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It takes time for new agents to find more people to talk to about real estate. Whether you’re starting out or starting over, that can be frustrating. But after this article, you’ll have eleven tried-and-true lead generation ideas to jumpstart success.
Jump to a Section:
Generate Leads Through Direct Outreach
Get Leads Online Through Digital Outreach
Develop Business Partnerships To Get Leads
Target Rentals
Host an Open House That Generates Leads
Follow up on Major Life Events
The Easiest Way To Find Leads
Ready to learn how top performers would find real estate leads if they were new agents again? Let’s get started!
How New Agents Get Real Estate Leads Through Direct Outreach
The simplest and most obvious place for new agents to get real estate leads is within their own current sphere of influence. Even though you won’t be able to rely solely on your inner circle of connections to generate leads for your entire career, it can provide the open doors you need to get started as a new agent. Here are just a couple to get you started:
1. Let Friends & Family Know You Can Help
For every new agent, the odds are high that someone who is part of your family or friend group is currently thinking about selling or buying. If not, they probably know someone who is.
Make sure it’s your name that’s fresh on their mind. Due to the nature of these kinds of relationships, there’s less of a need to pitch. Usually, simply mentioning that you’re in real estate will be enough to open the kind of conversation that results in getting more referral leads.
2. Turn to Your Wider Social Circles
Think about all of the clubs, organizations, teams, and religious communities that are part of your life. They all fit within your network, and they all present opportunities for you to spread the word about your new profession.
It’s safe to assume that someone who is connected to you through a shared interest would feel more comfortable working with you than a stranger.
Related: SOI (Sphere of Influence) Real Estate Marketing
How To Generate Leads Online Through Digital Outreach
Generating leads online through digital outreach offers several advantages for new agents over SOI marketing and direct outreach. First, online lead generation allows you to reach a broader audience beyond your immediate network and tap into a vast pool of potential clients actively searching for real estate services.
Second, it gives you the ability to leverage targeted advertising campaigns, social media platforms, and content marketing to attract and engage prospects more efficiently. These are major advantages for new agents because they’re more scalable and measurable, which means you can optimize your strategies based on data and performance metrics and improve more and more over time.
SOI and direct outreach are valuable approaches, of course. But combining them with digital strategies takes your lead generation game to the next level. Here are a few ideas to consider:
3. Turn Your Website Into a Lead Generation Machine
Agents who are still in the developing stages of the career might be able to get by with having a mediocre presence on their broker’s website. But if you want to generate leads like a top performer, having a website that acts as a digital business card won’t be enough.
A well-optimized and user-friendly real estate website acts as a 24/7 virtual storefront, attracting potential clients and capturing their information for future engagement. By implementing effective lead generation strategies, you can leverage your website as a powerful marketing tool that brings you qualified, high-quality leads so you can realize your dreams of managing your own team. For example:
Make Your Website SEO-Friendly—SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It refers to making online content meet a search engine’s quality, uniqueness, readability, and keyword standards so that the search engine (usually Google) makes your content more findable by putting it near the top of results pages. Not only does SEO increase organic traffic (i.e., visitors to your site), but it also increases the likelihood that they’ll stay on your site longer. And in general, the longer they stay on your site, the more likely it is that they’ll convert into a lead. Use this free tool to check your website’s SEO grade.
Use Lead Magnets—A lead magnet presents an exchange: you give the consumer something that they find valuable, and in exchange, they give you their contact information (which converts them into a lead). For example, you could use scheduling forms and sign-up forms (for a downloadable guide, newsletter subscription, home listing notifications, etc).
4. Be Your Own Content Creator
People are hungry for accurate, thoughtful real estate advice that’s specific to their city or zip code. Of course they see the headlines about nationwide housing market trends. But what they need is a source of reliable information that pertains to their specific area.
This is where you come in.
As a new agent, you have something very valuable that the veteran agents don’t have: time. And you can leverage that asset by becoming the one who provides insight, advice, and information about local market trends for your prospects.
Maybe for you that looks like writing compelling blog content or creating captivating infographics. Maybe you also focus on alerting leads about the prices of just-sold listings or every highly desirable home that comes on the market.
However it works out for you, amassing a body of high quality, useful information that speaks directly to your audience is one of the best ways for new real estate agents to get leads. (Don’t forget to use city-specific lead-generating hashtags on your social media channels!)
