TikTok Adds Instagram-Like Features: photos, longer-captions, etc.

TikTok’s given Instagram a “taste of its own medicine,” so to speak.

Instagram has been copycatting TikTok’s features, one after the next:  video formats, algorithmic adjustments, and more. Well, recently TikTok’s returned the favor with a couple of its own, notable updates.

1. TikTok Post Caption/Description Character Count: the platform has raised the limited number of characters from 300 to 2,200 – which, coincidentally, is the same as rival, Instagram. Go figure.

2. TikTok Photo-Mode: upload still images/photos (instead of strictly video media) and post. Thees are NOT TikTok Stories. That’s a different feature. You’re able to overdub background music and you can even upload multiple photos whereby viewers can swipe through comparable to Instagram carousel/gallery posts.

How to Generate Home Seller Real Estate Leads (Organically) with Your Google Business Profile

Here’s how to attract seller-clients on Google. After all, everybody knows you’ve gotta LIST to LAST!

Start by asking yourself—if you were in the market to purchase a home, for instance—what would YOU be Googling? The answer is… that buyers search for homes. For example:

• “Homes for sale in ____.”

• “Homes for sale near me.”

So what about sellers?—what do they search for? Many in our industry presume they search phrases like, “What’s my home worth?”

But have you ever gotten one of those “home valuation” types of leads? They have barely any intent to sell whatsoever. They’re leads, of course—just leads with characteristically very, very low intent.

So… what do sellers actually Google? In a word:  YOU.

Sellers search for you, the agent.

• “Best REALTOR in ____.”

• “Top listing agent near me.”

The question is… do they find you or your competitors? That depends on a couple particulars of tremendous SEO importance:

1. Your Google Business Profile

2. Your website/domain.

As far as the former is concerned, it needs to be a top priority to procure seller reviews on your profile. The keywords in those reviews are pure money. As for your domain—in blogs, throughout its pages, and all over your site—feed Google the keywords that sellers are searching and it’ll help you rank.

What You Do in Repetition Shapes Who You are in Reputation

Calls made, texts and emails sent, videos posted, reviews published, and/or postcards delivered ALWAYS add up.

Trust the process. Your ongoing sales/marketing activities are developing into something BIG... like a penny that doubles in value daily for thirty straight days, ultimately tallying up to millions! So stay the course.

Lots of agents reason:  “I’ve got more important stuff to do today than posting another video, asking a client (yet again) for an online review, or arbitrarily ‘checking-in’ with a past client to see how they’re doing.”

The day-in and day-out minutia of sales and marketing activities can often seem trivial—like a few measly pennies, if you will.

But you can’t look at it like that—as if it’s just one-and-done. Over time—bit-by-bit and day-by-day—the pennies multiply into a fortune.

Point is, that next video, that postcard, and/or that email, for instance, probably isn’t gonna get you your next sale; but, in due course, those videos, those postcards, and/or those emails will snowball into a perpetual source of sales.

Do it again and again and don’t stop — because that’s when the value piles on. Dabblers never bring in the harvest.

4 Tips to Prevent Your Instagram Account Getting Hacked

It seems, lately, that Instagram has been under attack with accounts getting hacked, impersonators springing up all over, and scams galore.

Don’t get me wrong, these issues are prevalent on pretty much all mainstream social platforms. Nonetheless, it’s estimated 30,000 Instagram accounts get hacked daily. Yikes 😱

The good news is, there are measures you can put in place to help mitigate your exposure.

Granted, there’s no perfect defense or 100%-effective safeguard -- however, the tactics herein are certainly smart ideas.

1. Third-Party Logins: Lots of sites/apps allow you to link your Instagram account: e.g. social publishing tools or reporting platforms. The risk is—in the event one of those platforms’ user-data becomes comprised—so does your IG login. To check and see which apps/sites are “connected,” tap the menu button (☰), hit Settings, press Security, and then tap Apps and websites. The fewer, the better.

2. Two-Factor Authentication:  On Instagram (or anywhere you’re logged in) it’s vital to have two-factor authentication enabled whereby you're sent a one-time code to authenticate any attempted login. Instagram, for instance, allows you to authenticate via text-message, WhatsApp, or by means of a third-party authenticator app. The third-party app is generally the most secure option. 

