Thread: 7 Ways to Get More Leads From the Web (without buying ads)

First, let me just say I'm not selling anything. I joined this list a few days ago to ask about a la carte services...but I felt like adding my 2 cents here because most of what I see here are weak or outdated marketing methods.

The following approaches have been used in many different industries for years now...but I haven't found any REALTORS using any of them effectively.

In preface, I will say that you're not going to SELL any houses on the internet. Period. You're all in the biz...you know that there is no sale without a walk-through. And I don't care how good the technology gets, no one is going to plunk down six figures for something they've only seen online (okay, well...I've seen websites sell for 7 figures before...but if there's a physical product, they're going to want to get their hands on it first).

But you CAN (a) get more leads and (b) get more walk-throughs without spending a fortune. Here are a few simple ways.

1. Lose your current lead-capture system.
I'm just guessing...but your current lead capture converts...what...maybe 0.25% of your site visitors?

I can tell you why...because each piece of information you ask them to provide drastically reduces the number of visitors who are likely to complete the form. And right now, since you're trying to compile a complete contact manager entry on them, you're asking for a LOT of info.

So, the only people who are giving you ANY information are the people who want YOU to call them right now. Some people say this is a good thing...you're weeding out the fake buyers who will waste your time. But that rings empty to me. If you own a restaurant...you don't use your marketing to try and reach people who have already decided to eat at your establishment. You try to get people before they're even hungry.

As a REALTOR you WANT to get easy access to people who are still trying to decide what they want. Who are just looking. Who are planning for the future.

And you can do that without wasting much time at all. And you can bump your lead capture to 10% to 30% of your visitors. Here's how:


2. Identify who's visiting your site, and exactly what they want.
Yes, you can do this without your clunky lead-capture form. In fact, you can do by simply asking for an email address...you don't even need a name (no, you don't. I promise.)

First, take a look at all those free reports on your site. I know, someone told you "content is king," right? Well...it is...but not this way. Look at your reports, and rework your titles, so that they identify readers who are looking for something specific. Offer a comparison of local schools. Anyone who reads it most likely has small children. Offer "The 5 Top Hidden Costs in Fixer-uppers." Anyone who reads this is likely looking to save a little money and do some work themselves (serious investors looking to flip already know the hidden costs). Offer "7 things to consider when buying a garden home." These readers are looking for a small home...either empty-nesters looking to downsize, or first-timers looking for a starter home.

Don't forget to offer reports for sellers, too: 10 ways to overcome a small yard. Staging for the do-it-yourself-er. Lose the office, sell the house. 10 things to consider if you're upside down on your mortgage. Whatever.

So...how do you identify the readers? Simple. Get a decent autoresponder (like Aweber.com or Profollow.com). Let your visitor know that the report is theirs free, you just need to know where to send it. they enter their email address (And only their email address), and the report they selected appears automatically in their inbox.

What you've done is you've started to build not one list...but multiple lists based on THE ACTUAL NEEDS of your prospects. No, you don't know much else about them...but you know what they want, and they know who you are. Now you build a relationship by sending out occasional tips or updates that apply to each list.

Send out the first followup 2 days later. Then 2 more days later. After that, send updates once per week. Then once every two weeks. Best of all, with a good autoresponder, you can write all of these in one sitting and schedule them to be sent out automatically so you don't have to fool with it.

And when they're finally ready to buy, YOU'VE been right there in their inbox, addressing their needs over the long haul. Who are they going to call?

3. Content is King. Quit Treating it Like a Commodity.
If your report isn't helping you identify a specific need of your prospects, don't bother. Every other REALTOR has the exact same content (more or less) in their site...so it does nothing to differentiate you. Therefor it is pointless (first, SEO isn't important enough to add that much clutter. Second, there are easier ways to win the SEO battle than choking your site with pointless reports).

So what sort of content should you offer? The kind that no one else is. Bring experts to your audience. Record an interview with a local loan officer, closing attorney, certified home inspector, home stager or some other expert, and load it up to your site. Email your lists and let them know about it, and the one or two key things they will learn if they listen. Not only will they listen...they'll bring others to it...others who might find a report they like and opt in to one of your lists.

Better yet, announce a free live teleseminar where you will interview the expert. I promise this is super-simple. Set it up through a service like GoToSeminar or Xiosoft.com's InstantTeleseminar. You dial in. Your guest dials in. Your listeners either dial in or log onto the live webcast of the call. And InstantTeleseminar lets your audience submit their own questions before and during the event...AND produces an mp3 recording of the event that you can upload to your site, so visitors can reap the benefits long after the call ends. Let your guest know that you'll give them a free recording of the interview for their own use, and they'll likely do it for free.

4. Use Video
Here's what you do: take your camcorder or digital camera and give a walkthrough of your listing as if you were taking a client on a tour of the home. If you can have someone else hold the camera while you lead them through, even better. Post it to your blog (or post it to YouTube, then embed it in your blog).

Here's something most people won't tell you: it doesn't matter in the least if your video isn't HDTV-ready. People who are looking at video online don't care. In fact, your mid-quality video will give you bonus points because it will be more real. Because, as we've already said, you AREN'T going to SELL any house online.

Your only goal is to pique people's interest just enough so that they will call their agent and say "I want to see that house with the huge backyard/gorgeous kitchen/massive closet/lovely whirlpool tub/[WHATEVER]." That's all you need. And you don't need an IMAX movie to do that.

Then, after you sell the home, shoot another video of the client talking about how pleased they are with your service, and post THAT on your site.

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