Lead Generation

Leads are the lifeblood of any real estate agent's practice, no matter whether they are experienced or just starting out. In the beginning, agents invest hours into finding the right leads every month. In time, the balance shifts to include more referral business and leads attracted by your website.

No matter where they come from, though, leads remain crucially important: Without them, you'll soon find yourself with nothing to do. That raises some big questions about "old" leads who don't convert in a week, a month, or even six months. What can you do with these connections?

It's true, of course, that some older connections won't stay leads for very long:

• They may decide to go with another real estate agent, getting their needs met for 2-5 years
• Or they might choose to stay out of the market, usually to wait for better overall conditions

It's undeniably true that most people you meet for the first time will not be ready to buy or sell a home within that same week. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the majority of potential leads ultimately go elsewhere. Just because you haven't heard from someone, it doesn't mean their story is over.

As the real estate agent, it's up to you to follow up — and it's never been easier to do just that.

Following Up with Old Leads Can Empower Your Practice to Grow

No matter how you define an old lead, they aren't off the table until they tell you they've decided to work with someone else. Even when leads inform you they won't be taking action any time soon, it means you can always follow up again in a few months!

If you've got a Rolodex (or more likely a real estate CRM) full of old leads you haven't heard from in a while, many can still turn into opportunities. Real estate is a sales profession at heart, and successful salespeople swear by their efforts to follow up as much as possible before writing a lead off.

All in all, 60% of customers say "no" four times before saying "yes." But real estate agents are at a huge advantage here: Leads rarely say "no" directly to you, but only to the timing that making a move right now would represent. In the end, they still want a real estate agent, and you can still be that person.

Here's how to follow up with your old leads the right way:

• Sort Them Out Before You Start
  Before you start thinking about how to get in touch, it's important to refresh yourself as to when you met your leads and where you last encountered them. This is another area where a real estate CRM is paramount; it can save and centralize all the interactions you've ever had with any lead. This helps to understand each lead's specific motivations so you can make your messaging precise.
  
  
• Have an Overarching Service or Offer
  It is a wise idea to have an overall offer, something new to showcase to pique interest. For example, if you have leads you met through an open house, you might never have had the opportunity to provide them with a local market report to clarify their thinking. However, it can be off-putting to launch into an offer after weeks or months of silence, which is why it is essential to gauge interest first.
  
  
• Choose a Method
  You have many different methods for revitalizing your old leads, so choose wisely based on what you know about each one's communication preferences. You're in luck if they've opted in for texts — these are pleasingly informal and much more likely to get a response. Email is also very effective. Although it's helpful in other ways, social media is a distant third when it's unexpected, so consider a call instead.
  
  
• Customize Your Messaging
  Once you have all the information in front of you, you can tailor your messaging to each individual or to small groups. With text messaging, something as simple as "Hi [name], are you still interested in a home in [area]?" may be sufficient to break the ice. If you do not hear from a lead at all, add them to a weekly follow-up rotation for at least a month before giving up on them for the time being.
  
  
• Automate Ongoing Follow-Up
  With an AI-driven real estate CRM, many forms of follow-up can be automated. Your social media feed can be populated with meaningful, event-driven updates based on the latest happenings in your market and practice. Sophisticated email marketing campaigns can be managed nearly hands-free.

Delta Media Group helps real estate pros realize the power of automation for themselves — no matter if you're a solo operation or heading a large brokerage. Contact us to find out more or get started today.

What real estate agent could say no to more and better quality leads? Modern marketing offers more tools than ever before for generating, nurturing, and converting leads, whether you're just getting started as an agent or you've already been in the industry for decades. So if your lead gen feels like it's been lacking lately, there are concrete steps that you can take right now to turn things around and start generating more leads. Here are some of the best tools and tips to turn your marketing into a reliable, well-oiled lead gen machine.

Start with a Great Real Estate Website

Your real estate website should be the hub of your digital lead generation efforts and one of your most valuable marketing tools. It's the place where potential leads come to learn about your brand, the markets that you serve, your listings, your team, and all of the real estate services that you offer. On top of that, many of the other lead gen tips on our list either work best when paired with a great website or are geared specifically toward driving traffic back to your real estate website. All of that is to say that if your website doesn't include everything it needs for lead gen, now is the time for a redesign from a team that knows what it takes to generate real estate leads online.