3. Email/DM Malicious URLs: Cybercriminals notoriously make use of malicious URLs to loot your login info. That means they’ll DM or email you a link that doesn’t do what you think it does. This is an especially common tactic used by impersonators or hackers peddling exclusive perks—like Blue-Checks offers, for instance. Scroll through the next few cards to review common deceptions.

   • Phony “Copyright” Infringement Scams: Watch out for phony “copyright infringement” messages. Instagram won’t DM you—they’ll either display an in-app notification or email you. However, hackers could also email you, imitating an official-looking correspondence. If you get an email you’re not sure is safe, you can check in the Insta app. Tap the menu button (☰), then Settings, hit Security, and finally, select “Emails from Instagram.”

   • Fake “Suspicious Activity” Alerts: Fake suspicious/unusual activity warnings are go-to hacker tactics. Slow down and think before you click the link! Remember, you can double-check any Instagram email in the app to certify its authenticity. What’s more, Insta only emails from its @mail.instagram.com address. And don’t forget… Instagram won’t DM you these sort of notices.

   • “Lookalike” Impersonator DMs:  Hackers create bogus accounts with (almost-matching) usernames, scrape an creators’ content (e.g. posts, profile name, bio, etc.) to make you think it’s them, buy followers to appear credible, block the actual creator to tie their hands, so to speak, and then message that creator's followers as if it's really them—only, it’ll eventually turn into a crypto pitch. If you ever get a DM like this, double-check that you actually follow the account. When you open the message, beneath their (stolen) profile pic, it’ll specify if you follow them. That said, perhaps you followed them unknowingly. If that's the case, be sure to look closely at the username to see whether or not it’s genuine. And if they try to sell you crypto—well, that’s a pretty good clue too.

4. Data-Leaked Passwords: Passwords are a pain to manage. Nonetheless, be wary of using the same password across the web. If there’s a data leak, for instance, your password could be getting "passed around" the dark web. Hackers may retrieve portions of your IG login credentials and obtain leaked PW datasets to try and break into your account. Also make sure your two-factor authentication is turned on! 

Your Community is a “Cash-Cow!” (for Repeat and Referral Real Estate Opportunities)

Your community is a CASH🤠COW. Per to the Nat’l Association of REALTORS®:

• 68% of sellers selected an agent-for-hire via repeat/referral business

• 60% of buyers selected an agent-for-hire via repeat/referral business

So roughly 2/3rds of your total business (statistically speaking) could/should flow from your database of past-clients and/or sphere-of-influence (PC/SOI) contacts.  The fact is, you simply can’t afford to overlook them! Now—don’t mishear me—I’m NOT saying you shouldn’t diversify your lead generation. Far from it.

My point is… real estate has been, is, and will remain a know-you, like-you, trust-you form of business.

So… If you’re not adequately nurturing your database, then—based on the numbers ⏫—somebody else is earning that business.

Notwithstanding, loads of agents are, for instance, apprehensive to ask outright for the referral. If that describes you, I wonder, is it perhaps due to a sense you’re not offering enough ongoing value?—that once the deal closed, for all intents and purposes, the job was done?

Author Jay Baer describes marketing as being… “so useful, people would pay you for it.”

Is your database marketing useful like that? If not, an opportunity tallying-up to more than 60% of your total business is perhaps awaiting your attention. Consider the following:

• Coordinate annual equity reviews whereby you meet with clientele to review the current market valuation of their home(s) once-a-year – strictly as a courtesy

• Publish social media posts/videos that supply valuable insight to keep your PC/SOI informed as to what’s going on in your local marketplace 

• Send out reoccurring email campaigns that give lean heavy on SHARING, not SELLING

• Run a (private) Facebook Group that’s there to foster community and keep you connected with your people

• Host special events just for your folks

My point is… Invest in your community and it’ll flourish!

How to Use Contextual Keywords to Improve your Google Business Profile Ranking Position

If you run a Google search 🔎 like, “Best REALTOR near me,” you’ll trigger what’s known as the Map-Pack (aka, the “Local Pack”)—a section of Google’s search results page that displays the top three local businesses respective to your search.

The money 🤑—in terms of getting discovered by prospective customers—is in the Map-Pack!

Trouble is, Google only ranks the top three business profiles (formerly, Google My Business) out of however many local competitors are in your marketplace.

So the question is:  What can you do to get yours to rank?

