Benefits Of Acquiring Real Estate Leads Through Social Media Marketing

People who have purchased leads online become aware of the inherent dangers quickly.

The first issue is related to who collected the client’s information in the first place. Traditionally lead generation companies used their lead generation funnels to capture prospects which they then resold to others.

The “prospect” has no brand awareness at all of who’s calling him. When he gets a call from a realtor, he’s genuinely taken aback. Contrast this to a warmed up lead who works his way through your sales funnel. They’ve been engaged with, warmed up, and pre-sold along the way. When they finally speak to you, they’re aware of who you are and what you offer.

It’s no surprise that this batch of people is likely to buy. When you own the customer relationship from the time they’re a prospect, you get certain benefits. Branding is certainly one of them. Using third party lead generation companies is expensive and potentially wasteful. There’s no telling where the sales prospects come from, and there’s no guarantee you’ll close them. With your system in place, consistently fueling your social media marketing and content marketing efforts, you’ll never run out of targeted prospects.

Implement a Social Selling System That Never Fails

A social media selling system operates 365 days each year to perform its objective. Social media marketing requires consistency and time but pays itself off soon enough. Real estate professionals who employ social media marketing own the customer relationship through all phases of the life cycle. This arrangement offers a cost benefit over time that’s not possible to achieve by those who overpay for junk leads. Some people use social media to boost their egos while others understand just how unique an advantage modern social selling offers. It’s safe to say there has never been a more abundant source of new prospects than those people who are already accessing social networks like Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Real estate prospects use social media and search extensively to perform research before buying a house. Providing them with timely information that helps them make an informed decision is a leading content marketing technique that results in lead generation. Offering the person exclusive content or deals motivates them to join your mailing list, fill out your contact form, or follow your social profiles. Once they’ve done that, it’s easy to communicate with them until they’re ready to buy. People appreciate it when you save them a significant amount of time or teach them something new. Well constructed content marketing campaigns brand you in the mind of prospects.

The trend towards using social media is only increasing with younger people. Millennials, in particular, rely heavily on researching via social networks. They are extremely likely to deal with real estate professionals digitally. If you don’t currently target content specifically for this demographic, you’re missing out on a major growth market.

Your potential customers hang out in all the usual places.

• Facebook – they receive recommendations from Friends on which services to use.
• Twitter – prospects consume images and videos related to listings and blog articles that educate and persuade them.
• Instagram – slick filters make visual marketing simple on this massive platform.
• LinkedIn – professionals network to find new sources and vendors.

It’s essential to craft a unique message that engages with your prospects on their preferred social channels.

Successful content marketing requires a few key components:

• Digital marketing strategy – The overall plan that the campaign follows, including setting an objective.
• Content creation – If your content requires customization, it has to be created before sharing. Branded content is a powerful selling tool on social media.
• Content curation – Sharing authoritative content created by others is helpful for your followers and helps you establish a social presence among your peers.
• Social media marketing management – The actual heavy lifting of sharing and engaging on a daily basis.
• Lead generation – You should always optimize your capture form or lead magnet for social traffic.
• Sales funnel – The prospect enters your funnel where your sales staff handles their needs.

A dedicated third party can manage all aspects of this process. Social media marketing efforts snap into your existing sales funnel.

It’s a simple matter of trading short term results for better long-term ones. Purchasing leads now will help you close a sale today, but will do nothing on an ongoing basis. That’s why it makes sense to switch at least a portion of your lead budget to social media marketing instead. When you buy targeted sales leads, it’s like every day is a brand new day in business. When you invest in a social selling system using content marketing, you plant a garden that reaps rewards infinitely.

Social media marketing has become complicated enough that hiring dedicated project managers to handle the work is the only sane solution. You can’t expect to put sufficient time into your social media project to do it correctly by yourself.  Instead, put a professional team of managers to work for you so that you get the results you want and need. When you do, you’ll sleep well at night knowing that you’re covering all the relevant social channels with experienced personnel who understand what it takes to drive leads.

The real estate market isn’t getting any less competitive, so your digital marketing initiatives need to do the same. Customers now demand that the individuals and companies that they deal with have exceptional visibility and credibility. They research before they buy.  Enterprises that are willing to help new customers every step of the way are rewarded with more sales.

There’s no sign that social media growth is slowing. Facebook alone has over 1 billion active users. It’s safe to say that communicating with only a minuscule percentage of people on social networks is lucrative for real estate pros. If you feel like you’re not getting your share of the pie, it’s time you considered turning over the project. There’s no shame in not having enough time to handle social media marketing in the current era. Demands have risen, and you just won’t get anywhere without a massive effort. Contact us at 1-877-830-3318 to discuss your options.