Raise your hand if you want more buyers to work with, now that your hand is up keep it up until I tell you to put it down. In the recent past Craigslist was the most popular way for agents to generate “free” online leads. Lately a lot of agents have become frustrated because they have spent a lot of valuable time and have gotten little in return. Craigslist is still a great place to get leads BUT you will need a few additional tools to make it work for you. The first tool you need is a link to a great landing place, because buyers at this point in their search will not call, and secondly you will need the proper expectations.
A buyers search will progress from the moment they start thinking about buying a home to the day that they sign the paperwork. In the beginning of their search they just want to sit in the comfort of their home and look at listings. They are not ready to talk to an agent, if they were they would have already called an agent, that’s why they are on Craigslist. They are still people that are looking to buy somewhere down the road and will keep hitting sites until they are captured. Since they are not ready to talk to an agent they will not call the number on your ad, the path of least resistance is a link for them to click. With that being said you need a spot for that link to take them, this is the landing place. (For additional information on a landing place, see my blog on landing places, it is important to know that info.)
Having the proper expectations is the most important part. If you think that you will post a few ads and have buyers knocking down your door, you will be disappointed. I have a friend that averages 200 leads a month using Craigslist. I asked him what his registration rate was (the rate of how many clicks actually register) and he told me that his rate was 2.2%. I do not want to promote a certain company or product so I will not say what he is using but the landing place he uses, in my opinion, is the best available. For his 200 leads he gets over 9,000 clicks a month. Studies that I have seen show with Craigslist, 1 out of 74 leads you get with buy a home over the next 12 months.
Quick math, with the proper landing place your proper expectations will tell you that for every transaction you need almost 4,000 clicks. If you are willing to invest the time in posting the ads and willing to wait for the leads to cultivate, Craigslist is still a GREAT place to get more buyers. Most agents that get frustrated do not have the proper landing place and defiantly do not have the proper expectations. Now, put your hand down and before you post anymore ads make sure that you are setting yourself up for success.
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