Mix in a Dash of Search Engine Optimization

One of the ways that your website helps with lead gen is through search engine optimization (SEO), which helps leads find you. Most real estate prospects start their process with online searches to find real estate brands, agents, and listings that suit their needs. SEO is all about optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results, which drives more traffic to your website and ultimately helps you generate more leads.

Build a Better Blog to Share Your Knowledge and Expertise

Potential leads primarily visit your website for information, whether they're looking at listings, researching neighborhoods, or want to learn more about the process of buying/selling a home. Your blog is the perfect place to share content that demonstrates your real estate expertise, provides detailed descriptions of the markets that you serve, answers common questions, builds trust, and educates your target audience. As an added bonus, creating localized content also has major benefits for your SEO.

Upgrade Your Social Media Presence

Is your social media marketing generating as many leads as it should? Are you reaching the right audience with the right message? Growing your social media presence through marketing, targeted ads, and good, old-fashioned engagement is a great way to give your lead generation a boost. In addition to social marketing, consider carving 15 or 30 minutes out of your daily schedule to engage with your audience, share your knowledge, and start building connections with potential leads.

Attract a Larger Audience with Virtual Tours, Open Houses, and Showings

A normal open house or showing is great for people who live close enough to attend, but more than ever before real estate clients are doing much of their shopping online. Virtual open houses and showings make it easy for those online shoppers to fall in love with homes before they ever visit in person. Virtual tours, like the ones that you can create with our Properties in Motion platform, are another essential element for marketing homes online.

Add Targeted Online Ads to Your Marketing Mix

What if you want to generate more leads right now? With AdWizard Paid Advertising, you can easily create and manage online advertising campaigns that appeal directly to your target audience. Manage all of your ads and budgets through an easy-to-use interface, with customizable ad layouts that make it easy to tailor your advertising to your brand. Easily target ads on Facebook and Instagram — the two social platforms where your online audience is likely spending the most time. Paid advertising can be the perfect complement to all of your other digital lead generation efforts.

Rely on the Right Real Estate CRM

Last but certainly not least, if you don't have access to a real estate CRM or you're not thrilled with the performance of your current CRM, your lead generation can absolutely benefit from an upgrade. DeltaNET®6 is a powerful, easy-to-use real estate all-in-one solution that offers all of the tools that you need to attract, nurture, and convert leads successfully. From AI-driven marketing tools to lead capture forms, automated lead segmentation, and so much more, we're always innovating so that every agent can benefit from the dependable, intuitive tools in DeltaNET®6. Why settle for less than the best when you can have so much of what you need for lead generation in one convenient package?

Do you find yourself spending too much time and effort on lead generation? Do the results of your lead generation justify the investment of time and resources? The biggest secret of lead generation is that it doesn't have to be a challenge, but you need reliable tools for the job, starting with your real estate CRM. Investing in the right real estate tech can both boost the results of your lead generation and unlock more time in your busy day to serve the clients that your enhanced lead generation attracts.

Easily Capture Leads and Store Key Data

The first step to generating and converting leads is simply getting your foot in the door. Your real estate CRM should make it easy to acquire key data on leads through online lead capture forms and other sources, then store that data so that it's always available when you need it. As you learn more about leads over time, you can build a robust profile of what each lead wants, how you can earn their business, and how you can help them accomplish their real estate goals.

Improve Results with Automated Lead Generation and Nurturing Tools

One of the biggest time-saving benefits of your real estate CRM comes in the form of automation, which allows you to nurture leads with content that appeals to their needs and helps turn them into clients. All of the tedious work is handled by dependable technology, leaving you with more time to capitalize on the opportunities that automation creates.

• AI-Driven Email and Print Newsletters
  Your leads all have specific real estate needs that brought them to your door, whether they're buying, selling, or trying to juggle both tasks at the same time. With a little help from AI, you can keep them up to date on the topics that matter most to them through convenient email and print newsletters.

• Auto-Generated Market Reports
  Data isn't just useful for real estate agents. It's also something that your leads are actively seeking, especially regarding the markets where they're buying or selling a home. With auto-generated My HomeFinder, Market Watch, and Seller Reports, you have automated tools for keeping every type of lead informed.

• Smart Drip Email Campaigns
  Not every lead will be ready to convert right away. Some are still feeling out the market, making plans, and preparing for real estate needs in the near future. Smart drip email campaigns make it easy to stay in touch, nurture leads over time, and earn their business when it's time to convert.

