Real Estate Lead Generation: Capture Online Visitors

By Brandi Armstrong

As the way people do things moves more and more online, the ability for businesses to generate leads from people that are making inquires about their products and services gets more and more difficult. This is especially true for the real estate industry. People no longer have to go into a real estate office and ask to be taken around the neighborhood, they don’t need an agent to view houses, nor do they need anyone to find houses in their price range, with the number of baths and square footage desired. These things can all be done online, at their leisure and anonymously. Because the way people shop for houses has changed, real estate agents need to change the way they do things as well. They need to be able to generate leads from the people that are searching online for their next home.

A recent Pew Internet & American Life Project study found that:

• 54% of Internet users take virtual tours of houses, apartments and neighborhoods.
• 51% of Internet users research community quality of life.
• 50% search websites of real estate companies and agents.
• 24% read blogs about the community.

A savvy agent can take that information and use it to their advantage. The two most important aspects are that one, the agent can be found when Internet users are taking these virtual tours, reading blogs about the community, etc., and two that they are able to capture the leads those efforts generate. Here are 3 ways it can be done using a call capture system:

1. Because we know that people are looking for information about communities and taking virtual tours of houses and neighborhoods the agent needs to be there to provide that information. That means they need to write blogs and articles about their market. Produce virtual tours on their properties. Become an information provider by offering reports online. As one example, an agent can offer a report such as “Go From Renter To Owner In 90 Days”. By using a call capture system to automatically distribute those reports an agent will not only be able to capture the lead, but will also be able to gather vital information about the lead. They will know that the person is a renter looking to buy and with the name, address and call ID captured they will also know where they are currently living.
2. A real estate agent can also generate leads with their website by combining call capture hotline technology with the technology of the Internet. To generate leads in this way, agents can provide their call capture number with the extension for each property underneath the listings that they have advertised on their website. The agent can let the visitor know that there is more to be found out about this home. It is important to let them know that they can call the toll free number without having to talk to anyone, at anytime of the day and get free recorded information about the home. This encourages the visitor to call knowing that they won’t have to talk to anyone and they can get more information for free and at their leisure. Call capture hotlines are going to capture at least the telephone number of the caller, and in many cases also capture their name and address as well.
3. Another great tool that agents can use to generate leads online with their call capture system is a feature that allows the online visitor to enter in their telephone number and have the agent’s system call them. Visitors are impressed when they enter their phone number into the form and the agent’s system calls them within seconds. When the visitor answers the call from the call capture hotline, the system can direct them to enter in a property listing extension, offer them a free report or even direct them to press a key to speak to the agent.

Many agents are unsure how to respond to the fact that most people now shop around for their next home on the Internet. The key to success now is to be wherever those people are looking and to harness the power of the Internet to your advantage. If people are looking for information, be the agent that provides it to them and capture the lead at the same time.

Learn more by visting RealtyOne800.com.