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Real Estate Marketing

31 Exciting Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for Agents

Leads are essential to keep the real estate business growing! According to research by Placester, 60% of real estate agents continuously focus more on generating new leads daily.

Expanding your real estate business is challenging due to the growing competition and even more demanding for new entrants who want to leave their mark in the real estate industry. However, knowing where to begin and employing a proper real estate marketing plan can help you achieve great heights!

Along with employing conventional marketing methods, real estate agents must build their online presence. Today, the entire world is going digital. In fact, according to the 2022 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, 95% of homebuyers used the Internet to begin their home searching process.

So, let us explore some of the best traditional as well as digital marketing strategies to generate leads for real estate. Take a look at our 31 best and most effective marketing ideas to help you generate valuable real estate leads.

Innovative Ideas to Generate Leads for Real Estate Agents

Marketing is one of the most important and unforgettable aspects of generating high-quality leads for real estate professionals. Here are some marketing methods to help you get started:

Begin with People You Know

Lead generation is all about marketing yourself out in the real estate world. Beginning with the people you already know, like your friends, family, or other people you know who like you, is a great start! The bond you share with them is special and might make them more inclined to work with you.

Moreover, trust is a major factor when selling and buying homes from a real estate agent. If you are new in the game and do not have an extensive list of clients to tell your tale, beginning with the people you know provides a significant push to generate leads.

Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce

Attend the education conferences organized by the chamber of commerce in your city, and use them as a networking opportunity. Participating in such events can help you connect with your industry experts or other agents within your industry with a good amount of experience. While they might technically be your competitors, attending these conferences can also help you gain knowledge and potentially discover agents or firms interested in working with new agents, and even cultivate relationships that can naturally lead to referrals.‍

Connect and Build a Community

Creating a list of leads through cold calling and other outbound marketing strategies is great. However, just because people are interested in your services does not mean they will work with you. The real estate industry works on connections and trust since real estate is a hefty investment. You need to begin building a personal bond between you and your potential clients by continuously nurturing your relationship with them. Do frequent check-ins, wish them on their birthdays or festivals, and send small gifts to make them feel special.

Moreover, building a community of homeowners you have worked with, and other business people is also a great idea for lead generation. For example, hosting local events where you invite community members to talk about industry trends is excellent for building yourself as an authority and a market leader. This way, they will likely hit you up if they have any questions, and some might even turn into leads!

Sponsor Local Niche Events

local events for real estate leads

You will gain popularity if you make your name in the local community. And the more famous you get within the community, the more likely you will gain leads. Sponsoring local events within your niche is one way to expand your network and the customer base. Such events can help you elevate your status among homebuyers and sellers, increasing your chances of converting them into leads.

Build Local Connections for More Referrals

In the world of real estate, the ultimate key to referrals is building strong local connections. Imagine becoming the go-to agent in your area by developing meaningful relationships with the community as well as local businesses. Attending local events, engaging in neighborhood associations, and collaborating with nearby businesses will help you leave a lasting impression. By becoming a familiar face and a trusted resource, you'll naturally attract referrals and people will prefer working with you. So, invest time in nurturing these local connections as they will definitely help in boosting your real estate career.

Put Local Billboards

With the advent of digital marketing and technological advancement in advertising, you might believe conventional ways of physically advertising your business are no longer preferred. However, that's not true for most people.

Traditional advertising is still very much alive and effective. Putting local billboards on a highway where a lot of commuting happens is a clever advertising strategy to gain traction and generate leads for your real estate business. Moreover, you can monopolize the traditional advertising game by pulling up billboards, as most real estate agents won't understand the power it still holds.

Begin with a powerful photograph and punchy catchphrase for yourself. It helps people remember you.

Neighborhood Farming

Neighborhood farming lets you focus on generating leads only from a particular area. By targeting a specific area, you need to learn about everything about the demographic, positioning yourself as the expert there. You can share market trends, recent sales, or local updates to establish a consistent presence. You may even organize and host community events. As you nurture relationships, you will naturally attract more leads turning them into potential clients.

Knock on Doors

In the digital age, there's something pleasant about good old-fashioned door-knocking. This approach not only lets you engage directly with homeowners but also gives you a chance to practice your sales pitch. So, knock on some doors because sometimes the key to unlocking opportunities is just a knock away.

Use Door Hangers

Door Hangers can be an attractive reminder to people living in the same neighborhood about the property. Whether it’s a "Just Sold" announcement or a special offer, door hangers are a traditional yet warm way of engaging with potential clients without intruding or getting too nosy. These people in the neighborhood might be your next potential client, or help you with referrals, opening doors to new leads.

Use Real Estate Flyers

real estate flyer

As a real estate agent, listing flyers help you market properties and allow you to remain on top of your prospect's mind. They are known to attract eyes to your current listings and gain exposure. Moreover, you become a go-to neighborhood real estate professional by catching early and mid-stage home buyers beginning their buying journey.

It is a tangible marketing tool that helps engage your target audience by gaining maximum attention to your listings. You get more exposure to expand your network and reach new customers, which helps generate leads.

Download Free Real Estate Templates!