Always Be on Time with Automated Lead Segmentation

Knowing what leads want and when to reach out are critical elements to lead generation success. Too early, and they won't be ready. Too late, and they will have already found someone else to help with their real estate needs. Automated lead segmentation makes it easier to focus on the leads that are closer to converting and reach out with the right message at the right time.

Email Templates and SMS Text Messaging

Lead generation is easier when you can communicate in the ways that are most convenient to your target audience. Use email templates to easily customize just the right message or SMS text messaging to reach out with quick, convenient communications.

Your CRM Can Help with Traditional Marketing Materials, Too

Some leads are more comfortable with technology than others, so it's still important to have traditional marketing materials available when you need them. In addition to the AI-driven print newsletters we mentioned above, your CRM can help you create customizable flyers while taking advantage of lead segmentation to create digital and print materials targeted to specific groups.

Integrated Training to Make the Most of Your CRM

The features that we've touched on are just the tip of the iceberg of how your CRM can help with lead generation, marketing, and so much more. Learning how to use all of those tools may feel like an intimidating task, but it's much easier with access to features like DeltaNET Academy. Easily tailor training courses for associates, and learn everything you need to know about how to unlock the full potential of your CRM.

Let Us Help You Simplify Lead Generation

More leads, less work — who could say no to that? All of the tools and tactics we mentioned above can be found within DeltaNET®6, our all-in-one real estate solution which makes it easier than ever to grow your business with the latest in real estate tech. Automate important processes including lead nurturing, generate more leads with proven, easy-to-use tools, keep all of the key lead data you need in one secure place, and free more time to focus on closing deals for your clients.

Many real estate agents spend the first year of their careers "chasing down leads."

The process starts by telling everyone you know that you're now a real estate agent. From there, hours of in-person networking are usually used to fill the funnel. But the truth is, most of these people aren't leads in the technical sense. They are prospects, people you only hope are interested.

Someone becomes a lead when they raise their hand in one way or another and signal that they really are interested in your services. They may not be prepared to buy or sell right now, but they do care to hear more. These relationships can be deepened until the lead becomes a customer.

This is a crucial distinction for real estate in particular.

You could focus all of your attention on networking and cold calling like the real estate agents of old, but inevitably, you'll end up investing more time on prospects who aren't interested than on leads who'll be ready to make a decision within the next quarter.

That can lead to stress and burnout, as it feels like your efforts are going nowhere.

Luckily, there's an alternative. By optimizing your real estate website, you can help leads self-educate and make it easier to engage with them at the right moment. Much of the process can be automated, ensuring you take powerful action at the right time rather than just "staying busy."

Meaningful Engagement Is Essential to Today's Real Estate Success

What makes a moment of engagement particularly meaningful?

Based on feedback from thousands of agents and brokers, "meaningful" engagement is:

• Timely
• Relevant
• Personalized

Any form of engagement with your leads can be meaningful when it delivers the right information at the right time based on what you know about that person's wants and needs. The format — call, text, email, and the rest — is usually less important, but some are easier to scale with your business than others.

Ideally, your website should be set up with a number of "conversion actions" so you are notified at the very moment a prospect becomes a lead. A lead may surface after having certain interactions with your listings, joining your email subscriber list, following you on social media, and so on.

A Customer Relationship Management suite like the DeltaNET®6 can give you the total visibility you need so you always know where, when, and how to engage. With data from your CRM, you can follow the best practices below to turn more of your leads into customers:

• Respond to Leads Right Away
  Research shows that responding to a lead within ten minutes makes the biggest impression on them, and you are most likely to have a full conversation with them if you respond within five minutes. This only becomes possible when your website notifies you instantly about new leads!
  
  
• Focus on the First Ten Days
  Once the lines of communication are open, use everything at your disposal to demonstrate your value in the first ten days. This time period is crucial to the decision-making process. It's a good idea to forward a lead with helpful online content and listings that match their priorities. Text to follow up if a lead "goes dark."
  
  
• Start Your Own Facebook Group
  Although Facebook isn't as wildly popular as it once was, millions of American adults still use it, and that includes most of your future customers. A Facebook Group lets you stay in touch and respond directly to questions and comments from leads, positioning you as a trusted advisor throughout their process.
  
