In real estate, you can’t live by leads alone. But, your marketing efforts can only get you so far if you’re not actually following up. While it was reported that only 3% of homebuyers used the internet to look for real estate in 2015, it still remains a valuable lead generation tool. It’s all about generating high-quality leads and converting them into clients. This article talks about the best lead generation systems for realtors and ways to get more real estate leads without waiting on a phone call or showings that don’t pan out.
Are you looking for best lead generation system for realtors? Do you need free real estate leads? You’re going to find many results on Google when searching for these topics. The problem is that most of the results are affiliate links, which means they are trying to sell you something. As a real estate agent, this is not what you want. You want an easy way to find free leads. There are many lead generation systems available, where some tools are better than others. In this article, I will share with you some lead generation websites which are really useful for realtors and property managers.
Interested in growing your real estate agency this year? You can earn more leads and close more deals by using the lead generation system. Lead generation is a critical aspect of real estate marketing, but many companies fail to utilize it correctly. The most successful realtors consistently use marketing strategies to reach potential clients and bring them through their sales funnel. They also carefully consider which lead generation system to use in order to attract the ideal customer.
Real estate lead generation is at the heart of any successful real estate sales business. If you’re thinking about getting started in the real estate industry you need to know how to generate leads. The best way to do so is via a reliable lead generation system.
Benefits of Real Estate Lead Generation Websites
Optimizing for lead generation can be of crucial benefit to the success of a real estate office in several ways:
- It builds a business’ credibility to have an online home thus optimized, which also means having a website that’s informative, streamlined, and easy to interact with and that sells the capability of the real estate professional operating it.
- Lead generation tools can improve targeted traffic to a website, ensuring that the eyes on its content belong to prospects with intention, thereby increasing sales and profit ratio and increasing word-of-mouth awareness and online visibility for an agency.
- With the right databases, tracking, and reporting, lead generation can help collect important information about prospects and about what needs and preferences brought them to an agency’s proverbial door, making it easier to convert them from prospects into clients and to close deals, as well as gain a general sense of what helps a particular agency stand out from the rest.
- Optimizing for lead gen is a cost-effective way to maximize ROI (return on investment) for marketing outlay, especially if a lead generation website can also be used as a tool for effective branded advertising, email, and SMS campaigns, which can be powerfully combined with CRM tools and prospect databases to improve conversion rates.
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
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
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
Zillow Premier Agent
Zillow Premier Agent is our review’s best real estate lead generation company for finding buyers because it offers leads that are generated directly by Zillow, most of which are buyer leads. It is part of the real estate powerhouse Zillow Group, which was founded by former Microsoft executives in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. It’s the most well-known real estate lead generation company on our list.
Zillow is one of the first sites that many potential homebuyers use, so it makes sense that you would purchase leads here. Real estate agents pay Zillow Premier Agent to be featured on certain pages, which include placement on listings and personalized websites. So, when customers are browsing for homes, they will see the agent’s information and be able to make contact. This is a bit different than how the other lead generation companies work.
Some of Zillow Premier Agent’s features include:
- Buyer and seller leads by zip code (mostly buyer leads)
- CRM
- Customer support and training
- Phone call introductions to leads in your area
- Personal webpage
- Branding across Zillow’s sites
- Marketing templates
You can get started with Zillow Premier Agent by getting in touch with a member from the support team who will go over your marketing budget and desired area and help you navigate the site. Pricing for Zillow Premier Agent varies depending on the area, average home price, and competing agents in that area. There’s no monthly minimum or signup fee.
BEST FOR GETTING LISTING: SOffrs
Offrs is our best choice for seller leads because it has online home evaluation tools and predictions for potential home sellers to become leads as well as a built-in CRM to keep track of your new leads. It was founded in 2014 and is owned by Constellation Data Solutions Inc.
When the company was launched, the founders found their first clients by knocking on agency doors and convincing agents to sign up individually. The site is specifically focused on sellers and aims to connect those customers who currently want to sell their home, and those who will want to sell in the near future, with agents who sign up for leads. It uses proprietary predictive analytics tools to predict who will become a seller lead.
Offrs has the following features:
- Seller leads (current and predicted)
- CRM
- For sale by owner leads
- Expired listing leads
- Apps to access leads and location-based homeowner data
- Template builder
To get started with Offrs, you can schedule a 30-minute session with a specialist to learn more about what the company offers, its pricing, and how to set up a lead generation system and apps. It also offers custom options for brokerages with agent rollout and apps for every agent.
It has mixed reviews with some customers receiving quality seller leads that they closed and finding the software easy to use. However, others didn’t receive any leads or any that were qualified or even looking to sell their home.
BEST FOR SOCIAL MEDIAZoho CRM
Zoho is our top lead generation company for social media because it can easily be used to capture Facebook or Twitter leads, as well as leads from websites and emails. It was founded in 1996 and is used by multiple industries including real estate, small businesses, and retail.
It offers a free trial and features opportunity tracking over an entire sales cycle. It can also track the competition and features an app, live support and training, webinars, prospecting tools, and lead tracking. It can help you manage your pipeline of leads once they come in. Customers can contact support to help get set up and take advantage of webinars and online training. The company offers multiple different support plan options.
Some of Zoho’s features include:
- Buyer and seller leads, as well as sales leads for other industries
- Social media and email lead capture
- Predictive analytics
- Customized reports
- Management tools to assist with assigning leads
- Real estate CRM and marketing tools
Zoho’s pricing is between $14 per user month and $52 per user per month when billed annually depending on the plan. If you pay monthly rates are higher. A limited, free version is available and custom plans may be available as well. Customers complain about being overcharged and poor customer service. However, other customers like its marketing tools and integration with compatible products and think it’s a good value.
