Lead Generation in 2021: Building a

Diversified Lead Generation System

AUGUST 6, 2021

Why you need lead generation and how to build and work an effective system.

How do you find new clients to work with in your real estate agency? If you’re attempting to find leads strictly through referrals or networking, you’re missing out on a large pool of those who are interested in working with you. That’s where a lead generation system comes in. Here’s why they are important, why you need one that is diversified, and the elements of an effective system.

What is Lead Generation?

Lead generation is the process of capturing interest in your services for the purpose of developing a sales pipeline you can nurture and market to. Good lead generation systems utilize a CRM, or customer relationship management tool, that helps you keep track of leads and notifies you when a lead is likely to make a decision so you can follow up with them personally.

Lead generation can come in many forms, including social media, video marketing, content marketing through blogs or newsletters, traditional advertising via print, radio, television, local SEO, and joining and being active in networking groups. A lead generation system, however, is a campaign (or multiple campaigns) that targets a certain audience, determines an offer that will attract that audience, and integrates with some form of technology to track the success of the campaign by determining how many leads it produces.

Why you need lead generation and how to 

build and work an effective system.

Database Marketing Strategies

The Importance of Your Website as a Realtor

How do you find new clients to work with in your real estate agency? If you’re

attempting to find leads strictly through referrals or networking, you’re missing

out on a large pool of those who are interested in working with you. That’s where

a lead generation system comes in. Here’s why they are important, why you need

one that is diversified, and the elements of an effective system.

What is Lead Generation?

Lead generation is the process of capturing interest in your services for the

purpose of developing a sales pipeline you can nurture and market to. Good

lead generation systems utilize a CRM, or customer relationship management

tool, that helps you keep track of leads and notifies you when a lead is likely to

make a decision so you can follow up with them personally.

Lead generation can come in many forms, including social media, video marketing,

content marketing through blogs or newsletters, traditional advertising via print,

radio, television, local SEO, and joining and being active in networking groups.

A lead generation system, however, is a campaign (or multiple campaigns) that

targets a certain audience, determines an offer that will attract that audience,

and integrates with some form of technology to track the success of the

campaign by determining how many leads it produces.

Why is Your Database So Important?

Your database is your key to staying in touch with those who may do business with you or who are likely to give you referrals. If you don’t have a way of keeping in touch with them and engaging with them, they will likely forget about you and their business (or referrals) will go elsewhere.

While many agents think they can keep track of those they need to touch base with by retaining their business cards, writing them down in their planner or simply remembering who they are, most are not organized and disciplined enough to do so. They need to rely on a system that involves not only building their database, but also effectively using that database to develop marketing campaigns that can include email newsletters, text campaigns, phone calls, or social media marketing strategies.

Some real estate agents decide to split their databases into two distinct groups: a lead generation group that includes only those who the realtor is attempting to gain as clients, and a sphere of influence group that includes past clients, networking and referral partners, and others who are likely to pass their names on to others who need a real estate agent. While both of these types of databases are useful, most agents find they get more business from their sphere of influence group than their lead generation group — especially if they are not using a professional, unique lead gen system.

What Mistakes Do Agents Make When Building Their Database?

Many agents suffer from “shiny object syndrome” when it comes to building their database. Instead of playing the long game and focusing on ways to slowly build their database with solid leads and close spheres of influence, they jump on the latest and greatest marketing trend and shift their efforts to a strategy they think will make them some quick sales. Unfortunately, a change in algorithm or other occurrences out of your control can easily put an end to the effectiveness of trendy marketing techniques. When you focus on building a solid database, you’ll insulate your business from external changes and reap the benefits a few years down the line when your list pays dividends and your income skyrockets.

Other agents do a good job of building a strong database, but then fail to utilize it by not creating a robust marketing strategy connected to it. Compiling the names is only part of the battle. The more important component is developing a system that consistently engages those in your database to keep them up to date and interested in what you are currently doing. Your system also needs to have “triggers” to let you know when someone in your database is at a stage where they might make the decision to work with you or pass on a referral so you can follow up with a phone call or an in-person meeting.

The Wrong Messaging

Build and Market to Your Database

As a realtor, your database is your best friend. This is your list of past, current, and prospective clients as well as referral sources who can help grow your business. A basic rule of thumb is that an effective database consists of around 1000 names and contact information. Once you’ve built a solid database, you can market to your contacts through regular email newsletters, texts, or personal invitations to events or open houses. The marketing you do to your database should follow the same guidelines as your social media marketing: keep content informational and helpful rather than salesy. This keeps your contacts engaged with your brand and ensures they will continue to pay attention to what you have to say even when they are not actively looking to buy or sell real estate.

