It's Not About Luck: 6 Ways to Maximize Leads and Entice Buyers

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."

The above quote, credited to Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger, posits that the most successful among us are responsible for making their own luck, not biding their time waiting upon some indeterminate stroke of good fortune or unexpected twist of fate.

When it comes to success in real estate, we tend to agree. High-performing agents are no more lucky than their peers. Rather, in knowing the right tools and data to put to use, they prospect more effectively, get more eyeballs on their listings, entice buyers, and maximize leads. In other words, they're preparing. Then getting "lucky."

So, it stands to reason: If you know what avenues to take, what tricks can put you ahead of your competitors, and what tech can help you work more efficiently, you can tap into the same knowledge and tactics that high-performing agents use—no luck required.

Build a credible online presence

Also excellent for accruing long-term name recognition, Google business profiles put you on the front page of the world's most popular website. They look like this:

Google Business Profile for a Real Estate Agent

As you can see, all of the agent's contact details are listed right on the results page, which is a huge plus for buyers who are often trying to find things quickly and on the go. Having your reviews front and center is indispensable too, as they serve as personal testimonies to your dedication, trustworthiness and competence as a real estate agent. The more and the more recent they are, the better.

Your business profile isn't just your personal online storefront, though; it's also a great place to publicize your listings. Google business profiles allow you to post updates into a feed that looks like its own social network, appearing right under your contact info. Posting at least once a week helps keep your prime real estate on Google's front page, and it also propels you to the top of the pile in search results for general terms like "agents near me."

Current Listing Appearing on Google Business Profile

As an established Google Premier Partner, Homesnap Pro+ can instantly verify, manage and optimize your Google Business Profile for you. We'll even help you solicit positive reviews and mitigate the negative ones. Homesnap Pro+ takes all the guesswork out of building your Google presence so you can focus on serving your clients.

Target your sphere of influence with online ads

Facebook lead ads are, unsurprisingly, lead-generating machines. These ads appear on the feeds of only those who'd be interested, which is based on certain attributes like location, interests, previous activity, and more. If you're on your Facebook feed, you're by definition already logged in, so Facebook has the capacity to auto-complete the form — meaning all your target audience has to do is click a button to submit their info.

Be in front of your audience–wherever they are

Google Display Ads aren't your typical Google Search ads; in fact, they're not even on Google itself. You've probably seen them—and given in to them. They're the ads you see on the fringes of other websites you visit, and they're totally based on retargeting.

Retargeting is the process of using user data to track which websites customers have been visiting and gunning for the business of those whose interests and web activities align with what you're selling.

As a real estate agent, with Google Display Ads, you're afforded the opportunity to target people who have a demonstrated interest in homebuying on websites they frequently visit. And the best part? You don't waste any money because you pay only for the conversions.

Get in front of millennial homebuyers

Instagram is a visually focused social media network that's become the go-to for lifestyle content. It's known for its unusually engaged user base, and for being business-friendly (with one-third of people buying something directly from an ad!), so it's an excellent place to host ads for your listings and get leads.

All of Instagram's ads are great because they look native. With Post Ads, pictured below, you can share images, videos or gifs that will show up to your target consumers as they scroll down their feeds.

Instagram Agent Post Ad

Instagram Stories, on the other hand, are daily updates that accounts can post that last 24 hours and, for users, they're generally used for less serious pieces of content that don't need to be posts. This is a great place to sneak in as an advertiser. 500 million people use Instagram Stories every single day, and 62% of people say they've become more interested in a brand or product after seeing a Story Ad for it.

Instagram Agent Story Ad

Show off the beautiful house you're selling or publicize the open house you're hosting. With a simple swipe up, users can head to your website or Instagram profile to learn more.

This ad looks just like an Instagram post, and if you wanted to find out more, you could — easily. Just click the big call-to-action button at the bottom or visit the advertisement's profile. These ads are engaging, and beautiful photographs of your property would look right at home here.

Explore innovative marketing solutions

Waze, the navigation app that relies on user-submitted data, offers three types of advertisements. They're great for getting leads, but their real comparative advantage is driving traffic to your open houses. No more excuses: These ads make it SO easy for your target audience to get to your house. Literally all they have to do is redirect and follow the driving instructions.

The first type of ad, the Branded Pin, allows you to put yourself on the map, and have users (voluntarily) redirect their journeys from their initial destinations to your open house.

Branded Pin Waze Ad

Next comes the Promoted Search ad. This propels you to the top of the list when users are about to search for a destination. Users can then get step-by-step navigation to your open house.

Promoted Search Waze Ad

Lastly we have the Zero-Speed Takeover. Tons of drivers use their phones when they're driving, and this takes advantage of that by showing up when users come to a full stop. They're yet again given the option to redirect their drives to your open house.

Zero-Speed Takeover Waze Ad

Stay one step ahead of the market

With Homesnap Pro, you can use "Likelihood to List" to identify off-market properties that are most likely to list in the next 12 months. This predictive algorithm is based on hundreds of data points, and can be used in one of two ways.

First, if you're prospecting, you can identify those properties most likely to hit the market and target your outreach—whether that be flyers, postcards, knock on doors, etc.—accordingly. No more blanket canvassing.

Second, if you're a buyers agent, you can find off-market properties likely to list that match your client's list of must-haves. Then, it's only a matter of reaching out and telling the owner you have an interested buyer.

To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.