Yesterday's mail included a letter from an agent telling me that she's using Google Adwords and getting plenty of traffic to her site, but nobody is signing up for home searches or home valuations.
She wondered what she could do to turn it into a lead generator.
So, after asking a few more questions, I took a look. I found a basic site with home search and home valuation functions. She has plenty of interesting articles and I would imagine she's getting good readership.
BUT - those readers aren't leaving their contact information.
The following is what I wrote back:
I did a property search and saw the ability to save the search. The page didn't tell me if that meant I'd be sent an alert when a new listing was added. If it would, it would be good to say so.
Maybe instead of property valuation you could offer the valuation service as "What are homes like mine selling for?"
Both of these functions could benefit from a bit more lead-in and excitement. Let visitors know that there's "something in it" for them in leaving their names with you.
Not knowing what is possible or impossible with your site, I think you need to give people a little more incentive. It would be a good idea to offer something to both buyers and sellers that everyone else isn't offering. Perhaps home buying tips or home selling advice.
For sellers you could say something like "What makes one home sell faster and for more money? Then offer an opt-in box where you can deliver a special report or a series of letters such as my "Seller Advice" series. If you use an autoresponder, delivering the follow-up letters is simple - once you've got them uploaded, you don't even have to think about it.
For buyers, you could say "Is now the right time for YOU to buy a home? Find out when you answer these questions..." Then give them something like my buyer letters.
For both buyers and sellers you could offer your own market report - showing the trends in different neighborhoods, etc.
The bottom line - make the search and the home valuation functions more exciting and valuable, and offer something that your competitors aren't offering.
By the way... Her agent bio didn't say much, but that probably wouldn't prevent someone from asking for more information. That would come into play a little later, when they're ready to choose an agent.
What are YOU doing to turn your real estate website into a lead generator?
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