  
• Create a Useful Lead Magnet
  A lead magnet is a sophisticated, high-quality piece of content you offer leads in exchange for joining your email marketing list. One of the most popular lead magnets is a report on the local real estate market. You can generate a white-labeled Market Watch Report from DeltaNET®6.
  
  
• Use Email Drip Campaigns
  Email marketing is the most cost-effective way to stay in touch with a lead for a long period of time, even if it takes months for them to enter the market. By emailing a lead once or twice weekly with helpful, informative content, you'll remain top of mind and more likely to close a deal.
  
  
• Share Your Social Proof
  Social proof is everything that shows a lead that others "just like them" have had success with you. A testimonial is the basic "unit" of social proof. You can spice it up by getting video testimonials, or build out a sort of miniature case study with details on the situation and home the customer bought or sold.

By automating first contact and initial follow-up with DeltaNET®6, you set the stage for a productive and mutually beneficial partnership. Contact us to discover more or get started.

Are you covering all of your bases with real estate lead generation? With so many different ways to generate leads, it can be easy to overlook some of the valuable, reliable tools that can help keep your pipeline stocked to the brim. Diversifying your strategy can help you reach a wider pool of potential clients and give you the confidence that you're leaving no stone unturned when it comes to generating leads. That's why it's so important to understand where most leads come from and how you can ensure that you're maximizing your lead generation opportunities.

Start with Your Real Estate Website

Your real estate website should be one of your best sources for leads online, but simply setting up a website isn't enough to guarantee success. For your website to become a lead-generation machine, it needs to provide a seamless experience with the right features and design elements. This is important both for attracting prospects to visit your website in the first place and turning them into qualified leads once they arrive.

• IDX Listing Integration
  Many of the prospects who visit your website will be coming to look at listings first and foremost, so it's important to make that process as easy as possible for them. IDX listing integration makes it simple for prospects to search for homes in your markets, and those listings will be a key source of leads.
  
  
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  While SEO doesn't generate leads directly like some of the other items on our list, it's a critical factor in attracting traffic to your real estate website. Over time, SEO helps you achieve a higher search engine ranking, which leads directly to more traffic. And more traffic to your website ultimately means more leads.
  
  
• Real Estate Content
  The content on your real estate website helps you build trust, establish your real estate expertise, and show prospects how you can help them achieve their goals. Whether it's in the form of video content, blog posts, or both, your content helps convince prospects to take the next step.
  
  
• Social Proof
  Social proof in the form of reviews and testimonials is one of the key factors in the decision-making process of modern real estate prospects. Integrating social proof throughout key areas of your website is a must for maximizing your lead generation.
  
  
• Lead Capture Forms
  Once a prospect has spent some time on your website and seen what you have to offer, the goal is to have them fill out a lead capture form. This is where they'll provide contact information, outline their real estate needs, and take the first key step toward becoming a client.

Social Media Marketing and Relationship Building

The biggest social media platforms continue to rank among the best sources of leads online, so it likely comes as no surprise that social media marketing is so popular in real estate. Whether you're showcasing listings on Instagram, building relationships on Facebook, or sharing your best video content on TikTok, building your social presence is a must for generating leads in 2022.

Referrals and Your Personal/Professional Networks

The most highly qualified leads often come from referrals, and referrals are still one of the most dependable sources of leads for your real estate business. For individual agents, those referrals can often come from your personal and professional networks, in addition to your current clients. Building and maintaining great relationships still goes a long way toward generating leads, no matter who you're trying to reach.

Virtual Tours and Open Houses

More than ever, buyers are choosing to tour homes from the comfort of their current location with the help of virtual open houses and showings. Just like their in-person counterparts, these tools are key sources of leads — and not just for buyers! When sellers see that you're promoting listings with the best modern tech, they'll be more likely to choose you as well.

Social Media and Search Engine Advertising

Building your social media presence and boosting the SEO on your real estate website are both well worth the effort. However, it also takes time to see results. Paid advertising on social media and search engines provides more immediate results as a source of leads. Paid advertising is great for boosting visibility while building up your online presence and for supplementing your other lead-generation efforts.

Covering Your Bases for Lead Generation in 2022

Whether you're interested in opening new avenues of lead generation or optimizing your existing strategy, achieving your goals is so much easier when you have the right tools for the job. With our DeltaNET®6 all-in-one real estate solution, all of the tools, tech, and resources you need to generate leads are always at your fingertips.

