Getting Started with Cloud Agent Suite
Multiple Dates Consumers today don't just want to have access to real estate information, they expect it! Which means if you're looking to grow your business, you need tools that not only make your life easier but also impress your clients. Join this FREE webinar to: Learn how Cloud Agent Suite tools are perfectly integrated with your MLS. Create modern, customizable CMA reports that you can deliver printed or through email. Host a listing presentation virtually using our built-in Zoom or Skype integrations. Discover how to give your clients the fastest listing alerts in the industry. Learn how Cloud MLX quickly let s you find the listing you want with map-based searches. And more! Register now!

How to Keep Your Real Estate Leads Up When the Market is Heading Down
Real estate is heading into the bear market territory. After a couple of years of "go, go, go!" home sales are beginning to decline. A bear real estate market doesn't mean you have to look for another job; it means you must look for ways to improve on your marketing to keep your leads up. Using proptech tools is key to getting top dollar for your seller, and everyone knows a happy seller generates leads. It's time to focus on getting back to the new normal by capturing leads and nurturing them through the awareness stage and into the customer stage. Virtual 3D tours are now more critical than ever to stay connected. What's with the bear? Typically, a bear market is used to describe a drop of more than 20% from recent highs. NAR recently reported that home sales were down 36.9% year over year, part of a recent downward trend. This can trigger a whole new set of buyers and sellers who have been waiting for the bubble to deflate. It is time to use analytics to help your real estate lead generation when doing a listing presentation. You can showcase important data about the duration of every 3D virtual tour visit or the number of days on the market. Demonstrating your marketing ability helps potential sellers recognize the well-thought-out strategy you use to get properties sold. Real estate is cyclical Whether it's a bear real estate market or breaking record sales, ups and downs are inevitable. Reasons for selling a home can range from losing a job or getting promoted to a different city to wanting more space or downsizing. It's about satisfying the needs of the consumer. The changing needs of the consumer have given rise to the demand for 3D tour technology, immersive floor plans and virtual showings. The best way to keep your leads up is to make sure the consumer is satisfied. Sellers want their homes sold in the least amount of time with minimal interruption. This can be achieved by using easily accessible online marketing tools. Visual content generates interest. The most helpful technology for buyers, according to Realtor.com, are virtual tours and accurate property information. Not only do virtual tours engage the buyer, but more than half of sellers prefer this method of showcasing their homes. Credibility A sharp correction in the market is coming. According to a recent Forbes article, home prices are 27% overvalued and that translates to some big bucks! Focus your real estate lead generation on real value like a property's floor plans with advanced measurements and accurate details. Your property listings exude value when the consumer can correlate size with the price. By using a consistent measurement standard, you give credibility to all the information needed to list and sell a house. Communicating value through accurately measured rooms in 2D and 3D gives both the seller and the buyer confidence in your real estate agent's abilities. Trending now Interest rates are up and that means two things for qualified buyers. They either have to buy a less expensive home or put in a higher down payment. Listings are also trending upwards according to the National Association of Realtors. What that means is competition in the seller's market. Give your listings a boost by offering ways for potential buyers to engage. Make it easy for the buyer to understand the fit and flow of a property through interactive 3D virtual tours. Why do you want to increase engagement with a property? Interacting with a property sparks interest and it allows you to check for further signs that your buyer leads are ready to move forward. Don't forget to share your contact details to elevate your brand's visibility. When the buyer is prepared it is easy for them to reach out to you. The time is always right Adjust the mindset of the seller. Whether they think they have "missed the boat" or want to wait for the next wave, a bear real estate market doesn't mean no one is buying. Reports from major news feeds indicate home prices could continue the downward trend into 2023 but, conversely, some areas are forecasted to see increases. Either way, stay focused on why buyers need a new home. That stash of cash they have accumulated during the pandemic and the need for a larger floor plan are just a few reasons for them to buy. Show the seller the best ways to sell their home quickly by using the marketing advantage of a 3D virtual tour on your website, links to MLS and social media channels. Whether the market is trending towards a bear or a bull situation, keeping your real estate leads up means keeping up with technology. Stay in touch and connect to the needs of the consumer by setting the stage, sharing information and showcasing value. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog.

The Benefits of Partnering with Local Businesses for Marketing and Lead Generation
Marketing and lead generation are essential aspects of any business, regardless of the industry or size. In today's fast-paced world, the competition is fierce, and businesses need to leverage every opportunity to stay ahead. Partnering with local businesses is a strategy that many companies overlook, but it can be incredibly effective. In this post, we will explore the benefits of partnering with local businesses for marketing and lead generation. Access to a Wider Audience - You can reach a larger audience by collaborating with a neighborhood business. You can tap into the established customer base of nearby businesses to broaden your market and raise brand recognition. Cost-Effective Marketing - Creating a partnership with a nearby company can be an affordable marketing plan. You can split the cost of marketing initiatives like print ads, social media campaigns, and event promotions by partnering with another company. Increased Credibility - Your reputation within the community can be improved by collaborating with a neighborhood company. Working with a reputable and well-established company can help you build a reputation as a trustworthy and dependable company. Joint Promotions and Events - By collaborating with a nearby company, you can organize joint promotions and events that will draw in more clients and keep the loyalty of current ones. Positive Impact on the Community - Collaboration with a neighborhood company can benefit the neighborhood. Collaboration with another company can foster a sense of neighborhood and provide support for nearby businesses. To sponsor a community clean-up event, for instance, you could partner with a nonprofit group. This partnership not only demonstrates your dedication to the neighborhood, but also offers a helpful service, increases awareness of the nonprofit organization, and benefits the community. In conclusion, partnering with local businesses for marketing and lead generation can provide numerous benefits for your business. By collaborating with other businesses, you can create unique and valuable experiences for your customers and attract new customers who may not have otherwise known about your business. So, the next time you are looking for a way to boost your marketing and lead generation efforts, consider reaching out to local businesses and exploring partnership opportunities. To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

How to Close 1 Home and Get 3 More Clients
Success begets success, as the saying goes. And the successful sale of a home is an opportunity to gain more business. How? Realtor Jaime Resendiz has a system for gaining new clients when a transaction closes, and he shares his method in this video. Watch the clip above to learn: The importance of closing gifts Three criteria for effective closing gifts Why you should tell the world about a successful sale And more!

Get Real Estate Leads WITHOUT Talking About Real Estate
What does being a Porsche enthusiast have to do with cultivating real estate leads? For Realtor Matt LaMarsh, everything! LaMarsh has built a local community by creating content around a topic he's passionate about. For LaMarsh, that topic is Porsche cars. By creating and leading a Facebook group for nearby Porsche enthusiasts, LaMarsh is building connections with people with similar interests. And when his fellow Porsche lovers are ready to buy or sell a home, they call Matt. Essentially, LaMarsh gets real estate leads by not explicitly talking about real estate. Ingenious? Perhaps—but it's something every agent can do. And it works because when you engage with the things you're most passionate about, people take notice—and want to engage with you in return! So how can real estate agents build their own local community around their interests? Watch the video above for LaMarsh's advice on getting started! Further Reading How to Generate Real Estate Referrals Using Local Online Groups Three Easy Tips to Create Value Using Facebook Groups How to Start a Facebook Group 7 Ways Real Estate Agents Can Use Facebook Groups

Tools to Target Seller Leads and Listings in a Tight Inventory Market
Despite housing inventory rising year-over-year from 2022, real estate agents and teams across the country are still scrounging for new listings. So how can you make sure you're attracting seller leads and landing those listings instead of the competition? 1. Make that Marketing Seller Lead Focused Most of your tried-and-true ad campaigns are probably focused on attracting homebuyers. It's time to rethink that marketing strategy. Create content and resources that are appealing to sellers. Home valuations and neighborhood market reports A home valuation landing page entices visitors with instant reports on their home's value and a summary of the market area. Create a gated landing page with this offer, so that seller leads register, and the lead information and property details are instantly added to your CRM. Helpful content to help with the "moving mentality" Create content (blogs, downloadable guides, etc.) that helps potential sellers by answering their questions and concerns. This could include navigating the process of getting ready to sell, deciding if it's the right time to downsize, or the right time to upgrade (for example, a pool for the kids, or a dedicated home office for remote work). Testimonials from past sold properties Highlight your past sold properties (especially if sold above asking!) and gather quotes and reviews that showcase your expert service, how taken care of your clients felt, and how simple you made the process for them. Social media advertising to target sellers Tools can make seller lead social media marketing easy. Look for tools that take the guesswork and automate both the ad creation and audience targeting process, so you can easily: Build advertising campaigns through channels such as Instagram and Facebook to showcase successfully sold properties. Once you land that listing, use ads to promote open houses and highlight the property. Create powerful retargeting campaigns that generate content a lead would be most interested in, and bring "abandoners" back to your website Leverage built-in reporting to get results in real-time and optimize your ad spend Show your potential seller clients how much exposure their property could receive, and how effectively you can promote it! 2. Monitor your database for seller lead activity Your existing database is chock-full of potential sellers. Are you taking advantage? You need the tools to sift and segment those contacts into workable lists that prioritize actions that might spur selling. Every lead should be on some sort of e-Alert for their neighborhood, or a drip to keep them engaged. Create target lists of homeowners based on attributes like "$100,000+ in equity," have stayed "in their home for 5+ years," a "past client from three years ago," etc. and provide them with relevant information. NAR's 2020 Profile of Buyers and Sellers reported 89% of sellers saying they would rehire their agent, but only 26% actually did. This is simply because those agents failed to stay in touch. With the right system, this is completely avoidable (and automatic). Keep in touch with past clients and your SOI with automated nurture campaigns. Send quick videos with market updates, explanations as to why it'd be a good time to test the market and a "Are you thinking about selling?" message. Text your Vcard. Including your Vcard in texting campaigns legitimizes your message increases the likelihood of a response. Segment your database into different categories to be able to provide specific and relevant information directly to each subset. 3. Take Care of All Your New Leads Did you ignore a lot of buyer leads last year? With so many inquiries coming in while you're trying to handle active clients, it's easy for new leads to slip through the cracks. But this is not a sustainable system. According to NAR, 50% of those buyer leads were purchasing contingent on selling their property. That's a lot of potential listings you're missing from your buyers. If you're not following up on every buyer lead you receive and asking if they need to sell their current property to purchase their next home, you're losing a listing for every two leads you ignored. You can land those listings if you have the tools to create amazing experience for your potential sellers (without taking more time and resources from your day). In many cases, homeowners are unaware of the possibilities to upsize, downsize, get a huge return, you-name-it, and it's your job as an agent and trustworthy expert, to help them navigate the market, understand their options, and deliver the ideal customer experience. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Creative Real Estate Blogging Ideas to Engage Your Audience and Drive Leads
Blogging is a cost-effective way for a real estate agent to reach potential customers online and build relationships with them. Blogging can help you gain credibility, create authority, and establish yourself as an expert in the field. Plus, it's easy to set up and maintain. With blogging, you can share valuable insights about the real estate industry that will help your readers make informed decisions when searching for a home or property. You can also use blogging as an opportunity to showcase your properties and services to attract more customers. In short, blogging is one of the best ways to promote your real estate business and get more leads! However, if you're starting fresh with real estate content marketing, it might seem daunting to choose real estate blog ideas for yourself. After all, you want to provide helpful, valuable information while also boosting your website's SEO. While the details will be slightly different for every real estate blog, blogging for real estate professionals can be as simple as sticking to a handful of basic subjects. Share local trends and the latest market updates Keeping up with the local real estate industry happenings and market trends is an essential part of staying competitive in the business world. Knowing what's happening in your area of influence can give you a leg up on your competition, and help you identify potential opportunities for growth. With the right resources, you can get a better understanding of the local market and stay ahead of the curve. Sharing a distilled, simplified version of local market insights or real estate market trends can help your website visitors make more informed decisions — and establish yourself as an authority on the subject. If you need a blog post idea, think beyond the basic market report and write about the housing market from your own perspective. Highlight success stories and client reviews Real estate is a competitive business, and it's important to stand out from the crowd. One way to do so is with real estate blog topics showcasing success stories and client reviews. These stories can highlight how you've helped clients achieve their goals, as well as demonstrate your expertise in the field. By sharing these stories, you can help potential clients get a better sense of what you can do for them. Client reviews also provide an opportunity to show off your services, as well as provide insight into how satisfied customers are with your work. By sharing these success stories and client reviews, you can help establish yourself as a reliable real estate professional and build trust with potential customers. Offer home buying and selling tips Buyer and seller guides are a staple of real estate websites, but with a real estate blog, you can take them a step further. Some of the best topics are those offering advice for the homebuying or selling process, and can definitely help you create a connection with your audience as a trusted resource. You might write a blog post with home selling tips about virtual staging software or setting the best asking price. Provide valuable information to homebuyers about choosing the right mortgage lender, understanding property taxes or ways to save money by finding affordable properties. Cater to a specific niche by offering guides for luxury properties or rental properties. Other helpful content ideas in this category could include highlights of local parks, local businesses, local events, local attractions or benefits of a particular neighborhood. Showing off your local expertise in real estate blog content will not only help you reach your target audience, but also helps boost your search engine rankings and generate leads. Real estate blogs are a surefire way to set yourself apart from other real estate agents and make your real estate website the go-to source of relevant and helpful information in your community. But if you feel like you're lacking a great idea, just think about the most relevant and helpful real estate topics. When you start with these basic real estate blog ideas, you'll quickly find new and exciting things to write about, whether they be housing trends, real estate investing or real life examples of successful sales. Need help with blogging? Looking to automate your marketing strategies? Look no further! Elm Street Technology offers content creation and blogging solutions to help streamline your marketing efforts. [LEARN MORE]

The Facebook Ad that Home Buyers Can't Resist
A sale, a bargain, a good deal—if there's anything consumers love, it's getting more value for their money. Realtor Jaime Resendiz uses that to his advantage in his advertising. By creating "price drop" ads for listings on Facebook, he attracts a ton of quality buyers. After all, even house hunters are looking for a good deal—especially in this economy. Watch the video above to learn: Two variations of the price drop ad How to create a price drop ad How to optimize for your business

Friday Freebie: 5 Checklists to Optimize Your Lead Gen in 2023
We're well into the first month of the year—how's your lead gen plan going? If it needs a little nudge off the starting blocks, or if you just want to audit your processes and tools, nothing makes doing that easier than checklists! Whip your lead gen efforts into quick shape with these five free checklists for optimizing all aspects of your lead generation strategy. Read on to learn more! Download 5 Real Estate Lead Generation Optimization Checklists for 2023, courtesy of Zurple How's your lead gen set-up: are you using effective tools, marketing on the right channels, or tracking the right metrics in order to improve? One thing's for sure: A lead generation strategy has a lot of moving parts! But it doesn't have to be complicated, especially if you know just what to do to make your lead gen strategy the best it can be. That's where this week's Friday Freebie comes in. Use this packet of checklists to streamline multiple aspects of your lead generation strategy. You can use the checklists yourself or share them with an assistant or marketing support personnel. Your free download includes: Lead generation checklist New lead qualification checklist Website SEO checklist Email/CRM checklist Real estate content checklist Become a lean, mean, lead-generating machine in 2023. Download 5 Real Estate Lead Generation Optimization Checklists for 2023 now!

Friday Freebie: 57 Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for 2023
Happy new year, and happy new opportunities! We hope your cup overflows with prosperity this year, and that your sales funnel is always full. The first step to achieving that? Lead generation ideas that buyers and sellers actually engage with—and that you'll actually use. Give your lead gen efforts a kickstart in 2023 with this week's Friday Freebie: an ebook full of 57 helpful lead generation ideas. Read on to learn how to download your free copy! Free copy of 57 Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for 2023 ebook, courtesy of Zurple We've got a new year's resolution for your marketing efforts: try a new lead generation idea every week in 2023. Learn what works for you, what doesn't, and maybe discover a few new strategies. Fortunately, this eBook from Zurple offers more than enough lead gen ideas to last you an entire year—57, to be exact. Here's a breakdown of what's included: 11 lead magnet ideas (with examples) 9 website lead generation ideas 5 third-party site and mobile app lead gen ideas 22 social media lead gen ideas 4 lead gen ideas for your CRM Plus 6 more ideas! Whether you try one new strategy per week or one per month, finding new ways to connect to consumers is sure to propel your business towards success. Kickstart your lead generation efforts for the new year. Download 57 Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for 2023 now!

