Tips For More Referral Business in the New Year

by | Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Marketing Tips, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized

The real key to success with clients and prospects in the new year is staying “top of mind.” Your goal is to be the first person a client thinks about when making a referral. It sounds simple, but when you are working with current clients and managing your everyday business activities, it’s far more challenging to keep in touch (and stay in touch) with your ever-growing database.

 

Here are a few tips to consider when you are working to keep your company top of mind to gain referral business in the new year:

1. Give the Gift They Actually Want

When you’re competing in a sea of emails, it’s important to avoid being quickly deleted or ignored. Email smart. Include content that interests your target markets, and make sure your subject line is powerful. For newsletters, consider simply copying the title of your lead article into your subject line field. Some newsletter platforms, like ours, have an automated feature to help you easily set the first article title as your subject line by default. Clients are far more likely to open information that is targeted and relevant to them versus a generic mass email. This extra step will not only prove that you add value but will highlight that you are paying attention to both their needs and interests.

2. Keep Testimonials, Online Reviews and Case Studies in the Forefront

If you haven’t started sharing client testimonials, reviews and case studies in your email marketing, on your blog, and on social media, maybe it’s time to start. Begin interviewing clients who have had positive before and after experiences with your company. Turn these real life situations into stories that can be shared as content. Testimonials are a powerful reminder that your business is the go-to company for new prospects or referral opportunities.

3. Maximize Social Media

Use content from your email newsletters, blog posts and other online resources to share social media updates on a regular basis to gain referrals. Consistent posting will help you engage your social followers, and it is one of the best ways to keep your company fresh in the news feeds of your followers. Various social media management tools offer free or affordable options to help you schedule out posts days in advance to help you easily manage multiple social channels.

4. Take a Multi-channel Approach To Getting Referrals

When it comes to staying top of mind, content is king. Remember that your email newsletters, blog posts, social media reviews, client case studies and testimonials all offer content that can be shared via email and on social media. Maximize your content resources by posting them to all your relevant online avenues and you’ll always be the first thought when referral opportunities pop up.

>> CLICK HERE to Check Out Some More of HomeActions Lead Generation Tools

Trick-or-Treat Yourself to Better Lead Generation

by | Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Management, Uncategorized

While it’s certainly true that some of your leads will be generated by word of mouth and referral source connections, that doesn’t mean your lead generation strategies should only be a skeletal effort.

As a professional, you understand that investing a bit of effort behind a worthwhile initiative can help it gain momentum. The same can be said for lead generation.

There are three basic strategies you can use to scare up more lead generation:

1. Feed Your Beasties

Your website, blog, email campaigns and social media marketing all work together to feed lead-generating content to your clients, prospects and referral sources. These access points help interested onlookers find your business and give “tire-kickers” an idea of the benefits they’ll get when they connect with your business.

Take the following steps to move prospects from cold to qualified:

  • Provide relevant and engaging content that connects with your target markets
  • Amplify your content through multiple access points, such as your blog, website, email messaging, social media and other online channels
  • Include calls to action in your messaging
  • Maintain consistent communications to create repetitive touch-points
  • Experiment with a fresh approach as needed – be willing to try something new

The key to successful nurturing is to consistently position your content in front of your onlookers.

    2. Feast Your Eyes On Your Metrics

    Without the reporting and metrics tools behind your efforts, you’ll never know who is responding to your marketing. You’ll also miss out on determining which content is garnering the most interest. Metrics and reporting pull double-duty by helping you connect with nurtured clients and prospects while also giving you a feel for what’s resonating with your audience.

    3. Pursue Your Lead

    Frame out a system for maintaining consistent communications, and include clear calls to action in your messages. Your efforts truly begin building momentum when you tap into the results generated by your marketing and proactively follow up on your warm leads.

    Identify your rainmakers, offer incentives based on achievement and build a system of lead follow-up accountability into your strategies.

    Using the example of an email campaign, your marketing and lead generation workflow could resemble a plan following these basic steps:

    • Gather contact information for your clients, prospects and referral sources and create a marketing list
    • Create email messages with informative, timely information that will be of use to your target markets
    • Launch your message and monitor readers clicking on content that has a direct tie-in to your service offerings
    • If possible, set alerts on such content to inform your rainmakers as new leads come in
    • Follow up via phone or email to contact your warm leads and begin a conversation that may segue into a new opportunity for your firm

    Granted, these are simplified tips, and there is some work involved in launching and maintaining strategies that consistently generate warm leads. However, today’s professional marketing options are endless. It is often possible to outsource a number of the steps along your prospect’s journey.

    Consider which steps your firm would like to maintain in-house, and which would be more efficiently handled by a third-party resource. With a little push behind your marketing and lead generation initiatives, you’ll be scaring up more new opportunities in no time.

    >> CLICK HERE to Check Out Some More of HomeActions Lead Generation Tools

    3 Things To Help Generate More New Opportunities

    by | Lead Generation, Lead Management, Prospecting, Uncategorized

    If you’d like your real estate email marketing to start bringing in more new opportunities, you’ll need to turn your messages into attention-getting emails full of click-worthy content.

    Here are three quick tips to help you dazzle new prospects and keep existing clients enthralled.

    1. Improve Your Subject Line

    Before you can generate a lead, you’ll need to get readers to open your emails. The email subject line is your opportunity to make a good first impression in the inbox. Leverage it properly, and you’ll entice more readers to act on your messages.

    Your email subject line should clearly address the needs of your readers in concise language. It should also convey the importance of your message.

