Most industries, including real estate, thrive off of loyal, repeat customers. But, successful agents know sustainable business growth requires more than just repeat clients and referrals. The average duration of homeownership in the U.S. is 13 years, meaning agents must constantly attract new clients to keep their business thriving.
A tight marketing strategy and effective sales funnel can help you attract new homeowners to get more listings. Below, we’ll walk through how to build such a funnel.
Find It Fast
A step-by-step guide to building an effective seller funnel
Step 1: Identify your target audience
Is your ideal seller a professional athlete with a penthouse in the city? Or maybe it’s a family selling a suburban oasis with scenic views and French doors? Defining what kind of client you want can help you target a specific market. Consider factors like location, property type, and demographics.
In addition to knowing your ideal seller, a successful agent will also understand their pain, fears, dreams, and desires (PFDD). For example, does the professional athlete want more outdoor space and a quiet street? Is the family in the suburbs in need of an extra bedroom and a better school district? Identify what homeowners are looking for in an agent and the challenges they face in selling their homes.
To build your ideal client profile, check out our PFDD framework.
Step 2: Build a strong online presence
An engaging, professional website and active social media profiles are just the beginning when it comes to your business. Now more than ever, agents need a strong personal brand to set themselves apart in a competitive landscape.
If you want to take your online presence to the next level but aren’t sure where to begin, reach out to our experts for a free consultation.
Step 3: Develop a compelling offer for your target audience
Once you’ve identified your target audience using our PFDD framework, you can create an offer that will resonate with them beyond the “free home valuation” offer that everyone uses.
Let’s say your ideal client is the professional athlete selling the modern, city penthouse. A pain point for them might be that they’ve been traded to another team and have to move by the end of the month. Your solution might be to create a guide on tried and tested seller strategies for attracting buyers quickly in high-end markets.
Step 4: Leverage digital marketing to get in front of your target audience
Leveraging paid and organic traffic is a great way to boost visibility and reach your target audience. Here’s how both work:
Paid advertising is great for immediate results and better targeting, but it does require monetary investment. Good sources of paid traffic include Google Ads, Facebook & Instagram Ads, and YouTube Ads. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each.
- Google Ads: Great for low-volume, high-quality leads. Google Ads are more expensive than other platforms but result in higher intent leads.
- Facebook and Instagram Ads: Great for high-volume, low-intent leads. These leads are less expensive but need extensive nurturing and follow-up to convert.
- YouTube Ads: A great way to build your brand and visibility in your local area. You only pay for the clicks and can get massive visibility in your market at a low cost.
Generating organic traffic is also great for getting in front of your target audience. It requires a long-term strategy to gain visibility over time and is the most cost-effective and sustainable. Here are ways to boost organic traffic:
- SEO & Content Marketing: Sharing valuable content like market analysis, selling tips, and success stories.
- Backlinks: When credible external websites link to your website, it helps to increase your referral traffic and boosts domain authority.
Step 5: Build landing pages to capture seller leads
Once you’ve got your offer in front of your target audience, you’ll need a way to capture their contact information in exchange for access. Landing pages with a lead capture form are a great way to do this. For help with building high-converting landing pages, check out our free ebook.
Step 6: Nurture leads with a CRM
Research shows it takes at least 8 touchpoints to get an initial meeting with a lead. Most agents don’t have time to do this, so we recommend automating the process with a CRM.
You can create short-term and long-term nurturing sequences to keep in touch with potential clients. Best practices for this include personalizing your communication, including clear, compelling CTA’s, creating different sequences tailored to your offer, and sending regular updates on market trends relevant to their property or area.
Case study: A social media funnel that helps one agent close 15+ transactions a year
We recently interviewed Joey Bergandi of Velocity Realty on how he closes 15-20 transactions a year from social media alone. One of his top recommendations for agents is to provide real value, not just the same free home estimates most agents do. His team provides sellers with an estimate based on the current market, a cash offer quote, and a price after renovations.
His social presence is also well-equipped to attract new leads. One of his strategies is including a Linktree with a downloadable buyer’s and seller’s guide hosted on his Luxury Presence website. Once users have landed on his website, they must submit their contact information in exchange for access to the guides. This strategy is a simple yet effective way to build a seller funnel to attract potential customers on social media.
Get more listings with Luxury Presence
Fostering long-term relationships is essential for your business, but so is generating new leads. Building an effective sales funnel can help you reach the right clients and take your business to the next level.
For help creating and executing a sales funnel strategy that gets you listings, book a free consultation with one of our experts.