Real estate business owners find the process of lead generation very difficult these days. Not because they lack ideas to generate leads, but because they are not sure which lead generation channel will work best for them. Lead generation can be very complicated. You need to plan your budget and allocate it accordingly. A lot of time should be spent on generating leads. All you need is a good real estate lead generation software so as to facilitate things for you.
What does real estate industry need the most? Safe and powerful tools for lead generation. Today that is possible through use of software. Software for maximizing customer bases, increasing customer engagement and lead conversion rates are better and more effective than ever before. For those who don’t use this software for their business – you may become an easy victim of your competitors who will. So, if you are asking “What are the best real estate lead generation software solutions?” then scroll down to see my list of 7 best solutions that I have presented based on my own experience starting a web marketing business in this highly competitive industry.
Real estate agents and brokers, looking to improve your business? Lead generation software can help you do that. What is lead generation software? It’s a software that helps you identify and attract new customers. Often, it includes a landing page creator which is where prospects are gathered. You can also find out more about the kind of leads that are being generated by the software. When you sign up for a free trial, you can get this type of lead generation software for free.
In real estate, connecting with potential customers and users is highly critical. The marketing environment is continually changing and hard to penetrate. Generating leads that will convert can be challenging. Real estate lead generation software helps you not only to generate actionable leads, but also avails the right tools to manage leads and transform them into beneficial buyers. While most lead generation systems have similar features some have extra modules and programs that distinguish them from the majority. Here are five real estate lead generation software with great features any real estate agency will find highly useful.
How to Choose Your Real Estate Lead Generator Software?
To select the real estate lead software that meets your needs and requirements, consider the following:
- Problems and challenges the tool is coming to solve-perhaps to boost productivity and profitability, track lead activity and leads, track the client base, manage relationships, track closing rates and opportunities among others.
- Implementation-note whether the tool requires a testing and training period before full operation and the cost related to that.
- Price-most of the top real estate lead software differs not so much by the features but the cost. If working within a budget contrast the features vis-a-vis what you need and select the top quality software that’s also affordable.
- Customisation-how flexible is the real estate lead software to handle all your real estate processes?
- Reporting capabilities-even with all the lead generation software features and functionality above board, the reporting capabilities of the tool could affect your performance. The tool you choose should have a comprehensive and clear reporting capability.
1. Infusionsoft
Infusionsoft is quality lead generator software with about 125,000 users. The web-based tool and real estate lead management software is specifically designed to aid small businesses in building effective business-customer relations while generating leads.
Highlights:
- Features marketing automation, social media, email and lead generation tools
- Marketing and online sales solution specifically built with small and midsize businesses in mind
- Personalised coaching services to get you started
- Easy to use
- Simply click and command diverse options from mass messaging via text to automatic emails
Cons:
- A/B testing unavailable
- Minimal customisation if any
- Setup requires some amount of experience
2. Pardot
A part of Salesforce company, Pardot is a lead generation software designed for businesses with a significance focus on B2B (business-to-business) marketing and sales automation. It’s superb for agencies seeking to enhance Salesforce CRM insight and efficiency.
Highlights:
- Includes a lead deck offering real-time updates on prospects’ activity
- Customisation feature to help tailor the tool according to requirements
- Integrates superbly with Salesforce CRM
- Great customer training and support
Cons:
- A/B testing available but only for Pardot PRO users
- API access also reserved for PRO users
- Trying to restructure wrongly done campaigns almost impossible
3. Marketo
Marketo provides online-based platform for email marketing to companies and organisations of all sizes, not only to engage, but also preserve existing customer connections. The lead generator software integrates marketing automation, sales insight, budget management, website personalisation, lead development, analytics and social marketing modules.
Highlights:
- Cool powerful features
- Unmatched workflow flexibility
- Classy lead nurturing engagement programs
- Delivers on long-term goals such as ABM and personalisation advancement
Cons:
- Landing page builder still requires a template builder
- Tough to precisely maintain cycle analytics
- External record unavailable
4. Zurple
Zurple is a real estate lead management software platform that was ranked 33rd among the fastest growing 5000 companies of 2013 in the U.S. This software allows lead behaviour tracking, generation of more leads and optimization of follow-ups.