Harness the Power of Social Proof

The theory of social proof states that people are likely to conform and copy the actions of those in their peer group or those they view as experts or who are trustworthy. When it comes to real estate marketing, you can take advantage of social proof by featuring testimonials on your site and social media, soliciting online reviews from those you’ve done business with, and by establishing yourself as an authority on the local real estate market with helpful, informative content. When you harness the power of social proof, you essentially have others selling for you and no longer have to hustle or chase leads.

2. Links to Active Social Media Profiles

Having a strong social media presence shows your

potential clients that you are up to date, active in the

industry, and committed to connecting with those you

work with. To make it easy for your website visitors to

connect with you on social media, make sure you add

links to each of the platforms you are on.

2. Links to Active Social Media Profiles

Having a strong social media presence shows your

potential clients that you are up to date, active in the

industry, and committed to connecting with those you

work with. To make it easy for your website visitors to

connect with you on social media, make sure you add

links to each of the platforms you are on.

Database Marketing Strategies

The Right Messaging

Why is Lead Generation Important for Realtors?

Real estate is all about relationships. To nurture relationships that lead to

sales and referrals, you need to have a system that continually exposes you

to new people and helps you engage them in multiple ways to build a

relationship. There is only so much networking you can do on your own.

A strong lead generation system will reach those you cannot meet in person

as well as categorize those you’ve already started the relationship-building

process with so you can continue to give them valuable information and

strengthen their trust in you.

Mistakes Realtors Make with Lead Generation

Many agents attempt to put lead generation systems in place only to find they

don’t return strong leads. Here are some of the most common mistakes

when creating and maintaining a lead gen system:

■ Trying to do it by themselves. Unless you have an in-house marketing team

knowledgeable in lead gen, you are always better off hiring a professional to

help you with your system.

■ Not being consistent. If you put a system in place and don’t consistently

work it, the leads will dry up.

■ Relying on only one source of leads. More information on why that’s a

mistake in the next section!

Now that you understand that talking yourself and your accomplishments up on your site is the wrong messaging, let’s take a look at the content that works. Here are some tips on creating messaging that resonates with your target audience:

Content that is helpful. What are the issues your ideal client is dealing with? Are they attempting to buy and sell homes at the same time and need assistance with financing a down payment? Are they struggling to find a home they are interested in due to low inventory? Are they trying to decide if they should relocate or buy a second home now that they are empty-nesters? Identify the pain points in your target market, then address those points through blog posts that you then share on social media and in newsletters that go out to your database.

Content that establishes you as an expert. Those looking for help buying or selling property want to work with the best. To show that you are an expert in your local community and industry, develop content that revolves around neighborhood events, local real estate news, and other industry issues.

Content from experts and past clients. When you use the power of social proof to develop your website content, you let others do the selling for you. Social proof is the phenomenon where others copy the actions of people they see as peers or as trusted individuals. If they see your past clients talking about your high level of customer service in a video testimonial or read reviews from experts in the industry who have worked with you, they will be more likely to choose you as their realtor.

Content that stays ahead of the game. Your ideal client wants to know what’s going on in the industry as soon as possible. They also don’t want to read the same old content on your site that they’ve read on all your competitors’ sites. To address these needs, stay on the cutting edge of the industry and share information your visitors can’t get anywhere else.

Components of an Effective Lead

Generation System

How the Right Messaging Increases Conversions

Why is Lead Generation Important for Realtors?

Real estate is all about relationships. To nurture relationships that lead to sales and referrals, you need to have a system that continually exposes you to new people and helps you engage them in multiple ways to build a relationship. There is only so much networking you can do on your own. A strong lead generation system will reach those you cannot meet in person as well as categorize those you’ve already started the relationship-building process with so you can continue to give them valuable information and strengthen their trust in you.

Mistakes Realtors Make with Lead Generation

Many agents attempt to put lead generation systems in place only to find they don’t return strong leads. Here are some of the most common mistakes when creating and maintaining a lead gen system:

■ Trying to do it by themselves. Unless you have an in-house marketing team knowledgeable in lead gen, you are always better off hiring a professional to help you with your system.

■ Not being consistent. If you put a system in place and don’t consistently work it, the leads will dry up.

■ Relying on only one source of leads. More information on why that’s a mistake in the next section!

Why Do You Need a Diversified Lead Generation System?

Many real estate agents make the mistake of thinking that a single lead

generation source is enough to accomplish their goals. They may buy a lead

gen system from a seller who promises big ROIs only to find that the platform

changes or dissolves without ever fulfilling their goals. This puts them back

to square one, scrambling to find another source of leads.

When you instead go with a diversified lead generation system, you enjoy a

consistent lead flow no matter what algorithm or platform changes there are.

