Most people don’t buy when they are first exposed to a product or service. They want to research the item for sale and even the person selling it. They want to gain a level of comfort that comes from doing due diligence.
As a real estate agent, you know this all too well. How many people have agreed to buy a home from you on the day they meet you? The answer is probably somewhere between zero and none. That’s why you need a way to connect with your prospects more than once. Ideally, you’d have a way to connect with them repeatedly.
That’s where your email list comes in. With it, you can reach out to folks whenever you have something to tell them. Is there a hot new property on the market that you know some of your customers will be interested in? Send them a quick note with a link to the listing. Are you holding an open house this weekend? Tell the folks on your mailing list about it and invite them to drop by (don’t forget to mention the free snacks).
Here’s the challenge: people these days seldom join mailing lists unless there’s something in it for them. The good news is that it’s easy to create a lead magnet that entices them to opt-in. Read on for 4 ideas that will help you quickly grow your email list.
#1 – Host An Online Contest
People love winning free stuff! And one of the hottest trends in real estate marketing right now is hosting an online contest. By offering an enticing prize, you encourage people to share their contact information and join your mailing list. As a bonus, offering a prize that resonates with your local audience – such as a gift certificate to a local spa or restaurant – boosts your reach in the area as your followers share the contest with their local friends and family. Every single person who enters is added to your list as a contact.
The logistics of the contest are up to you. You can invite people to share pictures using a hashtag, have followers vote for their favorite home makeover, or even create a landing page with a formal entry form and use Google’s random name picker app to select the winner. You can even use a Picreel pop-up campaign that lets visitors instantly enter just by entering their name and email.
The key to a successful contest is promoting it. You can use onsite offer campaigns, a press release, or share it on your social sites. You can even email it to your existing list and ask them to share the contest for more chances to win.
#2 – Offer A Free Guide Or Special Report
Content marketing has become a marketing buzzword lately. When it comes down to it though, it’s about creating strategic content that builds prospects’ trust in your knowledge, expertise, and business practices. The content you produce gives them a feeling that you’re the one they should call when the time comes for them to buy or sell a property.
First, brainstorm some of the problems your target audience is dealing with. For example, they might be new to the area and wondering how to choose a good agent. Or they might want to know how to get the best price for their home without scaring away potential buyers. They might be curious about new services, like Opendoor that promise hassle-free sales without realtor commissions.
Second, create a short guide that solves their problem. For example, offer them a report titled, “The 7 Secrets To Choosing A Real Estate Agent Who Will Get You The Best Price.” The key is to make your report useful and relevant to prospects. They need to be motivated provide their email in exchange for it!
#3 – Offer A Free Preview Of An Information Product
Suppose you’ve created a number of information products to position yourself as the premier real estate agent in your niche. Having a published book under your belt gives you credibility. A few published books makes you the expert that people call when they need a good agent. (Note: e-books totally count, especially if they’re available on Amazon for purchase!)
For example, let’s say you specialize in distressed properties, and you’ve written a guide to buying short sale properties on the cheap and flipping them for a profit. That’s a book that people interested in investment properties would find useful. If they can get the first few chapters – or better yet, the entire book – for free in exchange for their email address, they’ll likely jump at the offer.
#4 – Offer A Free Analysis Of The Local Real Estate Market
Most people realize that the price of a listed property is heavily influenced by other listed properties in the area. A 2,500-square-foot house is not going to sell for $500,000 when similar houses down the street are selling for $350,000.
Prices are also influenced by other details, such as supply and demand, average days on market (DOM), and whether a property has been pulled from the market and relisted. The problem for buyers and sellers is that this data is usually difficult to access and analyze.
Real estate agents, however, can do so easily.
Create a short report compiling the above data points for a given area. Display the data so your prospects can quickly see how much houses are selling for. Include each property’s square footage, number of rooms, and other details to help them make reasonable comparisons. Also, list each property’s DOM, history of listing expirations, and recent price reductions
The report doesn’t have to be long; a few pages should suffice. The important thing is that it will give your audience valuable information about the local housing market. Is that something they might be willing to exchange their email addresses for? You bet it is!
With #2, #3, and #4 on this list, you’ll need to figure out how to get the offer for your report, book, or analysis in front of prospects. You can create a landing page with a form to funnel inbound leads to. Or, you could use a pop-up to display the offer at a specific time or place – like when a visitor clicks on your About page or For Sellers page. For even more exposure, consider social media advertising to reach a specific demographic or group of people with relevant interests, then send them to your landing page to access the content. In all cases, you can either redirect the prospect to an automatic download once they provide their email address, or send them an introductory email with the content.
Let’s recap. A mailing list will play a key role in building trust among prospects and keeping your name in front of them. When the time comes for them to buy or sell a home, you’re the one they’ll call. The trick is to get them to opt-in to your list. For that, you need a powerful lead magnet. Use the 4 ideas above to get people excited to join your list and hear from you down the road.
Your Turn!
Do you currently have an email list of folks interested in buying or selling homes? What tactics have you used to entice them to subscribe? Can you think of any other lead magnet ideas that might get your audience excited? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!
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