Highlights:
- Automatic sorting of prospect behaviour into ‘hottest’ categories
- Only lead generation tool offering listing data and street view listing functionality
- At a fee you can access a specific territory exclusively
- Follow-up optimisation possible
- Mass importation of leads into the platform doable
Cons:
- Customer support required to permit customisation
- Lacks instant messaging or 24-hour support
- Result incubation timeframe needed
5. SharpSpring
SharpSpring is lead generator software offering a fully rebrandable platform, behavioural email automation, website tracking, and in-built CRM system, among others. SharpSpring offers easy to convert and highly attractive landing page templates.
Highlights:
- Includes in-built call tracking for connecting with offline leads
- Automation is simple to implement
- Zero long-term contracts
- Dashboard provides all you need to run the tool
- Excellent customer support
Cons:
- Social publishing such as SEO or social recommendations unavailable
- Progressive profiling feature absent
- Currently lacks a forward/back navigation button
- No visual work-flow builder
6. The Neighbors’ Sphere of Influence – A Completely Original Source for Trusted Referrals
Everyone talks about taking advantage of your sphere of influence, but have you ever considered reverse engineering the sphere of influence of a neighborhood to get new listings?
Well, our pal Jared, coach and founder of Jared James Enterprises has got that process completely nailed down. Here’s how he does it:
“When your buyer looks at a property in a neighborhood but doesn’t buy the property, statistically a new listing is going to come up in that neighborhood in the next 30 days and you’ve got what the potential seller wants…buyers.
According to Jared, this is when you should send out a letter to the neighborhood and call the neighbors with the same message/dialogue.
Hi (neighbor),
My name is (Agent Name) and I work with (Brokerage Name) and I just wanted to let you know that I showed your neighbor’s property over at (Address) the other day.
Unfortunately it wasn’t a perfect match for them but as I’m sure you are not surprised, they absolutely loved the neighborhood!
What they are looking for is (describe just about every house in the neighborhood).
Can you do me a favor? If you or anyone you know is even considering selling, could you please let me know right away? I may be able to sell your house without it ever even hitting the market.”
Brilliant, right? Jared encourages his real estate students to use the same template when they have a buyer looking for a house.
“The student records a video that lets their audience know what the buyer is looking for but with a specific ask – reach out if the audience or anyone they know is considering selling, because they may be able to sell their house without it ever hitting the market,” Jared explains.
“Then we have the student promote that video to the target town/city so that everyone sees it and reaches out to them if they are thinking of selling or if they know anyone that is.”
7. Reviews – The New Word of Mouth for Real Estate Leads
Targeting millennials or younger buyers? Reviews are the way to go. According to Consumerist, almost 70% of consumers check online reviews before making a purchase and real estate experts like Justin Seeby of The Seeby Group have experienced the power of reviews firsthand.
The Seeby Group’s review strategy resulted in 100 transactions in 2016, and countless free leads. But just like everything else, it’s all about your level of commitment. Here’s Justin on how and why reviews work for them.
“Millennials make up a third of the buying population. A millennial goes to 8 to 12 different sites before they pick up the phone and talk to an agent. What do they do when they get to 8 to 12 of those sites? They read the reviews.”
“I watch people coming to my site in the analytics—they log in, and then they go to the review page and read every one of my agents’ reviews before they even pick up the phone and call. We start by educating agents that this is something that has to be forefront of their minds. The conversation on getting reviews starts on day one when you meet the client,” he says.
If you’re targeting millennial buyers, or if you just want to set up a truly future-proof system for generating free leads, check out our timeless 2017 interview with Justin and his former partner Ryan Graham of Community & Council Realty.
