Real Estate Web Leads: Top 4 Myths & Tips
Imagine you’re a young professional who just landed a new job and are searching for an apartment in the DC area.
What’s your first step?
If you guessed searching for “DC apartments” on Google…you were right!
Now you, as the real estate professional, are picturing your webpage at the top of both the organic and paid search results.
Voilà, instant prospects!
Well, not so fast.
While visibility is one step closer to your desired sales conversions, there are many more pieces to the puzzle than simply good search results.
Below, we debunk some popular myths about real estate lead generation.
Common Myths About Real Estate Web Leads and Helpful Tips to Debunk Them
MYTH #1: It’s easy to get to the top of search engine results.
Everyone begins with that ideal image in their mind of their website listed beautifully at the top of the Google search results, sometimes both in the organic AND paid results.
“I just need to include some quality content, provide some links, and choose the correct keywords, right?”
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.
Getting your page to the top of the results is far from being quick or easy; however it’s better to understand this before diving in head-first.
Without the proper preparations and knowledge of your target market, this could be a detrimental mistake to both your time and your wallet.
TIP: Implement a comprehensive online marketing strategy…and stick with it.
If you want to dominate the search engines for your most relevant key phrases, or even just want to take market share away from your competitors, then you must employ a comprehensive strategy. This strategy should be centered around creating unique, quality content on your website or blog.
Promote this content through your social networks, PR, email marketing and good old word of mouth.
MYTH #2: It’s nearly impossible to get to the top of the search engine results.
As previously mentioned, it is certainly not easy, but it is definitely not impossible either. If you take the time to care for your website and provide your visitors with exactly what they are seeking, you will get good results.
TIP: Know your target audience and market your services directly to them.
Detailed client personas are a great way to provide visitors with exactly what they’re looking for. Depending on the size of your business, identify several target clients who would be using your services.
Don’t be afraid to have fun with this. Find a picture to represent them and give them a name.
Where are they from? Do they have pets? Are they tech savvy? How did they hear about your company?
Provide as much information as you can about your target clients, then build your website to cater to their needs.
MYTH #3: Visitors are most interested in who YOU are.
Wrong.
Well, yes, they do care, but not right away.
Real estate prospects who come to your website from a search engine generally want to see what they searched for. If they like what they see, then they will check out your profile.
However, if you don’t have the information, resources or tools they are looking for to find or sell their home, then you can bet that they will be moving on before even looking at that pretty face of yours.
TIP: Don’t make your website primarily about YOU.
Include your personal information and qualifications in the “About” section of your website, but don’t clog up your homepage with it.
Including a picture of yourself is important and will help your visitors feel more welcome and connected to you and your webpage, but your face should not be the most prominent thing on your website.
Focus your website around resourceful content, user-friendly home search tools and strong calls to action to create a winning formula for quality web lead generation.
MYTH #4: Lead generation trumps lead management.
We have found that this is a very common disbelief among not just real estate agents, but many business owners who lack experience with online marketing.
You might have 500 leads, but if only 10 convert, that’s only a 0.02% conversion rate, and this is not enough to support your business.
Conversion rates this low usually lead to a poor lead management system – one that can waste all of your hard work and money spent on marketing.
TIP: Guide each visitor all the way through the conversion funnel.
Once you get visitors to your website and are able to get them to provide their contact information, your creativity and hard work must continue.
Segment your web leads by any and all information you have collected about them (source, location, interest, stage, etc). Once your lists are segmented then create communications to these lists that specifically target each of these segments.
Lastly, don’t give up on a lead or disregard it just because it is “cold”. Cold leads become “hot” leads at some point….IF you spend the time and effort necessary to properly nurture it.
Generating Quality Real Estate Website Leads Starts Here
There you have it, common myths have been debunked and specific tips have been provided. Remember, there are many pieces to the puzzle of mastering your leads generation efforts.
Successful real estate web lead generation and management comes from ongoing processes and hard work….not one off projects that have no follow through.
Lead Generation & Management Takeaways
Two things we would like for you to take away from this article are centered around two main questions to ask yourself:
1) Why would anyone want to visit, and more importantly, remain on my website?
Create personas and develop your website to cater to them. This will guarantee your visitors will like what they see and increase the chance of conversion.
2) Do I really have an effective lead management / nurturing system in place?
Don’t just rely on automatic response emails to follow up with leads. Your customers will really appreciate a personal email from you every once in awhile, which will develop stronger relationships. Demonstrate patience and interest and follow up with the needs of each customer.
Follow these two things, at the very least, and you will begin to see results.
