When it comes to generating more leads, real estate sites have plenty of options at their disposal. Whether you are looking for a way to build your own database, use social media to get more eyeballs on your listings, or build serious brand equity with service providers and consumers through videos, you can’t go wrong with these best lead generation tools for realtors and the associated statistics behind them.
Lead generation can be broadly applicable, casting a wide net to reach as many prospective clients as possible. It can also be more targeted, down to the individual prospect an agent wants to work with.
Being creative and intentional with lead generation can expand your reach and awareness among real estate buyers and sellers alike. It can disrupt markets that take lead generation for granted.
Not all lead generation strategies and tactics are created equal. Their value and impact can vary depending on real estate agents’ target market segment, demographics, or timing. It’s crucial for real estate agents to approach lead gen with a toolkit of options instead of a never-changing set of rules to be “copy and pasted” to every context.
We’ve compiled fifteen ideas and strategies to help realtors drive new real estate leads. They include a mix of traditional and modern approaches and range from specific practices to new or innovative platforms. These tactics enable real estate agents to reach their target audiences.
Paid Advertising
There is a wide range of advertising options available to real estate agents. We’ll focus today on online paid advertising. The vast majority of buyers use online resources when house hunting. This means real estate agents’ lead gen strategies should start with going to where the leads already are.
1) Facebook
Social media messaging and advertising have taken the real estate marketing world by storm. Facebook still has the most extensive user base and potential audience for advertisers of any available platform. The social media platform has a broad and deep pool of potential clients and leads that real estate agents can convert into clients. However, these ad campaigns should be very targeted and closely monitored.
Facebook offers some advertising tools specific to real estate agents. Specifically, the platform provides Real Estate Ads, which use retargeting to provide realty-tailored ad content to prospective clients. Facebook identifies these individuals by downloading a “pixel” on the agent’s website and tracking those website visitors onto Facebook. This method of retargeting allows real estate agents to focus their ad spend on prospects that have already indicated they are in the market.
However, the advertising landscape for real estate agents on Facebook has changed since fair housing regulations took effect. These regulations, which are intended to prevent discrimination, prevent real estate agents from targeting ads based on zip code, age, or gender. They also limit the other categories that real estate agents can use to target users. These regulations necessitate more effort on real estate agents’ part to make sure their ads are reaching the correct users.
From there, real estate agents can select the ad types that work best for them. Ad strategies include those that offer some content or asset from the agent in exchange for a potential client’s contact information. These are called “lead ads.” There are also more straightforward ads that redirect the user who clicks the ad to the agent’s website. These ads may not directly generate leads the same way that lead ads can.
2) LinkedIn
Like Facebook, LinkedIn can provide targeted advertising to its user population based on users’ profile info. However, LinkedIn ads vary from Facebook ads because it is targeting a professional audience, compared to Facebook’s broader audience.
LinkedIn can be a great place to use paid ads to target either buyers and sellers in professional business roles. It’s also effective at helping commercial real estate agents target commercial buyers and sellers. LinkedIn users who are on the platform are primed to receive and process financial information, such as real estate pitches.
Like Facebook, LinkedIn gives real estate agents the ability to retarget ads to users who also visited the agent’s website. Real estate agents can target LinkedIn users based on profile information. These traits are much more focused on professional information, such as job title or industry, instead of personal information.
3) Google
When looking to buy, or sell, a home, many people start their journey with Google search. The search engine allows real estate agents to harness this behavior to serve their advertisements to these buyers/sellers.
Real estate agents should approach targeted ads on Google differently than they would social media advertising. Real estate agents “pay per click” or a flat amount every time a user clicks on their ad within Google search. Real estate agents should make sure to pay only for the most relevant and valuable leads possible. To do that, they should target their ad dollars on specific keywords that their prospects are likely to click on.
There are benefits and drawbacks to advertising on Google directly. On the one hand, the ability to target specific keywords allows real estate agents to serve ads based on specific search activities. This can be a much clearer signal of an intent to buy or sell than what can be inferred from personal information on social media sites. Google ad campaigns are also highly automatable — users can almost “set and forget” them.
On the other hand, Google ads are far from free. The cost per click varies by the competitiveness of a keyword or search term. Ads can be especially expensive in hyper-competitive industries like real estate. It can also take some time upfront to learn the Google Ads tool and adequately set up campaigns that will deliver results, including focusing ads on the right search terms that prospective clients are most likely to be using.
Buy Leads from Realty-Specific 3rd-Party Platforms
Many options help real estate agents organically generate leads. For those with the budget, buying those leads can be a simpler and more straightforward tactic. 3rd-party businesses or organizations do the work of identifying individuals in the market to buy or sell real estate. They then sell real estate agents those individuals’ contact info after some degree of lead qualification.