8. Blogging – Best Way to Attract Quality Leads
“One of the best decisions I ever made in my real estate career was to start a real estate blog,” says Bill Gassett of RE/MAX Executive Realty.
Blogging is one of those free lead gen unicorns—when you’re blogging the leads seem to magically drop from the sky. But free doesn’t mean easy. It all comes down to intention and commitment.
Here’s Bill on how and why he started his blog, Maximum Real Estate Exposure.
“Maximum Real Estate Exposure was designed to provide a wealth of knowledge to buyers and sellers to help make sound business decisions. Buyers and sellers love working with knowledgeable real estate agents. By having a recognizable blog you are able to readily show off your expertise to those who are buying or selling a home. Over the years my blog has brought a substantial amount of yearly business. In fact it is one of my top lead generators.”
A blog as a top lead generator? Believe it.
But as Bill himself will tell you, “Real Estate blogging is certainly not for everyone.”
“Like anything else, it takes time and dedication. It is not a magic bullet that will bring significant amounts of business unless you put in the effort. This means you need to have exceptionally good content combined with a strong grasp of both search engine optimization, as well as solid social media promotion. Without proper digital marketing your blog will be lost in the shuffle,” says Bill.
Alternatively, you could try a tool like Keeping Current Matters or CityBlast that automatically publishes blog and email content, creates downloadable guides and posts personalized updates on your social media accounts for a set monthly fee.
Another option is to hire a real estate VA with marketing or blogging experience or look for an affordable content writer and marketer on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. You’ll still need to set aside time to generate relevant content ideas, proofread and promote the work but a great freelancer can significantly cut down on the time you spend researching and writing, making it way easier to stick to a consistent publishing schedule.
Last but definitely not least, if you’re determined to make a go of blogging, make sure you set up a drip campaign to capture and nurture any leads that come in via the blog.
9. Niche Sites – An Awesomely Organic Source for Ready-to-Convert Real Estate Leads
Thanks to various changes in Google’s search algorithm, building a niche website is now another surefire approach to rank higher on search engines than non-targeted sites. Best of all, it’s completely organic through and through.
Ryan Rodenbeck, broker and owner of Spyglass Realty, is one real estate pro that’s all for transitioning from a general site to a niche site for lead generation. Here’s Ryan on using a niche site as a local guide:
“I bought the movetoaustin.org domain a couple of years ago. However, we started working on our organic channels last year. So, I hired a full-time content writer to write for Spyglass Realty, and as we started to gain enough traction and generate leads and a robust pipeline to Follow Up Boss, I decided to make the domain her side project.”
By creating a local guide on all things Austin, Ryan’s little “side project” started attracting some seriously motivated leads.
“For our Spyglass Realty SEO leads, we’re getting about 10-15 leads monthly. That’s not much but they are much more likely to convert.”
For anyone looking to move or relocate to Austin, Ryan’s new micro-site is a crucial resource.
“I’m working on getting organic leads by targeting topics like ‘rent vs.buy Austin’, ‘Master Planned Communities’, and ‘Reasons to Move to Austin.’ These are terms we rank for on the Spyglass website. We’ll then retarget to landing pages that have property listings or other information about choosing a Realtor.”
Between his epic knack for choosing the right marketing and systems, and his steadfast dedication to team culture, Ryan now has 20 agents doing $4.2 million each.Need helping tying it all together? Try Follow Up Boss for free today and get 100% human customer support.
10. Thank You Card – Most Beautifully Simple Source of Free Leads
The thing you might not know about Brandon Grass is that he’s a cold-calling machine.
With only two-and-a-half years of real estate experience, he’s already called over 25,000 leads—resulting in 80 listings appointments in 6 months.
His secret?
Back up cold outreach with one of the warmest and most personal forms of marketing out there: the Thank You Card.
“You know, as a new agent you’re blindsided by a million other things. You just need to talk to a lot of people and get over the fear of cold calling. I’ve had over 25,000 calls so far this year and only one guy told me where to go, and not a very nice way. You move on. Because you also get so many people that love that you called and genuinely want or need something. My biggest listing this year came from a cold cold I made on January 23rd. She initially said, ‘No, we’re not interested.’ I went by and dropped off a simple thank you card and that changed everything.”
