My wife and I love to travel.  Why wait until retirement?  Life is too short.  So, we plan one or two adventurous trips a year.  Last summer was 2 weeks in Alaska.  What an adventure.  On one of our trips, my wife bought a beautiful sterling silver tea set.  She has a thing for tea sets.  It looks amazing, but we never use it.  It sits on display in a cabinet slowly tarnishing.  What was once beautiful, now looks dated.  It is the same with a real estate website.  When first created, they look beautiful, but if not used they do not generate leads.  And if not updated on a regular basis they start to look dated.  Technology does change as well as styles.

So here are some tips on how to make use of your website and technology in order to get leads.

Breaking through the clutter

Our company, DPI Showcase Web Sites, is located in South Florida.  There are over 80,000 Realtors in our area.  All fighting for the same leads.  Trying to show up on page one of Google has become an impossibility.  Large companies like Zillow, are monopolizing organic searches.  They have large SEO budgets.

What is a Realtor to do to get noticed?  To break through the clutter.  A salesperson, (no matter what you are selling), needs to spend at least 30 minutes a day prospecting—looking for leads.  There are many different techniques.  Some are free but require a little time every day.  While others cost money.  I’ll outline a few techniques.  You choose what works for you.

Google Yourself

The first step is to Google yourself.  Go to Google and type in “your name Realtor” and see what shows up.  Realize that potential clients are looking you up online.  They want to see if you are a professional. 

You must have a professional-looking realtor website with the IDX.  These sites are linked to your local MLS and allow your clients to search for listings in your area.  This is the foundation for anything you do.  If you do not have a website, you do not exist.  Potential clients will think you are a part-timer.  And if your website looks outdated, clients will think the same about you.

Next start deleting any internet product that shows up on Google that you are not using.  Contact the developer and tell them to delete that website.  Also, make sure your address and personal information are up to date.  If not, report it to Google.

Social Media

Make sure your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages are set up properly.  Then post there on a regular (if not daily) basis.  Show people that you are active.  Our company automatically posts for our clients on their Facebook business page and on LinkedIn. 

The trick is having posts that link back to your website.  Find a property, blog article, or landing page on your website.  Copy the link and paste it into a post on Facebook or LinkedIn.  This will drive traffic to your website.  The more traffic, the more leads.  You can even boost a post for more visibility.

You must also make friends on social media.  You should have 3,000 or more friends on Facebook and LinkedIn.  None of these should be local Realtors.  They are your competition.  Realtors from other cities or countries are ok.  They might send you a referral. 

Friends On Your Phone

Pull out your cell phone.  Open the contacts and scroll to the bottom.  Look at how many people you know.  The National Association of Realtors, (NAR), states that 15 percent of the people you know will move in the next year.  How many know that you are a Realtor?  How many know that you are doing this full-time?  How many have your website address?  Are your friends on social media?  Have they liked your Facebook business page?  This is low-hanging fruit, and you need to engage these people.

Advertise On Google

If you don’t have the time or patience to post on social media every day, then you might want to consider advertising on Google.  This will get you on page one.  You can set your ad to focus on locals in your area or prospects in far-away places or countries.  Advertising on Google does work, you just need to be consistent.

Following Up On Leads

NAR states that 52% of all Realtors wait up to 54 hours to respond to a lead.  At that point that lead is dead.  If you get a lead, you have 15 minutes to call this person back.  You know that they are sitting in front of their computer.  If you wait 1-hour, they could be off running errands, working, or have contacted another agent.  Don’t be afraid to answer your phone.  Even if you don’t recognize the number.  It could be a new prospect.  If you answer your phone and it is a solicitation, don’t engage, just hang up.

Have A Proper CRM

The trick is following up on a regular basis without being annoying.  DPI’s built-in Client Management System, (CRM), has many automated functions for following up with prospects.  You should be in the forefront of your client’s mind.  If not, they will forget about you, or think that you don’t care about them, and they will find someone who does.

A proper CRM should have many automated functions.  Some of these programs are complicated to use.  They were written by computer programmers who believe that everyone has the time and patience to figure out how to use their system.  The CRM should work for you, not vis versa. 

Summary

Technology is part of our everyday life.  People are online researching everything.  You need to be up-to-speed and have the tools that will help you capture these leads.  They should be easy to use and should allow you to work smarter.

Mark Weithorn is the Founder & CEO of DPI Showcase Web Sites, a 19-year-old tech company that provides websites and CRMs designed for brokers and real estate agents.  He can be seen at www.DPIshowcase.com