What makes a good lead? Understanding the what, why, and how of lead qualification can save so much time for real estate sales associates, allowing you to focus your energy on leads that are more likely to convert while setting aside dead-end leads. In order to effectively qualify leads, you need to have a reliable process in place to identify promising leads with speed and efficiency.

In short, a good lead is someone who is ready to buy or sell a home. They've likely already put significant thought into the process, have an idea of what they want to accomplish, and are looking for a real estate agent they can trust to get the job done. These are the leads that you want to prioritize over other, less qualified leads who are further from taking real action.

How to Qualify a Lead

In order to identify which leads are good ones and which can be put on the back burner or discarded, you need to ask the right questions. Ideally, you want this to happen as soon as possible when a lead enters your pipeline. That's why it's so important to have a system in place for qualifying leads and to use it consistently.

• Is the Lead Buying or Selling a Home in Your Markets?
  Start simple, and make sure that the lead is interested in buying or selling a home in one of the markets where you do business. Naturally, a lead shopping for a home in a city or neighborhood that doesn't fall under your umbrella can usually be easily disqualified.
  
  
• What Is Their Motivation for Buying or Selling a Home?
  Figuring out the motivations of the buyer or seller is one of the most important steps that you can take when qualifying a lead. What is their motivation, and just how motivated are they to take the next steps? A buyer or seller who's moving for work, financial reasons, family reasons, or another strong motivating factor is more likely to take action than a lead that lacks a strong motivation to move forward quickly.
  
  
• Have They Been Pre-Approved for a Mortgage?
  One way to gauge the motivation and engagement of a lead is to find out whether they've already been pre-approved for a mortgage. A buyer who has already made an effort to get pre-approved is more likely to be ready to take the next steps. Lacking pre-approval isn't necessarily a factor that disqualifies a lead outright, but it's certainly a positive when a buyer has been pre-approved.
  
  
• What Type of Budget Are They Shopping With?
  Is the buyer searching for a home that fits the price range of the homes that you have to offer, and the listings in your cities/neighborhoods? If it's a seller, are they interested in listing a home in a price range that fits your market, and your target demographic of buyers? Answering these questions can help you determine whether the lead is a good fit for your real estate services.
  
  
• Are They Looking for a Specific Type of Home?
  For buyers, are they looking for specific features from a home? Not only will the answer to this question help you determine how far along the buyer is in the process, it can also tell you whether you might already have listings that match their preferences.
  
  
• How Long Have They Been Searching?
  Has the lead been working on buying or selling a home for a long time? Have they already worked with a different agent in the past? These questions help determine motivation, and knowing if they've already worked with an agent can help you plan how to move forward.
  
  
• How Soon Are They Hoping to Close the Deal?
  A highly motivated buyer or seller is also more likely to be a highly qualified lead. If they're interested in closing the deal quickly, that's a good sign.
  
  
• Are They Ready to Set an Appointment?
  Is the lead ready to take concrete action and plan next steps? If they're willing to set an appointment, then one of the most critical questions is already answered.

Use the Right Tools to Turn Qualified Leads into Satisfied Clients

Of course, qualifying leads is just the first, important step in the process, and the right real estate tech can make the next steps in that process so much more efficient. The right real estate all-in-one solution, like DeltaNET®6, offers so many valuable tools for converting leads. Whether you're sending AI-driven newsletters, reaching out with convenient SMS text messaging, helping people tour homes from afar with virtual open houses & showings, taking advantage of integrations with all of the top real estate platforms, or using one of many other tools, DeltaNET®6 provides everything you need to get the job done in one convenient package.

Are you ready to make 2022 your best year yet? Then now is the perfect time to give your lead generation a boost, whether that means innovating with the integration of the latest ideas or doubling down by enhancing the tactics that are already working for you. There are more opportunities than ever for generating leads, boosting the visibility of your real estate brand, and connecting with prospects online. Here are seven tips for enhancing your lead generation in 2022 and taking your business to new heights.

Enhance Your Lead Generation in 2022

• Advertise in All the Right Places Online
  With most forms of online marketing, there's no guarantee of instant success. The payoff is worth it, but it may take time to see results. But what about when you want to generate more leads right now? Paid advertising on search engines and social media is very effective for reaching specific, targeted demographics with your real estate marketing message. With paid advertising, you choose who you want to reach and where you want to reach them.
  
