Online leads are all the rage in real estate these days and while we believe in this method of lead gen, we always advise clients to only invest in online leads if you have a process to convert these leads. The money of a lead is always in the conversion, so the focus should be on higher quality, not higher quantity.
Here are 3 tips to better convert these prospects:
Be Quick to Communicate
With 98% of homebuyers starting their search online and another 54% of homebuyers finding their home online - we can no longer dispute the stats. The buyers are there but the biggest factor in converting online prospects is you speed to lead. How quickly you respond can not only drastically increase the likelihood of converting that lead, but it can demonstrate true value to the consumer about how much you value their business.
Bonus Tip: Ensure your leads route to a specific phone number and/or email address to up your responsiveness. Also try developing pre-written responses to reach out when you’re unavailable and buy you some time.
Be Smart About The Information You Provide
Consumers can access more information than ever online without ever contacting an agent. If you deliver everything on the first communication or worse, voicemail - you’re all but assuring that they have no reason to contact you back or discuss further. Answer questions, but remember to provide some reason for future communications.
Bonus Tip: Ask probing questions about what they might be interested and promise to deliver that. That will set the expectation that they will continue to be hearing from you.
Consistent, Valuable Communication
The key to online lead conversion is not all that different from converting any prospect. You must continue to communicate with them ultimately building a strong relationship through demonstrated value. This value is not a science. You must be willing to ask the right questions and deliver personalized content that matches their needs. It is not all about houses, but rather solving the problems they face.