Online Lead Sources to Generate Qualified Real Estate Leads

Warm leads are typically buyer and seller leads that are at the start of their journey, making it the perfect time to establish a relationship, and the costs for acquiring these leads are lower.

On the other hand, hot leads may not be familiar with you yet. Usually, they have already been contacted by many agents, and the costs of acquiring these leads are high.

This makes generating hot leads less effective compared to generating warm leads.

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day but destroyed in a day.

That's why you must gradually expand instead of investing in full force.

After systematizing your current operations, you can only consider exploring further expansion possibilities.

Without a systematic approach, many businesses collapse from over-expanding.

Let’s see the options for scaling your business:

Before expanding your marketing reach, ensure you have enough capacity to handle demand.

If your team can handle a high volume of leads, increase the marketing budget accordingly.

When overwhelmed, recruit more agents to distribute leads and grow your team.

Repeat this cycle as needed.

>> Build and Grow an Effective Real Estate Brand and Business

Focus on providing value to your local market through real estate-related content marketing, such as YouTube videos, blog posts, and social media posts, along with reviews and testimonials from past clients.

By focusing on these aspects, you boost your brand's value, leading to higher commission rates and increased credibility in the long run.

Before investing in Google PPC Ads, know that you'll invest in the most efficient method to multiply your ROI sooner, then expand your lead generation efforts through other means.

Let's explore three different real estate lead-generation scenarios using Google PPC Ads, and it's up to you to decide which method is better.

In this scenario, we see how many people search for “homes for sale in Oakland CA” monthly on Google. (6600 + 1300)

And your site will appear at the top of the Google results with Google PPC Ads on this keyword.

For $0.95 Cost Per Click (CPC), you can effectively capture their contact information with the conversion setup.

And you are not limited to one search volume; your ads could be diversified, such as 'Homes for sale in Oakland, CA with Pool’, ‘Open houses in Oakland, CA’, etc.

They also receive frequent searches on Google with a lower CPC (Cost Per Click).

This is how to place your Google PPC Ads to generate leads more efficiently.

In this scenario, we see how many people search for “Real estate agent in Oakland CA” monthly on Google. (90)

With a Cost Per Click (CPC) of $11.68 and 55 PD, which represents your competition on this keyword, and a search volume of 90 monthly, you will barely generate leads.

The cost for each lead will be high, and your competitors will always be present for this keyword.

This is not a good way to run Google PPC Ads.

In this scenario, shown in the screenshot, there's no monthly search volume for local seller intent keywords on search engines.

As a result, investing in generating seller leads on Google PPC Ads would be wasted.

However, there are other online sources for generating seller leads besides search engines.

Let's explore three different real estate lead-generation scenarios using Social Media Ads, and it's up to you to decide which method is better.

Social media ads are like putting a billboard on the side of a highway.

You place your ad in a restricted geographic area (in real estate, this is a 25km or 15 mi radius) and target (show your ads to) people in that area like a billboard.

You aim to get their attention.

However, we've discovered that social media isn't an effective platform for capturing buyer leads due to their scrolling intent, making them less likely to convert.

Compared to those actively searching for homes with browsing intent, they are more likely to convert.

Additionally, active buyers tend to browse homes on search engines rather than social media, as they have plenty of options available through Google search.

This makes social media ads an inefficient method for generating home buyer leads.

Hot leads are actively seeking a real estate agent in your area.

Social media ads aren't efficient for targeting hot leads for two reasons:

First, you can't specifically target hot leads as with Google PPC Ads.

Second, you rely on them clicking or engaging with your post, remembering your phone number, or taking action.

Social media is like a crowded billboard, similar to driving in traffic. With so much happening on social media feeds, it's hard to capture attention.

That's why social media ads aren't efficient for generating hot leads.

Social media ads are the best online lead generation source to target seller leads due to geographical targeting in their algorithms.

First, identify homeowner and seller interests, such as channels and interests related to real estate, home ownership, staging, moving guides, etc., and target those keywords and interests with your ad.

But what type of ad creative generates the most seller leads?

Not the ones like “sell your home in less than 14 days” type of ads.

They are too salesy, and people don’t like dealing with salespeople.

