Due to the fact that the real estate industry is rapidly changing and adapting over time to meet the changes in technology, it is vital that as an estate agent you keep your marketing tactics up to date to ensure you are staying ahead of your competition. We have produced a guide which highlights what tools and techniques you should use as an estate agent, in order to attract more landlords so you don’t have to keep those tenants waiting!
By Millie Taylor
Struggling with attracting new landlords? In need of some fresh ideas? Are the changes to Facebook ads leading you to find new methods to fill the gap?
In this guide, we will be giving away a few simple tools and techniques you can apply to your agency that will help you both in the short and long term.
Whilst the Estate Agent industry is rapidly changing and adapting to meet the changes in technology, it is important that you keep your marketing tactics up to date and ensure you are staying ahead of your competition.
With methods such as newspaper listings and an old-fashioned flyer through the door or shop window not performing as well as they used to, one way Estate Agents need to attract landlords is through Facebook.
With more than 2 billion people using Facebook every day, no matter your target audience or industry, Facebook allows you to create and run campaigns directed towards achieving your marketing goal.
Allowing you to run your ads across Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network and Messenger, by making one campaign you can be reaching a variety of audiences on a variety of platforms. With over 57% of social media users using Facebook to share content, Facebook is a great way to not only attract new landlords but also market your services. One key benefit of Facebook is that it allows you to create specific ads that will reach a tailored audience, targeting by demographics, interests, behaviours and location, with such diverse options of advertising to your target audience you can choose to spend as little or as much as your budget allows.
Facebook ads aren’t the only effective way you can market on Facebook. By utilizing the free features within Facebook such as Facebook Groups, you can potentially build stronger long-lasting relationships with landlords as well as increase your organic visibility. Facebook groups are a great way to either privately or publicly post direct and relevant content to landlords that will not only help you engage with them directly but also provide a more personal approach. From posting links to relevant blogs and articles to posting quick tips and advice, Facebook Groups are a great way of engaging with a direct audience for FREE.
Another way you can take full advantage of Facebook Groups is by picking out and utilising existing groups on Facebook e.g. specific groups for landlords. By getting your name out there and putting out what you are doing you are increasing your chances of getting noticed and indirectly building your following. By engaging with people within the industry and posting content that is relevant and knowledgeable you will also increase your credibility within the industry and landlords will see you as a trustworthy agent.
Another feature that can be beneficial for attracting landlords is through lead generation forms on Facebook, giving you the opportunity to ask a highly targeted audience for their data and information in return for something that will be beneficial to them. Lead Generation forms are a great way of collecting data that will be useful for you from audiences that are interested in what you offer. By targeting specific questions towards landlords, you are not only collecting useful information but you are also building your database as a result. With an average conversion rate for Real Estate being 10.68%, lead generation forms are a way of potentially gaining 10% more leads than you were previously.
One key opportunity when it comes to gaining landlords and real estate is offering Free Appraisals of the property. Allowing your audience to try what you offer for free before they make a decision is not only a great way of bringing in potential landlords but also a way of starting a conversation with prospects and building a relationship from the get-go. If they like what they see from the free appraisal they are more than likely to carry on and want to learn more about our business.
When it comes to attracting landlords or any form of client it is important to ensure that your approach is portrayed in an attractive and professional way, not only does this give the landlord the first impression of your services but it sets the scene for your work overall.
Lead Magnets are not only a great way of bringing in prospective landlords but they allow you to be creative and put across all of your key points that you want your audience to know. A key example of Lead Magnets for landlords could be as simple as a list of a few handy tips to a step by step guide for renting out a property. Not only are you showing landlords that you have good knowledge of the industry but you are also setting the scene for your marketing which could be a make or break. It is essential that your reader is satisfied with the content they receive.
When advertising your listings not only are you attracting potential buyers but you are also indirectly attracting landlords. By successfully advertising your listings, landlords will see how well you are marketing their properties to potential tenants and they will have the fear of missing out and feel like they need you to do the same for them. This can be done in a variety of ways such as innovative and high-quality property listing ads on Facebook.
When attracting landlords it is important to build a relationship of trust and get them to believe in your and your services, one way you can do this is through Testimonials. Testimonials are a great way to show off your services and how they have had a real-life positive impact on landlords within the industry. If a landlord can see that your services have worked and proved effective for other people within the industry then they will be instantly more inclined to invest and have trust in your services.