5. Leverage Social Media Networking
Engage actively on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest. Interact with the local community, comment, reply, and provide helpful insights to attract leads and followers. Stay updated on significant life events and congratulate prospects personally to maintain top-of-mind awareness.
6. Consider Partnering With a Local Influencer on a Home Sale
You’ll eventually have your own following, but in the meantime, consider connecting with local influencers who already have a large network. For example, radio personalities, social media influencers, or prominent business owners. Ask them if they’re thinking of purchasing. Offer a deal where, for example, you reduce your commission fees in exchange for marketing plugs.
According to one study, 63% of consumers between 18 and 34 trust what influencers say about brands more than they trust what a brand says about itself. (With Millennials making up the largest share of home buyers according to NAR, that’s huge.) And brands that leverage micro-influencers can see a sales increase of up to 18%.
How New Agents Can Get Leads Through Business Partnerships
7. Develop a Friendship With Local Businesses
Small businesses love referrals. And so do you! It’s a win-win.
How do new real estate agents get leads through business partnerships? It’s actually simple.
Make a list of businesses you want to work with. There’s no wrong answer here. It could include a veterinarian office, health-food store, coffee shop, pet groomer, laundromat… you get the idea.
Then go through your list and ask the owner (or some other primary decision maker) if they’d be willing to allow you to display some marketing materials and business cards at their spot. Tell them that, in return, you’ll refer your clients to their business, feature them on your website, or that you’ll include them in your client “welcome packet” full of your best recommendations and local favorites.
8. Form Partnerships in Related Fields
While you’re thinking of local businesses, be sure to pay close attention to those that are related in some way to real estate. For example: moving companies, brokers, insurance agents, lawyers, and interior designers.
For more ideas, think of your prospects’ buying and selling journey and all of the various types of professionals they’ll interact with along the way (e.g., general contractors, painters, roofers, etc.). You’ll help them. They’ll help you.
Word-of-mouth marketing continues to be one of the most influential marketing tools across all industries. And that’s especially true for new real estate agents.
More Ways To Find Real Estate Leads (for New Agents)
9. Get Leads by Targeting Rentals
Targeting for-rent-by-owner (FRBO) properties can be an effective way to generate real estate leads for new agents too. It’s not the same as getting a lead to sell a home. But finding renters can be great practice for a budding real estate agent. And once you do, you’ll likely come across landlords who are beyond interested to hear what you can offer!
Plus, as a side benefit, you’ll begin to form relationships with the landlords. And because you’re top-of-mind, chances are high that you’ll be the agent they work with if they decide to sell or if the tenant decides to buy.
This can be an advantage for new agents because seasoned agents tend to ignore renters. Consider making this your niche. Use a robust real estate marketing automation tool to create a newsletter just for renters that provides updates on local housing trends. Include things like snapshots of recent sales, listing updates, reasons why now is a great time to buy, and information on new developments in the area.
10. Host an Open House That Generates Leads
Most open houses feature a cheese plate, a few nosy neighbors, and a bored agent. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Once you land a listing, make a splash: Host an amazing open house. First, create impressive invitations and send them to the whole neighborhood. Next, make sure the food and ambiance are on point. In addition to potentially attracting a buyer on the spot, a big benefit here is that everyone in the neighborhood is going to remember you—“that amazing agent”—when it’s time to sell.
11. Get Leads by Following up on Major Life Events
This one takes some detective work, and it may not work for every community. But the idea is to use social media (or your local newspaper’s announcement column) to forecast potential leads.
Reach out to the couples who were recently married or became engaged and see if they’re interested in purchasing a home. Marriages often lead to children, which may require upsizing.
And you could do the same for any retirement or high school graduation announcements you find, too. When high school graduates leave the nest, downsizing often follows. And because retirement can sometimes lead to a move, and you could be the agent who helps them find their paradise.
12. Find Real Estate Leads the Easy Way
The best way for new real estate agents to get leads is to outsource this time-consuming task and have a team of digital advertisers do it for them. This isn’t a last-ditch effort for the desperate. It’s common practice among agents of all experience levels. And it can be extremely difficult for new agents to gain traction without doing so.
Market Leader offers three real estate leads products to help you reach your gross commission income goal. One flat monthly rate buys you a predictable number of exclusive buyer and sellers leads in your desired areas. Every month. And with our lead delivery commitment, you’ll get the number of leads you’ve paid for.