[Best of 2022] Friday Freebie: 8 Homebuyer and Seller Checklists
We're continuing an annual tradition of counting down our top 10 articles of the year. The following article was originally published in March and is #5 in our countdown. See #6 here. Buying or selling a home can be a complicated and stressful process. That's doubly true in today's fast-paced market of low inventory and cash offers. And while you're a professional who knows how to stay cool, calm and collected no matter what, sometimes your client's stress impacts you, too. This week's Friday Freebie to the rescue! To help you and your clients stay on top of everything during the home sales process, we're highlighting a collection of eight buyer and seller checklists that will keep everyone organized all the way through moving day. Read on to learn how to claim these free checklists! 8 Homebuyer and Seller Checklists, courtesy of Zurple We have a confession: we love checklists. Not only do they make planning and execution so much easier, but they're also a great way to draw in new leads. These eight checklists from Zurple are highly detailed and let your client do everything from narrowing down their wants in a home, to helping them prepare their home for listing, to knowing what to do on moving day. You can share these checklists with your current clients, or offer them on your website for download in exchange for a lead's contact information. That's two handy purposes in one: lead generation and good customer service! Here's what's included in this free packet of eight checklists: Home Buying Checklist Home Selling Checklist House Hunting Checklist Mortgage Pre-approval Checklist Moving Out Checklist Open House Questions Checklist Prepare Listing for Market Checklist Showing and Open House Prep Checklist Ready to help your clients and leads stay on top of today's challenging market? Download 8 Homebuyer and Seller Checklists now!

How to Use Real Estate Market Statistics to Attract Sellers and Win Listings
We spend a lot of time talking about how to market to home buyers. But it's important to market to sellers too. And it's easy to do. Before making a decision, sellers should be familiar with the real estate market in their area. Here's how to use real estate market statistics to attract sellers and win listings. Valuation Before deciding to list, a seller needs to know how homes are being valued in the community. Specifically, are values going up? To provide this information, you should look for statistics showing the average percent change in valuation over time. The information should be categorized by ZIP or neighborhood. This will allow the seller to know how values are changing in his/her immediate community. And it will help the seller have the right expectations when pricing the home. Total Home Sales The seller also will want to know the competition for buyers. Specifically, how many others are listing in the area? A graph showing monthly sales volume by ZIP code is essential. This will help the seller understand what potential buyers are seeing and better predict their behavior. Median Price Per Square Foot Median price per square foot is the median sold price in the area divided by the square footage sold. This helps the seller understand the prevailing prices for homes in the area. If the seller's home is smaller than average, he/she should expect to price the home lower than others. Sales by Age Square footage is not the only factor affecting home prices. The age of a home also plays a role. To help a seller understand the bigger picture, you should provide statistics on total sales by home age. This will show the age of the homes selling most, and it can help the seller know what most buyers are looking for. Others These statistics are just a start. There are many others that can provide useful information to sellers. You should consider: Months of Supply – How many months it would take to clear the current supply of homes for sale Home Sales by Square footage – What size homes are the most popular Total Foreclosures – How many houses have been foreclosed in the last month Days on Market – The average listing time for a property Where to Promote Your Market Stats Okay, you have some key statistics selected for your marketing efforts. What do you do with them? Here are four places to promote market statistics to maximize impact. Market Statistics Page If your community is small enough, you could create a single market statistics page on your website. This is where you would show data about sales and prices for your entire town. But if your coverage area is larger, this might not work. Sellers want the narrowest data possible. So if you cover multiple ZIP codes, you should breakdown your data by ZIP and create a market statistics page for each. Consider creating neighborhood pages that show available homes and neighborhood statistics together. The Property Listing Page You also should consider placing statistics directly on the property listing page. This page would provide the property listing as well as data about the area surrounding the listing. You might ask, "Why we would put statistics on a property listing if we are looking to attract sellers?" Don't forget sellers are doing research too. They want to know the prices of other homes in their community and the amenities they have. So it's very likely a seller will check out a few active listings before deciding to list him/herself. Open House Statistics are great handout material at open houses. Why? Because neighbors often attend open houses. While they may not be immediately looking to sell, they could be in the future. Providing statistics is a good way to help these potential clients remember you, and it will help demonstrate your expertise. Blog Feature Market statistics also are great web content. Consider adding them to your blog as a regular feature. This will help you boost your SEO and increase your web traffic. Real estate market statistics empower sellers. They can help them understand home prices, competition for buyers, available inventory, and more. Don't leave your potential sellers out in the cold. Win their trust and their listings by adding real estate market statistics to your site today. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Friday Freebie: 2023 Real Estate Lead Generation Plan
You've got your overall 2023 business plan down—now it's time to hone in on the nitty-gritty details of your lead generation strategy for the year ahead. To help you do just that, we're highlighting a lead generation planning guide in this week's Friday Freebie. It's completely editable and helps you focus in on your strengths, weaknesses, lead gen goals, budget, strategies and more! Read on to learn how to download your FREE copy. Free download of the 2023 Real Estate Lead Generation Plan, courtesy of Zurple There are 44 days until the new year. Are you ready to meet the challenges of the 2023 real estate market head on? Put your best foot forward with a solid strategy for generating and converting leads. The 2023 Real Estate Lead Generation Plan helps you define your goals and strategies in order to give you solid, actionable steps to take in 2023. The Plan is editable and acts as a worksheet to help you think about and map out your lead gen strategy. Here's what's included: SWOT and competition analyses Lead generation goal setting worksheet Lead generation initiatives worksheet Worksheet for identifying your ideal customers Lead generation plan with space to detail strategies, lead gen channels, performance, budget, etc. And more Get ready to drum up all the business you can handle. Download the 2023 Real Estate Lead Generation Plan now!

5 Reasons Agent Teams Get More Leads Than Solo Agents
Have you ever considered working as a real estate team, or are you already part of one? If so, there are a lot of benefits to working as a dynamic duo, and if not, you may want to think about it. Stats from around the industry show that team agents tend to get more leads than solo agents. But why? Here are the top five reasons real estate agent teams get more real estate leads: Reason #1: More Options = Broader Appeal Think about home shoppers and sellers. In most cases, there will be two decision makers, sometimes even more. So it should be no surprise that having two agents, each with a unique personality, skill set and disposition, can increase the likelihood of home shoppers wanting to work with you. Reason #2: Two Brains Are Better Than One Think about it—as a buyer or seller, would you rather have one person helping you find or promote your home... or two? Real estate teams have more manpower, therefore can theoretically accomplish more than a solo agent can. Even if the search or promotion strategy ends up being the same as that of an individual agent, the perception is there. Reason #3: More Marketing Dollars and Connections As a seller, when the amount of exposure your property is going to get is directly tied to the amount of money your agent is willing to put into promoting it, seeing two faces means having access to two wallets and two sets of networks. That in and of itself can be very powerful, especially when the agents have been in the industry for a number of years. Reason #4: More Testimonials With two agents working with more clients, you get more testimonials and people trust the opinions of their peers. Seeing 40 testimonials instead of 20 can make a dramatic difference in the number of potential clients who decide to pull the trigger and reach out to you. Reason #5: More Experience and Accountability With a combined 30 years of experience, team agents are able to learn from each other and get more exposure into a wider variety of different real estate scenarios. That experience helps them manage their business more effectively, and leads recognize that. You can see that there are many reasons why team agents typically get more leads, and this isn't an exhaustive list. If you've never considered it before, think about whether or not working as a team could be a good option for you. In an industry that's all about generating numbers, two can be much stronger than one. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog. Further Reading Should I Join a Real Estate Team? Onward and Upward! 8 Tips for Growing a Thriving Real Estate Team The Agent Onboarding Action Plan Every Real Estate Team Needs Why You Should Consider Sales Talent for Your Real Estate Team

Leverage Your Inbox to Cultivate Leads and Repeat Business
We've all heard that staying engaged with past clients is a phenomenal way for real estate agents to nurture their real estate business. But what does that mean when it comes to your inbox? Email templates and a catchy subject line? Should you be sending your past customers constant emails about their dream home being listed, or just sending them a friendly celebratory email for their birthday? Maybe they have a friend or family member they've mentioned on Facebook or Instagram who's looking for a home — should you reach out just to see if you can help them in their search? Could you even send them a follow-up email about a school in their district that's holding a meet-and-greet event for new parents in the area? The answer is: Do it all. Reach out, even if nothing's going on As a real estate agent, you understand how imperative it is to build connections and keep them going. Staying in touch with your client base, even if they're settled in their homes and not searching for a change, is a great way to maintain a relationship and build credibility as a trusted source for all things real estate. By casually reaching out, you stimulate memory of the interactions they've had with you, reminding them that you helped them during an extremely stressful and pivotal time. Anyone within their immediate sphere of influence then becomes a prospective buyer or seller capable of perpetuating further lead growth for your business. Utilize real estate email templates Email templates are everywhere. Whether for real estate, general marketing ideas, proposals, newsletters for community events, etc., there's an email template ready and waiting. Use them. Not only do they save time, but they can have a fairly positive effect on your stress levels. In fact, using an email template set to a steady drip campaign can free anywhere from two to eight hours of your time per week, leaving you available for that last minute open house or to explore a new local market for a client. Specific email templates geared toward agents also give ideas on how to set up an open house invitation, present housing market data and generate buzz around your personal brand by using proven design and content strategies with your personal branding. It's okay to be human It doesn't matter if you use a template or craft an email from scratch, it's essential to connect with your clients on a human level. For example, if you had a past client who needed more nurturing reach out, try engaging with them on a gentler level by asking how they are, changing your punctuation usage and possibly adding a few emojis here and there. Showing empathy, even in an email, is a great way to build a positive connection with you and real estate, negating some of the more stressful facets of the transactions. If you decide to use a template, try adding general interest information about home design, the buying process, things to do at home or anything else that displays you as a thoughtful expert in your area. Your inbox is a simple yet powerful relationship online meeting tool. It's excellent for engaging established clients, prospecting new buyers/sellers and just staying generally connected with the homeowner community. There are also great learning opportunities that allow you to leverage your emails more effectively, displaying proven strategies and techniques to increase open rates, save money and thoughtfully engage with your contacts. Interested in more tips and tricks to master your email marketing? Dig in deeper with this FREE DOWNLOAD Your free AWESOME EMAIL MARKETING GUIDE will give you more ideas on how to use your inbox and email marketing strategies to stay in touch with past clients so you can create repeat business, as well as generating new and referral leads. Need help with leveraging email marketing to cultivate more business? Elm Street Technology does the work for you and offers solutions that help you stay in touch with past clients so you can generate referral leads and repeat business. Connect with an Elm Street Technology Success Coach today to learn more.

How to Pivot (Not Panic) in a Market Shift
Right now, everyone is talking about the shifting market and expressing concerns about a possible recession. Well, if we learned anything in the last few years, it's that uncertainty happens. The market is always in flux, and it's up to real estate teams to prepare themselves with best practices and strategies to help them thrive in any market conditions. Remember, pivoting is not about stressing out. It's about rising to the occasion and taking on the challenge at hand. Here are four critical tips that can help you pivot in a market shift without the panic. 1. Know your data Knowledge is a serious source of power during periods of uncertainty surrounding market shifts. You need to know your numbers, not just the headlines. The first step to honing your team's insight into current real estate data is investing time to study the market using trusted industry sources. This can help you understand exactly what's happening, allowing you to see beyond the woes and worries initiated by predictive headlines. If you're tracking the real numbers, you will have a better handle on the situation — informing your immediate strategy, and allowing your team to plan for potential futures as they arise. The second step of data mastery is being able to share what you've learned with your clients. Once you encounter the raw data, it's your responsibility to digest the information and help inform your sphere. Learning how to communicate and decode information for your clients will empower your deal-making strategies to ensure that they succeed in any market conditions. Pro Tip: Keeping Current Matters is a great resource for real estate data! We love their weekly series, "The Deep Dive," on the housing market. 2. Diversify your lead sources All investors know that a resilient portfolio is a diversified one. The same thinking is true for your lead sources that are feeding your sales pipeline. When you get wind of a market shift, it's time to analyze your lead sources and ensure that you have a diversified stream of leads. When you expand the channels that generate leads for your real estate business, you will be less likely to experience "lead droughts" — or periods when your lead gen strategy is not delivering the volume of leads required to power your business. Having multiple lead sources can help soften the blow of a market shift. Even when the momentum slows, you still have enough resources to keep your sales funnel active. On the other hand, if you're relying on a single source of leads and that slows down, you don't have another outlet to lean on. 3. Double down on lead gen When word of a market shift spreads, many businesses reactively cut back on their marketing efforts and reduce their marketing spend. However, this is not what the pros do. Rather than pulling back, many top-producing agents recommend doubling down on lead generation during a market shift. The strategic angle here is that you will be taking advantage of the action taken by all of the other agents who are fearful and hesitant. While they reduce their lead gen, you can capture those leads that they are missing out on. With less competition trying to lock in leads, your business can elevate its visibility in the local market by strengthening your lead gen strategy. 4. Schedule frequent syncs with your team While you have the power to thrive in any market if you are leveraging competitive strategies and keeping up with your data, that doesn't mean that a market shift isn't unnerving. When the markets are changing and you are mapping out your pivoting strategy, it's a great opportunity to make time to communicate with your team about the current situation. Scheduling regular meetings to get everyone together and talking about how the current market conditions are impacting your real estate workflow can connect your team and boost collaboration. This is a great time to share ideas and strategies, as well as openly discuss any of the challenges that individuals on your team may be experiencing. Besides giving team leaders more insight into what their team members are going through, this culture-strengthening strategy can help team members feel secure and supported. It's important to remember that, in some cases, shifts in the market and economy can introduce struggles within the personal lives of team members. It's important that everyone is united during tough times. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Friday Freebie: Referral Lead Strategy Guide + Scripts
Online leads, open house leads, cold calling leads—they're all great, but none compare to the quality of referral leads. That's because, in part, 83% of consumers trust recommendations from family and friends, according to Nielsen. And that trust in their loved ones' opinions is likely to transfer into trust in you. So how can you set yourself up to inspire referrals from your sphere of influence? In this week's Friday Freebie, you'll find out exactly how. We're highlighting a free guide that's all about getting more referrals—from providing superior service, to referral strategies, to asking for referrals. Read on to learn how to download your free copy. Download The Referral Lead Strategy Guide + Scripts, courtesy of Zurple The path to more referrals starts with providing customer service that inspires those referrals. From there, you can get strategic about cultivating referrals from different sources. How? In Zurple's free guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about referrals. Download the guide today to discover: How to provide service worth referring The basics of starting a referral program Referral strategies for social media, professional networking and local neighborhoods Monthly referral event ideas How to manage rejection from referrals Closing gift ideas Scripts for requesting referrals Grow your business with quality referral leads. Download The Referral Lead Strategy Guide + Scripts to learn how!

