You've created a dynamic list of prospects within your target geographic area.
You've applied your filtering and criteria to identify the opportunities you want to target.
You have all the personal, financial, and situational data on your prospects available at a moment's notice.
Everything you need to launch a killer lead generation campaign is in place.
But the real question is: should you be focusing on building an audience instead?
In this how-to guide, we'll explore how real estate agents can create better relationships and generate more leads by:
While list building is a vital piece of any Realtor's marketing campaign, it's only one piece of a much larger puzzle.
It serves as a means to an end towards what should be the primary goal: audience building.
Let's face it- every real estate agent can buy a list of the same buyer or seller leads and say they've checked their "list building" box for the week.
When everyone buys the same lists, the inevitable happens.
The same real estate agents who bought the same lead lists compete for the same leads and reach out saying the same thing in the same way.
It's a no-win situation.
Buying, or even creating, a generic list is like taking a shotgun approach to marketing.
Lead quality plummets, and the likelihood of generating a significant pipeline of new leads drastically decreases.
Instead, focus on creating valuable, relevant, and educational content to engage your target audience and stand out from other agents.
In short, it's what audience building is all about.
The first step toward executing an audience-building lead generation strategy is familiar: List Building.
However, it's more than purchasing a generic, pre-built list with static lead information.
It's using an intelligent list building approach that leverages robust public records data to find quality leads that fit your ideal customer profile.
In some cases, you'll be able to find exclusive leads, which many agents wouldn't have access to.
To identify these opportunities in your local market, use property details, mortgage information, and demographics data as your search criteria.
For instance, you can build your list using mortgage criteria if you're a Listing Agent. Other agents may be focusing on standard criteria such as home size or year built, so focusing on a lesser-used criteria like Mortgage can give you an edge in finding leads others don't.
In this example, you can identify prospective sellers by searching for homeowners with over 60% equity who purchased their homes more than ten years ago.
Additionally, by combining demographic criteria with housing data, you can be creative and identify younger couples who own a condo or apartment who are more likely to want to upgrade to their first home as they build their family.
Whatever your ideal customer may be, the more intelligent you can make your lists with granular criteria, the more you can understand what your audience is looking for and create compelling content and messaging for them.
Once you've built your list of real estate leads, you can choose to do a few different directions…
You can go with the traditional method of cold calling and texting to land a customer right then and there.
While this lead generation method works, its scalability is limited and directly correlates to how much time you put into making the outreach.
Or, you can go with the audience-building method.
The audience-building method of real estate lead generation combines relevant, targeted, neighborly outbound messaging with valuable, informational, and entertaining content creation.
So, what does this look like?
Both content creation and targeted outbound communication have the primary goal of building rapport, personal connections, and credibility with your prospects.
When building content, however, you position yourself to generate an organic demand for your thought leadership and expertise on a particular subject.
If you're taking this approach, the feedback you get from outbound lead generation efforts (more on this in a bit) should inform the type of content you're creating.
Once you've identified the main themes or problems your prospects face, don't be afraid to produce and distribute video, written, and short-form content around them.
Let's take a look at some example pieces of content for a realtor who specializes in helping couples find their first home:
Example 1: "7 Things to Look for in a First House," in which you make a video explaining how to properly do a walkthrough for first-time homebuyers. Then, take this video content, transcribe it, and create a blog post from which you turn snippets into social posts.
Example 2: "5 Ways To Make Your First Home More Than a Starter" where you make a short-form video covering a few basic renovations that can transform a smaller home. You can even shoutout your favorite local contractors and link their website in the video description.
When building out a strategy like this, check out Karin Carr's video explaining how to choose a niche and create content that stands out.
The critical takeaway is: to build an audience, find your niche, become the expert on all things important to them, and produce compelling content around it.
Would you listen to someone who is speaking at you?
Probably not.
But, what about someone who is speaking with you?
When taking an audience-building approach to lead generation, speaking with your audience is key to growing it.
This applies both to the content you're creating and the outbound messaging you're drafting.
So, let's take a look at each.
Creating personalized, even 1:1, content is an amazing way to help develop a personal brand while maintaining a steady stream of real estate leads.
