Price and quality are important factors when considering a purchase, but studies show that recommendations from friends are considered the most credible form of advertising.
This finding likely doesn’t surprise you as a real estate agent. Good service can lead to positive word-of-mouth. To get the most referrals, you need to be a great digital communicator.
We are talking about how you communicate in general. This includes how you write emails, how you talk to people on the phone, and how you carry yourself in person. Every action you take speaks volumes to your clients. You need to remind buyers and sellers of the value you provide if you want more referrals. You should express your gratitude to the person who recommended you without seeming pushy.
The majority of agents communicate with potential clients through phone calls, emails, and in-person meetings. But why not use every tool in your toolbox? If you’re not using digital technology to increase the number of client recommendations you get, you’re missing out on an opportunity to improve your business.
This post will explore four online techniques that are easy to use and will help you to get more referrals.
1) FACEBOOK
Facebook has over 2 billion active monthly users. And these users aren’t just young people anymore. The social network’s largest demographic is still 25-34-year-olds, but its popularity with seniors is growing rapidly.
This means that if you are trying to reach potential leads, Facebook is a good place to start.
We’re going to focus on a quick and easy way to get real estate referrals on Facebook by enabling reviews on your company page. This will allow people to leave reviews and recommendations for your business.
THE VALUE OF FACEBOOK REVIEWS
We all know the drill, users see what their friends like and they are influenced by it. Customer reviews on a business’ Facebook page can help bring in new customers by appearing as referrals. This means that the page may be visible in Google search results.
BUT PUBLIC REVIEWS AREN’T AS RISKY AS YOU THINK
If you provide consistently good service, you will get good reviews. If you receive a negative review, use it as an opportunity to improve your business and show potential customers that you are committed to customer satisfaction.
It can be tricky to make things right with an unhappy client. In the real estate industry, it is not as straightforward as providing a voucher or replacing a defective product. You can help by responding quickly and thoughtfully to any problems that come up. The gesture of giving a gift will make a positive impression on new leads, which is especially important when you have a lot of positive reviews compared to the number of complaints.
WHAT IF A REVIEW IS UNFAIR?
Of course, some reviews are legitimately unfair. This includes things such as reviews left by people who have never been your clients, as well as reviews that don’t accurately reflect what actually happened.
You can report a review if you think it is unfair. If Facebook finds that the content violates its community standards, the content will be removed.
How to generate real estate leads
1. Use Facebook lead generation ads + captivating creatives
The only difference is that, instead of promoting your page or your brand, these ads promote a specific offer that your page is running. Facebook lead generation ads are similar to regular ads that show up in your target’s timeline; the only difference is that, instead of promoting your page or brand, these ads promote a specific offer your page is running. Facebook lead ads allow users to fill out a form without leaving the platform. The more steps people have to complete to enjoy your offer, the worse.
Here’s how to generate real estate leads with lead gen ads on Facebook:
Use captivating content
In order for your content to be effective, it should be arresting and hold the viewer’s attention. Check out this example from the Corcoran group. It uses short, persuasive copy and a direct CTA.
Stick to five form fields or less
This article discusses how Realestatebees, a real estate Martech agency, increased its lead capture form conversion rate from 3% to 11% by replacing a longer website form with a shorter one.
If someone clicks on a CTA in a lead gen ad, Facebook will automatically fill out the form with the information that was requested. This is a great way to get more leads for your real estate business. It’s easy and efficient, so you can get the most out of your time and effort.
Did you know? GetResponse’s lead generation software will help you attract and convert your prospects into sales. Join today and get started on growing your real estate business with paid ads, landing pages, marketing automation, live chats, and more!
2. Create video testimonials for social proof
Most people report that reviews have some influence on their purchasing decisions.
Video testimonials will increase your credibility. There is no better way to use social proof to get more business. A potential customer is more likely to be persuaded by someone they know and trust than by a company promoting its own products or services. Therefore, it is more effective for businesses to encourage their customers to spread the word about their products or services, rather than try to promote them directly. Two thirds of people say they would be more likely to purchase a product after watching a video testimonial of how the product helped someone else.
You need to be more strategic with how you use video testimonials. Adding testimonials to your website homepage can help give it personality and make people more interested in your brand. If you want to get new leads, you should share your video testimonials on social media.
