Real estate lead generation is a hot topic for real estate agents these days. With all the competition out there, it’s getting harder to find those elusive buyer and seller leads.
That’s why we’re going to walk you through 30 real estate lead generation ideas that will help generate more of those important leads with less work.
Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas to Remember
1.Work with associations
Associations are one of the best lead generators out there. One can use them as their sphere of influence to create more leads. They often provide a range of different benefits to their members, including lead generation events and programs.
If you’re not already part of an association in your local area, make sure that you are before looking for more ways to generate leads. And even if you have been working with one all along, reach out and see what they can do to help you grow your business.
One example would be the National Association of REALTORS which offers its members access to Lead411 listings as well as other exclusive resources such as templates and marketing material meant specifically for agents who work within real estate offices or on behalf of brokers.
Some of the benefits you get from working with associations include:
- Lead generation events. Associations often host several different types of lead-generating events such as home showings, open houses, and other types of get-togethers that attract people in the market for what you have to offer
- Lead sharing programs. As an agent looking to generate more leads from your association with another member who has similar clients or deals coming up, there are opportunities to share leads generated by one person’s work with another. This could be done through marketing materials like flyers sent out by both parties or it can happen simply because members know each other at networking events hosted by their associations
- A shared support system. When agents join organizations that have been around longer than they’ve been in business themselves, they gain access to a wealth of knowledge and resources that help them with whatever they need. There are also plenty of opportunities for networking, which is one-way agents find new clients.
2. Offer referral programs
Some of the best real estates leads come from people who are looking for a real estate agent. With that in mind, you should consider starting your own referral program.
What is it?
A referral program can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. But the general idea behind these programs is giving something of value to those who refer someone else for services
How does this generate leads?
These types of programs help turn your best customers into even more loyal ones by rewarding them for their referrals with either money off future purchases or some other type of incentive like an ongoing discount on services they already use
Some agents find lead generation easier when they offer incentives and rewards along the way. When people feel appreciated and know how important their work really is, there’s a better chance they’ll refer others.
One way to do this is through reward programs which can be as simple or complex before you start them off. The simplest form of a rewards program would just involve giving your best customers discounts on the services they already use from time to time but it could also include more elaborate plans such as one that includes incentives for referring others, like money off future purchases in return.
3. Network and build alliances
Another great lead gen idea is to use networks and build alliances. Networking is a great way to find new contacts, learn about the industry, and meet agents who could potentially refer people your way
What does this involve?
This usually requires looking for ways to connect with other businesses or organizations that are in industries related to yours. For example, if you’re an agent then it would be worth connecting with real estate attorneys since they might know some of their clients need representation when selling homes
Some good places to start: Yelp, LinkedIn groups, and online forums relevant to what you do (for instance REALTORS on Lead411)
How can networking help generate leads?
When we talk about networks in regards to lead generation, how much time do you think goes into finding those relationships? It’s not easy and it’s not something that can be done overnight. But the benefits of networking outweigh this downside.
For one, you’ll have a huge network in place for future referrals and those relationships will also help to grow your business by promoting what you do on social media or other platforms like newsletters.
4. Seek publicity for your real estate business or listings
Time to seek publicity for your real estate business and listings. Publish your real-estate listing on a reputable site for free such as Zillow or Trulia, post photos of the property to Facebook, tweet about its tweets being targeted at local buyers and sellers.
You could also send out an email blast with links to your latest blog posts which will then include information about the available properties.
Consider posting open houses in the market. If agents come from out of town because they saw online ads you’re more likely to sell them other homes while they were there publicity can be very effective if done right.
Publish your real-estate listing on a reputable site for free such as Zillow or Trulia post photos of the property to Facebook, Tweet about it.
You could also send out an email blast with links to your latest blog posts which will then include information about the available properties. Consider posting open houses in the market.
If agents come from out of town because they saw online ads you’re more likely to sell them other homes while they were there publicity can be very effective if done right.