Remember the real estate lead magnet concept?

We need to have lead magnets upfront to create ad creatives to attract potential sellers such as:

After obtaining lead magnets, now we need to have specific creative offers to generate seller leads from social media ads like:

For example, in the home valuation case, we have two separate ad creatives such as:

Why do we have two different but similar ad creatives for social media ads to generate seller leads?

Words change depending on housing market conditions in your local market.

During a seller's market, we emphasize the increasing rate in home prices, which is an alarming factor that prompts homeowners to consider selling their homes.

During a buyer's market, we emphasize the change but without giving more details. Instead, we hook their attention and drive it towards the description.

The reason we use housing market conditions in our creatives is that market changes evoke scarcity and urgency emotions, encouraging action to avoid missing out on the best deals.

This approach makes these creatives stand out from the rest.

Another factor is that these ads are not salesy; instead, they focus on providing value upfront, such as:

Learn your home’s accurate value for free to get the best deals.

Through these efforts, we have found that social media ads are an efficient lead generation method for generating seller leads.

First, identify popular keywords in your market using a keyword planner tool.

Let's explore three common scenarios where popular keywords are likely present in your market.

In the first scenario, your prospects search for homes daily using these terms:

In the second scenario, your prospects search for more information about your market using these terms:

In the third scenario, your prospects search for real estate materials to learn more about the home buying and selling processes using these terms:

Once you've identified the keywords, prioritize enhancing the technical SEO of your pages using both on-page and off-page SEO strategies to improve their ranking on Google's first page.

Expand the number of website pages that rank on Google to increase incoming traffic from potential clients.

Capture and convert this traffic by offering lead magnets on your landing pages.

>> Explore our demo website to see on-page SEO best practices.

Design a page layout and generate multiple pages with various keywords based on that layout.

Repeat the target keyword for each dedicated page, aiming to rank them on Google.

Programmatic SEO example: "Luxury homes for sale in Roseville, CA"

Apply the same practices to types of homes, neighborhoods, and blog pages as well, for every keyword.

Want similar results?

>> Start from here.

Just look at how much content is published on each platform daily:

Between those 6 social networks, over 1.1 billion new pieces of content are being published.

That’s why social media doesn’t get as much engagement as you may want.

To make matters worse, in the last 30 days, the data shows that 5,204,391 social media posts, and 59.41% of them had no engagement.

No likes, no shares, no comments.

To create content that stands out from the crowd, you should focus on these aspects:

There are two distinct approaches you should define before starting to grow your brand on social media.

First, identify a branding strategy that fits your lifestyle.

The chosen branding strategy will affect both your profile and content creation strategy.

If you don’t know which branding you should go with, check out this blog post.

In real estate, you have two unique branding options to choose from before building your profile and posting content:

There are various social media platforms so that we won’t delve into each one.

Instead, let's explore the general rules that can be applied to all social media platforms.

First, build your profile according to how personal brands are established.

Make sure to blend your highlights with both your business and your lifestyle.

Your profiles should look like this:

Posting only real estate content will bore your audience.

Humans are social creatures, so your audience will establish a bond with content that includes unique lifestyle elements, such as your journeys, family, behind-the-scenes, funny moments, and dramas.

Since you are not only an influencer but rather a real estate agent brand, it's important to also focus on real estate content to establish authority and credibility for your brand.

Your real estate-related content should cover industry news, live Q&As, polls, offers, testimonials, giveaways, podcasts, buying and selling tips, market updates, neighborhood guides, interest rates, upcoming homes, open houses, listed homes, sold homes, price changes, etc.

Combining both approaches will attract new audiences and retain your existing audiences.

First, build your profile according to how personal brands are established:

Make sure to blend your highlights with both business and lifestyle.

Your profiles should look like this:

If you want to go the business route, then your content should be more business-focused and less personal-focused.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore lifestyle content.

Quite the opposite, you should showcase the lifestyle of your team instead of your own self.

This includes each team member’s background and personality, behind-the-scenes, funny moments, and dramas.

Alongside that, don't forget about real estate content, such as industry news, hosting Q&As, polls, offers, giveaways, testimonials, team podcasts, buying and selling tips, market updates, neighborhood guides, interest rates, upcoming homes, open houses, listed homes, sold homes, price changes, etc.