Cost-Per-Lead: Is It as Important as You Think It Is?
Are you still stuck on the "cost-per-lead" metric when analyzing lead generation strategies? It's 2022, and agents should be thinking bigger, and considering about another metric that's actually more important for fueling your business: conversion rate. Why Cost-Per-Lead is an Outdated Perspective Cost-per-lead is important, but it should not be your be-all-end-all for shaping your lead conversion strategy. The lowest cost-per-lead doesn't mean you're getting high-quality opportunities that will actually convert into business. In today's highly competitive, fast-paced market characterized by consumers spending more time online and being exposed to — and ignoring more — advertisements, real estate agents need to evolve beyond the norms of the past. One of the biggest reasons why cost-per-lead is the wrong approach to viewing lead generation strategies is because this metric is not fixed. In reality, the cost of each of your leads is not guaranteed because of many external factors outside of your control. 5 Things Impacting Cost-Per-Lead Calculations Seasonal Trends Market Activity Location Competition Demand Levels Based on these factors, your cost-per-lead changes at different times of the year and depending on your market. For example, your cost-per-lead will not remain consistent throughout the market's high seasons and slow periods.  While these external factors — such as inventory levels, political events, and even natural disasters — remain outside of your control, it's still important to understand how they are expected to affect your business. This can help you create strategies to quickly pivot according to new situations, and prepare your clients for upcoming market shifts. Pro Tip: Stay on top of the latest market data and local trends impacting your market to develop custom strategies to improve your conversion rate and keep leads moving through your sales funnel. Why Conversion Rate is More Important than Cost-Per-Lead When shaping your lead conversion strategy, agents should consider a more holistic approach. Rather than simply focusing on which option provides the most leads at the lowest cost, it's more advantageous for your business if you think about both lead quality and quantity. Think about it — would you prefer more weak leads with a lower conversion rate, or fewer strong leads with a higher conversion rate? At the end of the day, strong leads with higher conversion rates will likely be more beneficial for your business.  3 Tips to Improve Your Conversion Rate Pro Tip: Don't assume that colder leads further out from conversion are weak. In reality, the "trash" leads in your database may actually be your hidden goldmine! Keep your colder leads on a diligent nurture and follow-up plan to help them inch closer toward conversion — and prevent them from choosing another agent when it's finally the right time to transact. Here are a few tips that can help you improve your lead conversion rate: #1. Focus on Quick Response Times You don't want to leave your online leads waiting around for a response. One of the most effective ways to boost your conversion is to quickly follow up with your online leads. #2. Sort and Qualify Your Leads Segmenting your leads can make it easier for you to provide value-driven content specifically curated for their needs. For example, you don't want to be sending out home buying tips to sellers — unless you know that they're also planning to buy a home after their upcoming sale. And, in that case, you might want to send out tips for buying a home after a sale. When you sort and qualify your leads, you can tag them in your CRM to organize your future outreach. #3. Leverage Bulk CRM Outreach To stay relevant with everyone in your sphere, you should be leveraging automatic bulk outreaches to the different lead categories in your CRM. Create custom messaging for each lead type — including hot, cold, and past clients — and schedule the email delivery. This is a time-saving way to stay relevant with your leads and provide them with the insights they need to transact. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Using a Client Referral System for Real Estate Leads
In business, client referral programs involve a process of asking your current (or recent past) clients to refer you, your business, and your services to other people--people within a network and a sphere of influence. Typically, referral programs are free (no strings attached) or linked to an offer or incentive for the referee. Referrals remain one of the best ways for real estate agents to connect with qualified, warm leads. Increasing your referral business can significantly boost your sales–and with much less hassle than trying to convert online leads. Research indicates real estate referrals are crucial for growth and the easiest way for an agent to get referrals is through past clients who had a positive experience with them and their brokerage. Even with all of the digital information and options we have at our fingertips these days, we still look to those we trust for referrals and recommendations. In fact, 84% of consumers say that they almost always trust referrals or recommendations from their friends or family when it comes to products and businesses. A real estate CRM not only helps you get more referrals but it also helps you track referrals more effectively, increasing your odds of converting them to clients – whether it's right away or down the road. What you do with your referrals, specifically how you manage and keep in touch with them, can make a significant impact on your business. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog. Further Reading 65 Sources of Real Estate Referrals You May Have Overlooked 5 Professionals Outside of Your Network to Get Referrals Friday Freebie: Guide to Asking for (and Getting) Referrals How to Generate Real Estate Referrals Using Local Online Groups Brokerage Marketing Secrets: How to Help Your Agents Get More Referrals

Friday Freebie: The Simplified Homebuyer Guide
Leverage it as a lead gen magnet, or use it to educate clients -- this week's Friday Freebie offers double the utility. This free guide can be placed behind a lead capture form, or given to buyer clients to help guide them through the home purchasing process. Keep reading to learn how to download your free copy. Free download of The Simplified Homebuyer Guide, courtesy of Zurple The homebuying process is complex, and buyers have a lot of questions. The Simplified Homebuyer Guide aims to answer buyers' questions and give them resources like worksheets and timelines to move them through the buying process. That's great for agents. After all, an educated buyer is a buyer that is best able to compete in today's market. In addition, if you're looking to target leads, this guide lists homeownership benefits and reasons for working with an agent. Here's what else this comprehensive guide offers: Homeownership benefits for moving hesitant buyers off the fence Why buyers should work with an agent Common mistakes to avoid Flow chart of the homebuying process Overview of how mortgages work Worksheet of home features for helping buyers evaluate listings Homebuyer questionnaire Homebuying game plan with write-in deadlines for staying on track Glossary of common real estate terms And more! Download The Simplified Homebuyer Guide now to educate buyers and capture new leads!

The 3 Best Times to Ask for Real Estate Referrals
One of the best types of real estate leads to generate are referrals. That's because they're easy to convert compared to other lead sources such as Facebook or Google. Despite that, some agents are hesitant to ask for a referral in fear of inconveniencing their past clients, family, or friends. There's no need to fear! Here, we break down the top three best times to ask for a referral. 1. When You First Start Working with a Client You should ask early in the relationship when emotions are at their most positive. When a person decides they are ready to buy or sell a home, their friends and family know much earlier than a real estate agent does. They talk about it with their network, and even go on social media to ask for recommendations for agents. The early stages of your relationship with your clients are a great time to ask if they know anybody else who may be looking to buy or sell real estate. 2. When You Place a Property Under Contract Here is another highlight in your personal relationship with your clients. Once the property is under contract, you are almost there! Your real estate clients are (hopefully) happy with your level of service. Not asking for referrals is a missed opportunity. Don't miss out on business by always asking for a referral. 3. When You Close the Transaction Job well done! This should be the most obvious time to ask for a referral. Don't make this the only time, though. This is also a great time to ask for a testimonial, which can lead to a better online reputation. Getting into the habit of asking for referrals at EACH of these three opportunities can impact your business much more than asking just once. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

3 Tips for Getting the Highest Quality Leads
1. Nurture your prospects and past clients Lead nurturing is the process of keeping in touch regularly with your leads and prospects over time, offering them relevant and timely information. It means building a relationship with them until they're ready to use your services. But the more leads you have in your database, the more difficult it is to remember specific details about each of them. By keeping good notes in your CRM, you'll be able to review the information you have about your lead, and your conversations will flow with ease. Similarly, when you communicate regularly with your past clients, you ensure that they remember your name and know exactly how to get in touch with you when the time comes to list or buy a home or pass a referral your way. 2. Build your website When it comes to buying and selling homes, being the best real estate agent in your market isn't enough. Having years of experience and being personable is a solid foundation, but another agent who is more visible on the internet might trump you in reaching more potential clients. Your website is an extension of your brand and it should be both engaging and easy to use, capturing leads within a CRM system for managing and passing leads to your team. 3. Grow your social media presence Social media has become an important part of the real estate business. If you don't have active, relevant, and engaging social media accounts, you are losing on opportunities that could put you in front of new business. Read this story for additional ways to set yourself up for success with integrating social media into your real estate brand marketing strategy. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Friday Freebie: Guide to Hosting Open Houses That Get Better Offers
A bidding war: that's the ideal scenario for listing agents. But high interest rates, runaway inflation, and competition from institutional investors may be cooling the housing market in many areas. The good news? It's still a seller's market. The better news? You can still coax multiple, competitive offers from everyday buyers—and it all starts with the open house. In this week's Friday Freebie, we'll show you how with a guide to hosting open houses that get better offers. Free download of 2022 Open House Guide, courtesy of Zurple Aside from inspiring interest in a listing, an open house also is a strategy for the hosting agent to build in-person rapport with the community—and build their contact database. That's why open houses are often a starting point for new agents looking to build their book of business. Whatever your level of experience, this guide from Zurple breaks down the preparation, marketing, and hosting of open houses step-by-step: Step 1: Get a listing Step 2: Choose a date Step 3: Prepare the home for market Step 4: Marketing your event online Step 5: Marketing your event offline Step 6: Prepare your client Step 7: Prepare the home for the open house Step 8: Engage guests Ready to level up your open houses this summer? Download your FREE copy of the 2022 Open House Guide now!

Generating Leads and Boosting Business
Who doesn't love leads? Leads are a crucial part of your business and help you grow as an agent. You can get leads from all sorts of places and ways, but the important part is taking them from a lead to a lifelong client. According to a National Harris Survey, more than 80% of people ask for recommendations from friends when making big purchasing decisions. Once you have established a strong past client resume, you will have a great opportunity to build some lead generation around referrals. To make that goal a reality, all of your marketing pieces should contain some sort of lead generation from lead capture forms to texting a number for lead capture. Lead generation can be found on your digital and tangible marketing materials, like direct mailing with postcards. The more you shift your marketing to generate leads, the better. Some options to help you get started are: Add a lead capture form to your website Create a direct mailing campaign in a local neighborhood for potential buyers/sellers Reach out to old leads that you may have lost touch with Hold an open house for another agent Host local events in your area Remind your satisfied clients that you welcome and appreciate referrals. This may come at a later time as you build up your client database Reach out to your partners like your loan officer or title rep and find ways to pass leads to each other. In your first year, you will likely try these many other different ways to generate leads. Tracking your success will help you save time and money on your marketing efforts and allow you to focus on the leads that are producing the best return on your investment. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

[Podcast] iBuyers and 'Zillow-geddon' with Kala Laos of Zoodealio
In this episode of It's Closing Time, Kala Laos sits down with RentSpree CEO Michael Lucarelli to discuss the future of iBuying within real estate, as well as her real estate software company Zoodealio. Michael and Kala discuss "Zillow-geddon" and how real estate agents should view iBuying companies. Kala also discusses how her company, Zoodealio, is designed to empower agents within the iBuyer market and provides her top tips for effective lead generation.

How Real Estate Agents Can Generate More Leads with YouTube SEO
Let's be honest: This topic is a combination of three constantly evolving fields. The housing market changes by the day. Lead generation can feel inconsistent, even at the best of times. And chasing after SEO keywords is up and down, too. All three components are driven by trends. And they're trends that SEO-savvy real estate agents try their best to keep up with because good marketing leads to better business. However, one constant piece in this formula is how much time the average internet user spends on YouTube. (The average person aged 18+ spends more than 40 minutes a day watching YouTube videos.) So if you can develop a good YouTube SEO strategy, you'll be able to get your video content in front of more viewers than ever. YouTube as a Lead Gen Tool Before diving into the nitty-gritty details of YouTube SEO, it's important to understand why YouTube can be just as beneficial to your business as any other social media platform — say, Facebook for example. According to a 2021 study, YouTube is both the second most popular social media platform (after Facebook) and also the second most visited website on the internet (after Google). And more than 2 billion active users watch more than 1 billion hours of video every day. The takeaway here is that YouTube has become a primary hub for content. Whether the focus is entertainment, news, education, or a sense of community, more people are watching more YouTube content in 2021 than ever before. As a result, it's become a popular destination for advertisers. Marketers spent a little over $4 billion on YouTube ads last year, and YouTube's global ad revenue was around a little shy of $20 billion. It's like that idiom about drops of water in a bucket. Only in this case, the "bucket" is one of the largest bodies of water to ever be discovered by advertisers. YouTube has become a key player in how people connect and share things with each other, and that has developed it into a major lead generator for businesses. It's the kind of lead gen tool that could be used by anyone in any industry — even real estate. A Real Estate Agent's Guide to YouTube SEO There's a good chance that Facebook is already a big platform for your real estate business. From posting video walkthroughs of houses to connecting with people (both homebuyers and fellow agents), it's hard to imagine a world where social media doesn't play some role in your work. But the problem with relying on Facebook videos is that your reach is often limited to your network. And since Facebook doesn't quite have the most consistent search and filter algorithms, it's possible for people to miss out on things unless you are paying for targeted advertising. Targeted ads can be very effective on Facebook, but they come with a price tag. The main trait real estate agents love about SEO-driven advertising is that it's all organic — by targeted specific keywords, you can make sure your content finds the right audience. And the only "expense" on your part is putting in the effort to find the right keywords. YouTube has developed reliable SEO guidelines thanks to its relationship with Google. And that means you can use the video platform to consistently and effectively get your videos to rank well when people search for specific keywords. Of course, it's just like SEO rules on Google. If you want a top spot for a keyword, you'll need to put in some research (to find the keyword) and technical work (to make sure you meet YouTube SEO requirements). But it's the sort of thing that real estate agents can — and should — rely on to get video content in front of as many potential homebuyers as possible. In other words, it'll help you generate more leads. And if you make YouTube SEO a regular part of your lead generation strategies, then YouTube can function as a reliable way to advertise yourself to new groups of prospective homebuyers. Get the Most Out of Video Content Even people familiar with Google's SEO process have to relearn a few things to get results on YouTube. The platform's focus on video content has led to very different trends in what sort of topics people search for, and specifically how they use the search bar. For example, people are much more likely to search for "how-to" videos — tutorial content is consistently the most-watched on YouTube, and that was especially true last year. In 2020, YouTube saw a 50% increase in the number of views for videos with "beginner" in the title. Viewers also have a higher chance of watching something from the suggestions bar instead of going back to YouTube to search for something else. (In fact, 81% of American YouTube users regularly watch videos the algorithm recommends to them.) Contrast that with traditional web activity. How often do you search for something, click a result, and then start browsing that site to read posts about unrelated topics? That sort of thing works on YouTube, but hardly ever translates to Google. People use the two platforms differently, and that applies to the SEO rules to follow if you want viewers to find your videos and start engaging with the content you share. When it comes to real estate, it's unrealistic to think you can upload videos about every single listing you're going to see. Instead, think of YouTube as a platform where you can share other sorts of video content — by becoming a trusted voice on a specific topic, people will be willing to click links to your other social media pages or even your website. Maybe you create how-to videos, introducing first-time homebuyers to different topics that will help them. Or maybe you make monthly updates about the market in your area. And of course, you can still upload videos about listings as they become available, particularly if they are in a busy market that you know will get some traffic online. Regardless of which video format you rely on, YouTube can become a powerful lead generation tool for your business. And by targeting specific keywords, you can use your YouTube channel to guide people to other platforms where you can connect with them directly. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

LinkedIn for Real Estate Agents
Social media is a valuable tool for real estate professionals. However, if you aren't on LinkedIn, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Being on other social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram can be beneficial, but does present challenges unique to those platforms, such as your business profile competing with cat videos and selfies. LinkedIn eliminates these distractions, so you no longer have to fight to make your post relevant or find your audience because, on LinkedIn, they are looking for you specifically. Half of US adults with college degrees use LinkedIn, and 45% of internet users that make more than $75,000 annually use the platform. You don't have to combat crowds of uninterested bystanders because LinkedIn is a platform created for professionals, so you should be taking full advantage of all it has to offer. According to Hubspot, LinkedIn produces 277% more leads than Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn also has a visitor to lead conversion rate of 2.74%, which may not sound like much, but when you compare it to the .77% rate of Facebook and only .69% rate of Twitter, it is clear how valuable LinkedIn is. One of the biggest challenges in marketing is generating traffic and leads, but LinkedIn has made a name for itself in this category. LinkedIn accounts for 50% of website traffic coming from social media platforms, making it more valuable than any other platform. How do you ensure you are getting the most out of your LinkedIn profile? Finding Leads LinkedIn makes finding leads more simple than ever before. For starters, the platform's LinkedIn Messaging Ads platform is a convenient tool to advertise your services to potentially interested clients. Pair this with LinkedIn Gen Forms, and you can capture tons of leads. These gen forms are customizable ads sent as messages or sponsored content to the target audience to collect leads of higher quality. You can customize these ads to ask specific questions to certain audiences to receive more accurate information. Using LinkedIn Gen Forms double your lead conversion rate. Many clients seek out real estate agents on LinkedIn, typically because they find them somewhere else and head to LinkedIn to learn more about the agent. They want to check out their qualifications, experience, and skills before taking the next step in their buying or selling process. Give yourself the upper hand by having all of this information available to them through your profile. Your Profile To optimize your LinkedIn profile, you need to start with exactly that—your profile! It is vital that your page is complete and inviting. That way, when leads visit your page, they know exactly who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. Your profile photo and banner are the first things your visitors will see. You should have a professional headshot for your profile photo and an informational image for your banner, such as an image that shows you working in your career field. Headlines are the first thing visitors will read, so it needs to be catchy and informational. Although LinkedIn will automatically fill out this headline, you should personalize this section and take advantage of the 240 character count. Your About section is the next big piece of your LinkedIn puzzle. This summary should include anything you want leads to know about you and your business immediately. Highlight your significant accomplishments, feature client success stories, and take this opportunity to create a strong first impression for leads. Also, be sure to include a call-to-action or a "next step" for the lead to follow. At this point, if a lead is still on your page, they will most likely be ready to reach out to you. Have contact information readily available for these potential clients. Without a quick, effortless way to contact you, the rest of your profile will be a waste. When it comes to posting on LinkedIn, make sure you're doing it often! You can post your own content or repost others' content that you think would benefit your audience. What should you be posting? Great question! A lot of real estate professionals use their LinkedIn to showcase homes. Make sure to mix up your content too—you can post blogs, infographics, and personalized videos to keep things new and exciting for your audience. LinkedIn can be a prosperous tool for connecting with potential clients and learning more about the real estate industry. Don't let this platform go unnoticed—it can be one of the best opportunities for making yourself seen! Perfect your profile and start watching the leads roll in. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