5. Facebook ads for finding buyer and seller leads
Do you want to boost your real estate lead generation strategy? Facebook ads can be a great way of reaching the right people because they’re targeted.
Investing in Facebook advertising for buyers and sellers is easy, profitable, and cost-effective if done correctly. Here are some tips on how to do it well:
First, make sure that all your ads follow Google Adwords and Facebook Ads policies so as not to risk being banned or blocked from both platforms permanently with just one wrong click.
Each platform has its own set of guidelines which must always be taken into account when designing an ad campaign; keep yourself informed about them before starting anything new.
Next, set up conversion tracking – this will tell you what percentage of visitors who clicked on your ad end up making a purchase or at least browsing the site. It’s crucial to know this number so you can optimize your ads accordingly and make more leads.
Use social proof in your copywriting
Since people are on Facebook looking for recommendations about what they should buy next, it makes sense to talk about other successful clients who have already used and liked their services.
Finally, stay consistent with messaging across all platforms- if there is an offer that has proven itself as very popular on Google Adwords or Facebook Ads then include it again in those corresponding pages which will help create trust among potential customers.
Facebook Messenger
A great social media lead generation strategy is using Facebook messenger, as it can help agents build trust with prospects that they may not have been able to do if only limited by the platform’s other tools such as ads or posts. With this tool, you can message potential buyers and sellers one-on-one.
That will make them feel heard and valued at all times – something many of us are looking for in every conversation these days.
Agent Tips:
- Use your own website link when messaging so people will know how best to contact you.
- Try including links about current events happening in the market where you work; even though there are plenty of opportunities available today, some listings expire after a certain amount of time and it’s important not to let these go unused.
- When messaging people, always ask for a reply – this will help you get more leads by getting the ball rolling in your favor.
6. Smart use of outbound and cold calling
Outbound cold calling is a great way of getting real estate leads in today’s competitive market. It offers different advantages and disadvantages compared to other strategies.
Outbound calls allow you point-of-entry contact with stakeholders from the very beginning and can be more cost-effective for reaching large numbers of prospects at once.
However, potential buyers or sellers may not feel comfortable talking on the phone about something so sensitive as their home; it’s important to remember that people have plenty of reasons why they prefer communicating through email only, such as time constraints or privacy concerns.
For these reasons, agents should always consider using outbound call marketing alongside other lead generation techniques because it has its strengths and weaknesses when used alone.
7. Google ads- best for real estate listing leads
When you are looking for real estate leads, one of the best ways is through Google ads. You can create an ad to show up as a sponsored search result when someone searches for homes in your area or anything related to the industry.
This will cost money and if it works well then it may not be worth spending all that cash each month but this is still a great way to get more buyers which means more sellers and better deals.
Google Ads allows you to get more listing leads through:
- Free listings, which are then ranked higher and receive more traffic.
- You can create ads for your own listings so you don’t have to wait for a buyer or seller who is looking specifically for what you’re selling on the market.
This will be much easier than waiting around every day hoping someone will call out of the blue with an offer! Again, this comes at some cost but it’s worth giving Google Ads a try because they can help generate leads that actually convert into real estate business deals.
8. Not just business cards, treat your customers to some gifts
This is a great way to get more real estate leads because this will make your clients happy. It’s so much better than just mailing them cards every year. You can offer some of the following as realtor gifts:
- A personalized mug
- Delicious chocolates from their favorite store (or even customized with flavors and logos!)
- Gift card for their favorite restaurant, coffee shop, or bookstore nearby
You could also give away something like flowers that are in the season where you live but always blooming which means they never die. This would work especially well if it was Mother’s Day.” No one should have to worry about an empty home when there are acres upon acres of beautiful landscapes out here on our land!” That sounds like a great idea.
9. Partnerships
Among the lead generation strategies discussed above, partnerships are one of the most effective ways to go. When you partner with other companies, like mortgage brokers or lenders, for instance, they are going to be more likely to share leads with you than if these lead generation ideas were your own strategies.