Here’s a step by step process to do that:
1. Have a system for getting testimonials from past customers. Don’t wait to ask for a testimonial from a new client who is moving into a new home since they are more likely to give you one than a long-time client.
2. You could offer a closing gift to clients who create a video testimonial about your brand. This would incentivize them to do so. Your team could interview clients about their home buying or selling experience instead.
Video testimonials can improve people’s perception of your brand. This makes it easy to convince people who are undecided about you to become new leads and prospects.
3. Ask for referrals from past clients
Some of your best clients will come from referrals. A referred customer is someone who has been recommended to your company by a friend or another happy customer. Referred customers are less expensive to acquire than those who come to your company through other means, and they’re also more likely to continue using your products or services. A customer who has been referred by another customer has a 16% higher lifetime value than a customer who has not been referred by another customer. You’re unlikely to get referrals from past clients unless you ask for them. Only 29% of satisfied customers refer others without asking.
Asking for referrals could offend customers, especially high-end ones. Most customers will be happy to give you a review. 82% of customers say that word-of-mouth is a primary factor in their purchasing decisions. Most customers are willing to share a referral with friends or family members.
Many real estate agents get new business through referrals. 21% of realtors get over 50% of their business from repeat clients and referrals, according to stats from Buffini & Company.
So how do you get referrals from past clients?
Just ask. This is a simple email script that you can use to get referrals from past clients. As mentioned before, you want to ask for referrals ideally when your client is in a happy mood, for example, they just moved into their dream home, made considerable profit on their home sale, etc. Here’s a script you can modify to fit your situation.
Hi [Name],
Congrats again on the home sale! Happy Memorial Day! I hope you still have time to celebrate despite all the packing and organizing.
I enjoyed working with you and hope to work with more people like you. We are always looking for more great clients like you. If you know anyone who may be looking for real estate advice, let us know. If you know anyone who might benefit from our services, please let us know. We’re always happy to help. (If not, no worries, of course)
It has been a pleasure to work with you and I am looking forward to working closely with you as we approach possession.
Regards,
[Your Name]
4. Launch a referral campaign
By offering incentives to past clients for referring their friends and colleagues to you, you can increase your business through referral campaigns. Referral marketing is a way for companies to increase business by encouraging customers or employees to recommend their products or services to others. Big brands in many industries use referral marketing, such as AirBnB, PayPal, and Masterclass. In other words, it would be beneficial to emulate their behavior.
To attract leads through referral marketing, you’ll need to:
- Offer an attractive gift to any of your former customers who give you a referral, e.g., gift cards, a welcome home gift, etc.
- Promote your referral program via your email signature, email newsletter, social media post, word of mouth. If people don’t know a referral program exists, they won’t participate.
- Remind customers about your referral program in your happy birthday emails, anniversary emails, and other emails to past clients.
- Opt for a referral marketing solution if you want to bring more organization to your referral campaigns. Here is a big list of referral marketing software to select from.
5. Start a blog and attract SEO traffic
Organic traffic is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your site. If you want your blog to be successful, you need to make sure it is well-written and optimized for Google. This will help it rank high in search results and bring more visitors to your website. Many sources say that blogging leads to 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links. Blogs on company sites result in 55% more visitors.
There are many ways to gain high quality leads through blogging, though it’s not a simple process. The biggest challenge is creating blogs that generate traffic. The second thing you need to do is capture leads through your blog posts, but I’ll talk about that more in a second.
To bring in traffic, a blog needs to be designed with SEO in mind, or have someone who knows about SEO involved in its creation.
According to Bill Gassett, ReMax realtor;
One of the most important tools I use to generate business is my blog. It continues to be an effective way to reach potential customers. Being able to provide consumer friendly knowledge on a regular basis has allowed us to be ahead of the competition. If you provide information that is useful and market it well, you will become recognized as an expert in your field.
One of the most important things about blogging is making sure your blog is seen by as many people as possible. The best content means nothing if nobody sees it. If you want to use blogging to generate leads as a real estate agent, you need to be good at SEO and digital marketing. Content writing and these things go hand in hand. Many agents do not invest the necessary time to understand search engine optimization, and as a result, they give up on it.