Lead Generation Means Nothing (If You Don't Have a Lead Engagement Strategy)
Agents are obsessed with lead generation, but that's only half of the battle. When you get leads into your CRM, the next -- and potentially most important -- phase of the conversion process begins: lead engagement and follow-up. Generating leads is a costly investment, so make sure that you actually have an effective lead engagement strategy in place in order to convert those leads. Lead Engagement and Follow Up Are THIS Important: 90% of real estate agents will give up on a lead after the first four touches, despite the fact that 70% of the time that lead will go on to buy a home within the year — just with a different agent. (NAR) 80% of prospects are deemed "bad leads" by sales teams, and yet, these buyers still go on to purchase homes within 24 months. (NAR) Responding instantly to inquiries can increase lead conversion rates by up to 391%. (Zillow & MIT) #ProTip: Consumer demands focus on instant gratification, service, and communication. The most successful real estate businesses are those that not only meet consumer expectations but exceed them by anticipating needs. Seamless engagement experiences are critical for lead conversion. Agents are challenged with assuring that: Your leads are contacted and qualified quickly, 24/7. Your brand is accurately represented Your leads get white-glove customer service You're not glued to your desk so you have time to work with your current clients and expand your brand 3 Ways to Extract Value From Your Lead Generation by Driving Conversion Let's be honest, sometimes all of the responsibilities of lead generation and follow-up can be incredibly time-consuming for agents. And, the more successful your lead generation strategies are, the more responsibility agents have to respond, engage, and qualify leads. Since we don't have all of the time in the world, agents need to establish "rinse and repeat" processes that warm up leads until they're ready to convert. Agents that want to maximize the value of their lead generation efforts can improve their follow up and engagement models with these three strategies: #1. Lead Qualification Plan To work your leads, you have to know where they are and what they need. Lead qualification is a process that determines where a lead currently is within the sales funnel. Are they buyers looking to purchase a home immediately, or is it a shopper that's just dipping their toes? Is a seller looking to start listing their home, or are they still thinking about whether or not they want to sell? Lead qualification plans gather information from the lead to build a client profile that analyzes their potential for, and ability to, convert into a tangible deal for your real estate business. Lead qualification plans are important because they: Let agents know what the lead's needs are so they can provide valuable information Informs agents on the best angle to use when reaching out Tells agents how much time they should be investing in the lead Prioritizes your lead funnel based on how cold or hot leads are #ProTip: Plug what you learn during lead qualification into the lead's CRM contact so you're remembering all of the vital information that can give you an edge down the line. #2. Nurture Plans Once you determine where a lead is on the sales funnel, or how far they are from converting, agents need a nurture plan to help nudge leads towards their transactions. Using the information gathered during lead qualification, agents need to continually maintain contact with the lead — keeping your services top of mind. The main goal of nurturing leads should be to: Show a lead your value as an agent Help leads overcome potential obstacles and challenges related to buying/selling Build trust Empower leads to take the next steps, moving them forward on the sales funnel A strong nurture plan will share content with the lead, send them updates on new opportunities in their target market, and help them begin planning for their transaction. #ProTip: The best lead outreach and engagement provides customized information that is relevant to the lead. Leveraging bulk email actions can be a time-saving way to provide leads with seamless service. #3. Lead Concierge Services Lead concierge services, like Success Assurance from BoomTown, is a solution to lead follow-up and engagement that fills your pipeline and drives conversion. It solves for speed-to-lead without the agent having to stay glued to the desk all day. You'll be able to spend time working for your active clients while Success Assurance secures opportunities for business down the road. Remember: It's important to "play the long game." To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

How to Use Digital Flyers to Market Your Real Estate Business
Despite being a traditional marketing strategy, real estate flyers are still a very effective and practical way to help you locate localized leads, market your products and services, and bring awareness to your business or newly listed property. There are several ways to use flyers for marketing your real estate business effectively. And in this article, we will discuss how marketing through real estate flyers has evolved in the digital age and how you can effectively use this strategy to generate more leads and create new business opportunities for your real estate brand. So if you're looking to explore all available marketing tactics to grow your business, this is the article for you! How Can You Effectively Use Real Estate Digital Flyers for Your Business Flyers are now more accessible than ever before, thanks to low-cost printing and innovative CRM templates. However, there are several tips to consider when designing digital real estate flyers: Have a clear goal in mind Focus on your message and your target market Be creative with your flyer design Have a direct call-to-action Now that you have a clear goal of what you want to achieve with your flyers, let's look at ways to use them to effectively market your real estate listings. Agent Profile Flyer Doing some outreach is necessary to build relationships with residents. Having a hyperlocal presence is a powerful force in the real estate industry, mainly because information about properties, agents, and communities is widely available. Becoming a neighborhood expert is the most valuable method for agents to differentiate themselves. One effective method of accomplishing this is by sending real estate flyers that detail some of your most noteworthy professional accomplishments to capture the interest of buyers and sellers. Open Houses Ensure that you hand out listing flyers to everyone who attends your open house events. Your flyer can be an excellent conversation starter and make a lasting impression, which can help you seal the business. Flyer Boxes A flyer box is a great way to market yourself to people who might not come right up to your open house or listing event. Ensure that you include your flyer box with your for sale sign for people to pick up on a walk or drive. Your contact information will then be readily available to them if they're interested in your listing. Create Custom Real Estate Digital Flyers For Your Listings Besides physically printing your flyers, technology has made it much easier to generate digital flyers, which you can send to clients and prospects in email newsletters, text messages, and so on. Using digital flyers is more accessible and very effective. While you can make them printable, you can also send them to your leads right before an open house event while having print copies at your event. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

How to Convert an Internet Lead via Phone
The strategies you use to successfully convert leads are a big factor in your level of productivity. As we are able to find leads through an increasing number of channels, it can be challenging to identify the best ways to move toward conversion. Taking advantage of the opportunities that come via the internet can require some new ways of thinking and creative combinations of tools that you might not have tried before. One traditional, yet effective way to move an online inquiry into the pipeline is to make contact by phone. Following up is critical, and it's amazing how frequently initial contacts are ignored. For example, the WAV Group measured lead responsiveness from a sample of 384 different brokers across 11 states. Researchers inquired about online listings and recorded the data on responses by agents. In their experience: 48% of buyer inquiries were NEVER responded to Average number of call back attempts after the initial contact was 1.5 The average number of email contact attempts was 2.07 Average response time was 917 minutes (or 15.29 hours) So, strategy number one: RESPOND. Beyond that, many industry coaches recommend using the phone to convert these online leads. Here's a roundup of wisdom on the subject. #1. Tom Ferry Ferry's blog is loaded with information, videos, and interviews. He has an energetic style and provides specific tips for being more effective in using your phone for lead conversion. Tom Ferry's 6 Communications Tips Know your customers' pain and know their problems. Examples: market conditions, past purchasing experiences Know your dialogues. If you want to be good on the phone, you have to practice! When you know what to say and how to say it, you can be more in tune to your customers' needs. Get to the point! Example: "I'm calling today to schedule an appointment…" Give two options for setting a time. Stand up when you are making calls! Your body controls your tonality and your emotional state. On the phone = 20% effective sensory communication. Remember that when you talk, you are only engaging in one sense out of five. Speaking clearly is important. Get the fear out of the way with these three questions: What's the worst case scenario? What's the most likely scenario? What's the best case scenario? #2. Jared James A professional speaker, author, coach, marketer and entrepreneur, Jared James has a YouTube channel filled with tips and tricks for lead conversion. He makes no bones about the critical nature of timing. Five minutes can be the difference between a deal and no deal —and industry experts like Jared, Chris Smith and others agree. When you contact a lead within the first five minutes of their initial inquiry, the chances of converting that lead go up 100x. That's because there's context around that moment—they're still on your website, they're still thinking about you, and they haven't been taken over by the wave of all the other things on their plate. Jared talks about how to do this yourself—or with an inside sales assistant—and reminds you to perform an immediate call back rather than leaving a voice message. #3. Ken Goodfellow On Ken's blog, the topic of lead conversion is often discussed, and Ken recognizes the importance of the personal touch that a phone call creates. Initially follow up with the lead through email or text—but follow up with a personable phone call shortly after. Simply restate your position in a unique and refreshing manner. #4. Lee Davenport A quality CRM is part of any follow-up and lead conversion strategy, and Lee Davenport offers great insights into what features your CRM should have to help you respond quickly to incoming inquiries. She mentions a situation that most agents can relate to: You're sitting in a three-hour CRE course and receive an inquiry. Will your CRM automatically respond to the inquiry with a personalized message? Here are some more functions Lee recommends. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

Friday Freebie: 8 Homebuyer and Seller Checklists
Buying or selling a home can be a complicated and stressful process. That's doubly true in today's fast-paced market of low inventory and cash offers. And while you're a professional who knows how to stay cool, calm and collected no matter what, sometimes your client's stress impacts you, too. This week's Friday Freebie to the rescue! To help you and your clients stay on top of everything during the home sales process, we're highlighting a collection of eight buyer and seller checklists that will keep everyone organized all the way through moving day. Read on to learn how to claim these free checklists! 8 Homebuyer and Seller Checklists, courtesy of Zurple We have a confession: we love checklists. Not only do they make planning and execution so much easier, but they're also a great way to draw in new leads. These eight checklists from Zurple are highly detailed and let your client do everything from narrowing down their wants in a home, to helping them prepare their home for listing, to knowing what to do on moving day. You can share these checklists with your current clients, or offer them on your website for download in exchange for a lead's contact information. That's two handy purposes in one: lead generation and good customer service! Here's what's included in this free packet of eight checklists: Home Buying Checklist Home Selling Checklist House Hunting Checklist Mortgage Pre-approval Checklist Moving Out Checklist Open House Questions Checklist Prepare Listing for Market Checklist Showing and Open House Prep Checklist Ready to help your clients and leads stay on top of today's challenging market? Download 8 Homebuyer and Seller Checklists now!

Tips for Growing the Listing Side of Your Real Estate Business
Building the listing side of your business will help you become a more balanced agent that can thrive in any market, whether it's favoring buyers or sellers. Here are essential tips that can help agents expand their listing services to grow in their markets. How to Get Started When you want to begin expanding your listing services, your online presence is a great way to start. Building new landing pages marketing your listing services on your website will help you create a resume for your seller leads. Giving sellers strong content to engage with will present you as a reputable listing agent with insight, experience, and market knowledge. Website Landing Page Ideas to Attract Sellers: Home Renovations to Increase ROI Seller Tips for (Year) Local Market Reports Seller Testimonials Essential Home Selling Guide Glossary of Home Sale Terms Things to Expect When Selling Your First Home How to Prepare a Home for Listing Another option for kickstarting your listing services is to organize your CRM based on client needs. Tagging your clients and leads as sellers and buyers allows you to leverage bulk actions when following up with your network. This gives agents the chance to begin sending out targeted engagement to seller leads in their CRM. #ProTip: Don't forget to reach out to buyers that you worked with in the past in case they're ready to re-enter the market as sellers! Tips for Building a Solid Listing Presentation When growing the listing side of your business, you'll need to master listing presentations. Listing presentations are where agents pitch their services to a potential seller. Successful listing presentations result in being hired by the seller, meaning you just converted a new client. The listing presentation is the agent's chance to prove to the seller why they are the best decision for the job. Use these five tips when building your listing presentations to improve your conversion rate and stand out from competing agents. #1. Include a Bio and Noteworthy Stats In most cases, the listing presentation serves as the first introduction between sellers and agents. You want to make a strong first impression, and that means including a bio and noteworthy career highlights in your listing presentation. Make your career bio a short "about me" introduction to set the stage for the listing presentation. It's a good idea to include your best real estate stats, like annual production volume and sales data, to prove your statement — that you're the best choice for the job. #2. Add a Detailed Marketing Plan Sellers want an agent that can leverage a robust marketing strategy when selling their home. Instead of just saying that you can sell the home, prove it to them by providing a detailed marketing plan. Explaining the steps you will take to attract buyers will build trust with the seller and give them a preview of the services they'll have access to once they sign you on as an agent. #ProTip: Remember to include your social media channels here so the seller can explore your pages and follow you. #3. Provide Content for Your Audience Whether you're giving your listing presentation in person or online via video call, your audience should have something in hand to keep their attention and provide more information. Give your audience something to follow along with. For a live presentation, consider bringing a printed worksheet with additional tips. For an online presentation, send a PDF with supplemental information in advance. Not only does this keep your audience engaged, but it also gives sellers something to walk away with that has your brand on it. #4. Include a Local Market Recap Show sellers your value as an agent by including a brief market recap in your listing presentation. This introduces you as a data-backed agent that can recommend informed seller strategies based on real-time market data. Include data like: Whether the market is favoring sellers or buyers Average days on the market Average listing price Inventory levels Buyer demand #ProTip: Don't forget to include a few comments on what trends are popular in your local market. For example, if buyers are paying more for recently renovated kitchens or if sellers are waiving a certain contingency to win buyers. #5. Bring in Client Testimonials The listing presentation is a great place to introduce client testimonials. This strategy shows sellers that you have a good reputation with your past clients while giving them a preview of what it's like working with you. #ProTip: Instead of having one portion of the presentation only about testimonials, include them throughout the presentation. Select client feedback that is relevant to what you're talking about and use the testimonials to back up what you're saying. When you're talking about ways to generate buyer leads to sell a home quickly, it's a good idea to include a testimonial saying how a seller was thrilled at how fast you were able to secure an offer. 5 Easy Ways to Generate Seller Leads Targeted Facebook Ads Email Marketing Campaigns Specifically for Sellers Invest in Advertising in Local Newspapers and Magazines Find Sellers at Open Houses Work with BoomTown! To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