  
• Refresh Your Social Media Schedule
  Finding success with social media marketing requires a plan, and your schedule is one of the most important factors in effective planning. Creating a schedule for what you will do on social media each day, how you will do it, and how it all fits together makes it so much easier to use your social time more efficiently. And don't stop at scheduling. Social media is constantly evolving, so catching up on the latest trends is a must for maximizing the lead generation potential of your social presence.
  
  
• Become the Next Real Estate Video Star
  One way to give your social media and overall online presence a boost in 2022? Try your hand at video content! Long gone are the days when you needed to buy a bunch of expensive equipment to get started with video content. With your smartphone, a few affordable peripheral tools, and some creativity, you can take advantage of the most popular form of online content. Adding a face, voice, and personality to your marketing is such an effective way to enhance your lead generation online.
  
  
• Leverage Local SEO to Help Prospects Find You
  Local SEO is a powerful tool for generating high-quality leads, standing out from the competition in your market, and making it easy for prospects to find your real estate website. Creating informative content with targeted keywords, optimizing your website for SEO, and optimizing your Google My Business page are all great ways to give your local SEO a boost.
  
  
• Harness the Power of Social Proof
  Your current, happy clients can be one of your greatest assets for generating leads by providing social proof about how you helped them with their real estate needs. If your real estate website doesn't integrate reviews and testimonials from current clients in a seamless way, now is the time to change that. Feature the best testimonials on your homepage, create a page where you can share even more testimonials, and make it easy for everyone to see how highly rated you are on major review platforms. And don't forget to share them on your social pages, too!
  
  
• Position Yourself as a Neighborhood Expert
  If you want people to fall in love with your listings, start by helping them fall in love with the communities where those homes are located. Every agent should be an expert on the markets where they do business, and every prospect is searching for more information on the places where they're shopping for homes. Your real estate blog and social media pages are great places to post the content that you create about your neighborhoods. You can also create neighborhood-specific landing pages, where people can easily find a collection of key information in one location.
  
  
• Make the Most of Your Real Estate CRM Platform
  Are you taking advantage of all the lead generation tools your real estate CRM offers? Just as importantly, does your real estate CRM offer everything you need to thrive? There are so many ways that a great CRM can make your life easier, from keeping track of all the key information on leads to automated, AI-driven marketing tools that help you convert those leads. The right CRM can unlock so many lead generation opportunities for you in 2022.

With so many different ways to generate leads, one of the big things to remember is how important it is to diversify your lead generation strategy. The start of the new year is the perfect time to experiment with new lead generation options and optimize all of your dependable, existing tactics for generating leads. The work that you do now will pay off all year long with more and better leads.

Many times, new business owners start with a clear idea of what they want to offer the world — and it's something that excites and uplifts them. As they think about the details, however, doubt creeps in — and it shows itself the same way across all industries.

"I can't turn away business," they start to think. "I have to appeal to everybody!"

No matter how many books you read or business coaches you hear from, it can feel counterintuitive to be told to "niche down." Deciding on a small segment of the total customer base to focus on may seem like a scary commitment, one in which you're not sure the other side will "love you back."

Yet, focusing your strategy allows you to do the same with your marketing, advertising, and other types of communication. And it's precisely that laser-focus that appeals to people. Because you get specific, they recognize you understand their problems. That draws them to you!

This is especially crucial in real estate.

In your first year as a real estate professional, you might feel like you're doing a little bit of everything. After all, there's so much to learn! Soon, you start to develop a better sense of which customers fit you best. Ideal customers should be easy and fun to work with so you can add value to their lives!

On the other end of the scale, some customers will drain your energy and may leave you miserable.

It's crucial to get those encounters out of the way in the first year — because your business is not "for everyone." It's for the right people with the right budget at the right time. Those are qualified leads, the ones more likely than anyone else to become customers, and they grow your business.

Sad, but true: Unqualified leads don't add to your bottom line, no matter how many you get!

How to Qualify Your Leads the Easy Way

Ideally, you would be able to qualify your leads by collecting just a little bit more information each time you encounter them. You might get some details when they sign up for your email list, a few more when they register for an open house, and a little bit more when they schedule a call.

By spacing out your "asks" naturally in encounters like these, you can learn a lot!

And an all-in-one real estate solution like DeltaNET®6 makes it much easier. That's because your CRM can capture and analyze details any human would easily overlook. Making connections between all the thousands or even millions of data points available, an AI-driven app helps you turn "information" into "insight."