Why? Well, first off because it costs them less money and, secondly (and this is a biggie), because it’s easier. They don’t have to make as much work for themselves so that means they’re not going to hesitate in partnering up with someone else on their real estate lead generating journey.
This also makes sense from an ethical standpoint too since these partnerships can help buyers find out about sellers who may not advertise otherwise. Plus there isn’t anything unethical about allowing others to support us by getting referrals for the same deals we’re offering.
You may have heard of the phrase, “give and take.” That’s not just a saying but an action. It’s how our partnerships work, too. We give to others through referrals -usually pretty good ones- and in return, they give us what we want: more real estate leads.
10. Plan your business and keep holidays in check
Real estate marketing is not easy. Therefore, you need to plan your business and work on holidays. The result of your work is dependent on how you plan. So, here are the following ideas that can help
- Plan real estate marketing for holidays so as not to overwhelm yourself and have a successful strategy.
- Have an idea of what types of leads will be necessary for the holiday season with consideration to time constraints.
- Choose up to five lead generation sources that you feel would generate more sales than others during this period.
- Create content to reach them through these channels or amplify their current efforts by using social media and SEO techniques. This way, they’ll know about your business which may prompt them into making contact with other agents who might have better offers or deals but still find you valuable because they won’t need any convincing after they’ve already seen the content.
- Keep an eye on how leads are increasing to determine what works and don’t work with your strategy.
- Generate sales by following up with them even if they don’t make contact first. You may be just a few messages away from closing that deal you’re looking for.
11. SEO - your best friend in content
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective real estate lead generation strategies. That’s because it can help you find more people who want to buy or sell a house with your services.
SEO is the best way for real estate agents to get their content in front of potential clients. Because most buyers and sellers research online before making any purchase, they’re likely going to land on something that will be relevant to them – as an article about lead generation ideas from experts in the field (you)
SEO works by optimizing different aspects of your website so customers can find it faster than ever. These include things like: title tags, meta descriptions, headings, anchor texts, and keywords. It also relies heavily on social media channels such as Facebook ads which helps you reach out specifically only to those who are interested in your services.
If you’re not sure how to do it by yourself, there’s no need to worry. There are many blogs and YouTube tutorials that can teach you about SEO techniques.
Optimizing your landing pages draws in more website visitors, which will likely turn into actual leads.
You can optimize your landing pages by:
- Making sure they’re mobile-friendly, for example with text that’s larger and easy to read on smaller screens as well as follow a logical order of the information you want people to see.
- Giving visitors an incentive such as free lead reports if they sign up through a form or newsletter so that it seems like less work for them because maybe they don’t need all the information in one sitting but rather slowly over time.
- Placing contact details prominently on each page – this way, there’s nowhere else for potential customers to go other than directly where you want them (to get more info about services).
12. Automated SMS Systems
Another great lead generation idea is to use automated SMS systems. They’re a great way to stay in touch with your clients even if you can’t be there for them at all times.
The automated SMS system is especially useful because it’s hands-free – meaning that the messages are sent out without any manual input from an agent.
It also allows agents to make sure their texts are customized and both timely (to help prevent frustration) as well as relevant so they don’t feel like just another number that gets spammed day after day.
It may seem more expensive than some other forms of marketing, but this lead generation idea comes with plenty of benefits too:
- You’ll have less time spent on following up which means more work hours left over for other tasks;
- Automated SMS systems are very affordable which means that anyone who wants to use them can get the lead generation results they want without spending too much on marketing.
13. Live streaming a property tour
Live streaming a property tour is one of the best lead generation ideas in real estate. This strategy can be used as an alternative to meet with potential clients face to face if you’re unable, for some reason, or they just prefer it this way.
It’s also great because live video feeds are easier than ever and don’t require any special equipment which means that anyone could do it – all you need is your phone. This leaves more time for other tasks.