Get Active on Social Media

Today, everyone uses social media platforms to not just connect with their friends and family but also enhance their business! It is an effective tool to connect with the professionals in your industry, promote yourself as an authority in the field, and attract new leads with the help well-structured social media marketing strategies and ads.

Since social media channels today focus on enhanced and beautified images, you can benefit from image enhancement services to attract customers.

Enhance Images for Free!

Answer questions on Quora

Quora is a question-answer platform where every user can ask/answer anything without any additional cost. All you have to do is sign in and look for people asking questions about real estate or buying/selling homes. By providing insightful answers, you position yourself as a knowledgeable resource.

Add your property listing on Facebook Marketplace

You can find numerous groups on Facebook Marketplace, customized for specific cities, where you can list your properties. All you have to do is follow the process to join these groups, and Facebook will forward your listings to a wide and engaged audience, creating opportunities for direct engagement.

Utilize Facebook Ads

Facebook has more than 240 million monthly active users in just the USA. Although not everyone would fit in your target audience, you might not know how to market to the right audience. By taking advantage of targeted Facebook ads, you can ensure that listings are seen by the right people at the right time, and generate quality leads within your desired demographic.

Drive engagement with Instagram stories

instagram for real estate leads

Instagram has a growing user base from all generations, which makes it the go-to platform to grow your audience, no matter which age group you want to target. And Instagram stories are a great way to engage with your followers. You can share a lot of things to engage with your followers from this/that polls, Q&A sessions, and multiple choice questions. To make your stories more interesting, you can even share behind the scenes while hosting an open house, just listed/just sold selfies with your clients, and more. It will take time to create interesting and engaging content, but once you get the hang of it, it will elevate your social presence and even help with creating quality leads.

Prospect on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for business professionals looking to network in their niche. You can share valuable content, join relevant groups and engage there, send personalized messages, and connect with people. 

One pro tip - Make sure to keep your tone formal while using LinkedIn.

Incorporate Videos

There has been a significant increase in the percentage of US adults who watch online videos compared to 2008. The numbers went from 52% to 82% in 2022. Moreover, according to statistics, 73% of homeowners report that they prefer hiring a real estate agent who uses videos in their marketing strategy.

Video marketing strategies are highly beneficial for engaging clients who use social media frequently. You can use video content in various ways. From making video client testimonials to recording the interior and exterior of a listing, content that gives a unique personality to your brand while also attracting online clients and building a network is proven to work for many agents in generating real estate leads.

Moreover, you don't have to spend a fortune making and editing high-quality videos! With Styldod, you can edit your real estate videos at affordable prices!

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Create a Virtual Tour

virtual tour for real estate leads

Many real estate agents miss out on taking advantage of virtual tours while listing a property. As they provide a 360° immersive experience of a place, virtual tours let the buyers explore the property from the comfort of their screens. These tours offer an appealing enhancement to the listing, showcasing you as a transparent, dedicated, and tech-savvy agent.

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Share Testimonials

Sharing the success stories of your past clients builds trust and credibility for you as a real estate professional. Prospective clients are more likely to work with agents who have positive real-life success stories. With this, you offer a window into the value you provide, making you a reliable choice for when a potential client wants to buy or sell their home.

Answer Online Questions

Keep yourself open to people asking questions, and actively engage with them by answering their doubts. There are tons of platforms where your users might go to seek advice, like forums, social media, or other Q&A websites. You can take advantage of this opportunity to build trust among the users, positioning yourself as a knowledgeable yet approachable resource. This would help you establish a friendly and reliable personality, making you the top choice for potential buyers and sellers.

Host Open Houses

open house for real estate leads

Hosting an open house is one of the most effective ways to generate real estate leads once you have a client. Organize an open house, and promote the event through your social media handles, email list, and flyers. During the open house, ensure everyone provides their names and contact information on a sign-in sheet. If they attended the event, it is likely that they might be looking for a new place. Follow up with them after the event.

Partner With a Local Handyman

As an invaluable real estate agent, you can even consider forming a strategic partnership with a trusted local handyman. When you recommend reliable handymen to your clients, you enhance your reputation among them, while also helping the handyman. As the handymen handle repairs and upgrades, they can refer clients looking to buy or sell properties in return.

Help the FSBOs‍

No matter how hard you try to convince the FSBO sellers, they will not hire you if they do not want to involve a broker or an agent in the buying and selling process. Despite the advantages a real estate agent brings, some homeowners still believe in the old-school method of not involving a third party. And no amount of convincing will make them change their decision. So, don't try to create and employ a strategy to persuade them in search of some luck.

Instead, you can help them sell without needing anything in return. This builds trust. In fact, the NAR reported that almost 7% of the FSBO sellers end up taking a real estate agent's help. It means that you still have some chances of generating leads, no matter how small that chance is. So, if you offer them help, they might even turn to you for legal complications or help related to paperwork.

Do Annual Property Valuations

A great way to market your business is by conducting an annual property valuation because homeowners often underestimate the value of their property. And when you make them realize this, there are chances they might convert into one of your leads!

Your job is to convince homeowners. And if they are enticed by their property's value, they might even consider selling it. You can then be confident to become their first choice for selling the home.