Still, it's a wise idea to have a qualification framework in mind.

A qualification framework is a system of expected data points you collect about each prospective customer. Prospects that give answers within a desirable range are well-qualified leads. Those whose answers are outside the norm may be poorly qualified or not qualified at all.

In real estate, people are often trained to maintain every relationship they can — "you never know who'll become a customer!" With a qualification framework, you might still get caught by surprise now and again, but you will be able to develop informed expectations about every prospect in your funnel.

When you know, you can focus your attention on leads most likely to be your future customers.

Plus, you can do something that might otherwise feel unthinkable: Let go of unqualified leads! Referring them to someone who can meet their needs better does a service to them, you, and a colleague of your choice – and with a steady stream of truly qualified opportunities, it'll always feel good.

A Simple Real Estate Lead Qualification Framework

The BANT framework originates in business-to-business sales and adapts very well to real estate.

For each prospect, ask these questions:

Budget

Does the prospect have a budget that matches the type of properties in the local area you typically deal with? If not, can you help by providing facts about mortgage qualification or new homebuyer programs?

Authority

Is the prospect "in charge" of the buying decision? If working with a couple, both should be consulted on everything. If a large family is moving, everyone's preferences and needs should be taken into account.

Necessity

Does the prospect "need" to move now? If not, what would increase the sense of urgency? If so, what roadblocks are standing in the way — succinctly, why hasn't the person taken action? How can you help?

Timing

Is the prospect planning to move now, next week, next month, next year? Get a sense of projected timing and any contingencies. Entice long-term "waiters" who are well-qualified onto your email list.

Contact us to discover how digital marketing automation can help you qualify leads faster and better.

When it comes to real estate leads, first-time sellers are in a class by themselves.

Consider a few of the things that make them stand out:

• They are some of the most motivated people in the real estate market
• Their needs are unique and extensive, partly because everything is new
• They may have a lifetime of future real estate transactions ahead of them

True, not everyone will sell their first home at a very early age. But the latest research shows that Gen Z, the youngest generation in today's market, is motivated to both buy and sell early. More than 85% of Gen Z respondents in a recent survey said they planned to buy their first home by the time they turn 35.

Nearly half say they expect to own a home no later than the age of 29.

As a result, 88% of sellers aged 22 to 29 are first-time sellers. What's more, younger sellers overwhelmingly say they prefer to use an agent to ensure their transaction goes smoothly. 94% of sellers in the 22-29 age group used an agent to complete their sale, more than any other age cohort.

Because most first-time sellers will be on the younger side, they have great potential to deliver a high lifetime customer value. An amazing 77% of first-time sellers did not use the same agent who sold them the home. This is true even among the sellers who had a very positive experience with their original agent.

By catering to first-time sellers, you have a unique opportunity to build a resilient, sustainable business that can offer value to a large and growing group of customers. The question, of course, is how to appeal to them once you have decided to do so. Delta Media Group has the answers.

• Modernize Your Practice with the Right Technology
  From the standpoint of a Millennial, a business without a credible real estate website simply does not exist. In the eyes of Gen Z, this effect is even more powerful. The very first thing to do to appeal to tech-savvy first-time sellers is to make sure your website reflects your brand and is easy to use on mobile.
  
  
• Make Your Business Instantly Responsive
  Younger first-time sellers are much more likely to communicate via text than by voice call. By incorporating text and social media into your business, you prove that you are the nimble agent they want. Aim to respond to first-time inquiries in five minutes or less. You can set more lenient expectations once you land your client.
  
  
• Market Your Ability to Leverage Digital to Sell
  Sellers often worry about whether or not they're getting enough of an agent's time and attention. One way to lay this concern to rest is to show off your ability to market a home with the newest digital technology. Virtual tours are hot because they allow buyers to expand their search territory without having to travel far.
  
  
• Publish Plenty of Content Especially for Sellers
  Like buyers, first-time sellers don't usually jump in without doing research beforehand. They use online content to piece together a picture of the market. Although they aren't likely to contact you directly at this stage, you can become a trusted advisor if you have the right content ready for them to peruse.
  
  
• Position Yourself as the First-Time Seller Expert
  Whatever impression your website gives, you'll have to keep it alive in your personal interactions. Lay the right groundwork by making sure you have answers at hand for common first-time seller questions. Tap your network so it's easy for your clients to access the expertise and services they need at every step of their journey.
  
