Real Estate Lead Nurturing Tools, Sequences, and Tips Galore
If you or your colleagues are questioning the importance of real estate lead nurturing, check out this post in the popular Facebook Group, Lab Coat Agents. The group’s co-creator Nick Baldwin asks:
What’s the longest you’ve nurtured a lead (buyer or seller) in your database until they transacted with you?
The typical response was 3-6 years but one respondent mentioned a 20 year process! Now that’s not to say that nurturing leads for 5+ years is typical BUT real estate does have a long sale cycle. So staying top of mind with prospects is key.
That’s why harnessing the power of effective real estate lead nurturing can dramatically impact long-term success.
“Nurturing” encapsulates multiple strategies and techniques and with digital solutions becoming more and more advanced, the efficiency, personalization and results is pretty incredible. This blog aims to spotlight tools and tips proven to succeed in effective real estate lead nurturing. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Why Should You Nurture Real Estate Leads?
- Multichannel Nurturing Strategy
- Types of Real Estate Nurturing
- Designing a Real Estate Nurturing Sequence
- Real Estate Nurturing Software
- Remarketing and Retargeting Tactics
- ISAs for Phone Based Nurturing
Why Should You Nurture Real Estate Leads?
We already covered that real estate is a long sales process so hopefully that is enough reason to implement nurturing campaigns for your leads BUT there’s another reason.
The longer you nurture leads, the less competition you have. Many implement a fairly short follow up sequence and give up on a lead if there are no results.
If you implement the processes described below you’ll be able to outlast your competition with minimal effort and be ready when your prospect is ready to move to the next phase.
Multichannel Nurturing Strategy
A multi-channel nurturing approach is grounded in the psychological dynamics that influence consumer behavior. One key psychological principle that underscores its effectiveness is the frequency illusion. This phenomenon suggests that when consumers encounter a brand’s marketing efforts across multiple platforms—such as receiving a postcard, seeing a social post, and getting an email—they perceive these interactions as more frequent than they actually are.
This means there’s an efficiency gain when pursuing a multichannel lead nurturing strategy. In this video, real estate marketing guru Jason Pantana goes a proven multichannel strategy for nurturing real estate leads:
In this video there are 5 marketing channels that are recommended:
- Organic Social Media
- Paid Social
- Email Campaigns
- Display Ads
- Monthly Webinars
In the sections below we’ll cover different tactics to deploy many of these (and more) tactics.
By spreading your marketing efforts across various channels, not only do you enhance the perceived frequency of your brand’s presence, but you also drive down the overall cost per result. This omnichannel strategy isn’t just about visibility—it’s about creating a cohesive and efficient system that maximizes your investment and fosters repeated consumer encounters with your brand in different contexts, making your marketing efforts both more effective and cost-efficient
Types of Real Estate Nurturing
Navigating through the massive variety of real estate lead nurturing tactics can be daunting so it is essential to elaborate upon the key types of potential lead nurturing so you can pick off a few that make the most sense for your business.
- Text Drip Campaigns: Implementing automated text message sequences to deliver timely and relevant information to leads over time, nurturing them through the buying or selling process.
- Email Campaigns: Sending personalized and informative emails to leads and clients, providing updates on listings, market trends, and relevant industry news to maintain engagement and foster trust.
- Social Media Ads: Running targeted advertising campaigns on social media platforms to reach specific demographics or interest groups, promoting listings, events, or valuable content to generate leads.
- Retargeting Ads: Displaying ads to individuals who have previously visited your website or engaged with your content, reminding them of your brand and encouraging them to take further action, such as scheduling a consultation or viewing a property.
- Search Ads: Creating paid advertisements that appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when users search for specific keywords related to real estate, driving targeted traffic to your website or landing pages.
- Display Ads: Placing visual ads (aka banner style ads) on websites, apps, or social media platforms to increase brand awareness and capture the attention of potential leads as they browse online.
- Social Media: Utilizing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to share valuable content to stay top of mind with prospects (engaging with prospects on social media is a prerequisite)
- Webinars: Hosting online seminars or educational sessions on topics relevant to real estate, such as home buying tips, market updates, or investment strategies, to position yourself as an expert and attract qualified leads.