There are loads of tactics to get your Google Business Profile to rank higher. In fact, here’s a bunch of blogs I’ve written on the topic:

• https://www.jasonpantana.com/blog/tag/Google+Business+Profile

• https://www.jasonpantana.com/blog/tag/Google+My+Business

The technique described herein, however, is one that’s often overlooked.

Perhaps you’ve noticed underneath the three profiles listed in a Map Pack, Google often displays excerpts from reviews OR phrases like, “website also mentions…” that relate to the search query.

These snippets are called Local Justifications.

In essence, they’re Google’s defense as to why it chose to rank a given profile over its competitors—as if it was calling a super-tight race or something. Google will even bold and emphasize the keywords that match verbatim with the subject search—like “best realtor,” for example.

Words like BEST, TOP, LISTING AGENT, and so on are called contextual keywords and they’re displayed often in Local Justifications.

So here’s the idea:  incorporate those types of words and phrase throughout your website and, when you ask for reviews, try to prime clients (indirectly) to integrate some of that language.

Warning, though—Google’s adept to infer if a review was influenced by a business owner and, if suspected, it’ll quickly filter-out that review.

In terms of the keywords to prioritize, break ‘em into three buckets:  nouns, verbs, and modifiers.

• NOUNS:  your business name, your category of business (e.g. real estate agent, etc.), and where you conduct business (e.g. Nashville, TN)

• VERBS:  terms that describe the services you perform, such as “buy,” “purchase,” “sell,” “list,” “lease,” “invest,” et al.

MODIFIERS: terms that describe (e.g. adjectives/adverbs), like “best,” “top,” “number 1,” and so on.

How to be the “Knowledge Broker” (for REALTORS); the Housing Market is Volatile

“How’s the market?" I’d wager that’s the question you (i.e., REALTORS®) hear most often. Probably multiple times a day. Thus, it’s super important to equip yourself to answer satisfactorily.

And, in order to do that, you’ve gotta prioritize market research and study every day. You can hardly assume the title, “knowledge broker,” without knowledge.

MY ADVICE:

• Read/watch everything @keepingcurrentmatters publishes

• Utilize your MLS to analyze market-localized stats and analysis.

• Setup a Google Alert for the term, “Real Estate.”

Program it to send you a daily digest of the top-trending news articles related to the term, “real estate,” so you’re always in touch with what may be on the minds of buyers and sellers in your area. Simply visit alerts.google.com, type “real estate” into the search bar, tap, “Show options,” then, under Sources, select “News,” and finally, specify any other preferences. Once it’s configured, just watch your inbox for updates on the daily.

The real estate market is volatile. News headlines “doom-monger” about its future conditions—speculating of corrections, collapses, crashes, and so on.

Consequently, buyers and sellers in your marketplace will look/listen to the knowledge broker – and I’d sure like for that to be you. So seek to answer that question—“How’s the market?”—in your videos, your emails, and more. Be your community’s agent-authority.

Instagram Story Videos Now Up-to 60 Seconds Long and Useable as Instagram Reels

Instagram Stories update:  you might’ve heard the news that IG Story videos under 60-second runtimes will no longer be auto-divided into 15-second segments, as has been the case.

The significance is that Instagram is—step-by-step—merging its various video formats into, effectively, one configuration:  VERTICAL ↕️

What’s more, Instagram has been prompting its users recently to “make a Reel” when posting a string of Stories. Instagram launched Templates for Reels a while back, and so it’s programmed to detect which of your Story-sequences match-up with an available Template. If you follow the prompt to “make a Reel,” for instance, it’ll even load your Stories into the designated Template frames automatically. 🤯

The point is… all video is vertical and it seems as if IG is working toward a convergence of some form… whereby all videos—Story-posts or Feed-posts—populate in its main feed. Just making some predictions here. :D

The Driving-Factor of a Top-Producer’s Success

Stating the obvious here: nothing gets FINISHED that hasn’t been STARTED.

Last month I interviewed mega-agent and team-leader Phil Gerdes during a conference, and we got to talking about the driving factors behind his success in the real estate business.

He said, ultimately, it’s been the product of his unremitting consistency – in essence, “Do the thing and have the power.”

Notwithstanding—we continued our discussion—people are wildly “consistent” all the time at completing nonproductive tasks or deeds – or at avoiding productive ones. In fact, at the risk of sounding somewhat disparaging, it’s kind of predictable human behavior—the path of least resistance, if you will.

