Do you wish your lead generation efforts yielded better results? It might be time to upgrade your approach.
In a session at a recent Side conference, some of the best agents in the country shared how they have tweaked their go-to lead gen tactics to draw in more — and better — prospects.
Here are their tips for ensuring you get the most value possible from your lead generation.
1. Incorporate tracking and automation into your geographic farming program
A well-designed geographic farming program gets your name out there in the community while showcasing your property marketing skills. But it can be tough to track ROI on direct-mail campaigns.
Jeff Rosa
That’s why Jeff Rosa, founder of Market Real Estate, sticks a QR code on the backs of all of his postcards.
“It’s all about lead capture,” said Jeff. “If they scan the QR code, they’re taken to a landing page where they can put in their contact information and answer a few short questions about how you can best serve them.”
Based on their answers, you can sort your new prospect into a follow-up drip campaign relevant to their interests.
“Make sure you write the follow-up yourself,” said Jeff Biebuyck, co-founder of Frontgate Real Estate with Dana Olmes. Jeff and Dana send most of their follow-up via text. “You don’t want to sound like a robot. But then once you do, you can automate the campaign through your CRM. These leads can take months to warm up, but once they’re ready, it’s so much easier to convert them because you’ve been consistently in touch with them.”
To save even more time, consider automating your postcard sends as well. Side partners like Jeff and Dana do this through Side’s geographic farm program, in which Side’s growth marketing team creates and executes on strategic monthly direct mail campaigns personalized for each Side partner company.
2. Bring value-add assets to your open houses
Victoria Velasquez
“If you’re going to take four hours out of your weekend to do an open house, make it worthwhile,” said Victoria Velasquez, sales partner at Amalfi Estates.
Victoria does this by doubling down on the opportunity to present herself as a neighborhood expert at every open house.
“I always pull comps as though I’m writing an offer on the property,” said Victoria. “I call the sales agents on pending sales in the area, so I know what those properties are going to close for.”
Open houses are also a great opportunity to draw in prospects who may not be interested in this particular house but are curious about the neighborhood. That’s why Victoria brings to each open house a neighborhood map she created that provides detail on each sub-region in her market, including average price points, lot sizes, views, and nearby attractions.
“The level of detail on my neighborhood map gives me such credibility,” she explained. “People are so impressed, because it’s difficult to understand all the nuances of a community. I’ll bring one printed, laminated copy with me to each open house so I can show it to attendees — but I won’t hand it out, because I want their contact information.”
Victoria uses Side’s digital sign-in feature on her iPad to capture that contact information from open houses. “Later, when I follow up with them to give them the map, I’m not bugging them for a sale — I’m providing value. It really shifts the energy of the conversation moving forward.”
3. Transform community events into opportunities for continued education
Dana Olmes
Sponsoring community events not only gets your name out there, it proves you care about your neighborhood. To maximize your value from events, streamline your process for transferring contacts gathered at the event to your database for follow-up.
“We recently did a raffle of Padres tickets for charity,” Jeff Rosa explained. “To register, you had to scan a QR code. We asked people to submit their contact information, and we also asked a few extra real estate questions, like if they wanted information on their local housing market or were in need of a recommendation for a contractor. A lot of people declined to answer those — but for those who did answer, we were able to start a conversation.”
Jeff Biebuyck
Jeff adds these contacts to the send list for his weekly marketing emails, which touch on local business recommendations, what’s happening in the neighborhood housing market, and upcoming community events sponsored by Market Real Estate.
Through his emails, which Jeff delivers through Side-provided email automation software, Jeff aims to offer as much value as possible. “My goal is to be the Angie’s List of the neighborhood. I offer my expertise for free, with no strings attached, then I leverage the opportunity to start a deeper conversation.”
About Side
Side is a behind-the-scenes brokerage platform that exclusively partners with top-performing agents, teams and independent brokerages to create and grow their own boutique brands without the cost, time or risk of operating a brokerage. Side’s proprietary technology platform and premier support solutions empower its agent partners to be more productive, grow their business and focus on serving their clients.