- Phone Outreach: Engaging in proactive phone calls to follow up with leads, answer questions, provide personalized assistance, and nurture relationships through direct communication.
- Postcards and Mailers: Sending physical mail pieces, such as postcards or brochures, to targeted mailing lists to promote listings, announce open houses, or provide valuable information about the local real estate market.
These strategies are instrumental in furthering relationships in various stages of the client journey and continuing to forge trust.
Designing a Real Estate Lead Nurturing Sequence
Here are some tips to creating an effective real estate lead nurturing sequence:
- Marketing Channels: email, text message, phone calls, with blog posts and social posts.
- Duration: plan for long-term campaigns with multi-month drips that then transition to an ongoing email newsletter
- Content: Send listings, evergreen educational content, buyer or seller specific tips, and market updates.
- Style: for emails try to keep them short and simple, use texts as reminders or question prompts, and use personalization wherever possible.
Using a seller lead as an example, here’s what the nurturing sequence could look like when implemented:
| Time (based on when lead created) | Type of Outreach | Excerpt of what to say | Marketing Channel |
| Day 1 | Welcome E-mail: Home Evaluation | “Welcome! Let’s start with a complimentary home evaluation to see what your property is worth today.” | |
| Day 2 | What to Expect | “Expect transparent communication and a step-by-step guide through the selling process with us.” | |
| Day 3 | Seller Home Prep Tips | “Maximize your home’s value with these essential preparation tips for sellers.” | |
| Day 4 | Pricing Strategies | “In this market, here’s what we’re seeing achieves sellers the optimal net price…” | |
| Day 5 | Home Evaluation Reminder | “Just a quick nudge to remind you about completing your home evaluation – it’s the first big step!” | Text |
| Day 7 | Periodic Check In | Cover the recent topics & general market overview – Seller Home Prep Tips – Pricing Strategies – Home Evaluation | Phone Call |
| Day 9 | Buy First vs Sell First | “Confused about buying or selling first? Let’s discuss the best strategy for your situation.” | |
| Day 17 | Tips for Showings | “Make your home shine during showings with these proven tips.” | |
| Day 25 | Closing Costs for Sellers | “Understanding closing costs is crucial. Here’s a breakdown of what you might expect.” | |
| Day 29 | Home Evaluation | “A second look at your home’s value can pinpoint opportunities for increased selling price.” | |
| Day 35 | Periodic Check In | Cover the recent topics & general market overview – Buy First vs Sell First – Tips for Showings – Closing Costs for Sellers – Home Evaluation | Phone Call |
| Day 43 | Do Open Houses Still Work | “Are open houses still effective? Here’s our take based on current market trends.” | |
| Day 50 | 5 Things Buyers Look For | “Understand the top 5 things buyers are looking for to ensure your home stands out.” | |
| Day 57 | Improving Curb Appeal | “First impressions count! Enhance your curb appeal with these simple updates.” | |
| Day 64 | Selling with pets | “Selling your home with pets? Here’s how to navigate showings smoothly.” | |
| Day 71 | Staging your home when you have children | “Keep your home family-friendly yet attractive to buyers with these staging tips.” | |
| Day 75 | Periodic Check In | Cover the recent topics & general market overview – Do Open Houses Still Work – 5 Things Buyers Look For – Improving Curb Appeal – Home Evaluation | Phone Call |
| Day 83 | Tactics to Sell Fast | “If a quick sale is what you’re after, here are strategies to speed up the process.” | |
| Day 92 | Home Evaluation Reminder | “Market shifts happen. Let’s reassess your home’s value to stay ahead.” | Text |
| Day 99 | Should I get a home pre-inspection? | “Consider a pre-inspection to ease future negotiations. Here’s why it can be beneficial.” | |
| Day 106 | When is the best time to sell? | “Timing is everything. Let’s review the best timing for listing your home based on current trends.” | |
| Day 113 | Periodic Check In | Cover the recent topics & general market overview – Home Evaluation – Should I get a home pre-inspection? – When is the best time to sell? | Phone Call |
In addition to these time based drips consider adding these leads to your email newsletter, as well as, using retargeting to continue to warm them up!