The word, “consistency”—all by itself—is an insufficient term to explain someone’s success. That was our conclusion.

In order to be truly consistent, we reasoned—there’s got to be a commitment; there has to be something compelling you to do the thing that produces the power, so to speak.

It’s what Tom Ferry has said over-and-again:  “You’re either interested or committed.”

There was a study I came across once that investigated what happens to a person who becomes lost in a forest, desert, or some other type of wilderness when they have no map, compass, or stars to guide them.

It turns out that when lost, people will instinctively begin wandering in circles... UNLESS they have a clear point-of-reference, like a faraway mountaintop. If you’re able to lock eyes onto a fixed destination, for instance, then—whatever the cost—you’ll commit your way toward it unswervingly.

It’s true—technically speaking—that things only ever get done after they get started… and 2023 is around the corner, friends – so watcha gonna get started?

4 Email Marketing Optimizations for Mobile Devices

Most of the folks are opening your email campaigns on a smartphone 📲. Case in point, HubSpot reports 41% of all email views 👀 come from mobile devices. Here’s the full breakdown:

‒ Mobile ➟ 41%

‒ Desktop ➟ 39%

‒ Tablet ➟ 19%

‒ Other ➟ 1%

On that account, here are FOUR mobile-first email marketing optimizations:

1. Keep the subject-line short and to the point. Campaign Monitor recommends a max of 41 characters. Why? Simple… It’s because your phone’s screen isn’t very wide ↔️. If your subject line exceeds the character limit, for instance, the inbox is just gonna show a generic, “•••” for whatever text doesn’t fit.

2. Make any buttons 🔘 in the content of your email easily tappable. If it’s just hyperlinked text, for instance, it could be easy for a viewer to overlook or mis-click a link. Point is, make sure any important links are easy targets for the press of a viewer’s thumb 👍

3. Use LARGE-SIZED TEXT. If you’ve got excessive line spacing or if the email is just hard to read because your font is too tiny, it’s gonna drive down the overall performance of your campaign.

4. Avoid using email templates with side-bars, columns, or any special layouts other than a single-column ↕️. Thanks to social media, we’re all used to scrolling through feeds. My thought is… Your email should function the same. If the user has to pinch-and-zoom to read your email, then—frankly—your email’s broken.

How to Let Your CONTENT Sell for You

Canned posts 🥫 published for the purpose of checking a box won’t move the needle forward marketing-wise. Content for its own sake is, for all intents and purposes, meaningless.

On the other hand, when you’re willing to share your best professional advice by way of videos, blogs, emails, and more—you’re giving your audience genuine value. Nowadays especially, resolve to be the knowledge-broker.

I like how Jim Rohn put it: “Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.”

You’ve heard me say it before… When your content is contribution—every time you post to social, send an email, or publish a video that confers VALUE, in effect, you’re selling your services—only, nobody’s gonna call you salesy. Instead, they’ll just 📲 call you!

FB Business Pages Can No Longer Post Real Estate Listings to Facebook Marketplace (Effective January, 2023)

You might’ve received an email from Meta today informing you that your Facebook Business Page would be restricted from posting real estate listings to the Facebook Marketplace, effective January, 2023.

For reference, the Facebook Marketplace is the buy/sell classified ad section of Facebook. It’s essentially Facebook’s version of Craigslist—within which, for instance, users can list properties for rent and/or sale.

When launched in 2016 only Personal Facebook Profiles were eligible to use it. However, they eventually rolled it out for the use of Facebook Business Pages. But now, regrettably, Meta is rescinding Facebook Business Pages from posting real estate listings (or vehicles, not that this matters to us) to the Marketplace. Bummer. 😢

Notwithstanding, you can still post real estate listings to the Marketplace through your Personal Profile. The major drawback, of course, is that—when posted via a Business Page—Meta collected data whereby you could create ads to retarget anyone who viewed or engaged with your Marketplace listing.

Granted, I don’t believe I’ve ever met an agent who utilized that particular feature. 🤔 In fact, I even made a video about it like two years ago… watch it here if you want:  https://bit.ly/3fwLP63.

Bottom line, though… you CAN still post real estate listings to your Facebook Business Page, boost those posts, run ads, and so on. None of that has changed. The only new restriction here is in respect to posting real estate listings in the Facebook Marketplace.