Propertybase: Best Full-service Lead Generation System
Overall Score: 4.57 OUT OF 5 i
- Managed Facebook and Google ads
- Comprehensive CRM
- Extensive follow-up and marketing tools
- Can be expensive
- No a la carte pricing
Additional Features
- IDX website included
- Email marketing system
- SMS marketing
- Print marketing center
- Social media management
- Customer review rating of 4.7 out of 5
Propertybase is a full-service platform that provides and manages online real estate lead generation through custom landing pages, branded ads, and automated follow-up. In addition to your website, they will create, optimize, and manage your ad campaigns on Facebook, Google ads, and across the web, so you can gather leads without spending months tinkering with ad settings.
Propertybase also offers other products, including a comprehensive CRM, custom websites, reporting, and even a back-office administrative system to track transactions. With such an extensive array of business-building features, Propertybase is ideal for agents, brokers, and teams who want a real estate lead generation system with all the bells and whistles.
If you’d like to run ads edited and optimized by professionals, Propertybase is the best choice. However, it may not be the best choice for budget-conscious agents who don’t need so many features.
(Source: Propertybase)
Customer Reviews
Propertybase customers love the all-in-one platform and the customer support during the initial account setup. However, some reviews state that Propertybase customer support can be slow to answer, and that adding customizations to make the software work for their business was complicated. If you prefer to work with a more user-friendly real estate lead generation website, try Placester.
Pricing
- Company: $69 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $89 per user, per month
iNCOM: Widest Variety of Lead Generation Methods
Overall Score: 4.54 OUT OF 5 i
- Largest variety of lead generation services
- Customizable websites
- Affordable fee for ad management
- iNCOM website is required for ad management
- Prices can add up
- Limited customer support
Additional Features
- Custom websites for agents and offices
- Responsive, mobile-friendly websites
- Ads managed by marketing pros and Google-certified specialists
- Custom landing pages
- Built-in SEO tools
- Social media integrations
- Monthly training seminars
- Customer review rating of 2.3 out of 5
iNCOM offers the widest variety of real estate lead generation services, from custom landing pages and websites for agents and brokerages to Google ads, Facebook ads, and search engine optimization (SEO). It even provides a unique service called ReCall Marketing that remarkets your website to previous site visitors through online display ads (similar to Google remarketing).
iNCOM’s platform for real estate lead generation websites includes built-in SEO tools. It also submits your website to search engines and offers site security and data encryption through a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. SSL security is what changes your website’s URL from http: to https: and tells site visitors that your website is safe. iNCOM also offers a robust standalone SEO service with everything from keyword research and copywriting to link building and reporting.
iNCOM is ideal for real estate professionals who want to cast a wide net and use as many lead generation strategies as possible to grow a successful real estate business. Unfortunately, prices can quickly add up for these useful features, so budget-conscious agents may find Propertybase or Placester to be better choices.
Facebook ad example (Source: iNCOM Real Estate)
Customer Reviews
Many iNCOM users credit the platform with bringing in new clients. One reviewer noted they received a 300% return on investment from iNCOM in one year. However, several reviewers complained about technical glitches as well as the speed and helpfulness of customer support. For a company with excellent customer reviews, try Propertybase.
Pricing
- Real estate agent website: $49.95 per month plus one-time setup fee of $249.95
- Real estate office/brokerage website: $68.95 per month plus one-time setup fee of $350
- Google Ads: $100 per month for management, $300 per spend minimum spending
- Facebook Ads: $100 per month for management, $300 per spend minimum spending
- ReCall Marketing: $45 to $300 per month plus one-time setup fee of $125 to $250
- SEO marketing: Call for quote
Must-Have Features of Real Estate Lead Generation Websites
Among the core features of lead generation sites laid out above, some related technologies can be particularly important:
- Automated reporting: Evaluating data from prospects, knowing how and why they came to a website, and which advertising and marketing channels are yielding the most results, is a key part of getting the most out of lead gen optimization. Automated reporting and analytics features make this information far easier and less time-consuming to access.
- Automated lead follow-ups: Lead generation websites offer a wide range of supports in following up on and classifying initial lead contacts. Some offer power dialers and instant AI-automated text and email responses; fewer go so far as to offer human support through call centers that vet and nurture potential leads into transaction-ready status; but on the whole, the more support a real estate business can get on the follow-up front, the more valuable any leads generated become.
- IDX/VOW capability: IDX and VOW technologies allow websites to connect to that most basic tool of the real estate trade, the MLS. IDX applications are mentioned above and can be used to call MLS data to a website or send automated listings to leads and prospects. VOW applications perform a similar function but provide (usually at greater expense) access to more detailed sales history and off-market data for agents looking to a fully online business model. Some lead generation sites provide access to both.
Conclusion
You might have heard of lead generation systems. Or you may have even heard of free real estate leads. Are there any best real estate lead generation websites? Whether you are an experienced realtor or just starting out, learning about these concepts will help you boost your success.
There are many ways for realtors to generate leads. Lead generation is essential for agents to be successful in their business. Most real estate leads come from online searches, referrals and local printed advertising. Common lead generation techniques that realtors follow are high quality, engaged listings and professional marketing campaigns. The benefits of using a good lead generation system goes way beyond making money.