Focus on Brand-Building

Strong branding is one of the most powerful strategies when you want to generate high-quality leads. Developing a compelling presence, online and offline, that resonates with your audience can help you build a strong brand identity. This in turn helps you establish trust and credibility among potential clients. As a result, dedicating time and effort to brand building will most definitely give you profitable results.

Build an Attractive Website‍

property website for real estate leads

Every real estate agent must have a website to create an online presence. If you do not have a professional website, you are losing many prospects to your competitors.

So, start building your website. It does not have to be the fanciest, just well-structured and filled with everything essential like:

  • About you and the services you offer
  • Landing pages and blog posts
  • Integration with your MLS
  • A strong call to action to further lead prospects to contact you

Learn Search Engine Optimization

A fantastic marketing strategy consists of a perfect combination of paid advertising and organic marketing. Search engine optimization provides a steady stream of traffic to your website when done correctly. You can generate organic leads over time with effort and even achieve retaining clients.

However, employing SEO tips is becoming tougher as the competition has increased. But as a new real estate agent, begin by first targeting local keywords. This minimizes your competition and increases your chances of driving local traffic to your website.

Take Help of Online Advertising

Online advertising opens many opportunities! A paid medium like Google Ads is a wonderful way to bring customers to your website by clicking the advertisement. Additionally, complementing it with well-planned social media ads can further broaden your reach for real estate lead generation. If you build an effective marketing funnel, you can get a potential customer to convert into a lead. And the best part about advertising is that you are given the option to reach a wide audience with specific demographics!

Advertise in Local Newsletters

The local news outlets/newsletters are positioned as a trusted source for all information in your local area. By leveraging advertisements in these publications, you showcase yourself as a trusted authority and the go-to agent in the local market. It is a strategic move that also helps with improving your branding.

Free Seasonal Treats With Business Cards

holiday treats for real estate lead generation

To elevate your real estate lead generation game by adding a delightful twist during festive seasons, you can some treats while giving out your business cards. It can be anything from small holiday ornaments to Easter Egg surprises. You're not just leaving a lasting impression, but also warming hearts with a little seasonal joy.

Start a podcast

Millions of people listen to podcasts during their daily commute or while doing household chores every single day. This is why podcasts can turn out to be an effective marketing tool for the long term. You can share expert advice or buying/selling tips, industry insights, and market trends with your listeners. You can even create a segment for the local audience and share content specifically curated for them. This not only expands your reach but also establishes a meaningful connection with your future potential clients.

Send Postcards

postcards for real estate lead generation

Creating real estate postcards is another fantastic way to market yourself and generate leads. Today, you can take the help of technology and create postcards advertising you as a trustworthy real estate agent. Moreover, you don't need to mail them physically; you can advertise them on your social media or website or even email them to your prospects.

The more people see your postcard, the more they will remember you. And when they need a real estate agent, they can contact you.

Reach Out to Expired Listings

Some real estate listings do not sell and eventually expire. However, that does not mean expired listings do not have a chance. Many homeowners still want to try someone new after failing previously. As a new real estate agent, you must grab every little chance you get. So, pitch your services to such sellers by letting them know what value you can provide.

Invest in a Real Estate Lead Generation Software

Numerous lead generation tools or automated lead generation software can help new real estate professionals buy leads. Although they might not be as accurate as manually found leads, they can save effort and time by driving your focus more on nurturing your current leads.

Predictive Analytics to Get Leads from the Local Area

Predictive Analytics is one of the perfect examples of staying up-to-date with advanced technology. These tools use AI and machine learning to gather information from the local MLS, identifying potential leads in your local area who are likely to buy or sell properties. This in turn helps with targeting the right audience, increasing your conversion rates, and positioning yourself as a proactive agent.

Buy Exclusive Seller Leads

If you want to take a shortcut to exclusive leads and stay ahead in the competitive real estate game, you can invest in purchasing them as well. You can purchase exclusive guaranteed leads on homeowners who are looking to sell, which can be targeted towards a specific ZIP code as well. This can help you get an upper hand in securing listings and boosting your credibility.

Combining both traditional and digital marketing methods can elevate your real estate lead generation efforts and help expand your customer base – which is essential for every real estate agent!

Frequently Asked Questions!

What Is Lead Generation in Real Estate?

Lead generation in real estate is a marketing strategy to identify and attract potential clients and convert them into leads in order to increase sales.

How to Generate Commercial Real Estate Leads?

Some of the lead generation strategies for commercial leads include considering networking at industry events and conferences, researching on LinkedIn, and checking out the CRE News Sites.

How to Generate Leads as a New Real Estate Agent?

As a new real estate agent, consider building a strong online presence, asking for referrals from your personal network, giving free seminars, and attending events to generate real estate leads. Utilize social media platforms and learn to strategize content in order to grow your audience and establish yourself as a trusted professional in the industry.

How to Generate Free Real Estate Leads?

Leverage your existing network by asking for referrals, posting engaging content on social media, attending local events, and joining online forums or Facebook groups.

Rahul Agrawal

Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Styldod

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