Hope this is helpful for everyone! :D

Realtors are Cost-Cutting Marketing as the Real Estate Market Adjusts (And It’s an Opportunity)

As the real estate market continues to adjust and decelerate, my opinion is that change creates chances (meaning, it presents new opportunities).

Fear and uncertainty has led far too many agents to slash their marketing budgets, essentially cost-cutting their way into “feeling safe.”

And because of decisions like that, the overall cost-per-lead on advertising platforms like Google and Facebook, for instance, has been on the decline. So… like I said:  change creates chances!

In a world where things are getting all-the-more expensive – marketing, apparently, has gone on sale (at least in some sense).

Once claimed territories and zip codes offered by third-party home search portals (like Zillow or Realtor.com) have suddenly become available.

What’s more, listing agents are pulling back on their property marketing efforts (super bad timing, if you ask me!) because, with days-on-market on the rise in some areas, they’re nervous to tie up too much cash while waiting to recoup at closing.

The point is… Lots of agents are giving up their “seats” 🪑 at the proverbial “table.” So, my thinking is, you oughta go and sit yourself down.

I’ve said it before… Fast markets, slow markets; up markets, down markets; strong markets, weak markets—no matter the market circumstances, remember—NEVER STOP MARKETING! 👊

5 Database Marketing and Nurturing Tactics (for REALTORS)

Your database of past clients and center-of-influence contacts is, in all likelihood, your BEST source of business. Question is, are you“working it” sufficiently?

Per the Nat’l Association of REALTORS®, 68% of sellers and 60% of buyers identify an agent for hire via REPEAT/REFERRAL. 🤯

Fact is, if you’re not fully-leveraging your database—no doubt—it’s costing you. 💸

Here’s a quick list of marketing ideas to more effectively nurture your database:

1. Weekly Email Round-Up.  Email marketing is WAY underrated—and I know why. It’s because far too many agents are sending out canned, pre-written emails that  don’t work. My advice: start to view email as a channel for distributing your content. As you publish blogs, videos, and more, assemble and send out a weekly email digest. It’ll improve your performance metrics and, more importantly, it’ll nurture your database.

2. Google Display Network Ads.  Position your brand across the web via the Google Display Network—i.e., the banner ads you see scattered across sites and apps in side-bars, pop-ups, footer-bars, and elsewhere. They'll help keep you top-of-mind with your database. Head over to Ads.Google.com to setup a new ad campaign and upload your database contacts for retargeting. Type in this URL to watch my tutorial:  bit.ly.JP-GDN

3. Handwritten Notes/Cards.  Let’s face it:  some marketing channels give off a phony vibe. Like, I don’t feel warm and fuzzy when I get a mass text message that reads:  “Reply STOP to unsubscribe." But handwritten notes, I've gotta confess, are pretty-darn touching. Trouble is, they’re high-effort!—or, at least, they were. Look at bulk-sending plat-forms like Audience.co or AddressableMail to nurture your database with personalized, handwritten notes and cards.

4. Educational Webinars.  I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill "first-time homebuyer" or basic "seller" seminars/webinars. I'm talking about offering webinars on much more nuanced, relevant topics. Imagine inviting your database contacts  to monthly webinars in which you tackled the most relevant topics of the day—especially now, as the market is highly volatile. My advice:  be the knowledge broker!

Home Equity Updates. Homes value is STILL a topic of tremendous interest amongst homeowners. So what’s your process to keep your database contacts in the know? Perhaps try sending out quarterly “Equity Updates” to them. After all, they’re your database contacts and so it’s on you to keep them informed of market conditions. Use an automated tool or run your own comps—either way, it's about sharing the data.

What’s the Optimal Instagram Posting Frequency? (in 2022)

How often should you post on Instagram? Just try Googling that question and you’ll find a wide variety of answers 🙃:

• One reputable source will recommend 2-to-3 times a week.

• Another will swear you’ve gotta post at least once-a-day.

• A third source will urge you to post like 2-to-3 times a day, if you wanna grow.

So who has the right answer?

Logically, the more frequently you post (especially with Instagram Reels, for instance), the greater the total reach of your posts. That is, the more users who—whether they follow you or not—will see one or some of your posts. And, the more folks who see your content, the greater the odds of gaining new followers.

In a way, it’s like having a surplus whereby—because you “fed your followers,” so to speak—there’s still “reach” leftover for non-followers.

On the downside, however—the more often you post—you should also expect a slight reduction in the engagement rate of your respective posts.