In the age of automated everything, Brandon’s all about keeping the personal touch. And at $1 per card, the ROI on this lead source can’t be beat.
“I just write a handwritten thank you card like, ‘Hey Jill, great talking to you. Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.’ And then I put my business card in there and seal it up,” says Brandon.
Easy peasy.
11. Craigslist – Great for Free Diamond-in-the-rough Leads
David Albanese, Broker/Owner of Albanese Realty has a policy: Never take a lead for granted.
He treats every lead like a qualified lead—and that includes leads from Craigslist.
“My most reliable source of free leads has been another source that most agents or people sometimes no longer feel is relevant or also frowned upon or thought of not to be the savviest… Craigslist. We have consistently been posting on Craigslist for several years and receive countless leads every week from this source that is thought of as undesirable.”
But Craigslist can be quite the can of worms and it’s important to know what to look out for.
(If you’re just getting started sourcing free leads from Craigslist, Tyler Zey, Chief Technology Officer, Easy Agent Pro has a complete guide on how to do Craiglist lead generation right.)
Free Real Estate Leads: Most Overlooked Sources of Buyer Leads
12. Open Houses – Golden Opportunity to Get Buyer Leads
Real estate’s grandaddy of lead conversion Mitch Ribak is a total open house pro. We asked Mitch why agents tend to overlook open houses as a source of free leads.
Here’s his reply:
“I think mainly because most agents have been programmed to think that it’s a waste of time. Like all marketing, if they do one and don’t get much out of it, they generally fall into that bucket. To me, it’s the easiest and least expensive way to get people in front of you. However, you need to have a system like everything else to make it profitable.”
Systems = profits? We couldn’t agree more.
Here’s Mitch’s best tip for bringing in free leads via open houses.
“I don’t advertise my open houses. I prefer to use lots of signs. This way if someone walks into my open house and they would like to look at property, I just close the door. You need to make sure you have every possible cross street covered with an open house sign. The more signs the better. We did a test on this last time because my agents didn’t believe me. We had 9 people come to our open house that day and 8 were from the signs,” he says.
In his first year in business, Mitch closed 36 sales—and 28 of those sales came from open houses.
“I never stopped doing them even when I was selling 80 homes a year. It was the best and most ‘right now’ lead generation for me. My agents that follow my systems for open houses do great…but then they get busy and they forget how they got their business,” says Mitch.
But what if you can’t meet for an in-person open house?
“We’ve sold houses with digital open houses and virtual tours,” says Barry Jenkins, Team Owner and CEO at the Virginia Beach-based Friends In Real Estate Team. Barry and his team use Calendly to actually capture the lead info, then plug them into their CRM for focused follow up.
13. Website Community Pages – Perfect Source of Free Buyer and Relocating Leads
There’s a little known content marketing tip that only the best of real estate marketers typically take advantage of: Community Pages.
Bill Gassett has been using local community real estate pages consistently to become one of the go-to Realtors in his area and bring in approximately 6 to 10 clients per year. “More often than not, any buyer looking to move into a new area is going to do some fairly extensive research. By setting up community pages on your website YOU become the local go to expert,” he says.
Here’s what makes a great community page according to Bill:
“Community pages are filled with information buyers would love to know about. Things like the quality of the schools, area attractions such as lakes and parks. Where people do their shopping, etc. They can be filled with an endless amount of information. The best community pages are crazy detailed! Here is an example of a community page for Framingham Massachusetts. Notice how there is information on the local real estate market along with all of the best features of why someone would want to live in Framingham or for that matter buy a home here.”
These kinds of pages should be optimized so they come up in search for things like “Realtors Framingham Massachusetts” and “Top Real Estate agents Framingham”. Consumers who are searching in Google with terms like these may be looking to hire an agent immediately!
