In a space that feels more crowded every day, agents still need to get more listings. Whether you’re a beginner or a long-timer, the market is changing, and so is lead generation. It can be hard to keep your finger on the pulse when new avenues of lead generation are being created — and exploited — every year.
So, how can you grow your business and get more leads?
Thankfully, you don’t have to guess. In a recent interview, long-time growth marketer, former United States Marine, Cal Alum and current VP of Growth Marketing at Agent Image, Victor Arredondo, shared actionable tips to help agents grow their real estate business in an ever-changing and competitive online space.
Every agent in the country needs more listings. Any tips for generating seller leads?
Every consumer has major web portals (like Google) telling them about the market and using the same tools you have in your firm.
It’s important to ask yourself one thing: what can set you apart from the competition?
Do you have a strong digital presence that tells a story and drives your brand to the seller who will choose you over the competition?
I would take advantage of Google local service ads and PPC , with the understanding that paid digital advertising is an investment in your business that, when done well, will generate a healthy ROI. If you don’t have the bandwidth to set up or execute digital campaigns, there is support available from companies like Agent Image.
In your opinion, what defines a website that is optimized for leads?
That’s a trick question. It surely depends on the person who visits your site, but if you’d like the real answer, you’re going to have to buckle down and look hard at your analytics. Test different elements such as headlines and calls to action, but also ensure that your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and provides consumers something that they can’t find elsewhere. Give them tools for market trends, leave them with knowledge, kill them with content, and let them engage.
I’d start with local SEO. Ask for reviews on Google and Yelp; stay away from enterprise sites that feed leads to your competitors. I would also buy a website, create blog posts, monetize my website traffic, and funnel that money into social media campaigns for brand awareness. That website, combined with videos, blog, cold calling, and door knocking, will all lead to local dominance.
You’re always studying data. What’s one statistic you think might surprise most people?
First and foremost, I am not always studying data; I am actually picking up the toys my daughters leave on the floor more than anything!
In all seriousness, though, here’s something to consider: Only 26% of agents have a website, yet 80% of consumers research a company through website reviews. The hardest part of this is that roughly 15% of businesses will invest in SEO — that’s insane to me. There’s so much free traffic out there. Professionals ask me how to break the cycle of the large enterprise portals, but the reality is, verified businesses with great reputations can easily dominate online.
If you’re not taking advantage of an optimized website and a good online reputation, you’re leaving money on the table.
I guarantee you that even at the most basic site-packages and an easy PPC play, my team at Agent Image would easily get this done for you as it has done for over 40,000 agents.
Long story short, if you want to capture qualified leads, grow your business, and get more listings, there is a lot more opportunity online than you might think.
Think the space is over-crowded and so completely dominated by enterprise websites that you would never stand a chance?
Think again. Learn more about options from Agent Image.