I was about 19 years old and playing a pickup game of hockey at my local rink. One of my teammates on the bench was singing along to the lyrics of “We Will Rock You” by Queen. I heard him sing the popular lines in the song: “Kicking your can all over the place.”
Just then, it hit me — all of these years, I had thought the song said, “Kicking your cat all over the place.” His version made more sense.
Luckily, singing the wrong lyrics to a song is harmless. Other misinterpretations, especially ones in your real estate business, are not.
Real estate landing pages are one of the most important parts of your business — or, at least, they should be. These pages are designed to deliver access or information to prospects searching for what you offer.
Below, I will debunk some of the most common marketing misinterpretations and myths when it comes to real estate landing pages.
Myth 1: I don’t even need a landing page.
Most real estate agents don’t even have a landing page and don’t think they need one. Many agents hope that someone, who is looking to buy or sell, lands on their regular website, clicks to their contact page, calls them and wants to schedule an appointment to sign a representation agreement. This rarely happens.
Every point of value you can offer in your business is another opportunity to drive prospects to your solutions to their problems and be the expert they need.
Myth 2: You only need one or two landing pages.
There is a mindset that you only need a landing page for buyers and one for sellers. What about investors, first-time homebuyers, luxury homeowners, a subdivision you farm or vacant land owners who want to sell?
The more lead capture pages and funnels you offer, the better chance you have of turning Web traffic into leads.
Myth 3: Short lead generation forms are better than long ones.
Yes, it is true that short forms will most likely convert higher than long forms, but you need to look beyond the initial conversion rate. Track and test different forms and layouts to see which bring you the most leads, clients and profit.
Myth 4: You have to crunch all your information at the top of the page.
There is a long-standing idea that you must put your primary call to action and lead generation form “above the fold” to minimize scrolling. This placement can be significant, but some pages convert better in PPC and Facebook ad campaigns if you deliver more value at the top before even asking for the conversion. Test it.
Myth 5: Conversion rate is the only number to consider.
Your landing page is step one of your lead funnel. The primary goal of the landing page is to give the prospect an opportunity to go deeper with you and your business.
The final piece of the of the conversion equation is when that lead turns into a closing.
Sometimes lower-converting landing pages lead to more sales than their higher-converting counterparts. It is all about the offer and how you deliver on your promise.
Myth 6: You should include all of the reasons why they should opt in.
Your landing page isn’t a place to brag about your accomplishments or give them 20 reasons why they should use you. Talk about overwhelming. You will have plenty of time to deliver more information to your prospects later in your autoresponder and follow-up.
Myth 7: If you build it, they will come.
I have made hundreds of landing pages over the years, and I have never gotten significant traffic on any of them without marketing.
Real estate landing pages are not typically built for SEO. They are made to drive targeted traffic using paid ads with a goal of growing your list and starting a conversation with a prospect.
Once you have your landing pages up, it is important to drive traffic to them with a targeted audience through marketing.
Myth 8: You only have to build it once.
I regularly see agents who are still using landing pages that were built in 2011, and they are wondering why their conversions are so low. Times change. Strategies grow. Designs evolve.
Before you even launch your landing page campaign, you should already have an A/B split test set up. An A/B test will automatically show version A to 50 percent of your traffic and version B to the other half. Over about 15-45 days, depending on your traffic volume, you need to discard the lower converting page and create a new variation of the winning test.
Your real estate landing pages and follow-up systems are living and breathing marketing pieces and should continue to grow and improve over time.
Ben Janke is the real estate lead conversion specialist at Tech Agent Academy. Like Tech Agent Academy on Facebook or connect with Ben on LinkedIn.
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