How to Get Seller Leads in a Sellers' Market
There's no need for more than a few words on just how much of sellers' market we're in. Home prices are at record highs. Inventory is at a record low. And, to make matters worse, due to the pandemic, there are more agents than ever competing for clients. But you know all that already. So, let's jump right into the meat of the matter: What can you do to win more seller leads? Leverage your past solds in your advertising While there is a multitude of smaller factors that influence a consumers' choice in an agent—such as digital adeptness—ultimately, the single most important one is the agent's ability to sell their home. Obvious, right? You'd be surprised, though, by how many agents fail to realize they can leverage their past successes in their current marketing. Past solds are advertisements that showcase how well you sold a property. Ideally, they champion a win that separates you from the competition—a home sold X% above asking price, a property that went under contract in record time, etc. The key isn't so much to show you can sell a home but to demonstrate that you can do it better than anyone else. Here's an example of a past sold: Remember, the relative lack of inventory on the market coupled with a greater number of agents has given prospective sellers more choice in representation than ever before. As many of them are lured to the market by record-setting home prices, to win their business, you'd do well to convey that you're a better alternative than your competition. Sprinkling in past solds in your digital marketing—on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Google—is an easy way to get a leg up. Strengthen your online reviews Again, prospective sellers have the luxury of being more discerning than ever, and one negative review—or the lack of any reviews altogether—can be just enough to dissuade them. Spend the time now to rigorously audit your reviews. Though every review site counts, Google has won the battle for consumer trust. Many third-party reviews have come under fire for review manipulation, so users overwhelming view Google, a business built upon delivering searchers relevant and correct information, as the most likely to provide a fair representation of consumer sentiment. So start there. Reach out to past clients, colleagues, friend, and family, and encourage them to leave you a review on Google. You'll quickly strengthen your rating—and quickly reassure prospective sellers you're an agent to trust. Optimize your prospecting to the individual We live in a world of personalized advertising. Every email. Every digital ad. Every content recommendation is tailored made because it's more effective in converting consumers. So why shouldn't your real estate prospecting reflect that? Gone are the days of mass mailings and blanket canvassing. To truly stand out from the crowd, you should hone your marketing to the individual level. Use real estate heat maps, like Homesnap's Likelihood to List, to identify homes likely to hit the market and then leverage homeowner contact information to create tailored postcards or marketing materials. The extra step goes a long way in differentiating yourself among the many agents spamming out generic mailings. Offers something for nothing in your marketing Good marketing is an exchange of value. So, ask yourself, what could you offer to potential prospects? One idea: Don't use your website solely as a means to advertise. Offer prospective sellers something beyond static information about your business. That could be a newsletter, a market report, a free-home valuation tool, anything really. So long as you're offering value, sellers are that much more inclined to visit your website (and ultimately hire you) over those of your competition. Be vigilant about discovering new advertising channels The beauty—and the terror—of digital marketing is that it's constantly evolving, and agents who are early adopters stand to benefit the most. Just think about social media. Only a decade or so ago, many agents shied away from Facebook and Instagram advertising. Today, it's a necessity, and those who were first to build followings still reap the benefits. For a more recent example, consider Google Local Services Ads. These brand new ads seamlessly facilitate contact from homebuyers and sellers. They sit at the top of the Google search page, above traditional paid search advertisements, and enable users to live call an agent directly from their desktop or mobile device. Agents who take advantage of these ads while they are still new are at a tremendous advantage: They'll appear at the very top of the Google search results page every time a seller in their market searches for an agent. Remember, though, GLS Ads are the latest advertising product—not the last. So make sure you're always looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve. For more information about running GLS Ads for your real estate business, read this blog. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

Friday Freebie: 5 Lead Generation Optimization Checklists for 2022
What's the key to a successful lead generation strategy? If you said "consistency," you're on the right track. But it's hard to be consistent if you don't have a road map already in place. Cue this week's Friday Freebie. We're highlighting a free set of five checklists that will help you optimize your lead generation strategy and keep you on the path to consistency. Read on to learn how to become a lean, mean, lead-generating machine. Download 5 Real Estate Lead Generation Optimization Checklists for 2022, courtesy of Zurple Nothing makes life easier than having a plan in place. When it comes to lead generation, you need to know where to market yourself and how, how to qualify leads, how to nurture leads, and more. That may seem like a lot, but in this free packet of lead generation checklists, you'll learn how to streamline multiple aspects of your lead generation strategy. You can use the checklists yourself or share them with an assistant or marketing support personnel. Your free download includes: Lead generation checklist New lead qualification checklist Website SEO checklist Email/CRM checklist Real estate content checklist Make your 2022 lead gen strategy the best it can be. Download 5 Real Estate Lead Generation Optimization Checklists for 2022 now!

Is Cold Calling Still Effective in Real Estate?
Over the past several months, the debate between those who believe cold calling is dead and those who swear by it intensified. To be honest, we all know how intimidating cold calling can be. When it comes to calling strangers on the phone, some rookie real estate agents are hesitant. And others may be concerned about receiving negative reactions or not having a positive return of investment (ROI). Of course, each side has reasoning behind their choice. But before we delve into the nitty-gritty of cold calling, let's look at what it is all about. Meaning of Cold Calling in Real Estate Cold calling is one of the real estate industry's most traditional marketing strategies. It entails contacting a prospective consumer who has not previously interacted with you or expressed any interest in the product or service you provide in an attempt to gain their business. Cold calling aims not to analyze, make a pitch, complete a deal, or engage in a discussion. Instead, the goal of cold calling is to transition from an interruption to a scheduled appointment when you gain the prospect's full attention. However, we found that there are many opinions regarding this topic, backed by very little information. But here is what you need to know about cold calling. Cold Calling Statistics How Many Cold Calls Do Real Estate Agents Make? According to this Keller Research Center Report, which specifically targets the B2C market, real estate agents made about 6,264 cold calls and discovered that just 28 percent of the calls were answered. The agents scheduled 19 appointments with prospective customers and received 11 referrals from this 28 percent. This implies that an agent will secure only one appointment or referral for every 209 calls made. Therefore, the overall time commitment required per agent to finish all 209 calls was roughly 7.5 hours. (Some ended up in conversations while others did not.) Of course, the closing ratio in the real estate industry will, at this point, assess the effectiveness of a marketing strategy. It is not that cold calling won't produce any results, but rather that the cost of the lead and the sale may be achieved more efficiently through alternative techniques. The goal is to measure your performance and rely on analytics to get informed. How Well Does Cold Calling Work? Implisit, a firm that Salesforce recently acquired, studied the CRM data of organizations around the world. They discovered that the leads that created the best conversions originated from employee and customer recommendations. Leads generated through social media came in second place. According to a study by Leap Job, only 2 percent of cold calls resulted in an appointment. Similarly, Ovation Sales Group discovered that it takes an average agent 6.25 hours to schedule one meeting with a prospect. If we apply Implisit's analysis, suppose that these appointments are now regarded as opportunities. Only 6 percent of these appointments are likely to result in sales. When you examine the data, you can't say cold calling doesn't work. However, its effectiveness is fast becoming questionable. This finding is supported by a HubSpot study (The State of Inbound), which discovered that cold calling is 60 percent more expensive per lead than other strategies. This discussion, as you can see, is not a debate about whether or not cold calling works. At some level, it works. However, the essential question is: how well does it work? Is the ROI on this endeavor improving or deteriorating? Is the number of calls necessary to produce a qualifying lead increasing or decreasing? Real estate agents must develop new approaches to reach decision makers. If you don't rely on verifiable facts like this, you're probably losing out on trends that might predict a storm coming your way. How to Warm Up Cold Calls No one can dispute the digital revolution engulfing real estate. As technology improves, brokers are using new tools to locate the appropriate consumers and close more deals. This is the main reason why there is a debate regarding the effectiveness of cold calling. From the data discussed above, we agree that there is massive room for improvement in our outreach efforts, especially regarding cold calling. Here are two top tips on how to warm up cold calls for better lead generation. Sophisticated prospecting The days of painstakingly combing through property records and portfolio information for possible leads are long gone. What was once a time-consuming process of identifying potential listing, clients, and purchase and refinancing options is now as simple as clicking a button. In addition, real estate technology and off-market data platforms are now readily available to simplify the prospecting process, allowing real estate professionals to conduct custom searches and rapidly discover property owners and other potential leads. Get in touch with decision makers After identifying a promising lead to pursue, Realtors sometimes encounter roadblocks since they cannot access the necessary contact details of the property owner or the lead. Dealing with this situation is frustrating, and it results in a waste of the agents' time. Instead of finding the decision maker, the real estate professional is usually given inadequate information or a gatekeeper's phone number, which hinders them from speaking with the right people to make a deal. However, agents may avoid dealing with gatekeepers and directly contact the decision makers with the proper real estate technology and data. Top Alternatives to Cold Calling CRM Businesses have relied on numerous lead generation techniques for decades. Customer relationship management (CRM) includes tactics to maintain a healthy and lucrative relationship with potential and existing customers. CRM blends cutting-edge technology with sales and marketing methods to increase lead generation and customer satisfaction. LinkedIn Before you make a phone call, LinkedIn might be an excellent approach to form a personal relationship with a buyer. It is also a great way to expand your audience. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an effective tool for locating qualified prospects who match your ideal customer profile. It is also effective at maximizing your existing relationships to increase access to high-level decision-makers. Email An effective technique to reach out to and engage prospective customers is via email campaigns that deliver useful information that doesn't revolve around your services. Providing email content that isn't just a meeting request or a sales pitch is also an effective strategy to engage dormant or difficult to reach leads. It can also assist you in determining when to contact an inbound lead with a targeted message. Referrals Most B2B businesses begin their work with a referral, and nearly three-quarters of executives prefer to work with agents referred by network connection. Asking for recommendations from existing clients who may benefit from your service is incredibly effective. Warm Calling Warm calling is a networking approach that builds trust and rapport with a prospect before making a phone call. An increasingly effective way to make this discovery is through a personal referral, as this historically has happened. Unfortunately, cold calling only has a 1% success rate compared to warm calling, with a 30% success rate. Direct Mail Can you recall the last time you received or even read a letter? Perhaps not, but many businesses have effectively used direct mail or "snail mail" campaigns to reach their target audiences. This strategy allows for personalization, which is a plus. Given the current lead and client acquisition cost, a modest, inexpensive gift included with the letter might be worth the extra expense. Physical Events Not only do we use social media to network, but there are a plethora of networking events organized for practically any industry and place with substantial job prospects. While they might be fairs, exhibitions, or conferences, they may also be events explicitly aimed at networking. Although ticket prices may be high, many people attending events like these will bring in new customers for a salesperson on the spot, making them well worth the investment. Social Media Engagement Engage in social media conversations with the appropriate people. Growing your social media audience and your prospective list of prospects will be facilitated by contacting and interacting with thought leaders in your industry and potential users who meet the criteria for your ideal buyer profile. Takeaway Today, sourcing techniques have evolved. Instead of file cabinets, online databases are now storehouses of information. In summary, the effectiveness and scalability of cold calling is greatly affected by changes in data. It takes away uncertainty while providing confidence every step of the way, allowing for the fast development of more powerful relationships, especially because Realtors these days have so much information at their disposal that they don't have to talk to a prospect until they are ready to buy or sell. Technology has streamlined any setbacks that real estate professionals could encounter while trying to generate and convert leads. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Friday Freebie: 52 Lead Gen Ideas for 2022
It's been a little over a month since New Year's -- how are your resolutions looking? If you're like most people, maybe not so great. It's easy to set over-ambitious goals when facing down the fresh slate of a new year. When those goals reveal themselves to be unsustainable for your lifestyle, it's even easier to toss those resolutions aside. That's why we like this week's Friday Freebie. Instead of an unrealistic list of tasks to complete, we're highlighting an ebook with 52 lead generation ideas. That's one lead gen idea per week for a year—not too tough a pace, if we do say so ourselves! Read on to learn how to claim your free copy. Free copy of 52 Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for 2022, courtesy of Zurple With 52 lead generation ideas in hand, you can think of 2022 as a year for trying new strategies—and keeping the tactics you like for future use while discarding those you don't. Or you can use this ebook as a reference to grab marketing inspiration from as needed. However you use this ebook, here's what awaits inside your free copy: 10 lead magnet ideas (with examples) 9 website lead generation ideas 5 third-party sites and mobile app lead gen ideas 21 social media lead gen ideas 4 email/CRM-based lead gen ideas And 3 more miscellaneous ideas! Get your 2022 lead generation ideas on track. Download your copy of 52 Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for 2022 now!

From Lead to Loyalty: FREE Ebook Download
All too many business owners fall into the trap of sacrificing long-term relationships for short-term gain. Our FREE ebook, From Lead to Loyalty, breaks down why you should focus your efforts beyond immediate short-term sales goals and consider the impact long-term relationships have on your future. Easier said than done, we know. Your bottom line is a priority, and hitting revenue goals is crucial to a successful business. But as most business professionals know, referrals spend more and engaging repeat customers is much less expensive than acquiring new clients. Therefore, we've put together this free ebook that follows a lead through a positive lifecycle. Our Lead to Loyalty ebook will help you navigate how to take a cold lead and turn them into a long-lasting relationship. DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE EBOOK NOW FOR GREAT INFORMATION ON... When and how you should contact prospects Creative ways to thank clients and leave positive impressions How to turn a single transaction into many future businesses opportunities Industries that may encounter a long shopping or browsing period can mean lots of prospects may not need your services right away. As a result, it can be difficult to know how to stay top of mind without overwhelming your audience. We hope the From Lead to Loyalty ebook will help you as you grow and expand your business. If you need more assistance with your marketing strategy, contact our team at OutboundEngine. We are always here to help. About OutboundEngine, an Elm Street Technology Company: OutboundEngine does the hard work of keeping in touch with customers for you. Our expert designers, writers and marketers create compelling, clickable content that your audience will love…all branded exclusively to you. Automated. Easy follow-up. Quality content. Explore OutboundEngine today at OutboundEngine.com.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent: Getting Your First Clients
There's lots of great perks to being an agent -- you set your own hours, enjoy unlimited earning potential, and help people find a home that suits their needs for the right price. Before you start, ask yourself if you have the right disposition. You'll need top notch sales acumen, great negotiation skills, and the ability to act compassionately and prudently. Start your journey into real estate by learning up on the basics of how to become a real estate agent, and see how you can grow your business with rentals. The Basics Getting Your License It is required by law that all real estate agents must have an active real estate license, so all real estate hopefuls must begin with getting a license (and keeping it active!). Here's the basic process: you'll take a pre-licensing course, pass a state exam, and file a real estate license application. The specifics of this process will vary from state to state, so make sure to do your research on what education you need to become a real estate agent in the area in which you wish to work. States have different requirements for real estate licenses, so if you're planning to relocate, make sure that you're getting licensed in the state you wish to practice real estate in. Make sure to budget both your time and money. The amount of "credit hours" required varies from 63 hours in Florida to 180 hours in Texas, and real estate education can cost anywhere from $200 to $1,000. In addition to taking various real estate courses, you'll need to pass a background check and will have additional costs associated with signing a brokerage. If you know a real estate agent who is active in your area, reach out to them and ask them any questions you have. They'll be able to speak from recent experience (and may be able to send some referrals your way). There's a lot more to getting your real estate license! Do your due diligence before you start, and make sure this choice makes sense for you. Finding the Right Brokerage Most states require new agents to work with a brokerage for at least two years. While you may eventually decide to become a free agent, working at a brokerage will show you the ropes of real estate, and many brokerages will help you continue your education and connect with valuable resources like a mentor. Here are some factors to consider as you chose a brokerage: do you want to work for a larger brokerage with name recognition or a local boutique brokerage that will give you more attention and growth potential? What is the brokerage's commission split? What opportunities do they have for further advancement? Take to the internet and see if you can connect with agents and brokers who work for your chosen brokerage. Become a REALTOR Licensed, signed with a brokerage, and ready to go, right? Not quite. You'll need to sign up with NAR to access your local MLS. The majority of listings in the home sales market, and many in the rental market, can be found on a database called the multiple listing service (MLS), so access to the MLS is a much-needed tool for a real estate agent. Use Rentals to Get Your First Clients Considering beginning your real estate business by working with renter clients. Grow Your Sphere of Influence Working with rental clients is a great way to grow your sphere of influence (i.e., the amount of potential clients you can reach when you post!). You'll begin generating referrals quickly. And, remember, renters won't be renters forever! Most renters want to become homebuyers, and, if you can start relationships early, you can build a longstanding foundation for tomorrow's homebuyer clients. Practice Client Skills Even if you're a seasoned salesman, sharpening your skills requires practice. Because renters move more often—for single family rentals, renters move on average every three years—you may be working with the same client (and receiving commission!) multiple times. And, with rentals increasing dramatically in popularity, a new agent may have an easier time acquiring and working with renter clients. Develop Social Media Skills A social media heavy lead generation scheme is a must for today's ultra-digital world. Both renters and home buyers take to the internet to start their home search—90% of home buyers searched online during their home buying process. This is especially true of renters, who are often more plugged-in Millennials. Build your Facebook Business Page, develop your marketing know-how, and build social media skills that will last your whole real estate career. Earn Commission Quickly While home sales typically take place over a period of months, rentals can close in a matter of weeks, letting you access commissions almost immediately. This is especially important considering how competitive real estate can be for a new agent. Real estate coach Tom Ferry estimates that 87% of agents fail within the first five years. Don't wait for a luxury home sales commission straight out of the gate. Access More Education Ready to learn more about rentals? Once you've got your license, come access free online rental education from Rental Beast. To view the original article, visit the Rental Beast blog.