  
• Get Ready to Juggle Selling and Buying
  Most sellers aren't planning to go back to the rental life — they also need to buy another property as they sell. This means they will have many of the same questions buyers do about financing, negotiation, and more. It may be wise to learn the ins and outs of bridge financing if you expect to work with many first-time sellers.
  
  
• Have a Follow-Up Plan for Every Client
  Once your happy customer has completed their sale, the next phase of the relationship kicks in. That means retention! Have a mix of methods, like social, text, and handwritten notes. You can maintain your relevance far into the future by publishing homeownership content the seller will continue to reference.
  
  
• Institute Email Marketing Across Your Business
  Email marketing helps you turn leads into customers and customers into life-long brand advocates. Most of your first-time sellers will be digital natives and very used to navigating email. Email marketing automation with "My Customer for Life" newsletters makes the process easy while still maintaining the human touch.

Contact us at Delta Media Group to find out more or get started.

Diversifying your lead generation crucial for maintaining a steady, reliable supply of leads for your real estate business. With so many marketing tools and networking opportunities available, there's never been a better time to find new ways to generate leads. In addition to trying new things, it's also important to make sure that key lead generation tools like your real estate website are updated for a modern audience. Take a closer look at these 7 ways to diversify your lead generation and find new ways to earn leads for your real estate business.

• Position Yourself as an Online Real Estate Expert by Answering Questions
  Sharing your real estate expertise is one of the most powerful ways to add value for your current clients, and it's always a great way to generate fresh leads online. Whether on social media or online forums, there are always people with real estate questions that need answers. By providing those answers in public online spaces, you're also showing anyone else who encounters that exchange that you have the expertise to help with their real estate needs.
  
  
• Get Involved with Community Events
  Sponsoring local events is a reliable way to bring visibility to your business with a local audience, but your presence at the events you sponsor can add even more value. These local events are outstanding networking opportunities, allowing you to connect with potential local clients and build relationships with other businesses that may lead to referrals.
  
  In addition to networking opportunities, attending local events can help you create valuable content for your real estate website. Create preview posts for your blog to generate interest in the event, then be sure to take plenty of photos and videos while you're at the event to create content that shows why your communities are such great places to call home.
  
  
• Make It Easy to Find Your Customer Feedback Online
  Are you making the most of positive feedback from existing clients to help you earn new leads? Social proof works a lot like word of mouth, but on a much larger scale. The positive testimonials and reviews that your clients provide are a powerful form of social proof, but only if you make sure people can find them. Dedicate a page on your real estate website to showcasing testimonials from your clients, and make sure your online reviews are easy to find.
  
  
• Turn Your Real Estate Website into a Lead Generation Machine
  With so many other ways to promote your real estate business online, it can be easy to forget that your real estate website should be one of your most powerful sources of lead generation. A dated website or one that doesn't offer all of the features that modern clients expect can lead to many missed opportunities for lead generation. If your website doesn't load with speed, lacks features, isn't mobile-friendly, or doesn't feature a sleek, modern look, then it may be time to refresh your website to maximize lead generation.
  
  
• Create a Diverse Video Content Strategy
  Getting into video content can feel intimidating, but it's easier than you might think. There's so much value to putting your face and your real estate expertise out there for everyone to see, so integrating video content is a great way to diversify your lead generation if you're not doing it already. Just like with your regular blog posts, the best video content answers questions, provides advice, and showcases everything that makes your markets special.
  
  
• Use Slower Seasons to Refresh Older Listings
  Have some of your listings gone stale and become lost in the shuffle behind newer, fresher listings? Then use slower seasons in your real estate markets to bring those older listings back to the forefront. Slower times on the calendar are perfect for promoting older listings that didn't gain much traction the first time around, when there's less competition from other homes on the market.
  
  
• Provide the Information Your Leads Need with Targeted Email Newsletters
  Email marketing is a great way to generate new leads and nurture existing ones, but only if you're delivering the types of content that those leads want to see. With the right real estate CRM, you can auto-generate reports for buyers, sellers, and anyone who's watching the market to plan their next move. Stay top of mind by delivering the content that your leads need in a way that's convenient for them.

With so many new tools and places to market your business online, the process of diversifying your lead generation never really ends. Keep an eye on the latest trends, experiment to find the best lead generation tactics for your target audience, and don't be afraid to try something new when marketing your real estate business.