    Here are some subject line tips to encourage readership:

    • Explain the actual contents of your email newsletter (don’t pull a bait and switch with deceptive teasers)
    • Create a sense of urgency using deadlines, dates and actionable words
    • Use a personalization field to include your readers’ first names
    • Pull the title of a timely article or important update in your email newsletter and duplicate it as your email subject line
    • Ask questions and let readers know your newsletter provides the answer
    • Appeal to your valued readers by including phrasing that makes them feel exclusive, important, or as if they are part of a VIP inner-circle
    • Mention a numbered series of items that will be covered in your email, such as “5 Quick Tips” or “3 Ways to Improve”
    • On occasion, use seasonal themes and other fun subject lines to avoid a sense of stale repetition

    Your subject line should always clearly represent what readers can actually expect to find in your email newsletter. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different subject line formats and tones. Watch your open rates to see which approaches are working the best for your messaging.

    2. Send Click-worthy Content

    Everything you include in your email marketing should have a subtle tie-in to your services. If you want your email marketing to resonate with your target audience, you’ll also need to offer content tailored to their needs and interests.

    It can be challenging to strike a balance between communicating your value as a real estate agent while also offering insights to your readers. To accomplish this, consider your client success stories. Why did a recent client need your services? How did your services solve their problem? Were there any note-worthy takeaways from the experience? Answer these questions in an email article, and you’ll have the kind of click-worthy content that converts into new opportunities.

    3. Don’t Let New Opportunities Go Cold

    Once you have your prospects clicking on content, be sure to reach out to those who have shown interest in your articles. There are a few simple ways you can connect with warm prospects generated through your email marketing:

    1. Send a one-on-one follow-up email
    2. Review prospect click activity to gain insight into probable needs, and then give them a call to determine their level of interest in utilizing relevant services
    3. Enter the reader into a targeted email nurturing campaign that mirrors the topic of the article they initially clicked

    When you reach out to any warm prospect, be sure to thank them for their interest in your email newsletter. This conversation-opener will help your prospects make a connection between the follow-up activity and the article they read.

    One-on-one follow up emails can be used to set up a short meeting. You can leverage these meetings to explore the prospect’s level of interest in buying or selling a home.

    You can also send a message to seek out fresh information from the prospect. Ask them if they read the article in order to achieve a particular goal and if you might be able to help them reach that goal.

    Nurturing campaigns can also be used to continue nurturing prospects who seem to be “tire-kicking.” Make sure your follow-up communications are as professional as your email newsletter. These messages will continue to build a positive impression of your brand. They will be seen as the digital voice of your company. Even if your prospect doesn’t convert to a new client today, they may choose you at some point in the future.

    Continue testing new subject lines and fresh content to keep readers interested in your communications. Follow-through is essential to the success of your marketing. Make sure you implement strategies to track, respond and manage engagement generated by your email newsletter.

    CLICK HERE to learn more about lead generation with HomeActions™.

    2019 Social Media Guide for Real Estate Agents

    by | Best Practices, Choosing Content, Client Tips & Tricks, Lead Generation, Marketing Tips, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized

    By now, most real estate agents know that social media is a powerful tool to attract leads on a regular basis. How to do it is the next question. As we approach 2019, it requires more than a Facebook and Twitter account that you sometimes post on to have a successful online presence.

    In order to be a competitive real estate agent in today’s market, you must implement some tricks of the trade when it comes to social media.

    You’ll be surprised at how simple it is to apply good social media tactics once you get started — and delighted when you start seeing more leads roll in.

    Don’t Ignore Instagram

    Instagram might be something you shied away from in the past because it felt more obscure and less impactful to your audience compared with Facebook or Twitter. That’s no longer the case. Over 100 million people in the U.S. use Instagram, and that number is growing.

    As a mobile platform, Instagram is extremely accessible. Users can open it easily on their phones and browse the accounts they follow at leisure. This increased accessibility leads to more likes and engagement on Instagram content, which can ultimately convert to leads.

    Also, people are responding more to visual content these days. Instagram is the visual content leader. Every post should feature a high-quality photograph or video. Use this tutorial on how to take Instagram-worthy photos.

    Realtors can use Instagram to post breathtaking listing photos, appealing images of the areas you serve and videos and photos from trade shows.

    Get on the Video Bandwagon

    Video content has become increasingly popular in recent years. If you want to continue to improve the number and quality of leads you receive, look into creating video content. Videos can feature new listings, contests, home-buying webinars — the possibilities are endless. Get creative with the ways you use video and consider the types of content your audience wants to see. This will assist you in making more meaningful connections with new and existing clients.

    Check out this tutorial on creating social videos for the first time.

    Follow the 80/20 Rule

    The 80/20 concept has been around for a while, but now that we’re approaching 2019, it’s more important than ever to adhere to this rule if you want to be successful in your social media efforts.

    What you post on social media should be 80% content that benefits your audience, such as blog posts about buying and selling, infographics, etc., and 20% content about your real estate business, such as certain milestones and marketing your services.

    Since you’re delivering useful information that will help people navigate the housing market, they will be more apt to engage with promotional items from you when you post them.

    Hook Yourself Up With a Social Scheduling Tool

    Consistency is key to creating a social media strategy that will increase leads in 2019. You cannot post daily for a month and then drop off the face of the earth the following month when things get busy. Nor should you put out all your content for the entire week on one day. That’s a good way to make sure your content gets lost in the shuffle.

    If you don’t have time to write new social posts daily, no problem. There are many social media scheduling tools out there that let you write a batch of social posts ahead of time, and the scheduling tool sends them out when you tell it to.

    Popular options on the market are Hootsuite, Hubspot and Sproutsocial

    Social media is becoming more nuanced but also more powerful. To continue to attract leads through social media, you need to adapt, just a little, to the ways that it’s changing.

    Don’t forget! HomeActions sends out real estate newsletters on your behalf so you can stay top of mind with your clients. Learn more about how to get started today.

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