How to Qualify Leads the Easy Way
Many times, new business owners start with a clear idea of what they want to offer the world -- and it's something that excites and uplifts them. As they think about the details, however, doubt creeps in -- and it shows itself the same way across all industries. "I can't turn away business," they start to think. "I have to appeal to everybody!" No matter how many books you read or business coaches you hear from, it can feel counterintuitive to be told to "niche down." Deciding on a small segment of the total customer base to focus on may seem like a scary commitment, one in which you're not sure the other side will "love you back." Yet, focusing your strategy allows you to do the same with your marketing, advertising, and other types of communication. And it's precisely that laser-focus that appeals to people. Because you get specific, they recognize you understand their problems. That draws them to you! This is especially crucial in real estate. In your first year as a real estate professional, you might feel like you're doing a little bit of everything. After all, there's so much to learn! Soon, you start to develop a better sense of which customers fit you best. Ideal customers should be easy and fun to work with so you can add value to their lives! On the other end of the scale, some customers will drain your energy and may leave you miserable. It's crucial to get those encounters out of the way in the first year — because your business is not "for everyone." It's for the right people with the right budget at the right time. Those are qualified leads, the ones more likely than anyone else to become customers, and they grow your business. Sad, but true: Unqualified leads don't add to your bottom line, no matter how many you get! How to Qualify Your Leads the Easy Way Ideally, you would be able to qualify your leads by collecting just a little bit more information each time you encounter them. You might get some details when they sign up for your email list, a few more when they register for an open house, and a little bit more when they schedule a call. By spacing out your "asks" naturally in encounters like these, you can learn a lot! And an all-in-one real estate solution makes it much easier. That's because your CRM can capture and analyze details any human would easily overlook. Making connections between all the thousands or even millions of data points available, an AI-driven app helps you turn "information" into "insight." Still, it's a wise idea to have a qualification framework in mind. A qualification framework is a system of expected data points you collect about each prospective customer. Prospects that give answers within a desirable range are well-qualified leads. Those whose answers are outside the norm may be poorly qualified or not qualified at all. In real estate, people are often trained to maintain every relationship they can — "you never know who'll become a customer!" With a qualification framework, you might still get caught by surprise now and again, but you will be able to develop informed expectations about every prospect in your funnel. When you know, you can focus your attention on leads most likely to be your future customers. Plus, you can do something that might otherwise feel unthinkable: Let go of unqualified leads! Referring them to someone who can meet their needs better does a service to them, you, and a colleague of your choice – and with a steady stream of truly qualified opportunities, it'll always feel good. A Simple Real Estate Lead Qualification Framework The BANT framework originates in business-to-business sales and adapts very well to real estate. For each prospect, ask these questions: Budget Does the prospect have a budget that matches the type of properties in the local area you typically deal with? If not, can you help by providing facts about mortgage qualification or new homebuyer programs? Authority Is the prospect "in charge" of the buying decision? If working with a couple, both should be consulted on everything. If a large family is moving, everyone's preferences and needs should be taken into account. Necessity Does the prospect "need" to move now? If not, what would increase the sense of urgency? If so, what roadblocks are standing in the way — succinctly, why hasn't the person taken action? How can you help? Timing Is the prospect planning to move now, next week, next month, next year? Get a sense of projected timing and any contingencies. Entice long-term "waiters" who are well-qualified onto your email list. Discover how digital marketing automation can help you qualify leads faster and better. RE Technology readers can try DeltaNET 6 free for 30 days. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

How to Get Real Estate Leads with No Upfront Costs
It sounds too good to be true, we know: But you can actually generate real estate leads with no upfront costs. It will take some effort and focus, but the leads you receive will be warmer and more likely to convert than those you'd buy from any number of companies offering supposed "quick, easy leads." The main activity you'll need to focus on to fill the top of your funnel is building a strong online presence and improving your online reputation. That, in combination with outreach and lead nurturing, is the recipe for generating and ultimately converting real estate leads with no upfront costs. Let's dive into the details. What Is a "Strong Online Presence"? A strong online presence means that it's easy for buyers and sellers to find information about you and your business on as many corners of the internet as possible. Being visible and easily findable online is table stakes for most transactions nowadays. Consumers look up every business they're considering working with, from dentists to real estate agents to restaurants. Inevitably, the first place they'll go to start that search is Google. If you don't have a Google business profile and well-maintained website, it'll be hard to find you online — leaving buyers and sellers wondering if you're a reputable agent or whether you're still practicing real estate at all. And that's just for the people who actively search for your name. Imagine all the buyers and sellers who Google terms like "real estate agents near me" and miss out on learning about you simply because you aren't there. Make Your Business Easy to Find on Google Being present on the world's most popular search engine is step one. The best thing you can do to start building your presence is to create a Google business profile, which is the large info box that appears to the right of Google Search results or at the top of Google Maps results. Like we mentioned earlier, doing this requires no upfront cost. You can go to Google and start the process of claiming and verifying your business right now. The key, though, is maintaining your profile by updating it with new content and new reviews on a weekly basis. Yes, weekly. This helps with SEO and building trust with Google so that the search giant will be more inclined to show your profile over competitors when a local buyer or seller searches for "real estate agents near me" or the like. After all, Google doesn't want to show its users defunct profiles or poorly reviewed businesses over active, well-reviewed businesses. Here are our top tips for optimizing your Google Business Profile for better ranking: Fill in all information fields, including contact details, business hours, and your bio. Publish photos, including a professional headshot and images of your recent listings and sales. Add new content weekly to show Google that you are keeping your profile active and up-to-date. Publish content posts with helpful tips, market insights, and information about your services. Show off your real estate knowledge to position yourself as an expert. Add new content weekly so Google knows you're keeping your profile active and up to date. Request reviews, and then request more reviews—often! Consumers need to read at least 10 positive reviews to begin to trust your business, and nearly three quarters of people only pay attention to reviews written in the last month. As with photos and content posts, adding new reviews to your profile on a regular basis is a positive signal to Google, too. Respond to all reviews, including negative ones. If you don't publicly acknowledge negative reviews, consumers are left with more questions than answers, and it also sends a negative signal to Google. Respond Quickly to Leads as They Come In We're living in a world where you can track your food delivery order from the oven to your door. Consumers' expectations are very high, and it's no different when they submit their contact details to receive more information about your listing or services. If you wait too long to respond, you're more likely to lose that lead to another agent or even just cold feet. We recommend responding in less than an hour — ideally in minutes — to catch them while their interest is still high. Nurture Leads Who Aren't Ready to Transact Although a potential buyer might reach out to you through your Google business profile, they may not be quite ready to jump into the real estate market. It's important to nurture every lead you receive. Nurturing leads means engaging with them regularly so you're top of mind when they are ready to buy or sell. You can do this by supporting leads in whatever ways they need, such as being available to answer questions or referring them to trusted lenders or other professionals in your network. You should also reinforce your market expertise whenever possible. This is easily achieved by including leads in your email workflows for e-newsletters, neighborhood spotlights, trend reports, and market updates. The more that potential buyers and sellers interact with you and your content — even digitally — the easier it is to build trust and ultimately be the agent they turn to when they're ready to buy or sell. Reinforce Your Expertise Through Marketing You can generate real estate leads with no upfront costs, but marketing isn't free. The cost of ads, direct mail, etc., shouldn't stop you from having and executing a marketing strategy. This is critical for any business, including real estate agents, in order to extend your reach, increase brand awareness, build trust, reinforce your expertise, and move leads down your funnel faster. Digital marketing is the perfect tool to use in conjunction with your lead generation tactics. That's because advertising platforms, such as Facebook and Google, allow you to add specific people to your custom audience. As long as these ad platforms are able to identify your leads on their network, they'll serve your digital ads to them. The more often these leads see you pop up in their newsfeed or around the internet, the more likely you are to make an impression of being a successful real estate agent. Although you don't need to pay a dime to generate leads in the way we described, it does take continuous work to maintain an online presence that builds trust with consumers and ranks high on Google. Learn how Homesnap Pro+ can do the hard work for you. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

4 Ways to Generate Leads with Real Estate Marketing Flyers
Are you maximizing your marketing flyers' lead generation potential? As an agent, you are on a constant quest to generate new business. Save yourself time and effort by turning your existing marketing materials into targeted lead drivers! This article will teach you four easy ways to use marketing flyers to generate more buyer and seller leads. In order to turn a plain old real estate marketing flyer into a lead driving tool, you must use a directive call-to-action that accomplishes two objectives: Creates a desire for more information Provides instructions for actionable "next steps" Below, we provide four techniques you can use to target specific lead types. Read up and test them out! Option 1: The Buyer Intrigue Method Give a preview of the property, but refrain from dishing out all the details. There are two key pieces of information you can withhold to help you engage in more one-on-one conversations with interested leads. Follow one or both of these rules when you create your next listing flyer: Don't list the price Show four photos or less (pick the best features!) By withholding key details, you'll leave your leads wanting more. Drive engagement by including a call-to-action that tells prospects how to contact you – something like, "Great price! Text XXXXXXX for full property details!" When you get the text, follow up with a reply asking for an email address you can use to send the property details. That way, you've captured your lead's phone number and email, making it easier for you to follow-up in the future. Option 2: The Inventory Teaser Turn "not quite right" into "new buyer in sight"! Often times, a potential buyer will be interested in a property, but something about it just isn't quite right. Maybe the home is $10,000 over budget, or perhaps it doesn't have granite countertops. Either way, you can engage those buyers by promoting listings with a similar price range, location and/or amenities and start a conversation with your soon-to-be buyer lead by adding a call-to-action that promises access to similar properties. "Want more properties like this? Email me at [email protected] with the subject line 'Hot Properties in Mountain View' and I'll send you a list of seven great properties that are for sale or coming soon!" Particularly in tight inventory markets, the prospect of information about "coming soon" properties will motivate leads to take action. Option 3: The Curious Neighbor Method Curiosity may have killed the cat – but it helped the Realtor! This is a great method to help generate seller leads. Everyone is curious about property value in their neighborhood – even if they aren't looking to sell right away. When the house next door or down the block goes up for sale, it's not uncommon for neighbors to pick up a property flyer to find out what it's selling for. If you are in need of seller leads, omit the price from the listing flyer and add a call-to-action that will not only allow you to capture the potential seller's cell phone number, but will also give you a reason to connect! You can use this one: "Attention neighbors! Want to be notified of the price when this property sells? Text 123mainstreet (the property address) to XXXXXXX!" Option 4: Open House Teaser Showcase your home and your sensational customer service! This is another great tactic for generating both buyer and seller leads. While buyers attend open houses for obvious reasons, neighbors will often visit to satisfy their curiosity about what other houses in the area look like, what they are selling for and how that compares to their property. Capture all types of potential leads by adding the following call-to-action to your property flyers: "Text OPEN to XXXXXXX to receive a text notification when an open house is scheduled for this property!" When you receive a text, follow up with a phone call and let your new lead know they don't have to wait for the open house—you're happy to schedule an individual showing anytime that is convenient for them. Adding a simple call-to-action to your flyers will simplify your lead capture process and help you rake in more potential clients without adding any extra work. Test out these techniques, figure out what works best for you and reap the rewards! Ready to take your real estate marketing flyers to the next level? Download your free Marketing Flyer Success Guide + Template! To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Friday Freebie: 51 Home Improvement Projects Guide to Share with Sellers
The market favors sellers right now--but even so, homeowners still want to get as much as possible for their home. In this week's Friday Freebie, we're highlighting a gift you can share with homeowners--both leads and recent clients--to underline your value and help them get as much value from their home as they can. Free guide to 51 Home Improvement Projects, courtesy of Zurple What's the best way to increase the value of a home before it goes on market? Making improvements where needed. This guide makes that as easy on homeowners as possible by highlighting 51 home improvement projects. Each project idea in this guide offers: Difficulty, Expense, and Time ratings Video guides to executing each project Links to retail sites for needed supplies, with pricing included Tips for renovating each area of a home Use this guide as a way to attract seller leads (in exchange for their contact info, of course), or share it with your existing clients as a gesture of goodwill. Download your free guide to 51 Home Improvement Projects now!

5 Proven Ways to Generate Sales Leads
Sales leads are the lifeline of real estate. In order to scale your business, bolster your database with fresh contacts, and unique opportunities, there has to be a pipeline of new leads flowing in. However, sometimes leads can dry up for a number of reasons. Perhaps you got busy with other aspects of your business and neglected your lead generation, or the same framework that was working for you has since grown stale. No matter what caused the well to run dry, there are always new methods to try when it comes to lead generation. Here are five effective ways to generate sales leads – and reopen the reservoir. 1. Tackle Trade Shows Attending trade shows will always be an invaluable opportunity. It's a one-stop shop for meeting professionals from all over the industry, everyone from mortgage brokers to contractors. Building strong connections with industry professionals at these events has the potential to send a wealth of new clients your way from prospects they have in their business. Because they all fall under the realm of homeownership, the chances of you restocking your database are very high. So when they need to refer a customer to a quality real estate agent, you want to make sure you are top of mind. A few strong connections at a trade show can open the door to lots of new leads. 2. Providing Value via Content Whether you're a guest speaker at a conference or stick to a consistent blogging schedule online, presenting knowledge in your voice to the world can be a fantastic way to draw in potential leads. When you put yourself out to the world as a well-informed voice on the real estate industry by producing content (e.g., speeches, workshops, videos, blogs, newsletters), it not only builds your reputation as an agent but also builds trust between you and your audience of potential leads. You want to grab their attention and give them useful information in a way that coveys your trustworthiness. This reassures potential leads that you are someone they can rely on with the huge financial decision of buying or selling their home. By getting on peoples' radars through content in a helpful and positive way, you are sure to help build interest and leads. 3. Community Activism will help Generate Sales Leads Socially responsible brands are very popular in the marketplace and up to 91% of people want to hear about a company's CSR efforts through their marketing. So why should real estate be any different? There are steps you can take to make your community activism help your business. You know the community you service better than most. Find issues that you can help support to make a difference. This will show you are informed about the issues in the area and help you engage with the community which could be full of sales leads. By holding community events to raise money and keeping everyone posted on the community work you are doing, it creates opportunities to meet potential leads and keep you in the minds of the contacts in your database in a positive way. Not to mention, by helping make the community you do business in a better place, you're adding value and authenticity to your brand. 4. Build Your Database A real estate agent's database is their foundation for a strong network to pull repeat and referral business opportunities from. Spending time to build your database can increase your sales leads by creating valuable connections, opening lines of communications and widening your network. There are simple ways to grow your database. Adding people by reconnecting with people you've fallen out of touch with and reaching out to local businesses are just a few of many ways you can go about adding people. You should always be growing your network and database, so get out there and make some new connections! 5. Keep In Touch Just because you gained a sea of new leads doesn't mean you just leave them sitting there. You want this list to remember you and want to do business with you, but at the same time you don't want to be sending so many messages that you become an annoyance. A great way to achieve the Holy Grail of communication is to maintain a consistent conversation with a monthly email newsletter and drip email messages. An easy way to solve all of your lead gen problems starts and ends with a comprehensive CRM. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

