractors, photographers, movers, video editors, and other professionals from real estate-related fields.
Working without them can prevent you from forming strong connections with your clients, building new relationships, generating real estate listing leads, and managing your day-to-day tasks. And that might mean you have to turn away business because you simply can’t find enough hours in the day.
But you don’t have to go that route. Instead, consider forming a team around you of experts who can offer support where you need it most. Not only can they shoulder the weight by providing the expertise you need, but they can also expand your reach and multiply your marketing efforts. Here are two ways to find your new circle of friends.
Partner With Contractors, Home Stagers, Photographers, and Videographers
The benefit of having a go-to network like this is twofold. It sets you up to provide help for your sellers when they need these kinds of services. And at the same time, it widens your network and increases the number of potential referral sources you have.
Start a Team of Listing Agents (Or Join One)
Real estate agents are choosing to team up with other agents now more than ever before. There are four main reasons.
- A team structure provides accountability. Members keep each other on track and motivate, celebrate, and encourage each other along the way. All of that goes far beyond the warm-and-fuzzies. It leads to greater levels of productivity.
- Teams often have a larger and more reliable stream of leads. They can combine their lead generation, marketing efforts, and social networks to create a business that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
- Working as a team presents an opportunity for each agent to specialize and focus on what he or she does best. The best teams work as a complementary whole – where one agent is weak, the other is strong, and vice versa.
- There are now more tools than ever before that make it possible for teams to work together and crush their gross commission income goals. With Market Leader Teams, for example, real estate teams can recruit and retain agents, increase productivity with top-notch marketing automation, and create a seamless brand experience. All with one platform.
Buy Real Estate Leads
In real estate, even the best business plans have to account for elements of unpredictability. There are always going to be factors that are out of your control. But getting a steady stream of exclusive online listing leads doesn’t have to be one of them.
Market Leader offers three real estate leads products to help you grow your business. One flat monthly rate buys you a predictable number of exclusive buyer and seller leads in your desired areas every month.
Ready to get started? Check lead availability in your area.
FAQ
How Do You Get Leads for a Listing?
As this article has shown, generating leads for a real estate listing requires a multi-faceted approach. Start by establishing a strong foundation to your business: build your brand, craft a real estate marketing plan, and develop a strong business plan.
From there, tap into your existing network. Let friends, family, and colleagues know you’re in the business. Then amp up your social media presence to showcase your listings and expertise and to reach a broad audience quickly. Along the way, consider outsourcing your lead generation efforts so you’ll always have a steady stream of new opportunities.
Where Do REALTORS® Get Most of Their Leads?
Of course, it depends. REALTORS® get leads from a very diverse set of channels. Some primary sources include referrals, networking events, and their website. According to NAR, a significant portion of leads (around 64%) is generated through personal referrals and word-of-mouth.
Is Paying for Real Estate Listing Leads Worth It?
Yes it can be, but only if…
- You’ll get the number of leads you pay for.
- The leads you get are exclusive to you.
- They’re in your area(s).
With Market Leader, all of the above are true. (Not every leads provider can say the same.)
We can provide you with a predictable number of exclusive buyer and seller leads in your desired areas each month. Our digital advertising experts will work on your behalf so you can focus on building relationships, which is the key to closing more deals.
That means you’ll never have to question the ROI. And instead, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with receiving a steady stream of potential clients during a shifting market.
You Might Also Like: Should You Buy Real Estate Leads?
What Is the Best Way To Get Seller Leads?
There isn’t a magic bullet or a one-size-fits-all strategy that always works for every agent everywhere. But to keep things simple, consider these three pieces of advice:
1. Follow all of the above strategies in this article!
2. Focus on building meaningful relationships. Despite all of the technological advances, tools, strategies, and trends that come and go, the real estate industry is still ultimately a relationship business.
That might sound trite, but it’s true. Always provide value, and make sure your messages align with their interests and pain points so you can increase engagement and drive leads farther down your sales funnel.
Sometimes that looks like sharing informative articles, expert tips, market updates, and exclusive offers, for example. Other times it looks like simply being available and service-oriented.
3. Diversify your lead sources. Aspiring top-performers need to have a wide variety of lead sources. That way you’ll diversify your prospect pool, minimize reliance on a single channel, create a steady stream of leads, and maximize the number of opportunities you get to turn leads into clients.
It’s not quite as simple as saying “real estate lead generation is a numbers game,” but almost. The more opportunities you get to engage with leads, the more likely you are to turn more of them into clients.