You make decisions from a place of abundance and a business owner mindset

instead of as a salesperson who lacks leads. You are also not dependent on

one source to provide all your business. If part of your system needs some

tweaks, you can rely on other parts of it to pick up the slack so you won’t

see a huge drop-off in leads.

How to Build a Diversified Lead Generation System

To best hedge your risks and ensure you have a steady flow, you need to make

sure you are generating leads from multiple sources at once. Many agents

rely just on referrals or just on one form of advertising or just on one lead

gen platform. Instead, you need to create an advertising ecosystem that

generates awareness, builds your credibility with those who are in-market,

and converts ready-to-go buyers and sellers through various traffic channels.

Some of the elements we at Luxury Presence use to create diversified lead

generation systems include:

■ Facebook and Instagram ads. These ads can be extremely targeted to reach

your ideal client based on demographics such as income level, geographic

location, and interests.

■ Google Adwords. Ensure your agency comes up first when potential clients

search for terms like “new homes in Portland” or “luxury real estate Chicago.”

We help you develop a budget to get you to the top of searches in your area.

■ Geo-targeting ads. We use location data to reach clients and deliver a

message that is appropriate for their behavior and locale.

■ Landing pages. Direct those interested in your properties or services to a

specific page on your website where you can give them more information

and capture their contact information.

■ Retargeting ads. Once a lead has visited your landing page, an ad for your

services will appear on other sites they visit, reminding them of their interest

and encouraging them to reach out to you.

■ Lead nurture funnels. Take the guesswork out of sales by learning when to

take the next step with a lead and when they are ready to be contacted in person.

■ Monthly reports. You’ll always know how your ads are performing with our

analytic tools. These also help our team tweak and repeat your ads to get the

best ROI possible.

■ A dedicated success team. You shouldn’t have to create and maintain a lead

generation system on your own. Our dedicated success team has the knowledge

and expertise to create the perfect system for you so you can continue doing

what you do best: building your business.

Ready to take your business to the next level by implementing a diversified lead

generation system? Reach out to the expert team at Luxury Presence for

assistance. We create effective systems for agents all over the country, and we’d

love to do the same for you.

Why Do You Need a Diversified Lead Generation System?

Many real estate agents make the mistake of thinking that a single lead generation source is enough to accomplish their goals. They may buy a lead gen system from a seller who promises big ROIs only to find that the platform changes or dissolves without ever fulfilling their goals. This puts them back to square one, scrambling to find another source of leads.

When you instead go with a diversified lead generation system, you enjoy a consistent lead flow no matter what algorithm or platform changes there are. You make decisions from a place of abundance and a business owner mindset instead of as a salesperson who lacks leads. You are also not dependent on one source to provide all your business. If part of your system needs some tweaks, you can rely on other parts of it to pick up the slack so you won’t see a huge drop-off in leads.

How to Build a Diversified Lead Generation System

To best hedge your risks and ensure you have a steady flow, you need to make sure you are generating leads from multiple sources at once. Many agents rely just on referrals or just on one form of advertising or just on one lead gen platform. Instead, you need to create an advertising ecosystem that generates awareness, builds your credibility with those who are in-market, and converts ready-to-go buyers and sellers through various traffic channels.

Some of the elements we at Luxury Presence use to create diversified lead generation systems include:

■ Facebook and Instagram ads. These ads can be extremely targeted to reach your ideal client based on demographics such as income level, geographic location, and interests.

■ Google Adwords. Ensure your agency comes up first when potential clients search for terms like “new homes in Portland” or “luxury real estate Chicago.” We help you develop a budget to get you to the top of searches in your area.

■ Geo-targeting ads. We use location data to reach clients and deliver a message that is appropriate for their behavior and locale.

■ Landing pages. Direct those interested in your properties or services to a specific page on your website where you can give them more information and capture their contact information.

■ Retargeting ads. Once a lead has visited your landing page, an ad for your services will appear on other sites they visit, reminding them of their interest and encouraging them to reach out to you.

■ Lead nurture funnels. Take the guesswork out of sales by learning when to take the next step with a lead and when they are ready to be contacted in person.

■ Monthly reports. You’ll always know how your ads are performing with our analytic tools. These also help our team tweak and repeat your ads to get the best ROI possible.

■ A dedicated success team. You shouldn’t have to create and maintain a lead generation system on your own. Our dedicated success team has the knowledge and expertise to create the perfect system for you so you can continue doing what you do best: building your business.

Ready to take your business to the next level by implementing a diversified lead generation system? Reach out to the expert team at Luxury Presence for assistance. We create effective systems for agents all over the country, and we’d love to do the same for you.