Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Generating leads in real estate has historically taken a lot of leg work for minimal returns, with realtors hiring large numbers of staff to make high volume cold calls day in, day out, and a typically low hit rate.
 
Thanks to some excellent real estate lead generation tools, and the resources they free up to concentrate on creative promotion ideas, that’s all starting to change. So if you’re looking for a fresh real estate marketing idea, cast your eye over our five essential tips for realtors:
 
1)Devote a Day
Devoting one day per week to creating and developing a unique real estate marketing strategy will give you the time you need to make it effective. Whether it’s Marketing Mondays, or even just Wednesday afternoons, blocking a few hours off and dedicating them solely to marketing will pay dividends.
 
2)Make it Mobile
Sharing your content through mobile channels is critical to any modern marketing campaign. All the social networks you should be engaging with have excellent apps, and reaching out to business – extant and prospective – via mobile will allow you to stay on top of things wherever you are. While you’re at it, be sure to connect your digital profiles across all social media – it’ll give your business more authority in your area. So Twitter should link to your site, your site should link to Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, etc. The more of a presence you have, the easier it is to find you. Effective marketing for real estate companies means having an extensive, mobile friendly web presence.
 
3)Invite Friends
Your Facebook page should be growing constantly, just like you want your business to. Don’t let it stagnate. Post frequently, and encourage friends, acquaintances and any other contacts you can use to ‘like’ and comment on your page. Why not invite all your email contacts? It’s one of the most underused features of Facebook, and it could give your real estate online lead generation strategy an edge over competitors.
 
4)Stay in Touch
As we’ve seen, lead generation for real estate agents is pretty tough, and it’s tempting to try email blasts of your entire address book. Unfortunately, hardly any of them will be looking for a place to live at the time you send your email, and they’ll perceive it as spam. Instead of updating people about market rates when they don’t need to know, craft a really interesting news letter. Try to limit it to once every six months – but make it worthwhile. Offer advice on open houses, interior design choices, staging homes – anything that puts you in a position of ‘expert’. If people start to view you as an invaluable resource for all things real estate, they’re more likely to turn to you when they move house.
 
5)Focus on One Market at a Time
Usually, when real estate companies think about expanding, they look to neighboring towns as a potential growth area. Almost without exception, trying to grab new markets in this way is folly. Instead, focus your efforts on a single target market and your marketing strategy will become simpler and more refined. You can put your SEO energies into a handful of keywords instead of trying to clutch at hundreds of straws. For small businesses, it’s much smarter to work out in small concentric circles, ensuring you’ve nailed everything you can in your area before moving on.
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