Too many real estate professionals stick to the same old lead generation tactics.
They're missing out on a goldmine of potential clients through underutilized sources.
This guide reveals 15 clever ways to generate buyer and seller leads.
From social media wizardry to grassroots local events, you'll discover a range of online and offline strategies.
Many require little investment yet deliver impressive results when executed properly.
You'll get actionable tips to hit the ground running and maximize your return on effort with each approach.
Top agents rave about the impact of these lead sources. It's time you joined their ranks!
The Takeaway:
Generating buyer and seller leads in real estate means using various marketing strategies like social media, networking events, and targeted ads. Focus on building relationships and sharing valuable content to attract clients effectively.
Meet rAIya:
The pioneering 24/7 AI real estate assistant that actively converts leads 365 days a year.
Chapter 1: Underused Lead Sources to Boost Your Strategy
The more quality leads you can cost-effectively convert, the faster your business will grow.
Diversifying your lead generation across various online and offline channels exposes you to a broader range of potential clients.
Think outside the box and inject some fresh tactics into your lead gen mix. Here are some underrated yet powerful options to consider:
1. Instagram Lead Ads
Instagram's lead generation ads let prospects easily sign up by providing their contact details.
In exchange, you can offer incentives like market reports or home pricing guides. This instantly captures a lead to nurture further.
Instagram's powerful targeting data allows you to pinpoint your ideal audience based on exact interests, behaviors, and locations related to home buying/selling.
These leads often cost under $10 - sometimes even less than $1 - with higher conversion rates compared to Facebook ads.
These leads often cost under $10 - sometimes even less than $1 - with higher conversion rates compared to Facebook ads.
If Instagram lead ads aren't part of your strategy yet, you're missing a prime opportunity.
2. Craigslist Posting
While Craigslist may seem outdated, don't underestimate its potential with 190 million monthly U.S. visitors.
Post your listings here along with "Buyer/Seller Wanted" ads to catch attention.
For sellers, highlight your ability to facilitate a fast, lucrative sale.
For buyers, position yourself as the local expert skilled in finding great deals and negotiating successfully.
Always include clear contact information to capture leads.
3. NextDoor Networking
NextDoor is a hyperlocal app exclusively for verified residents within specific neighborhoods. This makes it perfect for connecting with potential clients in your farm areas.
4. SEO-Optimized IDX Listings
Having an SEO-optimized IDX home search on your website allows you to get found directly through search engines when people look for property listings in your area.
But don't stop at just optimizing the listing details themselves. Take it further to attract motivated buyers and sellers:
Target keywords like "best realtor," "selling a home fast," "home buying tips," along with your locations
Create content-rich pages with local insights, buyer/seller advice, and showcasing your expertise
Utilize schema markup to enhance your search engine visibility
Drive traffic to your IDX pages through other lead generation and branding efforts
5. Live Video Tours & Q&As
Live video is an engaging medium that fosters real connections with your audience. Go live on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and even TikTok for:
Listing tours and open house broadcasts
Q&A sessions about home buying/selling
Area tours highlighting local amenities
Market update discussions
Use relevant geotags and hashtags to increase local discoverability. Include links to your website and listings for easy lead capture after viewing.You can then repurpose this live content into formats like IGTV, Reels, and YouTube Shorts to maximize your exposure.
6. High-Converting Landing Pages
Dedicated landing pages focused on topics like "First-Time Home Buyer Guide" or "Get Your Home's Value" can attract laser-targeted leads.
Drive traffic to these pages through ads, social media, email marketing, and more.
Offer incentives like free home valuation reports to convert more visitors into leads.
Make sure to include opt-in forms, live chat capabilities, and clear calls-to-action to capitalize on this motivated traffic.
>> Check out this video for expert tips on building a high-converting seller landing page using home valuations. >>
7. LinkedIn Articles and Content Ads
Publish longform posts on LinkedIn to position yourself as an industry thought leader. Write detailed articles covering topics like:
First-time home buyer tips and advice
Comparing different neighborhoods and school districts
Decoding real estate terminology like home appraisals
Local housing market forecasts and trends
Promote these posts using LinkedIn's Content Ads to get in front of your ideal target demographics.
Highlight your expertise through the messaging. This boosts visibility in both the feed and search results.
Don't forget to include clear calls-to-action within your posts, driving readers to become leads by contacting you directly.
8. Reddit AMAs (Ask Me Anything)
Host an interactive Ask Me Anything session on relevant city and real estate subreddits.
Reddit users appreciate insider knowledge and the chance to have their questions answered directly by experts.