Later Media, in fact, just did a comprehensive study on this exact topic. The loss of engagement is likely because Instagram’s algorithm—in the main Feed, especially (where your “engaged followers” are the most likely to see your posts)—tends to favor showing your most recent post. So if you’re posting like crazy, each respective post is gonna see slightly less of that action.

But don’t let that scare you into posting less. In fact, Later Media recommended that accounts with between 1,000 and 250,000 followers post, on average, 14-times a week. I’d wager that sources pretty daunting 😫. If so, I challenge to you look at your current content mix and ask FOUR questions:

1. What additional content am I missing that I should start producing?

2. How can I batch content to produce more of it in less time?

3. What existing content could I expand into multiple posts?—i.e., “slice-&-dice.”

4. What old content can I repost or repurpose?

The Toughest Video to Make…

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million! (And then a video playlist is worth a billion, I suppose!)

Fact is, there’s just no marketing medium quite like VIDEO. In a know-you, like-you, and trust-you business such as real estate, for instance—there’s simply nothing else like it.

So, candidly... If you’re not publishing video, then—I know this sounds sort of harsh—but why even bother with social media at all? Hear me out… Every social algorithm out there is disproportionately prioritizing video media formats. So, if you wanna get optimal results from your social media efforts, then video is non-negotiable.

Having said all that, producing video is—goodness knows—an undertaking. Remember, though: the more you commit, the better you get. 🔂

Instagram Reels Boosting: the Do’s and Don’ts

Instagram released functionality over the summer enabling its users you to boost Instagram Reels. So, if you haven’t tried it—maybe give it a go. (Obviously, boosting anything on IG is restricted to professional accounts (e.g. Business or Creator profiles), not personal accounts.) Here are the eligibility limitations:

• The Reel cannot be “shared on Facebook”

• The Reel cannot exceed 60-seconds (even though IG allows up to 90 seconds, organically)

• The Reel cannot contain third-party intellectual property (e.g. copyrighted music, GIFs, etc.)

With so many constraints, though… you may be wondering what you CAN actually boost. My advice… boost your “knowledge broker” styled vertical videos—i.e. the content that builds your agent-brand best and positions you as a trusted advisor.

To be successful on social, it requires a commitment to making content (lots of it) consistently. The downside, however, is that some of that content may or may not perform to your expectation. So… why not try boosting from time-to-time?

YouTube Shorts are now Ranking in YouTube Search Results

Youtube Shorts has a leg-up on vertical-video rivals like Instagram/Facebook Reels and TikTok videos. What is it? In a word: SEARCH.

Now, I’m not saying Reels and TikToks shouldn’t remain a focal-point 🎯of your video and content strategy. I’m just saying… YouTube Shorts has something worth looking at more closely.

In its truest sense, YouTube is more of a search engine than a social network. The primary mechanism for consuming content on a social network, for instance, occurs by way of scrolling through feeds.

However, on YouTube, content is mostly discovered through search – which explains why long-form videos have historically performed so well on YouTube. It’s because if a viewer goes searching for a specific video to watch versus it just magically shows up in a feed… then, presumably, there’s a greater willingness to watch that video for longer.

Another perk of search-based video discovery is that your videos can keep on ranking in the search results for a long, long time – versus with social networks, they distribute through the feeds and then after that, they’re no more than an afterthought 💭.

Well guess what… YouTube Shorts—on desktop and mobile—are now ranking in search results pages‼️

In fact, when I look at my own channel’s performance insights, YouTube Shorts have become my most-viewed videos (without diminishing the performance of my long-form videos). What’s more, the bulk of the viewership is discovering my videos via YouTube Search—not from the Shorts feed (as would’ve been expected).

And, here’s the cherry on top 🍒:  my top-performing Shorts were posted over a year ago‼️ Search is like a fine wine 🍷 that gets better with age!

So… here’s my advice:  start making search-optimized YouTube Shorts and customers are gonna find your business.

Free PDF Download:

15 “search-ready” video titles for Youtube Shorts ⤵️

Don’t Put All Your “Lead Generation” Eggs in One Basket (for REALTORS)

Don’t put all your “lead generation” eggs in one basket. What’s more, don’t go chasing the next and newest shiny penny.

We know that 87% of RE agents fail (as in, they go out of business🫤) in their first TWO years! That’s downright alarming.