There are many ways to set up a live stream on Facebook so make sure visitors see what they should:
- Make sure there’s enough natural light hitting the camera
- Have someone hold/holds up signs during the video feed so people know where to find more information
- Make sure you’re close enough so that the camera can get a good shot of your face
This is one of the most affordable lead generation ideas in real estate because there’s no cost for equipment or advertising. It also benefits agents by providing an opportunity for people who are not looking at properties now but would be interested when they do start their search. This will help speed up potential deals and make it easier to plan with clients since you’ll have a better idea about what they want nowadays.
14. Voice mail - a great tool to advertise an open house
Do you want to advertise an open house? Use voice mail. This is a great way to advertise an open house because it provides more space than text;
Voice mail benefits agents by:
- Providing the client with the information they have not seen before (such as how and when you’ll be available for showings) will make them feel like their time has been valued – even if they never actually end up taking your call or showing up at the property. The voice mail can also come in handy if there’s ever anything important that needs to be discussed but isn’t appropriate over email, social media posts, etc.
- Voice mails are affordable too so anyone who wants to get started right away can do without needing much money upfront. This lead generation idea is also quick and easy to set up which means that it’s a good way for agents who are not tech-savvy.
- Voice mails can quickly give people more information about the property without taking away from potential seller time – this will help speed up deals. They’re also very affordable, meaning they won’t put you in debt if something needs to be fixed or replaced unexpectedly.
15. Call to action - let your website sell for you
Call-to-action is among the most popular methods of generating leads in real estate.
- Call to action is a great idea because it lets your website sell for you
- One of the benefits of this strategy is that leads generated through call-to-actions are usually ready and willing – which means they don’t need any convincing or selling. This saves time on both ends;
- Try using social media posts, emails, banners in your office to encourage people to take an immediate course of action to engage with what you have available online. For example, one way would be by having information about how many homes were sold recently near their desired location (or maybe within the price range). If someone clicks on those numbers then they could go straight into a map where there’ll be more details about each property.
- Another way would be to use emails and social media posts that offer the client an exclusive, limited-time opportunity.
16. Consider Divorce Leads that are in the sale
One way to generate leads is by targeting divorce leads that are in the sale. This strategy works well because it helps agents get clients who already know what they want and have expressed interest in buying a home.
Divorce lead benefits include:
- Agents don’t need any outlay costs which means they can try different strategies without having much invested upfront – meaning, if some tactics work better than others then it’s easier to switch things up or stop when you need to.
- It provides an opportunity for people who aren’t looking at properties now but would be interested later on – this will help speed up deals and make it easier to plan ahead with clients since the agent will have a better idea about what they want these days.
- It’s a good way to generate leads for agents who want an opportunity to work with motivated sellers and buyers.
- Agents can also use this strategy by targeting people in the divorce process that are looking at homes now – as long as they find out about what their needs are, it will be easier to help them get everything they need.
17. Get to a courthouse for seller leads
One way to generate leads is by going to a courthouse and having conversations with people who are getting divorced. This strategy works well because:
- It helps agents get clients that already know what they want. This means, if some tactics work better than others then it’s easier to switch things up or stop when you need to.
- It provides an opportunity for people who aren’t looking at properties now but would be interested later on – this will help speed up deals and make it easier to plan ahead with clients since the agent will have a better idea about what these days.
- Agents can also go talk to sellers in divorce proceedings that are trying out homes right away as long as they understand their needs beforehand. If they find out more about what they want it’ll be easier to help them get whatever they need.
18. Use chatbot
When direct mail still worked, one would call it the best way to get real estate leads. However, digital marketing has taken roots across the world and Chatbot technology is the latest wave.
One of the benefits of Chatbot technology is that it can be constantly updated to keep up with market trends, which means that it is more up-to-date than other marketing channels.
