As you should know by now, just having a website will never guarantee that you will generate business from it. On that same note, just getting lots of traffic, and even attracting a good amount of leads, does not mean that you will actually get new clients either.
Successful lead generation campaigns – ones that produce actual business – must be comprised of all of these elements; a great website, a strategic traffic generation campaign, strong calls to action and one more thing….an effective lead nurturing campaign.
In this article we are going to teach you how to nurture real estate leads with content marketing so your website and marketing efforts can produce actual business for you.
What is Lead Nurturing?
There are three main strategies to make an online marketing campaign successful: (1) traffic generation, (2) lead generation and (3) lead nurturing.
Traffic generation is all about getting people to your website whether that is from paid advertising, search engine optimization, social media, word of mouth or referrals.
Lead generation is focused on conversion optimization of your website and using and testing calls to action to produce more leads.
Lead nurturing is a system for continuing a conversation with a prospect from initial contact until the person is ready to become a client. By providing useful information and keeping your name / brand in your prospects’ minds you stand a much better chance of converting that lead at a future date.
One strategy that can, and should, be used throughout all of these three of these to make them as effective as possible is content marketing. Given the amount of topics and relevant information that real estate professionals can use to provide valuable content, content marketing remains as a staple for producing traffic, leads and sales.
Below are 3 primary ways to use content marketing to nurture, and convert, your real estate leads.
Using Content Marketing to Nurture Leads
Social Media
Lead nurturing campaigns focus on creating mutually-beneficial working relationships so that when it comes time to buy, that lead turns to you, or your business, instead of a competitor.
While the first step in lead nurturing is making sure you have the right contact information, it’s important to realize that consumers are using more than a phone and mailbox to stay connected.
According to a recent study,
73 percent of homeowners prefer realtors who promote their offerings through video
The same study found that
more than 84 percent of all real estate professionals use social media, with Facebook being their preferred website
In order for you to connect with buyers, you need to be present on social media and on the platforms where buyers are searching.
Here are some ways to use social media to pull your real estate leads through the buying cycle:
- Use social media to answer questions. These can be customer service questions, home buying questions and connect with those located near where your listings are.
- Share other content you have. Video tours of places available, blog posts and the latest in home buying in your area are all types of content you can use to nurture leads. A great real estate video could be the final push someone needs to make an appointment while blog posts are an easy way to get social shares and new eyes on your website.
Blog
You should know by now that not every web lead you receive is going to be ready to buy a home right away. As a matter of fact, few of them probably are. However, this doesn’t mean you should shrug off these leads or consider them unworkable.
You can appeal to those who aren’t ready now by using your blog to keep your business and name in their minds until they are ready to do so.
Keep in mind that according to the 2012 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers,
90 percent of home buyers use the Internet in their search
An effective lead nurturing campaign positions you as someone who cares about each and every prospect, no matter what stage of the buying cycle they might be in.
Here are some effective ways to nurture your real estate leads with your blog:
- Find a niche and talk about it on your blog. By having a blog available for people you meet and work with to view, you can establish yourself as the kind of agent they’re looking for. Perhaps you come across a number of people looking for someone knowledgeable in a certain type of architecture or home building materials used. Write up posts on these topics.
- Mix in some posts that aren’t just about buying or selling a home. You could write about new home security systems, interior design trends and even DIY projects for new homeowners. Your blog can advocate your business and agents, but shouldn’t be pushy. You’re nurturing, not selling.
- Think outside the box with unconventional topics. Try posts about public services in the areas of your listings or opinion pieces on community events and developments that shape your neighborhoods.
Email is still the top online activity of Internet users. If you aren’t using email marketing yet, you should be.
Email allows you to connect with home buyers without interfering with their already busy schedules while sharing your blog posts, listings, etc. You can help move home buyers to making a purchase by keeping them up to date via email.
Here are some common, but results-oriented, ways to use email to nurture your real estate leads:
- Segment your audience. Be sure to separate out sales-ready buyers from those still in the early buying stages. You want your lead nurturing emails to go to the right people at the right times. By analyzing their clicks and interactions, you can see when they are approaching the final stages of a buying decision. With each stage, change up your content and your call to action so the email marketing is geared to the right audience at the right time.
- Add value. Make sure your emails add value to each person you’re sending them to. Include helpful information, offer giveaways or free advice and provide some exclusivity to entice your recipients to click.
Every Lead is an Opportunity
As with any form of marketing, make sure your timing is strategic and that you’re tracking the results of your efforts. There’s no way for you to optimize your efforts to get the best results unless you’re properly tracking, analyzing and refining based on your data.
Proper tracking will allow you to start looking at every lead in a different way – each as valuable as the next. With lead nurturing campaigns, you can turn old, cold leads into new opportunities won – even if that means 12 months from initial receipt.
Content builds trust while establishing you and your business as useful, authoritative industry resources. It also gives you something to constantly grow your social sphere which will only become yet another network of possible business for you.