The second issue is that just because you have a lot of traffic doesn’t mean you’ll make a lot of sales. So, how can you generate leads through blogging?
Try this simple strategy:
1. Create remarkable content. It is most effective to communicate with your customers and design your material to suit their requirements.
2. Include CTAs in your best posts. If people only read your blog posts and then leave, you will likely lose them forever. You’re leaving a lot of money on the table. real estate lead generation can be increased by using lead magnets such as gated content or offering pop-ups with relevant value. When you use pop-ups, take care that you are not interfering with the user’s experience. Your offer should be what users want and your pop-up should be easy to navigate away from. Whiffin and Wilson realtors did an excellent job with this real estate pop up.
6. Start a real estate podcast
Podcasting is poised to continue growing beyond 2022. This57 percent of American consumers listened to audio podcasts, compared with 55 percent in the previous year.
The reason podcasts are successful is because they are easy to consume, unlike other content formats. The podcasts can be enjoyed while participating in a number of activities, such as relaxing, commuting, doing chores, or working out. A majority of podcast listeners use the audio content as a form of entertainment while completing mundane tasks, such as driving, cooking, or doing housework.
They are also easy to create. You can create podcasts with your smartphone and then upload them onto free hosting platforms like Soundcloud, Buzzsprout, or Podbean. An app like Anchor can be used to create, host, and distribute your podcast for free. You can ensure people find your podcasts by implementing a promotional strategy.
Here are a couple steps to generate real estate leads through podcasts:
1. Choose topics people care about. Your content should be about current trends in the real estate market in your area or state. IIf you keep up with the news, you will likely have no trouble finding them. Other potential topics for discussion could include real estate market trends as well as more specific tips for buying and selling homes.
Katie Lance, real estate social media strategist and host of the Katie Lance Podcast, gives this advice in a realtor.com article:
One thing to consider when you are first starting is the name and the theme of your podcast. Your name, business, or community can be used as a simple name. What kind of content do you want to share? This will help you come up with a title.
Your topics should be things you are passionate about. Neighborhood happenings, real estate tips, local market information, and more can all be found on websites like Nextdoor. If you’re looking for some inspiration for your own blog, Nextdoor is a great place to start. To find podcasts about real estate or topics that interest you, search Stitcher or Soundcloud. This will give you an idea of the different types of podcasts that are available.
2. Make sure to include a call to action (CTA) at the beginning, middle, and end of your podcast episodes. This will help ensure that your listeners know what to do next, whether it’s subscribing to your show, visiting your website, or following you on social media. If you want to stay up to date on the latest news, subscribe to our email list. Make sure your CTA includes information that will be of value to your listener.
3. Promote your podcast. When planning your podcast, you’ll likely want to invite guests to speak on your show. This is a great way to add interesting perspectives and grow your audience. These people have a lot of followers on Twitter and other social media. Ask them to share your podcast and tag them. There are several ways to increase the visibility of a podcast, including working with other podcasters, utilizing podcast aggregators, and more.
7. Create beautiful contact forms
If you have a real estate website, you’re likely getting some traffic. The problem is, the people entering your website may not be meeting your criteria for a qualified lead. On the other hand, they may possess the required skills but just not ready to work with you at that point. That’s where contact forms come into play. Many real estate marketers do not fully exploit the potential of the tools at their disposal. If you’re looking for more ways to improve your real estate marketing, be sure to check out this list of helpful tools.
A good contact form allows you to collect information from visitors that can help you determine whether they are qualified leads. You should create beautiful and easily digestible contact forms for your property pages.
If a visitor is interested in a property, they should be able to easily fill out their contact details. Your home page or real estate landing page should include a contact form that lets visitors specify what they want in a home. That way, when you get listings that fit those criteria, you can reach out to those leads. Adding a Contact form 7 form to your WordPress website gives you the ability to follow up with any leads that come through the form with Getresponse.
8. Invest in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool.
The new clients you acquire over time will mostly come from referrals and your previous clients. How do you manage the relationships you our currently in or the ones you want to be in? Definitely not just with your memory. A CRM is necessary to manage both the process of winning new business and providing support to existing customers.
A CRM can help you track potential customers who are likely to buy from you. Following up with leads ensures that deals are not lost. If you want to learn about the best Real Estate CRMs on the market, this list is a great resource.