19. Find FSBOs and make friends
Find people who are looking to sell their homes through FSBOs (For Sale By Owner). You can look on sites like Zillow and Trulia. Make friends with them, help them out when they call in a panic about their homes, tell your colleagues that you’re available to do FSBOs for them as well if needed.
FSBOs are great for finding buyer and seller leads real estate because they’re people who are motivated, looking to make a change in their life. Making friends with them – they’ll often call you for advice when they need help or have questions about the process. You could offer to make the process easier for them.
20. Invest in a good mailing list
You can buy a mailing list from a third party or you can do it yourself. It all depends on what strategy you are using for lead generation, but a good mailing list is the foundation of any successful campaign.
A mailing list is an excellent marketing tool because you can send out a message to all of your contacts at once. It is important that you keep the messages relevant and high-quality, especially if they are sent weekly or monthly. You will quickly find yourself with plenty of potential leads when people sign up for your mailing list.
If you need help coming up with ideas for content in these messages, look to other successful companies like Amazon who share their deals on their email lists every week.
21. Expired Listings - great for more leads
Just like they do word-of-mouth, many real estate agents have ignored expired listings. And yet, these listings are one of the best sources for lead generation.
Expired listings have already been looked over by many agents and they are great starter leads because you can talk directly to them about how much better your service is than theirs.
You may not be able to offer a lower price, but you can provide something that other agents cannot: convenience, trustworthiness, and reliability. They will appreciate that.
22. Use technology to target Gen Zs
The real estate industry is full of Gen Zs buying or selling homes. Use this to your advantage by targeting these younger buyers and sellers on social media.
“Buy a house” is one of the top trending topics on Facebook, so you can use that as an example of what kind of posts Gen Zs are looking at.
You’ll want to create ads with catchy headlines like “Need help finding the perfect first home?” or “How I bought my dream mansion”.
Unlike other generations, some Gen Zers don’t care about going through real estate agents – they’re more inclined to find leads online.
Besides, proper use of technology can get your site on the best side of search engines. That means it ranks higher and you can make more leads from there.
23. Social Media - it always works
Social media is the perfect place to find leads, whether they are buyers or sellers. There are a lot of people on social media who may be thinking about buying or selling their home in the near future- and that means you could get some great potential clients.
You don’t have to spend too much time online either; all it takes is fifteen minutes each day for quality content creation. And if you’re looking for inspiration, take note of what successful companies do with social media marketing like Amazon which has over 180 million followers on Facebook.
You can link content from your social media pages to the landing page of your site for a seamless user experience. Of course, the sites should already have your contact information and anything else you need to add. Sharing real estate events through social media is much easier too.
24. Don't ignore old leads
It’s easy to neglect old leads because you think they don’t matter, but that is not the case. An interesting strategy for lead generation involves reaching out to your past clients with a special offer of appreciation or an incentive.
You can also create customized messages about things like home improvements or mortgage rates and send them through email marketing campaigns. Whatever industry you’re in, it’s important never forget those who helped get you where you are.
25. Smart CRM - generate leads in your sleep
Smart CRM is the best way for an agent to generate leads while you sleep. When you set up lead capture forms, email marketing campaigns, and social media pages on your CRM platform, like Salesforce or Hubspot – you are setting yourself up with a steady flow of sales leads.
The benefits of using a CRM for real estate agents include:
- A central place to manage all communications with prospects
- Streamlined communication through one system that is sent out in many different ways (text messages, emails, blog posts).
- It becomes easy to create custom automated campaigns based on specific criteria sets by each agent utilizing their own unique personality and style when communicating online which helps them stand apart from other agents who may have similar business models and/or listings.
- Helps agents to stay organized by saving everything in one place.
- Allows for instant reporting, goal tracking, and lead prediction. The real estate agent can use this data to make decisions about their business model as well as projected future revenue based on current performance that they’re seeing from past marketing efforts.
- Increase productivity through automation of repetitive tasks with automatic email responses or task delegation to other team members who are assigned a specific duty within the CRM system like managing social media pages or sending out newsletters via Mailchimp.