How to Get More Listings and Referrals and Become the Go-to Agent in your Local Community
In a time when human connection is rapidly disappearing, it is more important than ever to bridge the gap and ensure that the real estate industry doesn't become robotic. Technology has made it easier to communicate but on the flip side, has made it more difficult to connect. There are some simple "rules" around how to increase connection with people/clients. While they may seem "old school," there is a lot of value behind these actions. Write handwritten letters. While seemingly outdated, the impact of these letters can be high. Ask people interesting questions. All too often, business people want to "tell" their story, but the true connection occurs when you ask them what they value. Answer questions with honesty. People would rather know the truth versus a standard, rehearsed answer. Open up to your clients. Don't hide behind social media posts or text messages. Be invested in your network. Whether they are your clients or local business owners, take the time to understand what they need and want. Getting back to the basics is a good starting point. Real estate agents used to be looked upon as their neighborhood hub, the go-to person for advice, contacts and relationships. However, during these past few decades, this role has taken a back seat to the "tech platforms," which has eroded the key influencer to one of a transactional nature. What the industry needs now is for agents to take on the role of the community expert once again and establish relationships with people. For those who have committed to this path, however, it can be a lot of work. Recently, two companies have aligned themselves to help further cement these ideologies in the real estate industry. Matthew Honsberger, Broker and Owner of Royal LePage Atlantic, a leading real estate brokerage in Atlantic Canada, is in partnership with Grant Findlay-Shirras, co-founder of Parkbench.com, a leading online platform that helps local professionals connect with their community. "This is the ideal marriage between our two companies," Matthew states. "As our agents are the CEOs and janitors of their own businesses and everything in between, they are juggling many different tasks and time is precious. Thankfully, Parkbench has created a system that is easy to follow and effective at the same time. My agents can now meet new people and create long lasting relationships while giving back to their communities." One of the keys to building a solid real estate business that is both sustainable and referral-based is to have a continuous supply of new contacts so agents can create a larger sphere of influence to draw from. Become a trusted advisor and referral resource. The more value you bring to the table, the more a client will be loyal to you, trust you and refer their family and friends to you. Your newsletters, videos or blogs should be creative and full of useful market information. People want to know what's going on in their local communities and look to you for relevant information to suit their needs and desires. You want to be recognised for your property and sales expertise and recognised as the area expert so keep it real and focused. Interview business people to expand your sphere of influence. Nowadays, all you need is a smartphone and a willing participant to create a compelling interview that will attract people to watch. This process accomplishes a few things. It gets you out from behind your desk and getting to know people in your area. You become the neighborhood 'connector' that people will naturally migrate towards. It increases your database exponentially. But who do you interview? Again, the list is endless but here are some good ideas: Local Small Business Owners. They could use your help to promote their goods and services, and rarely are you turned away. School Administrators/ Council Members. One of the top questions people ask before considering buying a home is, "How good is the school district?" School quality has a big influence on people's choices when considering which neighborhood to move into. Community Associations. People who are involved in their community associations tend to know a lot of people and are good connections to have. They also host various events throughout the year that you can be involved in. For a comprehensive list of people you should contact, click here for a free ebook:'30 Local Professionals Real Estate Professionals Should Meet' Parkbench.com offers the backdrop and support for REALTORS® to engage with their local "audience" and support them in many different ways. For instance, relevant, daily news is automatically hyper-linked to each community website, as well as local business deals and neighborhood events. The true secret sauce lies in the use of free video marketing that the Local Leaders® (term for the agents using the platform) offer business people. The agents interview these people and then promote them through the website and various social media channels. The Law of Reciprocity is strong with this offering and the real estate agents benefit greatly from this type of interaction. "Locals must support each other, and I created Parkbench to be the one-stop shop for people to do this and stay up to date with what's going on around them," Findlay-Shirras explains. "Connection is a massive driver for being recognized in this industry," Hillary Hasty, Manager of Marketing and Design at Royal LePage Atlantic explains. "The Parkbench system is a different tool that our agents can utilize to help them gain access to people they otherwise might not be able to reach. Our agents want to provide value beyond the transaction and solidify their presence in their community. We believe that our alliance with Parkbench will give our agents the boost they need to differentiate themselves from the competition." Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. Agents need to focus on fostering relationships to get clients. The key to becoming the agent of choice in your neighborhood is to add value to your community members. 4 Elements of Building Meaningful Relationships Meaningful relationships are established over time and have four key elements: Initially, someone becomes aware of you. The person has perhaps heard your name in conversation, seen your advertisement, or has perhaps seen one of your posts on social media. Next, that person gets to know you. Maybe you meet them for coffee, discuss business and trade some personal information. The third element of the relationship is the person likes you. You have demonstrated your integrity and willingness to listen to their needs. This bond will stay with you as long as you continue to keep honest with them. The final element is trust. You become their adviser and they seek your counsel. You have demonstrated that you are trustworthy. In the end, your service as a responsible agent to your clients will lead you and your organization to success. Are you ready to learn more? Do you want to be a community minded broker? Maybe it's time to rethink how you have been doing business. If you want to become the local market expert and increase your exposure within your geo farm community, reach out to Grant Findlay-Shirras or Matthew Honsberger for more details and become a Local Leader®. Next Steps: If you're an agent in Atlantic Canada, contact Matthew to get access to Parkbench at no upfront cost to you. If you're a broker/owner or team leader who wants to give their agents a systematic and predictable way to create high quality leads in their geo farm that doesn't cost you any money, then contact [email protected] to learn more about "the local broker program." Free Resource Do you want to know the top 30 local professionals who refer the most business to agents? Download this free ebook and learn who they are and how you can connect with them. Also, you will learn how to add value to business owners so that you can build referral generating relationships with them.

3 Tips to Find Listings in the Current Market
Well, that was quite a summer real estate market! Huge year-over-year valuation gains, bidding wars and lower than low levels of inventory. At one point, there were even more NAR members than listings! However, things do appear to be cooling off a bit and leveling out in many areas. But that doesn't mean that the inventory shortage (and increased competition) is going to just disappear. It will mostly likely be more of a slow fade. Then again, maybe not. Predicting and timing markets is a tricky business, and hardly an exact science. The point is, finding listings and sellers isn't going to get easier overnight. You need motivation, a plan, data, and market insight. You need to get in front of would-be sellers to earn their trust and pique their interest. Here are three ways to do it with help from RPR. 1. Put RPR data to work for you One of the most important things you can do with potential clients and prospects is build trust and confidence. If someone is apprehensive about selling, the housing market or even the economy as a whole, they need reassurance that they're making the right moves. They want to hear more than opinions; they want charts, graphs, stats and info from expert sources. You can deliver that and much more! With RPR, every REALTOR® is a click or fingertip away from accurate, up-to-date property and market data. The trick is figuring out how to convey this hard data to customers in an easy to digest manner. Here's a couple of examples of how to put RPR data to work for you: Run an RPR Market Activity Report and use those facts and figures to create a social media post (or flyer) to give an update on the area. It could be one street, one neighborhood or one ZIP code. You can even draw the area by hand on a map! Include active, pending and sold information for the last 3-6 months. Or include how much home values have increased in the last calendar year. While many homeowners are aware that their homes have risen in value, not all of them know the exact figure. Providing this type of information can really open their eyes, get them thinking, and position you as the go-to source for local market knowledge. Create an RPR Neighborhood Report and use that data to make a quick video that will create buzz about a particular neighborhood. Just record footage of the neighborhood and use a quick video editor app such as Ripl, then record your voiceover. In 30-60 seconds, you can give important stats on the area's home values and sales activity, the demographics of the population, economical statistics, and quality of life tidbits including parks, commute times and public transportation. And of course, amenities such as restaurants, retail shops, walkability scores and more. Post the video to Instagram or Facebook and alert your sphere that this neighborhood is perfect for their lifestyle. This is a great "soft sell" approach, where you're giving a neighborhood update that isn't 100% about home prices, and can go a long way in connecting you to a community and its residents. Be sure to include a call-to-action line at the end, such as, "I've done a ton more research on (NEIGHBORHOOD NAME) and if you're interested, I can create a report and share it directly with you." Hint: the reports you follow up with can easily be made in RPR! 2. Fine-tune your prospecting Prospecting is the ultimate proactive approach to new business. While some top producers acquire listings strictly through referrals and repeats, most agents need to put in some hustle to find new prospects and leads. And RPR is built to help you succeed at it! Tapping into RPR as a resource in these efforts is a smart approach, as there are many ways to apply its data, reports and maps to a prospecting plan. You can go in-depth with geographical prospecting to find every homeowner in a specific area who's owned their home more than 15 years, then make a mailing labels list (up to 2,000, for free, every month), and send each one a report on their home. Or you can keep it as simple as creating a one-page flyer about their home and drop them off in person or send out a handful of mailers. With RPR as a prospecting tool, you have options. For an in-depth look at everything RPR offers, we encourage you to download our exclusive eBook on prospecting for new clients and leads. Get How to Farm and Prospect for new Clients: an Exclusive RPR eBook and you'll have one of the industry's go-to sources for prospecting. It's filled with tips, step-by-step how-to's, quick video lessons, success stories and more. Keep it on your desktop and add it to your digital library to learn: Prospecting/Farming basics: the who, what and why's of geographic farming Formulas for Turnover and Absorption rates A step-by-step guide on how to set up geo farming areas in RPR How to generate a mailing labels list/CSV file Which RPR reports are best suited for prospecting Agent success stories that you can emulate This guide is the north star when it comes to real estate prospecting. It's a map to success and all you need to do is read it, follow it and put it into action to gain warm leads and new clients. Click the link and download your exclusive copy today. 3. Make a lasting impression with your listing presentation Congrats! If you've made it to the presentation phase, you're now just minutes away from nailing down a new listing and hitting paydirt. This is your time to shine, put your best foot forward, knock their socks off and every other cliche in the book. Your listing presentation is a resume, a capabilities brochure and a first impression all rolled into one. Using the tools and reports within RPR to create your listing presentation is a smart and savvy way to impress your clients and give you a sharp, competitive edge. The first thing you'll want to do is have a pre-discussion with your potential client. During this first step, make sure you do plenty of listening. Ask leading questions that get them talking about why they are selling. Find out all you can about their priorities and goals. Doing this type of homework will help you tailor the presentation around their needs. For sellers, the most important part of working with a REALTOR® is the agent's ability and experience in pricing the home. This is where you and RPR come together to form an unstoppable team. Here are some boiled-down highlights you'll want to consider using: RPR's Realtor Valuation Model® (RVM®): This pricing tool sets the standard for automated real estate valuation models. It goes beyond the traditional AVM by incorporating listing and sales data from the MLS into the equation. The RVM® is also accompanied by a Confidence Score—a value between zero and five stars that indicates the level to which each of the multiple models agrees with other estimated values for a given property. High confidence scores indicate that other models yield similar estimates for the property. Watch this short video for details. RPR's CMA is used to determine a price or price range for a property that is both quantitative—based on comps and market information, as well as qualitative—reflecting your knowledge of the property, neighborhood and market. RPR's wizard walks you through five simple steps to generate a comparative analysis. You'll confirm the home's facts, search for and adjust comps, and land on your own list price by reviewing the analysis. RPR's Refine Value tool: If your seller has home upgrades, consider RPR's Refine Value tool to determine the value of a home based on property characteristics, improvements made and market conditions. Use the simple sliding scales to refine the home's value based on your assessment of local market conditions, the interior and exterior of the home's condition, lot size, view and privacy. Seller's Report: Now bring it all together with the RPR Seller's Report. This custom report can be created quickly, and includes a photo of the property, plus your photo and contact information. Plus, you can add customized pages. Inside, you'll find details on the subject property, local market conditions, side-by-side property comparisons, mortgage and distressed information, tax assessment history, and more. Here's a guide to learning all the details about a RPR Seller's Report. To create a truly compelling listing presentation, you must stand out from all the other agents, provide relevant data and prove your value. You must convince the owners that you're the best REALTOR® to help them realize their home selling goals. Check out this article, "21 Steps to a Stellar Listing Presentation," for a step-by-step plan to winning that listing. Find sellers with RPR As you can see, if you have the will, RPR has the tools to help you gain listings. Use these assets and resources to identify, market yourself and pitch your services. Sellers are out there, and RPR can help you find them! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

How to Generate Free Real Estate Business from Google
Google is a powerful search engine tool that helps users locate information online based on keywords. In short, Google uses these keywords to locate sources online and display them for you according to their relevance and popularity to your keywords. With 90.46% of the search engine market share, Google is by far the most popular, and it's no surprise it has claimed the generic term for looking up information online. Instead of saying, "Look it up online," you say, "Google it." There's plenty of opportunity on Google and real estate professionals must take advantage of its influential tools in order to grow their business and gain market share. If you want to find home buyers, you need to go where they are -- online. There's a trade-off between spending time vs. money when deciding between options for solutions. You can either spend more time solving a problem and less money, or you can spend more money and less time. When it comes to generation leads to grow your real estate business, Google also entails this trade-off. Google has two tools to help you reach and engage consumers: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Since SEM entails financing, I will share SEO strategies that generate free real estate business from Google. 1. Generating Real Estate Business with Search Engine Optimization for Google SEO is the "spend more time, save money" strategy and attracts consumers to your website, also known as organic traffic. You can increase the amount of organic to your website by tailoring its content to Google's algorithm. Your traffic will experience a snowball effect when implemented correctly – the more quality traffic you receive, the higher you'll rank on a relevant Search Engine Results List (SERL), and that means even more traffic. In a nutshell, that means including relevant keywords throughout content, consistently updating content, and keeping visitors on your website with valuable information. Below are tactics to enhance your website's SEO and increase organic website traffic: Real Estate Blogging – Each week, do some research and write a 500-word article about the real estate industry, your city, or helpful tips for buyers and sellers. Automated SEO City Reports – These are like real estate blogs but with specific information such as snapshots of homes for sale, featured properties, market data, school reports, cities, counties, and neighborhoods. Since this type of information is highly sought after by prospects, it will attract relevant traffic to your website. Update Pages with Keywords – Review each page and blog article on your website and see if its keyword is included in the title, each header, description, link, paragraph, and image file. Examine this article—can you figure out the keyword? It's important to note, keywords or keyword phrases do not have to match a search exactly. So a keyword phrase like "California Home Sales" would still be included in a search for "Homes for Sale in California." Include Outbound Links – Include a source to support the claim for each fact that you share to increase the credibility of your content. You can also use them to provide third-party tools that a buyer or seller might find useful. Examine this article, how are outbound links incorporated? Remove Broken Links – Broken links cause a poor user experience, hurts your SEO, and lowers your SERL ranking. After you've located broken links, go to your website and either update, remove, or set up a redirect for the link. Increase Backlinks – Backlinks are links on other websites that drive traffic to your website. For example, let's say you have a broker branded website and your own. If you include a link on your broker branded website that directs traffic to your website, that's a backlink. You can increase backlinks to your website by partnering with local community members, bloggers, newspapers, philanthropies, etc. Increase Web Page Load Speed – Your website's speed affects its bounce rate – the rate at which visitors exit your website without any interactions within 30 seconds. A high bounce rate will lower your SERL ranking. To decrease your website's load speed, you can compress images, remove unnecessary HTML/CSS code, unused page elements, etc. The HubSpot Website Grader tool is extremely useful in identify speed detractors in addition to performance, mobile adaptability, and security. Use Formatting with Headers and Bullet Points – Your writing should follow a basic structure that's scannable and easy to digest. Using headers at the beginning of sections, bullet points to separate ideas, and bold to emphasize words are just a few ways you can use formatting to make your writing scannable and reader friendly. Spelling and Grammar – Poor spelling and grammar will hurt your credibility, so double check your work. Grammarly is a free and useful spelling and grammar tool that checks for errors and recommends corrections as you type. You can install into Google Chrome as an extension. Pick a Catchy Title – Catchy titles include buzzwords like "The Top 5…" or "…in 2021" and get people to click on your article. Set Up Google Business – When a consumer begins their search online for an agent or brokerage to work with, their Google search might say, "Real estate agents in San Diego." A map with brokerages will appear that makes it easier to find local business. Setting up your business with Google will add your business to this map – which displays at the top of a local search. Mobile Adaptability – According to a Hitwise's Mobile Search Topics & Themes [US] Report, 60% of all online searches and 48% of real estate/properties industry searches were via mobile device. If your website isn't mobile compatible, Google will penalize your website and rank it lower on its SERL. If your website is mobile adaptive, you will rank higher and provide a good user experience for your website visitors. Now that we've gone over several ways to drive organic traffic to your website to generate free business from Google, let's go over how to convert that traffic. In order to convert organic traffic into leads, you must include lead capture forms and contact forms through out your website. 2. Converting Organic Traffic into Leads A home buyer looking for valuable, relevant content will find a buyer's resource page helpful. By setting up a lead capture form on valuable information like this, you can entice a website visitor to exchange their contact information for your buyer information – converting them into a lead. Additionally, a blog article, city reports, seller's resource page, listings page, and other tools like a home or comparative market analysis should be leveraged to capture and convert website traffic into a lead. In order to increase traffic and conversion rates, you must learn how to analyze data and make decisions based on your understanding of the data. Optimization is usually implemented through A/B testing. To learn more about analyzing website traffic to optimize your website's SEO, check out Google Analytics. When it comes to making important business decisions, you can either spend more time and less money or spend more money and less time. Attracting organic leads to generate free real estate business from Google is considered the former. Although SEO strategies take time to mature, they will generate passive leads that will consistently fill your funnel. To view the original article, visit the TorchX blog.