One way you can maximise your return on investment from Testimonies is through creating videos. Video testimonies are a great way of interacting with your audience on a more personal level and the main benefit is that your audience will see it as a more trustworthy and reliable response as a result of it coming from a real person instead of just writing down. They can also be a great resource for sending to potential landlords to allow them to resonate with the issue other landlords might be facing.
When it comes to creating content one key thing to keep in mind is that you need to create/build a relationship of authority and trust with your audience. If potential landlords are looking at your page and you don’t come across as someone they can trust then you are never going to make it past the awareness stage.
One way you can build this relationship is through posting authority content. Whether you have a professional in your team who has the knowledge to create content that will build trust between you and your audience or whether you need to look further afield for someone, creating relevant trustworthy content is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to build up trust and credibility.
Collaborating with an industry expert or professional and having them create content for yourself is also an option and will add a sense of authority and reliability to your site and business. When people see someone who is well known within the industry featuring on your site landlords are more likely to believe your site is credible and want to work with you.
When reaching out or speaking with potential clients it is important that you maintain a good conversation and don’t leave their questions or queries unanswered. When speaking with your clients, especially in the present day it can sometimes be hard to take on board everything that you have gone through during that meeting or collection of emails or calls. One simple way that you can overcome this is by creating a summary at the end of the conversation.
Creating a summary doesn’t always have to be a long-dreaded email; it can be a face-to-face message. Although the restrictions on wearing masks may create a divide when viewing properties with potential landlords, this is easy to overcome. By creating a video summary at the end of the day, pulling together everything that has been spoken about is a great way to interact with the landlord and a great way to re-approach them.
Some key things to include within this can be:
Video summaries are a great way of providing that personal approach as well as a way of building a trusting relationship with your client. As well as this they also allow you to overcome the current restrictions on wearing masks so it is a great way of letting both parties familiarise themselves with each other. Another key benefit is that the client will always have easy access to the video and it will also provide a greater user experience and could even be used as a USP…
Your selling point may not only be the make or break for your client but it is also what sets you apart from your competitors. By associating your brand with a strong reasonable price your potential landlords will be more likely to choose you over your competitors. The general mindset is that price = quality, so it is important that you do your research and don’t set your prices too high or low but find a middle ground that represents your services.
One key tip that can be used in any company but most importantly in Estate Agents is don’t get into the habit of discounting your services, this again links in with people’s mindsets as potential landlords may only come to you for your discounted price and potentially stay away from you if you are providing constant discounts on services.
One tip to think about that we have seen work well in the industry is adding levels to your sales process. From staying as simple as bronze, silver and gold, potential landlords or clients won’t want to be at the lowest level and landlords will be keen to spend more only if it means they will gain an advantage over their competitors. By giving your landlords the option to spend more money with yourself you are not only allowing them to gain a competitive advantage but you are also giving yourself a statistical advantage.
It’s a known fact that if you are wanting to grow your business and bring in more clients you need to raise awareness for yourself and your socials. Social media is potentially a free way of growing and gaining organic leads if done correctly, one key tip that we follow is to only post positive content. By posting positive content potential landlords will be more likely to see you as a brand they want to work with.
Some content ideas that can help you increase engagement and awareness is to post behind-the-scenes or day-in-the-life content, this can not only show clients that you are busy at work and show success but it can also give a more personal insight into your business and potentially put a face to a name. Another potential idea is to showcase tips and advice that your agency finds help helpful, this can help you engage with other estate agents in the industry and build awareness for your agency. This also allows for landlords to respond and potentially share your post with their followers allowing you to create conversations with people you may never have reached.
Landlords won’t want to work with an agency that is never active on social media or not putting their own marketing strategies to good use, if you can not market for yourself how will you market to other people. This is a great way to lead by example and stand out over competitors for little to no cost.
Engagement is a key part of your social media strategy, connecting you with other agencies and landlords and creating conversation. By finding a posting schedule that works best for your agency and connecting with people with whom you may not have come into contact previously, you are growing your business without paying a penny.
By leading by example, connecting with and approaching landlords and ensuring your pricing strategies are in place, these are just a few key tips that can put you ahead of your competition and bring in more landlords as a result.
If you have read this and you now don’t know where to start, at Property Webmasters we are happy to help, by inquiring with us today we can provide a structured marketing approach and help you not only gain high intent leads but grow your brand awareness and give you the best chance of bringing in landlords organically. Get in touch with us today…
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