An AMA is perfect for establishing yourself as an approachable, trustworthy authority figure.
Address common buyer questions about negotiations, mortgage pre-approvals, home inspections, and more. On the seller side, share compelling local insights to grab attention.Check out this example AMA to see it in action.
AMAs allow you to build credibility and generate leads organically through thoughtful participation.
9. Targeted Quora Answering
Quora presents an excellent opportunity to showcase your industry expertise by providing valuable, in-depth answers to people's questions.
Some tips:
Search for questions related to home buying/selling in your specific market
Read each question carefully to fully understand the context
Give detailed responses with concrete examples and advice
Embed links to your website or gated content offers
Utilize Quora's location targeting to reach relevant local audiences
Consistent, insightful participation on Quora will build trust, generate leads, and cement your reputation as a go-to real estate expert.
10. LinkedIn Networking for Referrals
LinkedIn provides access to a wealth of potential referral partners like mortgage brokers, home stagers, inspectors, and moving companies in your local market.
Connect with these professionals and propose a mutual referral arrangement - you refer business their way, they do the same for you.
You can also search for expired or recently withdrawn listings, then reach out to those homeowners directly offering your services to successfully sell their property this time around.Don't forget to tap into your existing network as well.
Send connection requests to past clients, let them know you're still actively helping people buy and sell homes, and ask if they have any friends or family they could refer your way.
11. First-Time Home Buyer Seminars
Hosting in-person or virtual seminars tailored to first-time home buyers unlocks several lead generation opportunities:
Promote the educational event and any guest speakers (e.g. lenders) to attract attendees
At the seminar, highlight your value proposition as their buyer's agent and how to follow up
Record the sessions to repurpose as lead generating video content over time
Consistently follow up with all attendees to convert them into clients
Some attendees may also need assistance selling their current home before purchasing their next property, opening another lead opportunity.
12. Strategic Sign Placement
While digital marketing gets most of the hype lately, don't overlook tried-and-true offline tactics that your competition is likely neglecting.
This presents a chance to scoop up sellers they're missing.
Place eye-catching signs or banners in your farm areas saying something like "We Buy Homes FAST" with your contact information. Some homeowners will naturally reach out to learn more about a potential sale.
Even if they decide to list their home the traditional route, you've started the conversation and can follow up persistently. Running complementary direct mail campaigns promoting your full seller services will reinforce your presence.
Signs show you're proactively pursuing new listings, not just waiting for them to come to you. This assertive approach can pay dividends.
13. Snapchat Geofilters and Ads
With over 280 million daily active users, the majority of whom are 13-34 years old, Snapchat provides unique access to the next wave of home buyers and sellers.
Two strategies to explore:
Create custom, branded geofilters for your farm areas that users can apply to their snaps. Each time someone shares a snap with your filter, it exposes your business.
Run sponsored geofilter ads or story ads with visually engaging photos/videos. Make sure to include a clear call-to-action driving prospects to your other lead capture channels like Instagram and your website.
Snapchat's geofencing capabilities allow you to hyper-target specific locations where your likely customers live, work, and play.
Carefully optimize your budget and geographic settings to maximize your ad spend efficiency.
14. YouTube Video Remarketing
With YouTube remarketing ads, you can stay top-of-mind with prospects who previously watched real estate videos like home tours or neighborhood spotlights on the platform.
You only pay when someone engages with your ad, making it a cost-effective way to reconnect with this already-interested audience segment.
Use the ads to drive more YouTube viewers directly to your listings and lead capture mechanisms on your website.
The more frequent touchpoints you have through remarketing, the higher your chances of converting those warm leads when they're ready to transact.
15. Facebook/Instagram Shop Local Ads
Facebook and Instagram's localized "Shop Local" ad formats put your brand, listings, and call-to-action front and center for nearby users searching for real estate services.
You only pay when someone clicks, while the visual nature grabs attention effectively.
Use them to drive high-intent buyers directly to your listing pages and capture seller leads through complementary Facebook lead forms and landing pages on your website promoting home valuations.
The focused local targeting combined with an engaging ad experience make Shop Local campaigns a smart addition to your marketing mix.
Automated Outreach:
rAIya Voice tirelessly calls and nurtures your leads to drive qualified appointments right into your calendar.
Chapter 2: Toward an Omnichannel Approach
We've explored a variety of lead generation strategies that many agents overlook or underutilize.
Platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and even Craigslist (surprising, right?) present unique opportunities to attract potential buyers and sellers.
This wasn't an exhaustive list covering every possible lead source, though. Depending on your specific goals, budget, target market, and bandwidth, there are always more channels to test.
