Generating More Email Leads for Your Real Estate Business

Email leads are arguably the most valuable tool you can use to foster client relationships. Obviously, an initial signup indicates that the lead is potentially interested in your services. In addition, the email address provided can also be used to foster long-term relationships through consistent marketing.

With that in mind, it's extremely important for all entrepreneurs to continue growing and fostering their subscriber lists. We've outlined a few of the most effective ways to generate more email leads below. Check them out to learn how to start growing your list today.

Social Media

Often, when people discuss digital marketing, they tend to view email and social media as two separate avenues for lead generation. However, the reality is that social media can often act as a funnel to encourage people to sign up for your email list. There are a few ways that these two tools can be made to work together:

• Adding a Signup Form: Right now, Facebook is the most effective platform for this, but there are plenty of apps available that will allow you to add a signup form directly to your social media business page.

• Promoting a Contest or Giveaway: Consumers love free things. Entice them to give you their email by using your social media profiles to advertise a small prize for followers who subscribe to your list. Just make sure to include a strong call to action so your followers know how to properly enter their information.

• Host a Webinar or Live Event: Platforms like Google+ make it easy for Realtors to connect live with their clients, which can allow consumers to feel a stronger connection to your brand. Use a signup form to have followers register for the event beforehand to collect their emails and promote a sense of exclusivity.

Online advertisements

If you want the reach of your subscriber list to go beyond your current followers, don't be afraid to expand your real estate marketing plan to online advertisements. Opportunities such as Facebook ads, buying space on a blog or website, or paid search engine ads may have a bigger upfront cost, but they allow you to target to your ideal customer, which can lead to higher conversion rates.

When looking for the right advertising avenue, it's important to have a firm grasp on your audience demographics. Whether you're looking for a blog to partner with or using keywords to define who sees the ad, you'll typically pay based on the number of people who click through the ad or by the number of email addresses you receive. Since these costs can add up quickly, it's critical to know you're reaching consumers that eventually will bring you a profit.

Offer content upgrades on website

A content upgrade is just a lead magnet or incentive for people to subscribe to your list. In addition to gaining access to your regular updates, it's a free piece of content that's sent to the subscriber's email or available for download once he or she joins the mailing list. Although the exact content should be unique to your brand, these incentives usually come in the form of a free worksheet, checklist, e-book, or blog post.

The key to a successful content upgrade is quality. As a general rule, your offering should be something that you would feel comfortable charging for in another circumstance. In order to be persuaded to opt-in, subscribers need to feel that they are getting something of value in exchange for their personal information.

Use an Email Capture

The term "email capture" refers to the lightbox pop-ups that sometimes greet you when you land on a website, as well as the small bar advertisements that can be found at the top or bottom of a page. They are a simplified version of a typical opt-in form that follows the visitor throughout their entire time on page.

Successful email captures will be eye-catching and stand out visually from the rest of the website content. They are simple in terms of the information that's requested and feature a strong call to action in a tone that's consistent with the brand. Additionally, they often offer a content upgrade to add to the appeal.

Use a CRM

Rather than being a tool to collect email addresses, CRM programs like Contactually are used to help you grow and nurture leads. Though each program will have a unique set of features, they typically act as a place to store your email list and communication from individual clients. Some will help you automate the marketing process by sending regular emails to your subscribers and others offer analytics on how well that marketing was received by your client base.

Once an email is added to a CRM program, that person will be in consistent contact with your brand, unless a time comes when they choose to unsubscribe. That regular presence can help turn warm leads into active customers or to ensure repeat business.

To view the original article, visit the Contactually blog.