I’d argue one of the top reasons for it centers around the tendency of many agents to, quote-unquote, dabble. Try this, try that, and then try this next thing—never sticking with any one thing long enough to realize its results. 

The truth is, EVERY lead source works – when it’s worked consistently 🔂. Maybe it’s open houses, online leads, email marketing, geographic farming, social media, or database nurturing—you name it, it works!

So… my advice is is twofold:  

1. Don’t be so fair-weather with your lead sources that you’re jumping from one to the next prematurely.

2. Mix up your approach—i.e. diversify what you’re doing. Top producers ALWAYS generate business from multiple sources.

Simple Lead-Scoring Formula for Your Real Estate Leads

Lead conversion is like basketball 🏀…

For sales teams—when it comes to lead conversion—it’s essential for you and your team members to grasp where the leads “are at” in the process of buying or selling real estate.

Otherwise, you won’t know how to recognize a ready-now opportunity from a “long-shot,” so to speak. And, if enough of your leads start to look like long-shots, then your sales team may begin treating all your leads accordingly.

Think of it like this…

• Some leads are like half-court shots. You can try to close ‘em, but you’ll almost always miss. It’s better to push the ball down-court, metaphorically speaking.

• Some leads are like three-pointers. If you get an open look, go for it—but you’ve gotta have sharp skills. What’s more, you’ve gotta “follow your shot.” In other words, don’t wait to miss; instead, go after your own rebound.

• Finally, some leads are like layups:  referrals, “come-list-me” calls, and so forth. When you get yourself into a scoring position—bottom line—the ball’s 🏀 gonna find its way to you.

The question is… how can you tell where a is at in terms of their readiness to transact?

Most sales people are familiar with sales funnels—i.e., funnel-shaped visuals divided into stages that represent where a lead is at in the process of buying or selling a product or service.

The traditional sales funnel, for instance, categorizes leads into three progressive stages of intent:  awareness, consideration, and decision.

I like to call those stages:  walking, jogging, and running because I think it better conveys the intensity with which a lead is moving toward taking action.

If a lead is “running,” for instance, it demands a proportionate measure of follow-up. On the other hand, if they’re “walking,” you wouldn’t treat ‘em as if they’re “running” — and if you were to, they’d block your calls.

The point is, knowing where the lead is so you can meet them where they are… Because if you can accurately pinpoint where they are from the start (and “meet them there,” so to speak), your lead conversion is gonna skyrocket 🚀.

The question is, how do you know?

LEAD-SCORING FRAMEWORK

Welp… the answer depends on how a lead is generated. There are two fundamental factors to determine a lead’s “stage of readiness” — that is, are they walking, jogging, or running.

The first factor is…

• THE PROPOSAL - When a lead is procured—e.g. via an open house sign-in, through a website form-fill, from a personal referral, or an “out of nowhere” inbound call, for instance—it’s never random; it’s a response.
  
  Somewhere along the way the lead was presented with an offer (a “proposal”) that, depending on whether it was a high-intent or low-intent type of offer, elicited a response relative to its invitation.
  
  For example, “click here to schedule a showing” is a higher-intent offer than “click here to learn more.”
  
  Ultimately, it has to do with whether or not the lead, in response to the offer, is opting to act Independently (without you) or Dependently (with you).
  
  Requesting an automatic home valuation or setting-up a custom home search on your website, for instance, are “independent” actions whereas scheduling a consultation or calling your office directly are “dependent” actions.
  
  So… does the proposal elicit a Dependent or Independent response? That’s the first factor to scoring your lead.

The second factor is…

• THE PLACEMENT - Regardless of whether the offer was high- or low-intent, the next factor for consideration is whether or not the lead, quote-unquote, “asked” for the proposal. In other words, was it shown to them voluntarily or involuntarily?
  
  For example, did they run a Google search that triggered your ad (voluntary) or was it a Facebook ad that simply showed up in their feed (involuntary)?
  
  The point is, where (and by what means) was the “placement” of the offer? It makes a difference.

Having said all the above… here’s how you use these factors to determine where a lead “is at” in the sales process -- as in, are they walking, jogging, or running?

• Independent + Involuntary = Walking

• Independent + Voluntary = Jogging

• Dependent + Involuntary = Jogging

• Dependent + Voluntary = Running

Knowing where a lead is at is mission-critical to effective conversion — otherwise, you won’t know how to recognize a ready-now opportunity from a “long-shot.”