Real Estate Leads-How to Increase Referrals with Social Media

Our Real Estate Marketing Company identifies 5 ways you can increase referrals to your website using social media marketing.

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Most REALTORS® who invest in real estate marketing have one goal in mind, and that is to generate leads by increasing the traffic to their website. Various tactics are available to accomplish this goal: search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), content marketing (i.e., blogging), social media marketing etc. It takes a savvy marketer to know when to appropriate which tactic at which time and for what purpose.

The one tactic that is often overlooked by REALTORS® is social media marketing because it is often associated with “less traffic.” REALTORS® who assert this axiom are missing the big picture. Social media is an evolving platform and when used correctly can be quite useful for real estate lead generation. Although the amount of traffic is “somewhat” lower than in SEO and PPC, the conversion rates are higher by 15% or more and the cost for paid advertising is significantly less.

Unsure where to begin? Here are 5 ways to increase referrals to your website using social media:

1. Install Social Sharing Widgets

One of the easiest ways to increase referral traffic, get your content out there, and make it look appealing and quirky is to install social sharing widgets on every landing page and blog post on your website. People are far more inclined to share content if it is easy to do. If they like what they read, they will become your brand ambassadors by posting a snippet of it on their social media accounts for friends and followers to view. Those seeing the share are more likely to click on it as it was posted by someone they know or trust (Word of Mouth Marketing).

Remember, customers do not share content from pages they do not trust or consider to be thought leaders in their industry. 

2. Participating in Viral Chats

Going viral might seem like a one in a million chance. However if you stay focused on what you are good at and connect directly with your customers, you will set yourself up for success.  When a topic is trending, posts about that topic tend to surface more frequently. In other words, your reach increases without spending anything simply because you wrote about what’s on the trend. Discovering what is trending today is simple but most people are not writing blog posts and other content on a minute to minute basis. Savvy marketers need to anticipate trending topics and provide unique content that does not state what is already been stated by others.

3. Simply Ask for Them

This tactic can easily be achieved through banners and call-to-actions (CTAs), tactfully placed on social media platform. The complexity of the task lies in the message.  While you should always have a pre-made message ready to go, you should also avoid being generic and mundane.

How does this work? Let’s say you sold a home 15% over the asking price and you are proud of it. Create a post about the process and the results and even feature a few comments or testimonials from the client himself. Then, share the post on your social media platforms and promote it to followers and users living in the same area. Make it clear what you would like them to do with this post: share, like, retweet, email link etc.

4. Identify and Connect with Influencers

Reaching out to the influencers in your customer circles is another way to increase referrals to your website. There are a number of tools out there that can be used to identify the most-shared posts and the most-followed influencers within your industry. Make a connection with these influencers and show them how your services can provide value to their followers.

5. Offer Incentives

This tactic must be employed strategically. The incentive must be something that is relevant to the recipient and that they could use towards buying or selling their home. Offering accessories such as backpacks, travel mugs, t-shirts with brand logos will not do the trick. What you will need is partnerships with banks, mortgage loaners, and insurance brokers who can get your customers the best rates and deals. Another option is to write an eBook on the current industry trends. You may wish to offer the first 10 clients who sign up with you a free copy.