The team at Tech Savvy Agent gets asked all the time about how Realtors are leveraging Craigslist to generate leads that convert and are consistent/quality.  We had the pleasure recently of meeting Scott Pierce who has worked with major Silicon Valley firms including Oracle, Cisco Systems, Intel, Apple Computer, Applied Materials and more.  Scott is the founder of Listings-to-Leads, a leading provider of lead generation tools for real estate brokers and agents on Craigslist, eFlyers and other online sources. Formerly the Director of Online Marketing at a leading Sotheby’s International  Realty affiliate, Listings-to-Leads was born from the need to generate more leads for agents and brokers using their listings, the number one searched item by online consumers.

Scott put together an awesome explanation of how the system works and has even included data(which is always nice when choosing a lead provider) from some of his current clients that are seeing success.  Please feel free to leave your thoughts on this unique service below or link over and ask Scott directly, but we  must admit that it is definitely a Tech Savvy option!

You Get More Leads & More Listings

with an Online Marketing Funnel, Not a Sieve.

The Online Leader in Lead Generation

Online Lead Generation and Listings are two sides of the same coin. Your listings can help you develop a stronger online lead generation program and having a strong online lead generation program can help you get more listings.

How? It starts with your listings.

According to Google, your listings are what online consumers search for when they go on the Internet searching for real estate. The most common real estate related search terms on the Internet are “Homes for Sale” and the location or “Real Estate for Sale” and the location. In both cases people are searching for LISTINGS!!! Your listings!!

This means that listings are the number one online marketing asset that you have as a Realtor or Broker. And they are also the most cost effective online marketing asset you have.

The Sieves

Most real estate related websites are popular in part because they centralize a lot of listings from all over the country. These websites benefit by getting as many listings as they possibly can on their websites to drive traffic from people searching real estate online.

But these websites do not benefit by just showing people your listings, they benefit by providing online consumers links to other tools and information that they (the online consumers) are looking for like mortgage information, relocation information, community information, etc.

By consolidating as many listings as possible from Realtors and Brokers throughout the country and then providing these value added tools and information, real estate related websites make money by directing online consumers to OTHER agents, brokers and service providers that pay to be featured or otherwise highlighted and linked to.

What does this mean to the Realtor and Broker whose listings are attracting the online consumers to these websites in the first place? It means they are losing a large percentage of the traffic and leads that they could be getting if they were the one providing the other information that they want.

The Funnel

Of all the websites on the Internet, only  Craigslist allows you to post your listing (what the online consumers are searching for) along with a links to the tools and information online consumers also want at YOUR website vs. sending them somewhere else and to someone else!

By providing links to the tools and information that online consumers want around your listing that the online consumer is searching for, you create a funnel that will bring the online consumer to you vs. sending them to someone else like a sieve.

Surround your listing with the tools and information at your website and leverage online consumer interest and generate both website traffic and leads! Create your funnel!

Marketing Funnel Results

What kind of results can you expect with a strong marketing funnel? The results of brokers that have used this approach tell will give you the answer:

A medium sized broker in New Jersey sees the results in the traffic to their website as follows:

1. Craigslist (Listings-to-Leads) – 50.4%

2. Google – 29.4%

3. Yahoo Search – 3.35%

4. Trulia – 3.29%

A small broker in South Carolina see the results of their website traffic explode by using the principal of the online marketing funnel too.

1. Craigslist (Listings-to-Leads) – 47.7%

2. Yahoo! Real Estate – 29.4%

3. Trulia – 8.3%

Brokers that utilize an online marketing funnel vs. a sieve can expect similar results!

Marketing Funnels and Sellers

The more online leads that you funnel to you by providing the listing information they are searching for along with the other tools and information they want, means the more people you communicate with and talk to.

And the more buyers you talk to, the more buyers you get to talk to about your listings!! If you are not the one talking to the online consumer, then you are obviously not going to be able to talk to them about your listings.

This directly impacts the seller and the ability for them to get their property sold!!

First, educate the seller about the fact that it is their property, the listing, that buyers are searching for online. Then show the seller how you are going to surround their listing with links to the tools and information at your website that will not only generate leads to you from people who want more information about real estate in general, but also allow you the ability to talk to more people about the sellers property!

View a video presentation on how to use this principle in your next listing presentation here.

So remember it is your listings that people are searching for on the Internet! Put the tools and information around them that people also want that link back to YOUR website and create an online marketing machine that will help you get more leads and more closings this year!

Listings-to-Leads