There are two broad ways to find sources of leads to buy– those that offer a broad range of possible leads, and those that target specific demographics.
4) Market-wide platforms
There are many broadly-applicable platforms that real estate agents can buy leads from. Some real estate platforms, like Zillow, integrate lead generation with advertising for a more streamlined agent experience from start to finish. Others focus on just providing the lead information itself.
5) Demographic-specific sites
Some sites also specialize in certain demographics. They may target specific geographic areas, such as large metros. Some sites even offer segmentation based on demographics who are the most likely to be buying or selling real estate, such as divorce real estate.
Evaluating quality when buying leads
Not all leads are created equal. When comparing options for buying leads, there are several factors agents should be aware of. Consider how the vendor sources those leads: What kinds of activities are the vendor interpreting as “intent”? How complete is the information about the leads themselves that the vendor provides? How much information about each lead’s prior activities is available? These factors will help real estate agents determine how actionable the leads from a given vendor are.
6) Direct Mail
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Direct mail to homeowners and tenants in a REALTOR’ ®s farm area remains a valuable method of engaging with prospects, especially if new to the area.
Unlike other industries, direct mail as a real estate lead gen strategy has been resilient. The nature of the industry makes it much easier to access addresses and locations and focus mailing activities based on geography.
Doing so lets real estate agents cast a wide net across their territory during generic outreach or awareness campaigns. For areas with limited internet access or a less technologically-inclined population, direct mail remains a robust tool for real estate agents.
Direct mail can also be used to target prospects who have already engaged with the agent. This is especially true if the interaction was physical instead of virtual, such as attending an open house. In these cases, thank you cards are one example method of following up on initial interaction. A thank you note also allows real estate agents to personalize the communication to each prospect.
7) Professional Website
Real estate agents should develop their standalone real estate websites. These sites host the agent’s current listings, contact information, prior clients’ testimonials and reviews, community information pages, and any other content the agent can provide. Investing in a real estate website can pay off in multiple ways, but it comes with a learning curve.
Developing a unique professional website can provide direct and indirect benefits. If done well, the website adds to the agent’s perceived credibility and professionalism. This can boost real estate agents’ standing among prospects, peers, and current clients and contribute to better “brand awareness.”
The website should also serve as a direct lead gen platform. The most straightforward way to do so is to add lead gen forms to the site. “Lead gen forms” are fillable online forms that site visitors can fill out with their contact information. These forms could be structured as a portal for contacting the agent, or in exchange for an asset or piece of content that the agent is offering. Either way, lead gen forms on the agent’s site are a clear source of inbound leads– prospects that opt-in to contact the agent.
Put the lead gen forms on pages of the site that get the most traffic in order to maximize their visibility and likelihood of someone to fill them out. Google Analytics, a free tool, can help real estate agents determine which pages on their websites get the most traffic.
Community Referrals
The community, an agent, works, and lives in can be their best source of leads. By developing their brand and reputation within the community, real estate agents can become a trusted source of information and assistance in real estate.
However, this strategy may not show results as quickly as other methods. Community trust does not come by default. It often requires prior investment in developing those community relationships before it pays off. Be aware of this timing factor when determining how well it will work for you.
There are several traditional and creative methods to maximize your community network and generate organic referrals.
8) Real estate-adjacent professionals
Some industries will learn about a homeowner’s intent to sell their property before any agency, brokerage, or search engine. For instance, the owner may be planning to renovate or upgrade their home before putting it on the market to be more competitive/get a higher valuation.
The contractors, renovators, and construction organizations that conduct these activities can help drive leads for real estate agents either by passing the agent’s info to the homeowner or by tipping the agent off about a job they had that will likely go on the market soon.
9) Client referrals
Few will be able to speak on an agent’s behalf as well as clients who have already had success through them. Real estate agents should keep track of those clients who have been extremely successful in either buying or selling, those who are well known in the community, and especially those clients who have been successful and are well known.
To maximize client referrals, simply do the best job possible serving the clients. Personal interactions, saving clients money and staying in touch with follow-up communications (“How are you settling in? Anything I can help with?”) all go a long way towards making a lasting impression with clients.
Word of mouth and personal validation are potent tools that also work without the agent having to do anything– the easiest form of lead gen actively.
Track Prospects who are Already in the Market
Real estate can be a long game. Buyers and sellers alike can spend months active in the market before closing a deal on a property. There are constant streams of new prospects entering the market. All of these factors make it advantageous to keep an eye out for opportunities with folks who may already be in the buying/listing process. Many lead generation tools provide capabilities to make this process easier.
10) Open Houses
Open houses can be great opportunities to find other prospects who are already in the market but may not have an agent yet. This includes holding an open house for a selling client or attending open houses with a buying client.
