Real estate lead generation is the pillar of your business.
Without leads, your business dwindles.
Quite frankly, many real estate agents fall short in the lead gen department. But why?
What is it that some other agents have that you might be missing? Here's the deal:
Time for Real Estate Lead Generation
The biggest reason people suck at lead generation is because they fail to invest the time it takes to get the job done. Seriously - it takes a minimum of three hours per day, every day. If you're not putting in the time, it should be no surprise that you're not getting the results.
Make it a point, a purposeful point, to sit down at your desk for some elbow-grease application to your lead generation, even if it means you have to wake up early to do the deed before the day's appointments.
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Purpose: Avoiding the "I'm Bored" Trap
Keep your eye on the prize. One reason real estate agents don't dedicate quality time for lead generation is because they just don't like it. It's boring. Not liking it isn't a reason to avoid it.
To push yourself to the next step, remember the reason you're engaging in lead gen. It's not a menial task that can be put off until later, until you feel inspired, until your business stalls like an old car that hasn't had a tune up. Your real estate lead generation is where your clients come from. Remember that. Purpose fuels passion.
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What's Your Game Plan?
How many times does a real estate agent fumble haphazardly through lead gen? Maybe you really are giving it all you've got, slaving away at it, ramming your head against a brick wall with no results. Chances are, if you're in that situation, it's because you don't have a plan.
That's okay. Admittance is the first step. But not having a plan isn't a valid excuse for continuing on a path that frustrates you and brings in no tangible results.
During your next lead generation session, dedicate that time to formulating a plan that works for you.
Maybe it's writing a blog post on Monday, building widgets on Tuesday, focusing on social networks on Wednesday, creating community page content on Thursday, and spending Friday tracking and measuring for results. Whatever your system, be crystal clear on what your plan is, and then stick to it.
Of course, you can always modify your plan later down the road if you find systems that work better than the one you currently have.
Failure to Track and Measure
You might not suck at lead generation as much as you think you do. Have you checked? Do you know which of your efforts are paying off and which are a waste of time?
If you're not tracking and measuring for results of your real estate lead generation efforts, then you could be spinning your wheels. You may find that your blog posts spawn dozens of leads while your social network marketing has no pull.
To solve that problem, consider automating your social network feeds and spend that time writing more blog posts instead. Why spend time on something that isn't working? Track and measure for results.
Your Content Stinks
You may understand the importance of content in search engine optimization, but quality trumps quantity. Not only must your headline be catching, your verbiage interesting (free of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and lousy punctuation), and your information valuable, but you've also got to design your content with SEO in mind.
Are you implementing keyword strategies? Are you answering questions your clients have asked? Are you nurturing relationships by providing tips and tricks for buying or selling?
You can't just throw a bunch of sloppy content at a wall and hope something sticks. You need a content marketing strategy. And if your writing is just awful, outsource. There are tons of ghost-writing services that can boost your presence online with knock-out content.
Oh, and one more thing: Do NOT make your content all about you. No offense, but website visitors couldn't give a hoot about you. What they want is to know what you can do for them. Write your content from your viewer's perspective. Express understanding for how they feel. How they feel is what led them to you in the first place. Don't shadow that by talking about yourself. Provide solutions.
Did you know Ballen Brands offers Content Services? It's true! Give us a call today at (702) 917-0755, or email Team@BallenBrands.com for more information.
No Calls to Action
You've written a killer blog post. You're tracking and can see it's getting tons of visits. In fact, let's go so far as to say it's got that viral touch. People near and far are liking, sharing, and reposting your blog. It's just that good! But if that blog post doesn't include a call to action, you've missed the point entirely.
A call to action guides your viewers to the next step: Click to download, call today, contact us, subscribe here.
Click to download an offer, or subscribe to a newsletter are two of the best ways to capture leads. These are the two places where a visitor will type in their name and email address (at minimum) to cash in on your prize.
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Wasting Money on Purchased Leads
So you buy leads in bulk. Throw a little (or a lot!) of money at it and imagine it will bring amazing, if not effortless, results. You're not alone. Others have done it before you, and more will do it after.
How are those leads qualified? How many of those leads have no interest whatsoever in buying or selling a house? How many of those phone numbers are no longer in service, and how many email addresses bounce right back at ya?
That's not to say that purchasing leads by bundles doesn't have some results, but the reality is there's no easy button. There's just not. So if you think you can solve your real estate lead generation problem by buying your way in, you're likely not getting a noteworthy return on your investment.
Wrestling with Pay-Per-Click
Yes, you can get powerful results from Pay-Per-Click advertising IF (and that's a big if!) you know what you're doing.
Do you know which days or which time of days ads get the most views? Have you narrowed down your audience with demographic targeting? Is the content of your ad provoking? Do you understand all of the PPC formats (because each is different). It's not as easy as filling in a few blanks, loading in the dollars, and then rolling in leads. You could be wasting hundred of dollars and a whole lot of time if you're not an expert at pay-per-click advertising.
Ballen Brands can totally rock your PPC campaigns with our pay-per-click services! To learn more, email Team@BallenBrands.com, or ring our phone at (702) 917-0755.
In Nutshell:
- Invest time intentionally and consistently to real estate lead generation.
- Keep the goal in mind: Why do you bother, and what can you gain? (Or worse, what can you lose?)
- Create a plan. What will you do? How will you do it? When will you do it?
- Track and Measure for results to know what is - and what isn't working.
- Produce consistent, high quality content that connects to emotion and solves a problem.
- Include calls to action in EVERYTHING you produce from your website to your blog posts to your advertisements.
- Avoid the easy button. There isn't one. Avoid buying low-quality leads that don't convert.
- Understand pay-per-click advertising and how to maximize results before you invest your time and money.
Summing it Up
Look, you are not alone. Real estate lead generation can be tough. It can! That's why so many real estate agents either fail to do it, suck at doing it, or pull their hair out over getting it done. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can succeed! But you have to be dedicated 100% to your real estate lead generation or your business will suffer.
Ready to learn more about how you can generate more real estate leads online yourself? Check out The Ballen Method digital marketing curriculum for real estate agents to learn about website fundamentals, social networks, video and media, blogging, lead cultivation, and a whole lot more!
Click here for your Ultimate Guide to Social Media Advertising!
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