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4. Buy Exclusive Real Estate Buyer Leads

I’m often asked whether or not it’s worth it to buy leads. One of my favorite things to say to real estate coaching clients is, “There’s no such thing as a free lead.” You might pay with your time, your effort, your checkbook, or you can pay with a combination of all three. One way or another, you’re going to pay for the leads you get. If you are considering purchasing leads, take a look at Market Leader. What I like about them is that they guarantee a certain number of exclusive leads from your target area each month. In fact, we even named Market Leader our top pick for lead generation companies in 2023.

5. Look for Any Excuse to Throw a Party

According to the National Association of Realtors, more than a third of all buyers used either an agent they knew or an agent who was referred by someone in their personal sphere last year.

While there are plenty of ways to stay top of mind with your sphere of influence, one of the single best ways to connect with your contacts—and meet friends of your friends—is a party.

There are plenty of excuses to have parties for your contacts and their contacts—anything from a Kentucky Derby viewing party to a celebration at a brewery after some community service work. Think of all of the creative ways you can get your collection of contacts together. One of my favorites: Throw a housewarming party for your recent buyer clients!

6. Focus on Social Media Engagement

So often, real estate agents look at social media like any other marketing outlet. Write your copy, post your pictures, buy ads, then sit back and wait for the leads. So what does social media engagement actually mean?

Your buyers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even TikTok are looking for more than just static posts—they’re looking for interaction. That means you need to engage with the content that they and others post. Comment, like, share in your own story, reply to comments, and be part of the larger conversation.

It also means demonstrating your knowledge. If you’re the local real estate expert, share interesting facts, give a brief lesson on a timely topic, or answer questions online. I have a top-producing Realtor friend who is incredibly active on a Facebook group focused on local history. He’s a go-to source for local legend, and buyers are impressed by all of his knowledge.

It comes down to finding what you enjoy, and then joining and participating in discussions. Is there a cooking group that posts interesting recipes? Share some of your own! Love dogs? Find the local pup hashtags and hangouts! It might be time consuming, but it’s a surefire way to boost your return on social media investment.

Too busy to spend your time on social media engagement? Consider Elevate, one of our top customer relationship managers (CRMs) for 2023 that has integrated social media automation. It makes reaching out to your sphere of influence through your social media channels as easy as a traditional email drip.

7. Become a Zillow Premier Agent

Do you… Zillow? Well, your buyers do.

Just to put it in numbers, Zillow gets more than 93 million individual users per month, so maybe it’s time to let Zillow work for you. The Zillow Premier Agent program not only puts you in the spotlight, it also offers other great perks, like featured placement in the Zillow Agent Finder and access to Zillow’s Live Connections program. If you want to learn more about Zillow and its Premier Agent program, check out our recently published comprehensive guide.

Visit Zillow

P.S.: Zillow has a new program, Zillow Flex, in select markets. Rather than paying for their services upfront, you pay a percentage of your commission. Check out our review of Zillow Flex to help you weigh the pros and cons of a pay-at-closing lead gen model.

8. Try Demographic Farming

Instead of focusing on a certain neighborhood, focus on a specific demographic, such as seniors, first-time homebuyers, or members of the military. Of course, if you want to attract a certain type of buyer, you’ve got to do more than just know their demographics. You need to know who these clients are as people.

Chevy Chase was onto something in “Caddyshack” when he said, “Be the ball.” Think like your target demographic. What problems do they have that you can solve? What keeps them up at night? What questions will they have, or hesitations? What are their interests?

The better you know your potential buyers, the better agent you will be for them.

9. Serve Your Community AND Become the Local Go-to Real Estate Agent

I bet you became a real estate agent for many reasons, but one of them is that you like helping people and your community. Individual community members gravitate toward organizations they care about. Working with local schools, for example, is a great way to get yourself in front of prime-time homebuyers: families with children.

Schools need sponsors and fundraising, and students need volunteers and mentors. This is a great way to both serve your community and get in front of people who are in that peak housebuying demographic. But don’t limit yourself. Consider communities of faith, sports leagues, nonprofits, and, of course, animal rescue organizations.

There’s a hugely successful brokerage in my town that sponsors rec sports, which means every season there’s a bunch of adorable five-year-olds running around, playing soccer in jerseys with their brokerage’s branding. Some agents even volunteer to coach! Parents take note, and that’s their first call when they’re ready to buy a house with a backyard big enough for a soccer goal.

10. Use Old-fashioned Mail to Reach Entire Communities

Direct mail marketing is still an incredibly effective and efficient strategy for generating real estate buyer leads. But you need to be thoughtful about your design in order to stand out. Send out a calendar for the year, populated with holidays and local events, and I bet that postcard ends up on the refrigerator, keeping you top of mind for months to come.

If you’re looking for a direct mail option that is easy to use, has tons of design options, and won’t break the bank, check out ProspectsPLUS!. Choose from one of their 250 real estate-specific templates, input your personal information, and make sure the copy reflects your community. Now you’ve got yourself a real estate lead generating machine.

Visit ProspectsPLUS!

11. Make a Short Video

It’s no secret that video dominates internet content. The fact that Google prominently features YouTube in search results gives real estate agents with good video content a chance to outrank behemoths like Zillow.

Considering that the average attention span on the internet is measured in seconds, few people are going to read your 1,000-word blog post about why you’re the best buyer’s agent in your city. But many, many more of those people will watch you say the same thing on Instagram or TikTok.

I have a good friend (and Realtor) who hosts helpful question-and-answer sessions every week. He shoots his videos when he’s in the car or on a walk so they’re casual and far from high-tech. He is authoritative, provides thoughtful answers and insights, and has built a social media following in the tens of thousands. When buyers are ready to start looking for a home, this guy, who has been advising them through Instagram for months, is their first call.

Just remember that no matter what form your videos take, make sure they are authentically you and that they capture (and keep) your audience’s attention.

12. Get Real Estate Buyer Leads From Your Listings

Whether you’re looking to double-dip a transaction or want to shore up some goodwill with your sellers by generating a little more attention for their listing, finding potential buyers for properties you’ve put on the market makes your job as a listing agent much easier. And as the market shifts in 2023, this is only going to become more important.

Your first strategy should be to ensure the home’s visual marketing assets are top-notch. Get professional photos taken, make sure you’ve got great video content, and consider investing in virtual tour technology too.

Next, verify that your listing appears just how you want it to on popular third-party sites like Zillow and realtor.com. Though these sites pull their data straight from your MLS, you always want to double-check how they look. Finally, get proactive by placing ads on social media targeted to likely buyers in your community.

That house you sold so quickly and for over asking is going to further your reputation as a top-notch professional, perfect for sellers and buyers.

Source: www.theclose.com

Author: Chris Linsell