Hosting an open house will provide the best opportunities for lead generation. For instance, the agent has the opportunity to engage personally with every buyer who visits the open house, any of which may still be early in the buying process and still open to working with an agent.
Alternatively, the open house can feature a more formal “welcome book” where buyers can sign in or leave their info. This can lead to follow-up contact via email, direct mail, etc.
11) FSBOs (For Sale By Owner)
FSBO listings are those managed and run by the homeowner, rather than an agent. Homeowners may choose to sell their home on their own because of prior bad experiences with an agent because they think they have the time and know-how to sell it or a host of other reasons.
Real estate agents may view FSBOs as hostile territory, and they should certainly proceed with caution. However, there is always the possibility that a resourceful agent can convert an FSBO into a client.
The key is to watch for warning signs that the FSBO strategy is not working for the homeowner. This may be the case if the listing stays available for an unusually long time or expires, or if the asking price drops frequently and substantially. These signs of distress suggest that the homeowner is more open to working with an agent than they initially were.
Content Creation
Creating content targeting prospective clients is an excellent but more time and resource-intensive approach to generating direct and indirect leads. It utilizes real estate agents’ expertise in their markets, communities, and clients to serve prospective clients with valuable information when buying or selling.
Content should be a part of any lead gen strategy. However, which content real estate agents use, and how they use it, can vary.
12) Video Marketing
Video marketing uses video content to engage prospective clients, frequently on social media or video platforms like YouTube. It is a higher-investment strategy since it requires videography, editing, and potentially acting skills to execute.
You can record tiny footage of the property, interiors, and exteriors of properties & create real estate marketing videos. This will give your brand a distinct personality while also expanding your online networks and relationships.
This investment can deliver excellent results– nearly ¾ of homeowners are more likely to list with an agent who offers to make a video of their listing. Video marketing allows real estate agents to both serve current clients and catch the eye of prospective clients at the same time.
13) Leveraging Reviews
Much like community referrals, online reviews can play a central role in lead generation strategies. There are a host of real estate websites where clients can review their agents, including Zillow, Yelp, and Realtor.com. The bare minimum for real estate agents is to monitor their profiles on these sites to be aware of what information prospects may be looking at.
Real estate agents can also go a step further in actively managing their profiles. They can reach out to happy reviewers for referrals or quotes, address any complaints from unhappy reviewers, or work directly with the website to use the review content itself.
14) Community pages
Community pages are a crucial source of content that real estate agents should provide on their websites. Community pages give buyers and sellers up to date insights on the area’s population, cost of living, schools, attractions, and any other valuable information.
These are also places where real estate agents can answer common or frequently asked questions that buyers or sellers have about the area. Answering these questions in a clear and structured way will benefit the website’s authority in prospects’ minds and improve its ranking on Google.
15) Guest writing on real estate websites
If an agent is new to the area and doesn’t have any market authority, it can help to lean on someone else’s. Look for opportunities to guest write on blogs, newsletters, or other publications that popular real estate websites in the area offer. This is a great opportunity for real estate agents to drive backlinks back to their own site by linking to it in the post, improving both their site’s SEO and their brand authority.
Finding the Strategy that Works for You
While there are myriad lead gen ideas and strategies available, not all of them are great for all situations. There are some factors to consider when choosing strategies:
- The market: Who are the potential leads most likely to be? Are there any unique demographic factors? Where are these leads most centralized or easy to reach?
- The network: Are there preexisting community relationships to build on, or is the agent starting fresh?
- The budget: How much money is there to work with? Strategies like paid advertising bring heftier price tags than leaning into community referrals.
- The platform: Where is it easiest to get in front of prospects and leads? Are certain platforms more advantageous than others?
The exact mix and emphasis on various strategies will be different for every agent. Staying flexible with lead gen strategies can help make sure that real estate agents are attracting the most high-quality leads, and can
break into markets that would otherwise seem impossible from the outside
These Top 9 Tech Tools for Real Estate Agents Will Help You Boost Your Productivity and Wow Clients
1. Real Estate Website Builder Tool
A good website is everything in the real estate business these days. More and more client interactions are moving online and your website is often a client’s first impression.
But your real estate website not only has to look great, it needs to be functional and easy to update — which is why a website builder is essential.
Propertybase is a great option that lets you have a powerful website with drag-and-drop software and professional-looking templates to control the look and layout. With this tool, you can create a fully branded agent website with IDX search, area profiles, SEO and lead capture functions.
2. Customer Relationship Management Software Tool
The right customer relationship management (CRM) software can dramatically improve your sales growth and even your client satisfaction. If you find yourself asking, “Did I call her back?” or “Is Jane working with the Smiths?” — you definitely need a better CRM.
The predictive real estate CRM from BoomTown is one of the best options out there. It helps agents monitor client relationships, manage lead generation and move real estate deals through your pipeline.