14. Quora – Most Untapped Source of Leads
Real estate pros like Canadian broker Bryan Jaskolka know the power of an untapped online community like Quora.
As one of the top respondents for all things real estate, he’s getting his name, face and web link in front of thousands of online buyers every day.
With over 200 million monthly unique visitors, Quora’s Q&A entries regularly show up on Google’s page 1, and some are re-published by major sites like Forbes and Inc.
Plus, it’s completely free.
All you need is an email address and you’re in. Start by looking for questions that have been asked repeatedly. If a question has been asked more than once, chances are the answers (both on Quora and Google) aren’t that great.
Best Ways to Get Real Estate Seller Leads at No Upfront Cost
15. Wear a Name Badge – Easiest Way to Get Free Leads
Ever take every cushion off your couch hunting for your glasses, only to realize they’re right on top of your head?
Sometimes the most obvious things are hidden in plain sight.
Both Donna Stott and Bernice Ross agree: The simple name badge is one of those things.
Here’s a great tip and real-world story from Bernice:
“An often overlooked way to generate leads is to wear your name badge or company wear such as a hat or polo shirt. When people ask, ‘Oh, you’re in real estate—how’s the market?’ Be prepared with a concise answer about how much inventory is on the market, how much prices are increasing or declining, and offer to send them a free report on their property. Agents can use a Realtors Property Resource (RPR) to gather this data quickly and of course, you need their contact information to send them the report. One woman who worked for Coldwell Banker got a CB t-shirt for her dog—people constantly stopped to talk about real estate with her.”
Name badges have long been used by maintenance service companies to establish a connection with the client and develop trust. So, why not real estate?
16. For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) – Excellent Lead Source for Agents with the Right Approach
There are those who shake their fists at FSBOs and there are those who go out and convert them into free sources of multiple millions in revenue.
You can guess which group top Inman real estate coach and the other half of Your Coaching Matters, Mike Stott belongs to. Mike points to FSBOs as one of the best and most reliable sources of free leads out there. “Literally millions in commissions!” can be made according to Mike.
The trick as usual is to start the conversation by listening and offering value. Remember, there is a good chance this seller has been burned by an agent before, and that’s why they’re attempting to go it alone.
Start the conversation by asking why they’re selling. Take time to listen, get to know their motivations and build a personal connection. Offer advice or insight on the market wherever relevant. Once you feel like you’ve truly heard them and offered them some genuinely helpful info, ask if they want any help finding a buyer.
They might turn you down flat the first time. That’s ok. Ask if you can check back in on them in a few weeks then add them to your CRM for simple, friendly follow up. Sometimes it can take a few quiet weeks (or months) in the market before they come around to the idea of working with you.
How We Evaluated the Best Free Real Estate CRMs
There are few truly free, real estate-specific CRMs. For this reason, when evaluating the best free options, we took into account both general and industry-specific options that offer a free tier (not just a free trial). To determine the best, we evaluated dozens of options by assessing each on six key categories relevant to real estate professionals. We then assigned each category relevant subcriteria to determine a quantitative score for each option out of five, including primary use-cases.
Evaluation Criteria
The best free real estate CRMs offer solid features, are simple to implement, and can scale with a growing team. In our evaluation, we placed the most emphasis on available of free options, range of core features, and overall ease of use. We also considered customization, third-party integrations, and customer support. Free Plans & Trials: 25% Core Features: 25% Ease-of-Use: 25% Customization: 10% App Integrations: 10% Customer Support:
CONCLUSION
Real estate agents need leads, in some cases, lots of them. Finding new leads for your business can be a real challenge especially if you live in a smaller community. Sure there are classified ads, networking and other more passive techniques but what happens when those avenues become saturated? The answer is lead generation software!
Generating leads is an integral part of a successful real-estate business. Whether you are currently a real-estate agent or someone who is looking to get started in this field, it is necessary to create your own list of lead generation websites . The Internet offers some excellent tools for generating leads.