How to Actually Generate Good Quality Leads on Facebook
We all know that Facebook is a social media giant. But what if you started to look at Facebook as an inbound marketing channel that can pull in leads for you -- good, quality leads. Would you invest more time in it? Treat your Facebook page as an inbound marketing channel Inbound marketing focuses on creating quality content that naturally attracts people to your business. It uses digital content such as blogs and social media to create brand awareness and attract new clients. By aligning the content you publish with your target client's needs and interests, you can naturally attract inbound traffic that can be converted, closed and delighted over time. So, how do you actually do this on Facebook? Run Facebook Lead Ads Lead ads on Facebook (and Instagram) help you collect information from people interested in your business. The ads are designed to let people show their interest in your service by filling out a form in the ad with their details. By doing so, they are allowing you to follow up with them. The information collected in a lead ad includes, but isn't limited to, names, email addresses and phone numbers. You can even ask people custom questions that you care about (e.g., What services are you interested in?). To promote form completion, we suggest keeping questions short and sweet. Collecting names and email addresses may be perfectly sufficient to get the ball rolling. When you create your ad, use a high-quality, eye-catching image with minimal text and a clear call-to-action. Write a clear and engaging caption to accompany your image. An effective caption might look something like this: "Imagine coming home to this gorgeous 4-bedroom home in Lawrence Park. Click for listing." Before you launch your ad, view how it displays on desktop as well as mobile. You want to ensure that it looks great on both. Use Facebook Videos to Promote Lead Gen Offers Did you know that video posts have 135% greater organic reach than photo posts? Video gets solid engagement rates, and they are a great way to connect with your clients in a more interactive way. Create videos to help introduce and promote lead-generating content, whether they're offers, open houses, or something else. In addition to the text CTA, you can add your CTA in the video's description. Remember to also add a verbal CTA to the video. Remind your followers to "sign up for my newsletter" or "visit our open house," both early in the video and at the very end. And if you are hesitating because you feel awkward putting yourself on camera, guess what? So does everyone else! To conquer your fears, practice recording yourself at home, plan out what you're going to say in advance and work at getting more comfortable being on screen. Create multiple takes if you have to until you feel comfortable with the result. And remember, your video doesn't have to be perfect; believe it or not, people tend to respond well to authentic, uncut video. Post Relevant, Valuable Content When you attract new followers to your Facebook page, you want to keep them engaged so that when the time comes for them to buy or sell, they approach you to help them. Building trust with new prospects can take time, and posting relevant, valuable content on your Facebook business page can help. Content that "sells" your services, including your listings and testimonials, should make up less than one-third of all content that appears on your Facebook business page. Keep things interesting by posting a variety of topics on your page. Post relevant industry or local news, new blog posts, videos, photos, helpful tips, and other types of content. Think about the issues that are important to your target audience and create posts around those. Switch up your ads regularly so your audience is always seeing fresh content. Nurture, Nurture, Nurture The lead to customer conversion timeframe for a well-optimized Facebook Ad campaign is anywhere from one to 12 months or more. This means that at least 50% of the effort needs to focus on how you nurture your leads after getting them. Once you have acquired precious email sign-ups from your Facebook ads, build your relationship with these contacts carefully. Segment your email list, deliver targeted email content and avoid making these common mistakes. Facebook is a powerful tool for lead generation when used strategically. Even if you don't have a ton of "likes" on your page, if you start approaching your Facebook page as an inbound marketing tool you can build quality leads and watch your email list soar. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

Turning Renters to Buyers: Dispelling 5 Key Myths
More so than ever, misconceptions about the buying process keep renters from exploring the possibility of buying a home. Still, seasoned Realtors know that knowledge is power -- a gentle, educational nudge can go a long way in turning would-be renters into first-time homebuyers. Many highly qualified renters see homeownership as out of reach, citing barriers like a minimum 20% down payment, economic uncertainty, or a shortage of inventory as barriers to entry. At the same time, historically low mortgage rates make buying a home more attractive than ever. Renters need not sit on the sidelines and wait out today's uncertain housing market. Realtors can help them navigate the home buying process, establishing long-lasting relationships by pointing them to the right resources and helping them navigate both the decision to buy and a resale transaction. Millennials Making the Move According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, millennials have surpassed boomers as the largest segment of today's homebuyers. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, Green Street Advisors – Advisory & Consulting Group At the same time, millennials represent roughly 65% of all renters. As the consumer segment hardest hit by macro-economic events, including the Great Recession and the global pandemic, Millennials had been significantly behind both baby boomers and Gen Xers in their rate of homeownership. However, Millennial earnings are on the rise. In a recent study, Harvard's Joint Center for Housing recorded a 157% increase in rental households making more than $150,000 per year, meaning more millennials are ready to buy homes today. Three out of eight millennial renters believe they'll rent for life. Yet millennials are aware of the drawbacks of renting, including missed tax break opportunities, the inevitability of rent hikes, and the inability to build equity. As such, 62% of younger millennials and 68% of older millennials plan to buy within five years. As a Realtor, you can help turn renters into home buyers by dispelling these five common myths: Dispelling Five Common Myths Among Renters 1. "I done make enough money." Income is necessary, but the amount of money someone earns plays a less significant role in getting a mortgage than many might think. Lenders consider much more than just a paycheck when evaluating would-be homebuyers. Debt-to-Income (DTI) ratios and one's ability to make mortgage payments are more heavily considered than how much one makes. Lenders look at the whole picture, including credit scores and and the amount a borrower has for a down payment. First-time homebuyers may need to pay down debt and organize their spending before entering the market. Realtors working in this segment take their time with these clients, placing them in rentals (and earning commissions) while helping them address these factors. Additionally, rates for 30-year loans, 15-year loans, and 5-year ARMs are historically cheap, lowering the monthly cost of owning a home. 2. "I don't have enough for a down payment." / "I don't think I'll get approved." Most renters believe you need 20% down to purchase a house. To buy a $300,000 home, you'd need $60,000 on hand—an overwhelming amount for most renters. Many first-time buyers close on a house with almost nothing down. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a 100% financing mortgage. The program, formerly known as a Section 502 mortgage, but more commonly referred to as a "Rural Housing Loan" or "USDA loan," is not just a rural loan—it's available to buyers in suburban neighborhoods, too. With a USDA loan, there's no down payment requirement, no maximum home purchase price, and eligible home repairs and improvements can be included Additionally, the upfront guarantee fee can be an add-on to the loan balance at closing. FHA-insured loans allow for down payments as low as 3.5% in all U.S. markets and come with guidelines with a liberal approach to both down payments and credit scores. The FHA will insure home loans for borrowers with low credit scores, provided there is a reasonable explanation. Additionally, a down payment on an FHA-insured loan can come entirely from down payment assistance, including gifted funds. Low-down payments are also available from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac via the Conventional 97 program. Down payments are 3%, and it's less expensive for many buyers than an FHA-insured mortgage. Loans are currently capped at $548,250 and can only be used for fixed-rate mortgages on single-unit dwellings. In addition, the Conventional 97 program doesn't enforce a specific minimum credit score beyond those for a conventional home loan, and the entire 3% down payment can come from gifted funds from a spouse, partner, guardian, or family member. The Veteran's Administration administers a no-money-down program available to members of the U.S. military and surviving spouses, with straightforward qualifications; and local municipalities often offer various levels of down payment assistance, 3. "There's nothing in my price range." Once your rental client is pre-approved, they have a good sense of their target price range. However, in today's resale inventory-constrained environment, they often find themselves up against an increasingly competitive market. Here's where Realtors can demonstrate their value. Experienced Realtors can leverage their hyper-local expertise to guide first-time homebuyers into neighborhoods with homes in their target range and find hidden gems—properties not quite move-in ready yet in a preferred neighborhood and within their client's price range. 4. "I might move in a few years." Renting rather than buying is prudent over a short term—say a few months to a year, but it makes more sense to buy when staying for at least five years, and, in some cases, buying can even offer value when planning to stay for as few as two years. It boils down to math. Renters considering buying should calculate how long they need to live in a purchased home before the cost of buying outweighs the costs of renting. The New YorkTimes provides a Rent vs. Buy Calculator that takes the most important costs associated with buying a house, including mortgage details, growth rates, taxes, and closing costs, with computing equivalent monthly rents. 5. "I'll wait until I find the perfect house." Renters new to the home buying market may have unrealistic expectations about the inevitable pros and cons proffered by every property. No resale home is perfect, and a first-time purchase will likely require a few concessions. Good houses go fast! Renters looking to buy should be ready to act. Would-be buyers often need to make an offer right after a showing, so have reasonable criteria in mind beforehand. Closing a deal will involve some trade-offs, but the accomplishment of homeownership almost certainly offset them. More so than ever, there's value in working with renters, and while converting renters to buyers takes a little strategy and a lot of chutzpah, it's one of the most proven and cost-effective ways for Realtors to grow their book of business. To view the original article, visit the Rental Beast blog.

How to Capture Leads with Your Real Estate Website
Many agents believe that simply having a real estate website is enough to capture a sizeable number of leads. But while that may have been true in the early days of the internet, relying on your average, run-of-the-mill site today is a surefire way to miss out on new business. So, if you're finding your website is doing little more than taking up space online, you're probably guilty of a few of the below. Why isn't my real estate website capturing leads? Your website looks ancient If your website looks like you haven't put any care into it since it was first launched in 1996, you're not going to generate any leads. It's that simple. The majority of today's homebuyers and sellers, spurred on by the pandemic, are seeking out digitally adept agents. If they're a seller, they know that getting the best deal depends on effectively advertising their home via both traditional and digital (e.g., digital marketing, virtual tours and walkthroughs, etc.) channels. If they're a buyer, they're looking for assurance that an agent will be able to locate (and close) on the best home for them, however and wherever it's listed—especially in a sellers' market where a sizeable number of properties are for sale for less than a week. An archaic website screams you're not with the times. You've ignored the back end for too long Maybe you built your website yourself and weren't altogether sure what you were doing. Maybe you hired your nephew to handle the design a few years back. Regardless, your site isn't functioning like it once was. Links are broken. CTAs don't work. Pages take forever to load—if they load at all. And your once-beautiful property photographs now fail to populate. As much as we'd like to think that websites are static, set-it-and-forget-it solutions, they're not. Websites need maintenance. And one in disrepair will not only frustrate and deter prospective buyers and sellers, but Google will push it down search rankings, believing your business may now be defunct. You don't offer property search There's no shortage of sites consumers can use to conduct their property search. So without the ability to do so on your website, what are the chances you'll win more business? What's more likely: They use another agent's website and then come back to your website, contact, and hire you? Or they work with the agent whose site they've already found helpful? Exactly. You don't have any effective lead capture Not all CTAs are created equally. Many agents mistakenly believe they can place a "Contact Me" button somewhere on their website and that alone will drive interested prospects. But it won't. The most effective lead capture forms are those that offer value to the consumer. CTAs tied to an offer have been found to increase conversion rates by as much as 121%. Examples of these for real estate agents include newsletter signups, market reports, and free home valuations. How to Capture Leads with Your Real Estate Website Assuming you've corrected the aforementioned issues and added effective lead capture forms, your next step should be to include your website in any and all marketing materials. If you're promoting your business via paid advertising—social and search—make sure you've included a link to your site. If you have a Google business profile, a necessary digital marketing tool for any real estate agent, make sure your profile links out to your website. Promote your website on all your social media platforms, and don't forget to include it on any offline print collateral you produce. Beyond promotion, keep your site updated often with fresh, new content, such as photos and market insights. Showcase your recent successes, and if you've had any business that has been particularly noteworthy—such as a home selling fast or for far beyond its listing price—make sure to highlight that on some of your pages. Don't be afraid to brag. It's your website, after all. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

5 Easy Ways to Get MORE Listings This Fall
You need listings, everyone does. But are you looking in the right places? Or just the usual places? Try thinking outside the box and consider some, or all, of these amazing ways to find more listings this fall: 1. Ask for a referral Call people you've already worked with, maybe even someone you've recently sold a home to. These folks can be part of your sphere of influence, but that's not always the case, right? However, a former client for whom you did a fantastic job is almost your best-case scenario for referral business. Even if you aren't going to try and sell them a new property, ask if they'd be willing to stand up for you as a reference to get that baked-in trust you need with any prospective new client. 2. Give the FSBO market a try Selling your home on our own can start out as a great idea (and a way to avoid at least half of the commission a professional real estate agent would see from the sale). But that pie-in-the-sky plan can often turn sour, especially given the multitude of nuance surrounding staging, showings, negotiations, contracting, inspections, and more. A FSBO property that's been on the market for a minute (especially in these crazy times) might do well to listen to your pitch on why it just makes sense – financial and otherwise – to recognize they made a valiant attempt, but that it's time for the professional to take over. Create real estate postcard campaigns or just go door to door. Let them hear your voice, sympathize with them about the world of FSBO, and ask if you can meet to evaluate where they are, and what professional next steps would be warranted. 3. Regularly host a non-real estate-related gathering Not everything you do has to revolve around getting listings and selling homes. But…it does. It's your job. And the only way you're going to be successful is the constant nurturing of your leads and spheres of influence. Sometimes the beauty of the present is how it's wrapped. Gather your spheres of influence for informal gatherings, at a location that has NOTHING to do with your job, and let them network among themselves, and with you. Causal relationship building is the by-product of casual relationship building. Your sphere of influence will begin to draw on inter-relationships that have nothing to do with you or your business. But when the time comes to suggest an agent for a sale or because one of their friends is looking to buy, that connection may ultimately benefit you enough to get a contact, if not the listing, itself. 4. Open house contacts There are two sides to an open house: somebody trying to sell their property, and someone interested in buying. Someone popping into an open house might not just be a nosy neighbor. They might be someone interested in understanding more about a specific property or a specific neighborhood. And before they can buy a new home, they will likely have to sell their existing home. Never let the chance to grab contact information (even if it's only a social media username) pass you by. If you're going to do that, though, you must follow-up quickly – same day is not out of the question – and thank them for dropping by and introduce the idea of you working for them to both sell their existing and find their next home! 5. Capitalize on inherited properties If I asked you to tell me how many homes are inherited every year in the US, would you be anywhere close to 1.1 MILLION? There's actually a large and wonderful niche for these types of properties that you can represent. Somebody dies, they leave their house to someone who doesn't want it (or can't afford the upkeep, or just wants the money and not the hassle, or they're selling it out from under their siblings…maybe not that one). As a real estate agent, it's prime pickings, and hopefully could represent a quick sale. Get that listing and remember this niche! Give your business a boost this fall! As the leaves turn brown and hit the ground, do whatever you can to ensure the top of your sales funnel remains full. Take advantage of the best ideas to grow your book, find great clients, and fulfill your real estate dreams!