Combining both approaches will attract new audiences and retain your existing audiences.

If you also have a YouTube channel, be sure to repurpose your long-form video content into multiple short-form clips, reels, shorts, etc., optimized for the respective social media platforms.

The goal is to capture their attention with a short-form clip and drive them to your long-form YouTube video.

Likewise, if you have a blog, repurpose your long-form content into short-form image posts, carousels, tweets, etc., optimized for social media platforms.

The goal is to capture their attention and drive them to your long-form blog post.

This is known as an omnichannel strategy in digital marketing.

By expanding your presence across multiple platforms, we aim to maximize exposure and enhance credibility.

Paying for real estate channels and influencers with a large following to showcase your offer on social media.

The best practice is to avoid this method when you have much better investment options available.

(NOT RECOMMENDED): An alternative approach is to find a content creator with a large following related to real estate, then ask them to review your content and consider showcasing your offer on their platform.

However, the alternative approach may not be ideal for investment because most content creators demand a high fee and only publish a single post to show your offer to their own audience, who are unfamiliar with you.

As a result, you may gain some followers, which could contribute to your brand, but it's not an effective method for establishing credibility or closing more deals.

You can advertise on social media by targeting a better audience over a longer period of time rather than a single shot.

It's risky and not a good investment to show a single post to a cold audience.

The best practice is to prioritize YouTube growth only once you already have a steady flow of leads from other sources but aim to enhance your brand presence.

Now, let's explore how to grow subscribers and increase engagement on your real estate YouTube channel.

Smartphone:

DSLR or Mirrorless Camera:

Gimbal Stabilizer:

External Microphone:

Tripod or Monopod:

Lighting:

Here is an example of YouTube channel branding from our real estate demo channel:

>> Click here to view the Demo Channel.

Here is an example of a YouTube video description for creating local keyword-focused videos to increase the organic YouTube search rankings of your video:

YouTube Ads require a captivating video with good engagement to start with.

That means you must also meet the requirements for organic YouTube growth upfront to start with YouTube Ads effectively.

The best practice is to avoid this method when you have much better investment options available.

Google Local Services ads, visible at the top of search results, appear in groups of three, preceding Google PPC ads and organic SEO results.

Each listing features the business name, Google star rating, years in business, service area, phone number, and current availability status.

Your profile snippet in the results prompts viewers to click for more details if interested.

This page displays an overview of your business, including services, service areas, and license information, along with Google reviews at the bottom.

It offers essential details to engage your audience and prompt them to contact or message your real estate company for further information.

Alternatively, users can explore additional real estate agents by clicking the "more real estate agents" button.

Visitors can filter agents by service type and zip code, allowing them to easily locate the ideal real estate professional for their needs, whether they're seeking buyer's or seller's agents.

Google Local Services ads for real estate agents operate on a cost-per-contact model, meaning you pay only when someone contacts you through the ad.

Costs range from $6 to $30 per lead, depending on factors like location and lead type.

Google ensures you never exceed your budget and charges only for valid leads, such as texts, emails, or calls resulting in voicemails or conversations.

Invalid leads or ad clicks do not incur charges.

There are upfront requirements that need to be fulfilled to achieve better results from Google local services ads.

The badge, a green checkmark seen in Local Services ads, signifies trust in your real estate agency.

To obtain this badge, you must pass a background check and provide insurance and licensing info.

As long as you have all this information available and updated, you’ll get your Google Guarantee badge.

What happens when you receive this badge?

The Google Guarantee badge acts as a safety net for clients.

If they hire your real estate agency and are dissatisfied with the work, they can claim up to $2000 back.

Clients have 20 days to file a claim, but certain issues like pricing dissatisfaction, cancellations, or lack of communication aren't eligible for claims against your real estate business.

By delivering quality services, you can avoid concerns about clients filing claims. Instead, the badge becomes a symbol of trust for your audience.

This prevents wasting leads that may not convert due to credibility issues.

Combine lead nurturing strategies with Google PPC ads until you amass your 5-star reviews.

Then, slowly transition to Google Local Services Ads while maintaining other lead generation methods.