CRMs also help an agent keep track of all previous interactions with prospects so if there’s any activity related to them (such as when a prospect views a new listing), then it will pop up automatically on their dashboard.
26. Facebook Ads - Excellent Lead Generation Tool
There is no better way to generate buyer leads than through real estate-related Facebook leads. Homebuyers are always online and are always looking for homes on Facebook.
They’ll see your ads easily with the use of a few targeted keywords to make sure it’s relevant to what they’re searching for, so you can capture their interest right away by:
- Showing them an image that is related to the property
- Including key information about listings they might be interested in (address, price range)
- Giving people a chance to contact you through Messenger or email allows prospects more control over when and how they want to communicate with you
The best way of doing this is through an automated marketing campaign where each ad cycle runs continuously until someone clicks on one of your ads.
27. Using Door Hangers
Door hangers can also get you quality leads in your real estate marketing business. Well, you can still use non-real estate-related hangers when trying to sell a new property – but they will always get you a good lead.
The best way to create a door hanger is by taking high-quality photos of the property, as well as pictures of all amenities and features (if any). This helps you get better leads because if someone likes your property but doesn’t know where it’s at or how to contact you. This will give them those details.
28. Use LinkedIn Ads to capture businesses
LinkedIn Ads can get you new leads if you’re trying to sell a property. The best way of doing this is by setting up an automated marketing campaign where each ad cycle runs continuously until someone clicks on one of your ads.
LinkedIn Ads are great because you can target specific locations and also show images that people will be interested in – such as pictures of the surrounding area, amenities at the property, or even new listings if there’s any for sale nearby.
This helps buyers who may want to move closer into a location get more information about what they would like in their next home without having to spend too much time looking around online themselves.
If you’re not sure how LinkedIn Ads work, it is simple: You choose keywords related to what you have available (i.e., “houses for sale” or “homes”) and then set up a campaign.
You can find plenty of information about setting up campaigns if you go to the LinkedIn Ads website. This will give you all the tools needed to make sure your ads are successful.
29. Zillow Insights - Great for Conversion
Zillow Insights is a great marketing tool for agents who are looking to get their listings in front of more buyers. This is because the insights show you all the traffic that your listing has gotten, which is valuable information when trying to decide if it should be taken off or stay on Zillow until it sells.
30. Blogging and video marketing are great ways to get leads
Blogs and videos can be excellent resources for agents who want new buyers. They’re a good way of creating content that is original, which will help your marketing efforts stand out from the competition.
Agents have found that these types of posts are one of the best sources for quality leads because they create an opportunity where someone might click on it instead of other websites or images in their Facebook feed. This then gives you the chance to show people what your real estate business has available as well as why it would be perfect for them.
A blog post should always include:
- An introduction about yourself – this helps readers know more about you before reading any specific information
- The problem (i.e., “finding a home with enough space for your family”)
- A solution to the problem (i.e., “visit this website for real estate listings in your area”).
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no one-fits-all answer to this question. It really depends on what you’re looking for and how much time you have in your business each day. The best thing about marketing is that the possibilities are endless, so as long as you put some effort into it – there will be a way of getting quality leads.
You can increase lead generation by simply following the tips we have shared above. Read and focus on improving yourself.
Realtors generate leads by finding ways to get in front of people who are looking for a property. This might be by going door-to-door, joining the Chamber of Commerce, or posting on social media – just about anything that will allow you to connect with new buyers.
Lead generation is the process of creating a lead – which is the first step in generating business for your real estate. It can be done through many different channels like social media or blogging, and there are plenty of ways to find out about it.
Conclusion
Whether it’s through cold calls or a more technologically advanced option, generating real estate leads can be quite a daunting task. We hope these 30 real estate lead generation ideas we have shared make things much easier.
What is your thought? Let us know by leaving a comment or a question here.
