Realtors, Any luck marketing online?

Question

My daughter is an agent and right now she is mostly doing direct mail for finding  listings specifically. Have any of you had luck marketing online with PPC or SEO to find real estate listings?

Thanks

Dev Horn · Answer

What is the benefit of using Facebook Power Editor vs. their regular ad creation tool?  Does Power Editor offer you audience segmentation that is not available in the ad creator?

According to Facebook: " Power Editor is our bulk ads creation and management tool, tailored specifically for large advertisers. Power Editor is our best tool for advertisers who work at scale and need precise control of their campaigns.  If you don't need to create hundreds of ads at scale, we recommend that you use ad creation."

Are you managing so many concurrent ads on FB that you need this tool?  I'm just curious what benefit may come from using that tool that the others of us are not aware of....  thanks.

Nicholas Miller · Answer

Best bang for the buck is Facebook Pwer Editor!  With this tool you can target people who are home owners in specific zip codes with messages like "thinking about selling?  List with me" or market to home owners who are also expecting parents with a message like "Outgrowing your current home?" or market only to renters with a message like "tired of renting?  Now is a great time to buy a home"

Personally I dont do mailers because of the high cost and low returns, I dont do paper ads because they are not trackable and I dont do open houses because I just dont like them however since I continually send my message to the areas I want to work in I have gotten a lot of business.

Power Editor is free you just need to know how to find it and use it so dont have her pay a "professional firm" and feel free to connect her with me if she has any questions.

Avi Pasheeva · Answer

If you want to create more intimate relationship with your online leads, I would suggest to check out www.icfloortime.com That's a startup providing instant connection in real-time with your online leads via video and audio chat. You can see where the lead comes from and provide instant 2-way communication e.g. the potential client browses through your listing with a simple click he could initiate a real-time audio or video call or you as an agent can see who's browsing your listing and invite the potential customer for a conversation. Seems like an interesting approach to engage with online leads.

Joe Sillaman · Answer

Ok true I went overboard with the postcard comment. But as a new guy I wouldn't waste money on postcards (I have already, lots of money lol). Nearly all social media avenues are free. All it takes is engagement with people online  by offering them sincere value added content.

Account Closed · Answer

Actually, not everyone throws postcards away. Postcards are a great way to drum up business fast, same as cold calling or door knocking etc.

The biggest issue is money. Unless you're starting part time and have a good job to back you up, it's difficult spending money month after month on it. Sure, you get leads and listings but those don't make any money until they're sold and some markets are much more rewarding than others.

I would by far rank direct mail as THE BEST source of leads because it is almost infinitely scalable. The downside is that you need to start with a large bankroll to get started and do it monthly.

Joe Sillaman · Answer

I'm a newer Agent, but actively messaging people about Real Estate opportunities within the social media realm has garnered interest. Create your social media profiles, offer useful information, provide useful content. Then directly message people to see if they're be interested in buy or listing. It's probably more effective than direct mail. People throw postcards away but they're really interested to see when someone's messaged them in social media.

Anoop Chawla · Answer

I think before anything else you should get a nice squeeze page, simply said a squeeze page is a lead capture page.

Not only it will be cheaper when compared to a full fledged website but is also very targeted towards a particular segment of audience.

Once you have got the squeeze page up, your next job is to market it like crazy, very soon you will start generating targeted leads.

Tim Haley · Answer

Paid leads will typically lead to a low conversion rate. Lots of lookers and few qualified buyers and sellers. Advertising for listing's is difficult in today's world. So my advice is network, find a niche and don't give up. This business very few deals fall in your lap so it takes time and patience to be successful. Other advice is to build her a website and drive consumer traffic organically through blogging, video's and well thought out keywords.