Real estate is an ultra-competitive field with new and experienced agents elbowing their way into your market every week.
There’s no way around it. Every realtor must invest in online real estate lead generation. You need a full pipeline of real estate leads to convert a percentage of those leads into clients.
Keep reading to learn how to focus on real estate lead generation strategies that can improve your current strategy, automate and streamline your process and help you understand where you should spend your time and money.
As with any marketing initiative, master the basics and then roll out your strategy in a way that will produce results.
How to Become a Real Estate Lead Generator
During the summer, buyers are shopping and inventory is through the roof and you might have tons of opportunities. The way to ensure this happens is by building and maintaining a pipeline of real estate leads and preparing for the inevitable market downturns and long winters when buyers hibernate.
Real estate lead generation is your best tool against market volatility. As much as you want to spend each day closing sales, your focus must be on real estate lead generation.
The best route is to leverage online search volume, engagement, intent and activity. Home buyers and sellers are online, researching and looking for agents and listings on Google and Facebook. Meet them where they are, rather than hope that they stumble onto you by chance.
You can buy real estate leads from Zillow or another third-party company. The hope is that these leads are qualified and ready to convert but it’s expensive, not always sustainable and there is still room for failure.
Another option is to spend time answering real estate questions on Quora or branding yourself on LinkedIn. Data shows that Google Ads and Facebook Ads will do more for your real estate lead generation than these tactics. With these two marketing platforms, you can invest in targeted, scalable campaigns and drive leads looking to close.
Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads: Which is Better for Real Estate Lead Generation?
Let’s look at two excellent online marketing tools, Google Ads and Facebook Ads for realtors, to find which is right for you.
Google Ads for Realtors
There’s no real question, Google Ads are the best way to generate real estate leads. The world uses Google but their sponsored ad space lets you pay to appear at the top of searches based on relevancy.
If you’re selling homes in a suburb of New Jersey, you can appear for people searching with relevant terms for that region. It’s that simple.
Remember, you are buying ad space on Google and it costs money. The price fluctuates and depends on the competitiveness of keywords. For instance, the keyword “Manhattan” might cost more than “Lexington”.
Google Ads for real estate agents are text-based search ads. They are even more effective if you use specific niches:
- New construction or new home build
- Neighbourhoods
- City
- Town
- Luxury homes
- Condos
- For sale by owner properties
- First-time homebuyers
- Vacation homes
- Investment properties
Ads using niche keywords will help you appear in relevant searches and drive traffic to your website or landing page. These pages should be designed to capture a lead’s info, allowing you to reach out and start turning them into a client.
Google Ad Pros
- They are simple copy-based ads that can be created in less time than a Facebook Ad.
- Users consider them to be credible and they have a high click-through rate.
- Hyper-relevant as they only appear when a specific search is entered. This means you should receive many high-quality real estate leads. They don’t just appear a certain number of times a day to people who don’t care.
- Appear at the top of a Google search above the organic section.
- The higher the quality of an ad, the less you will pay per click.
The Downside of Google Ads
The only downside to Google Ads is their cost. They are more expensive than Facebook ads but you are paying for niche targeting.
Check out this video where Eric breaks down the best Google Ads Budget Strategies for Real Estate Agents:
Google Organic Search for Realtors
A high number of homebuyers between 23 and 56 years old utilize the internet in their search.
If you want to put in more time than money then optimizing your website through search engine optimization (SEO) can help you rank in the organic search results.
According to Semrush:
- 51% of people found their home on the internet
- 10% of people found their home through a referral from someone they knew
- 29% from their realtor
TIPS TO BECOME A TOP REAL ESTATE AGENT: This is a long-term strategy. Google Ads, on the other hand, lets you pay your way to the best advertising spot on the internet right away.
Tips for Google Organic Search for Real Estate Agents
Adopt these best practices to increase your chances of appearing for relevant search terms:
- Make sure your web pages load quickly
- Have an intuitive user experience where important pages, like the Contact Us page, are within 3 clicks regardless of where they are on your website.
- Produce and publish high-value content. Whether it's an article or video, create content that is informative and relevant to your audience and designed to convert.
- You also want to ensure your content and titles have the right keywords and that all your articles are structured so that they’re easy to read.
TIPS TO BECOME A TOP REAL ESTATE AGENT: Google ranks pages using the title and description, known as metadata, that you include with a web page, article or video. Make sure you stick to the character limits, include keywords and write compelling copy.
Facebook Ads for Realtors
Out of the 7 hours the average American spends on the internet, 2.5 are spent on social media platforms like Facebook.
The biggest difference between advertising on Facebook vs. Google is that Facebook feeds are busy places filled with captivating images, cute cat photos, friends’ posts, news stories and videos. The job, and it's a hard one, is to disrupt their feed with an ad.
Facebook Ads Pros
- There is a huge volume of users and a high volume of potential real estate leads
- They are cheaper than Google Ads but less targeted
- The average age of Facebook users skews older potentially connecting you to clients with more buying power.
- They can be a branding tool as ads are connected to your profile. Your profile needs to be active and engaging to drive and capture leads.
Facebook Ads Cons
- Producing the creative elements requires skill and time like designing a billboard ad. There is a copy and creative component to each ad.
- The targeting options are less comprehensive than Google.
- Refining your Facebook audience takes time. If you stick to it, you can eventually hone in on your target audience.
- An ad campaign will perform better if you have an active Facebook presence.
Watch Hayley compare Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads so you can find the best real estate leads.
What Do I Do With Too Many Real Estate Leads?
If your leads for real estate are overwhelming you, you can pause your Google Ads or Facebook Ads campaigns whenever you want. This allows you to focus on closing some real estate leads or nurture some of your colder leads that may have potential.
Sure, this is a good problem, but if you perform your real estate lead generation effectively, you must be prepared to start converting.
FAQ
Are Google Ads a Good Real Estate Lead Generator?
Google Ads are a proven way to generate real estate leads. Campaigns allow you to target audiences in specific locations based on what they are searching. Google Ads should replace many traditional offline tactics.
Are Facebook Ads a Good Real Estate Lead Generator?
Facebook Ads for real estate agents offer excellent reach, targeted based on a user's location and interests. There is also a branding component with Facebook if you maintain an active profile or business page.
How Can I Maximize my Google Ads Budget?
Some ways to maximize your Google budget are to optimize your campaigns, set realistic goals, use the proper keywords, consistently monitor your campaign's performance and adjust where needed.