Many real estate agents are unwilling to put the time into their marketing efforts, and generating real estate leads takes the form of undifferentiated postcards, direct mail, and half-hearted content.
However, almost every successful real estate business that produces high-quality leads has some form of personalized content.
When generating leads, speaking with your audience instead of at them in language they use and understand is essential.
For instance, if you've identified a high-priority group, sending personalized videos with software such as BombBomb or Loom is a great way to cut through the noise and deliver a 1:1 message.
Outbound is one of the most popular forms of real estate lead generation so it's critical personalization comes through for you to stand out.
Let's say you're a listing agent who wants you want to write craft messaging to attract potential downsizers.
You've already built your list of prospects targeting aging property owners in large, multiroom, and multi-story homes.
One angle you could take is hitting on just how big of a burden it is for property owners with large homes to walk up and down the stairs all day.
Craft a message similar to this example:
"Hello, neighbor! Two-story homes offer the space needed for growing families, but after a few years, you're probably tired of walking up and down the stairs just to do the simple things around the house. It's especially challenging at night when you wake up and need a glass of water. Or, when it's time to vacuum the stairs."
Or...
"At {business name}, we believe that getting around your home shouldn't be a burden on you. Tired of making that 10th trip up the stairs today because you forgot something? Having a hard time wanting to get out of bed just to walk downstairs for a glass of water?
Perhaps now is a good time to consider downsizing into a smaller, more manageable single-story home.
I'd be happy to help you with this real estate journey. If you're interested in learning more about the area's single-story property options, please call me at (business phone number). We're looking forward to hearing from you!"
But, that's not the only way you can approach it!
Let's say the listing same agent wants to target downsizers, but rather than speaking directly to property size, they focus on land and lot size.
First, build a list that identifies properties with swimming pools. You also might want to include owner age criteria to highlight older homeowners.
When it comes time to reach out to a specific audience segment, you could craft a message similar to the example below:
"Did you know that homebuyers in your neighborhood are specifically shopping for properties with pools? You might wonder why, knowing how much time, effort, and money it takes to keep a pool clean and well-maintained. Yes, your pool has been a great place to make memories for you and your family, but are you tired of cleaning the pool?
If so, you might be interested in learning more about the benefits of selling your home and downsizing into a new property in an area with fewer maintenance requirements. Now is a great time to take action considering the increase in buyer demand for homes in our area similar to your property.
I'd love to continue this conversation and answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to give us a call at (business number), or visit our website to set up an appointment (link)."
Sending out this specific email or postcard does two things. First, it introduces your business to the high-potential prospects in your area. Second, it answers the "why" — why they should care, and why you are the right person to offer them the solution, not your competition.
Once you've decided on the angle of your marketing pitch specific for each of your audiences, it's time to convert that messaging into different formats to match the marketing channels you plan to leverage.
Let's start with a few traditional outbound marketing channels:
Start with email to introduce yourself, your company, or your service over email. Remember to keep it
short and sweet - nobody will read a novel!
Once you’ve contacted local prospects, following up with calls and texts is a great way to build rapport with anyone who’s opted into receiving phone communication. Make sure to reflect the messaging from your emails for consistency.
Direct mail is any form of a physical piece of marketing or promotional material sent through the mail. For example, you can connect with leads with postcards, letters, brochures, etc.
You can approach the property, talk to owners and neighbors, and learn more about the property and the property owners.
Search and Social Media ads are a great way to spread awareness. A huge benefit is the ability to control how much or how little you spend per day.
When creating social media online ads, strive for shorter word counts, catchy titles, and appealing video or photo imagery. Think about what you can say and show that will encourage your audience to click, call, and take action towards your business services.
When thinking about content creation, agent Amber Joy has some great tips around the5 types of Real Estate Marketing Videos agents can use to convert leads.
To become a pro at audience building, build intelligent lists that target your ideal customer, create personalized content that even speaks with leads and not at them, and leverage multiple marketing channels.
Shifting from a "Lead Generation" mindset to an "Audience Building Mindset" to generate real estate leads is a creative journey requiring more work.
At the end of the day, however, when done properly, audience building can turn your overall marketing and lead generation strategy into a scalable, well-oiled machine that brings you better leads and leads you to close more deals.