A CRM can help you match clients up with the right specialist at your brokerage, organize and sort your leads, set follow up reminders, and even automate your lead nurturing efforts.
3. Lead Generation Tool
More leads means more opportunities for sales. It’s essential that you develop a system for getting a steady supply of quality leads into your sales pipeline.
Leads can come from many sources, including word-of-mouth, website visits, and social media. Successful agents take a proactive approach, marketing themselves where buyers and sellers are — real estate portals like Realtor and Zillow.
Realtor Pro is one of the best lead generation real estate tools for Realtors® looking for buyer leads. Zillow Premier Agent is another top choice with native advertising opportunities on both Zillow and Trulia.
For more about these two lead generation tools, check out Amitree’s comparison here. Try Folio for FREE
4. Email Marketing Tool
Buyers and sellers don’t always immediately jump into a transaction with an agent. Sometimes they take their time. Which is fine as long as they don’t forget about you.
Email marketing is a great tool for staying top of mind with these prospects.
You can send out listing notices, open house schedules, market trends, and other helpful information for perspective home buyers and sellers. Best of all, these tasks can be largely automated, saving you significant time.
Mailchimp is probably the best-known email marketing tool and for good reason. It’s easy to get started, build a strategy, track real-time marketing data, and automate your process.
5. Social Media Management Tool
Most agents know it’s important to be active and visible on social media, building your brand, adding valuable insight and making new connections. But managing your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and more can be draining and time-consuming.
The most successful real estate agents are using tech to save time and automate their social media management as much as possible, and so should you.
Hootsuite is one of the leading options for managing all your social media needs. You can organize all your scheduling and publishing in a single content calendar. Plus, monitor all your activity from different channels and engage with your followers in one place.
6. Video Editing Tool
Nothing builds a connection with clients faster than a great video. Whether you’re planning to showcase your listings, tout testimonials or introduce yourself, video is a great option.
Video is currently one of the most impactful tech tools for real estate agents to have in their toolkit. Sure, it can be intimidating to roll up your sleeves and start making and editing your own video marketing content, but with the right tool, anyone can do it.
Animoto is one of the most user-friendly video editing tools available. The drag-and-drop editor, versatile video templates and background music library make it easy to put together clips you can share with clients that make you look like a pro.
7. Marketing Templates Tool
Always having the right marketing materials at your fingertips can really put you ahead of the competition. The catch is that it often takes a lot of time to make real estate marketing materials.
With free marketing templates, instructional tools and more, Breakthrough Broker can really save you a lot of time.
You can find ready-made templates for your real estate flyers, brochures, postcards, buyer presentations and more. This makes Breakthrough Broker one of the best real estate tools for agents. Try Folio for FREE
8. Electronic Signature Services Tool
Obtaining signatures the old-fashioned way can be time-consuming and inconvenient. But electronic signature services have changed that for real estate agents across the country.
With an e-signature service like DocuSign, you can reduce paperwork and obtain client signatures securely.
DocuSign notifies agents when important documents have been viewed and signed by clients. Everything is securely managed in the cloud, allowing documents to be signed from anywhere on any device.
DocuSign is the official provider for the National Association of Realtors® and its electronic signatures are legally binding in all 50 states.
9. Transaction Management Tool
One of the biggest challenges every real estate agent faces is moving transactions through the closing process. Managing these transaction communications manually through your email can be a chore, which is why having the right tech tool matters.
Folio (Disclosure: This is our tool) is a powerful tool to help you manage your real estate email and transaction communications.
Folio’s AI-powered approach intuitively organizes your email inbox, saving you hours of extra work every week. Our algorithms understand how to identify and sort emails by transaction, saving you from ever searching for an email again!
Best of all, Folio is free to use to manage up to three transactions. Try Folio Today
The right tech tools can have a major impact on your success as a real estate agent. It’s a challenging business, with many tedious tasks that can be a drain on your time, productivity and sanity. Make sure you give yourself an edge by utilizing the tools that are really going to make a difference and lead to success.
CONCLUSION
When it comes to real estate, a big priority is lead generation. The problem with many of the most popular lead generation tools out there is that they are either too expensive or simply don’t produce as much leads as promised. While I’m all for spending money on things that are going to benefit you, it’s always good to know where you can save some cash. Because let’s face it, not everyone has the finances to hire a $30k a month agency to handle their lead generation. Here we’re going to cover the top lead generation tools for Realtors that save cash and perform just as well as other tools that cost 3x more.
When you think of realtors, you probably think of someone who is in the business of buying and selling properties. But did you know that this job description – which some realtors do – doesn’t apply to every realtor? In fact, there are a lot of realtor types out there and most of them aren’t even in the business of buying and selling.