On the 411th episode of Mail-Right Show, Jonathan Denwood, and Adam Brown talk about how real estate agents can get high-quality real estate digital leads in 2024. Jonathan Denwood is the joint founder of Mail-Right, a CRM and lead generation platform that also provides beautiful WordPress Websites with IDX functionality combined in one great package. On the other hand, Adam Brown is also the co-founder of Mail-Right, has a marketing agency, and is very familiar with videos, photos, SEO, and Google video reviews.
Video
Video is huge and is the staple now online, in addition to using static images on social media, which is not getting the reach that it used to nowadays. It’s not a waste of time to do static images, but it is worth your time to start implementing video. It helps attract better quality leads through Facebook, advertisement, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Implementing a video is recommended because of how much more effective and captivating it is to reach people, and it is also better for SEO. There are different platforms and types of video work on each platform.
The first is Facebook. Many people prefer to refrain from recording videos of themselves on Facebook. Instead, they developed and utilized a library of pre-recorded videos and slides. It is unnecessary for Facebook advertising and video utilization to be present in the videos, and it is still possible to create compelling videos without appearing in them. Facebook can be effectively used for branding by recording videos about the local market, showcasing properties, exploring new spaces, and promoting them — these are all valuable concepts you can do with Facebook.
Instagram has reels and stories, which are more of a vertical portrait way of holding your camera. With Instagram, you can also post your reels from Facebook.
YouTube is different because it is more about education, and people want to know about different aspects of the area. Videos on YouTube are very information-focused, as people want to know about the schools, the parks, and the market in general. When creating YouTube videos, whether you’re a real estate agent or in any other industry, ensuring your content is informative and entertaining is recommended. It won’t be as effective if the video lacks enjoyment and solely presents facts without enjoyable elements. Keep the fun aspect as you’re being resourceful and providing information to people.
A little pro tip: YouTube has the YouTube shorts. If you’re already creating content in portrait format with your phone and it’s of good quality, resourceful, and entertaining, you can share it on YouTube by keeping it short, sweet, and pretty decent. So, you can get more bang for your buck with the time and effort you put into creating videos.
If you want to utilize video, find your niche to help your videos resonate with the right target. Present valuable information related to your niche in your videos. Have a lead magnet, and provide a landing page where viewers can access that lead magnet. Including a link to the landing page in your video is essential for easy access. Also, do a monthly video about what the market is like in your area. Show some of the properties and discuss the different areas and types of properties.
For branding purposes, the more you get in front of your target audience, the more trust and management you will build up, making your other paid advertisement or other attempts to get good quality leads much easier.
You need to publish a lot of social media content to get a result on social media. You can pre-populate your post or have someone like Mail-Right help you.
Reviews
Reviews are today’s word of mouth without talking to somebody. People look for reviews when buying stuff. It tells what people are saying about a certain product or service. They’re powerful, and they’re really important.
When you have good reviews, put them on your website and utilize them on your Google Local Business Area Page or Zillow.
Getting reviews is one area that many real estate agents fail in. Reviews are one of the key factors in determining how effective your digital lead generation is compared to other people and your ability to have a system and get reviews. Reviews are also good for SEO, and Google loves them.
When you link reviews to a social media platform and utilize them on your landing page or your paid advertisement, it will increase the effectiveness of your paid advertisement. If the review is linked to an actual social media platform, then give it more credence to make a difference in how effective your outreach is, especially through paid advertisement.
Facebook Advert
Almost a year ago, Facebook encountered a challenge in dealing with the new position that Apple had brought out, making it harder for Facebook to get the information it needed to make its efforts effective. Fortunately, Facebook used artificial intelligence (AI) to address this issue and ensure effective solutions because it is affecting the results people were getting from Facebook. Now, Facebook is getting better results than ever with the reports users get.
For a real estate agent, combining Facebook Adverts and videos is important. It is also good to run some test ads and do carousels, static images, and different video formats. That way, you can test and make sure the money is going into the most effective placements, so you’re not losing as much money but also gaining more quality leads through being more strategic with your advertising.
The other thing to note is people don’t advertise long enough. So, running it for a good week, maybe even two weeks is recommended once you know which are performing better from the tests you’re doing.
Moreover, many people give too much information in their Facebook campaigns by being in the “Go Deluxe Area” on Facebook, where agents give just enough information to pique interest and prompt users to click on the effort, leading them to the landing page. However, it is important to note that if you give them too little, they have no reason to click the effort. But on the other hand, if you give them too much information, they won’t click either because they got everything they wanted.
Email And Text Marketing
When social media ads came out, many so-called gurus said the email was finished. But it was proven untrue as it is still deemed necessary and effective.
Incorporating text messaging can be powerful when building up an email list and keeping it on your database to make it up-to-date and relevant. However, sending two emails and one text message is recommended when you run a campaign for the initial 30 days. Subsequently, you can add them to the email list for ongoing communication. This strategy ensures effective communication while managing and updating your database.
Google Local Service Ads
There are ads on Google that hit your immediate area. They’re created through your Google Business account and the information you provide on your profile, so it’s super important that you fill that out correctly.
Google is competing with Zillow. When a local service is searched on Google, the top three results are associated with what’s called a MacPAC in SEO terms. These placements— usually paid— are very similar to Zillow Premier. It involves bidding; the highest bidder’s ad takes the spotlight for relevant searches. The system also considers user location, especially on mobile devices, so the searches match the location. Typically, these placements cost $50 to $70 per lead. However, a noteworthy advantage with Google is the potential for a refund if you find the lead’s quality disappointing. Zillow, on the other hand, doesn’t excel in this aspect, as they are much higher-quality leads.
Overall, the important thing here is responsiveness; if Google detects a lack of engagement, it may reduce lead distribution. Answering calls promptly is key to maintaining a consistent flow of leads. Furthermore, when you set up your Google Business Profile, claim it and fill it in. Almost 80% of real estate agents don’t set up their Google Local page correctly or don’t claim it at all.
Google Business Profiles is more expensive than Facebook advertising, but the quality of the lead is much further on the buying or selling journey than what a Facebook lead is. Their intent is much later on in the process, that’s why you have to pay that price to get them. It’s very similar to Zillow.
But as we all know, the quality of Zillow’s premium efforts, unless you pay for their screening services, which is an extra cost, like, for example, getting virtual or offshore VC to rent out the prospect. That’s all the extra cost that Zillow charges you. It gets very expensive very quickly. So, Google Local Service Ads is a much better option.
