{"id":11412,"date":"2013-03-09T10:03:23","date_gmt":"2013-03-09T15:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bhgrecareer.com\/bhgrealestateblog\/?p=11412"},"modified":"2024-12-30T11:11:03","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T16:11:03","slug":"leveraging-social-media-online-lead-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bhgrecareer.com\/bebetterblog\/leveraging-social-media-online-lead-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Leveraging Social Media for Online Lead Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Targeting, converting and nurturing online leads<\/a> are challenges many real estate professionals face. From the expense to the tools and management, knowing how and where to spend time and money can feel like an immense undertaking.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, I sat down with Scott Lehman<\/a>, Owner of Better Homes and Gardens\u00ae Real Estate Sonoran Desert Lifestyles to discuss the success they have seen as a franchise turning online fans, followers and visitors into life-long clients.<\/p>\n

Explain your online lead generation capture strategy and follow-up system.\u00a0 Can you give us a peek inside how you handle lead conversion and what a homebuyer interacting with Sonoran Desert Lifestyles online could expect?<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

Through our affiliation with Better Homes and Gardens\u00ae Real Estate, we have an awesome online lead generation and capture system with LeadRouter.\u00a0 LeadRouter is a system that allows us to organize and consistently engage a possible buyer or seller.\u00a0\u00a0 However, LeadRouter is just one third of the equation.\u00a0 Along with LeadRouter, we have one of the most detailed listing syndication programs available. This system populates our agent listings into hundreds of online real estate websites, giving international exposure to each property. It\u2019s all about exposure and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate offers the best exposure program in the industry.<\/p>\n

The third and final piece of our lead capture system is our very own website.\u00a0 Our website is designed to engage people who are searching for property in the Valley of the Sun.<\/p>\n

All three parts of the equation work together to drive leads into our LeadRouter system which is monitored in real-time to ensure any lead that is generated is contacted within one hour.\u00a0 From there, each lead is added (with their permission) to a drip email campaign that also includes various phone call touchpoints.<\/p>\n

Good online conversion rates start with quality content and a great value proposition.\u00a0 How did you find your online \u201cvoice\u201d that includes the right content which speaks to and resonates with your target market? <\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

I just love this question. I believe we have found topics that resonate with our friends around the world, but a consistent voice seems to be a moving target.\u00a0 As we grow our presence, it seems that our \u201cvoice\u201d is developing and growing right along with our friends and fans.<\/p>\n

As we define what the tone and voice of our company is, it\u2019s been important that we not just use the voice that makes us most comfortable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That means we had to stop being a real estate professional 24\/7 and start being human beings that connect in a real way with consumers.<\/p>\n

We believe an \u201conline conversation\u201d should be just that, a conversation.\u00a0 Conversations take on different tones, topics and subjects; our willingness to meet people on a more human level is what helps us to convert buyers and sellers.\u00a0 We have had the privilege of supporting both buyers and sellers who have found us from our social media outlets and believe that they connected with us because they found us to be trustworthy and human.\u00a0 Our Social Media content is meant to express that.<\/p>\n

That is a perfect segue into my next question. How does your website, blog and social media channels allow you to increase trust and build online relationships?<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

Our goal is to engage people, even if it isn\u2019t real estate related. As real estate professionals we tend to post things that engage us, rather than content that engages consumers. We on the other hand tend to share stories, events and general information about living in Arizona and the Sonoran Desert. Often times we will post things that are loosely related to the industry, whether it is something cute, funny or serious.\u00a0 The goal is to open up communication, entertain and keep people coming back for more.<\/p>\n

There is so much information out there that can be used to post to social media, but you only have a limited amount of time to create a first impression and grab someone\u2019s attention.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While we want to position ourselves as thought leaders and industry experts, we have learned through analytics that posting about mortgage rates, foreclosure rates, and local inventory levels is a huge snoozefest.\u00a0 So we use this information sparingly and instead intertwine that with fun posts, photographs, videos, agent interviews, recipes, holiday decorating tips and so on.<\/p>\n

We believe that this well-rounded, lifestyle approach creates a bond between us and our fans and followers that leads to trust and respect. Our online properties are a conduit between company and consumer that humanizes who we are and the business of buying and selling real estate.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s transition into the granular details. Tell us about your daily strategy.\u00a0 How much content are you producing and how often are you posting to your blog and social media sites?<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

Our daily strategy is simple, but does include several moving pieces designed to meet the needs of our unique audience.<\/p>\n