The key takeaway: Don't put all your eggs in one or two baskets when it comes to lead generation. Getting fixated on just a couple tactics severely caps your growth potential. Those who diversify across multiple streams simply generate more leads.
Buyer Lead Generation Strategies
For attracting prospective home buyers, here are some of the most popular and effective lead gen methods:
SEO - Optimize your website and content to rank for buyer-focused keywords like "homes for sale in [city]"
Social Media Ads - Use paid Facebook, Instagram, YouTube ads showcasing listings, guides, etc. targeting likely buyers
Email Marketing - Build an email database and send new listings, market updates, homeowner tips
Content Marketing - Create blogs, videos, podcasts on home financing, neighborhoods, schools to attract researchers
Pay-Per-Click Ads - Run Google/Bing search campaigns on keywords like "top buyer's agent"
Referrals - Ask past clients, lenders, attorneys, friends for introductions to prospective buyers
In-Person Events - Host first-time buyer seminars, neighborhood meet-ups, open houses
Lead Gen Websites - Register and capture leads from sites like Zillow, Realtor.com
Geographic Farming - Identify high-renter areas and market to those likely to purchase soon
Buyer leads require high volume, so implement a healthy mix of online and offline multi-channel initiatives.
Seller Lead Generation Tactics
In today's low inventory market, seller leads are extremely coveted yet challenging to acquire affordably. Try implementing a blend of these proven approaches:
Door Knocking - The classic door-to-door approach still works for generating seller leads
Pay-Per-Click Ads - Run search campaigns for keywords like "sell my house fast in [city]"
Expired Listings - Contact owners whose listings recently expired/withdrew to relist with you
Referrals - Incentivize buyer clients to refer any friends/family looking to sell soon
Targeted Ads - Run localized Facebook/Instagram ads promoting home valuations to track owners
In-Person Events - Host local seminars on topics like "How to Get Top Dollar When Selling"
Open Houses - Hold open houses specifically to meet and convert prospective sellers
Home Valuation Sites - Capture seller leads by offering free pricing estimates on sites like Zillow
Renter Prospecting - Identify soon-to-expire leases of potential buyers ready to sell instead
Balance your efforts across multiple channels and keep nurturing seller leads consistently until they list. Achieving a steady flow requires persistent omnipresence.
Buyer or Seller Leads?
In 2024, seller leads have become incredibly valuable. But relying only on them can be risky.
With a severe housing shortage, agents scramble for listings. Intense competition has significantly increased seller lead costs.
Many prefer seller leads for the full commission potential and instant listing payoff. Given inventory scarcity, it's alluring.
As hordes of new agents enter, standing out by pursuing every listing is critical.
Still, savvy marketers know diversifying across buyers and sellers with smart targeting yields the best ROI.
Seller leads face stiff competition and high costs in 2024. Only CRO experts who can exponentially scale and convert seller leads make the prices viable long-term.
Buyer leads tend to convert equally well or better at much lower cost due to less competition enabling cheaper prices.
This cost difference crucially shapes strategy - economically, buyer leads make perfect sense.It's also worth noting a percentage of motivated buyers have a property to sell. Capturing buyers first through home search lets you nurture them into seller leads later.
Despite seller leads' allure, many still fall into expensive home value click traps.
While these can yield results through volume and decent conversion rates, true impact requires a more advanced approach…
Striking the Balance with Ylopo
Today's top agents use a dynamic blend of digital ads, organic marketing, referrals, and networking to attract buyers and sellers simultaneously.
They leverage tech to capture, segment, and nurture leads, tailoring their approach to each side.
Enter Ylopo - a game-changing platform empowering agents. With Ylopo, you gain cutting-edge tools to instantly centralize and route all buyer and seller leads.
Our products facilitate personalized lead flows and campaigns for each segment. Plus, our AI assistant rAIya speeds up engagement and qualification based on buyer or seller intent.Ylopo helps agents balance buyer and seller leads efficiently and build a complete ecosystem for capturing motivated prospects across every transaction.
Ylopo provides the advanced tech to make this reality.
Book a demo today - let us show you how!
About the Author
Aaron “Kiwi” Franklin
Head of Growth
Aaron "Kiwi" Franklin is the Head of Growth at Ylopo and an innovative technologist and serial entrepreneur who has over 25 years of experience creating digital solutions for major brands and pioneering companies at the intersection of technology and real estate. His depth of expertise stems from leading development of the first website for Apple to founding a global community of over 1,000 elite athletes. Connect with me