Using a similar approach, you can create nurturing sequences for Buyers, Internet Leads, Open House Leads and more!
Real Estate Lead Nurturing Software
While you could build your own homemade nurturing system on top of your CRM, we recommend looking first to a set of tools that are specifically designed to enhance various aspects of real estate nurturing, from lead acquisition and management to market analysis and personalized communication.
In the following section, we will explore some of the top tools available for real estate nurturing, highlighting their unique features and the real-world feedback from users who have integrated these tools into their daily practices.
Ylopo
While Ylopo is most well known for lead generation their platform serves as a comprehensive digital platform for real estate professionals, designed to assist in acquiring new clients, nurturing leads, and managing team workflows. The 3 pillars of the Ylopo platform are:
- Lead generation
- Website with IDX
- Nurturing (using AI)
But the unspoken pillar is their strong integrations between several services like Facebook marketing, most major CRMs as well as MLS coverage to support IDX search. However many users admit their AI texting capabilities may not be as refined as some competitors. Also the cost of their platform is often a pain point as is whether the product achieves ROI on the hefty price tag.
Lofty
Lofty offers a robust CRM system, coupled with tools like Dynamic CMA, automated social media marketing, and an IDX-equipped website to streamline real estate operations. It’s praised for its user-friendly interface.
Lofty AI Assistant is lauded as an efficient tool that streamlines the initial stages of real estate lead nurturing by automating the process of lead qualification. It gauges the prospect’s interest and collects preliminary information, which can be utilized to provide a tailored sales approach.
However, concerns about its customer support and higher cost have been noted, suggesting it may not be the best fit for every budget or customer service expectation.
Real Scout
RealScout provides a dedicated real estate engagement platform that actively nurtures leads, informing agents when prospects are ready to engage in buying or selling. It features advanced tools such as agent-powered home searches and natural language listing alerts, including home value notifications. According to discussions we had with top agents and teams, RealScout is effective for seller lead nurturing, with its Home Value Alerts and Market Alerts proving to be particularly potent for maintaining engagement with potential sellers.
Agent Legend
AgentLegend automates personalized follow-up with leads through email, text, and voicemail, ensuring consistent and timely responses. It provides a library of proven campaign templates designed by industry experts, simplifying the creation of effective communication strategies. Additionally, the platform is user-friendly, offering easy setup, numerous software integrations, and robust customer support to help users efficiently manage and nurture their leads.
Homebot
Homebot delivers detailed, personalized reports that monitor home values, mortgages, and market conditions using real-time data and hyperlocal insights. Its algorithm-driven valuations are considered to be more precise and nuanced than standard Zestimates, making it a valued tool for homeowners and real estate professionals looking for reliable property valuations.
Want more lead nurturing recommendations? We have a comprehensive post on real estate text marketing solutions.
Remarketing and Retargeting Tactics
Remarketing is a great way to run always on campaigns to stay in front of your prospects. And while there is a cost, you can adjust the cost to your budget and know that you’re still getting some exposure to your prospects.
This video below shows how to setup a Facebook retargeting campaign using a custom audience.
While Google Ads also has very powerful retargeting capabilities, Facebook and Instagram are especially great for retargeting because you can recycling previously used social content as ad creative which makes the setup much easier.
Also note StreetText has a remarketing feature that allows agents to run ads that attract returning leads from their database.
With any paid digital marketing it’s important to monitor and ensure your real estate lead nurturing strategies are cost-effective. Keep an eye on your ad spend and regularly analyze the ROI and ROAS. These metrics give you a data-driven basis to adjust your techniques based on effectiveness and profitability.
With these effective retargeting and remarketing tactics, you’re well on your way to strengthening your real estate lead nurturing approach by leaps and bounds.
ISAs for Phone Based Nurturing
Ready to turn up the volume? As we delve deeper into the world of real estate lead nurturing, it’s important to remember nurturing doesn’t always mean passive marketing designed to stay top of mind.
It can be direct…and in your face (or ears). Which is why we are including phone outreach – specifically using Inside Sales Agents (ISAs) as a nurturing tactic.
Virtual ISA services, like Conversion Monster, offer unique advantages for real estate lead nurturing. By utilizing external services, agents can leverage trained professionals who are well-versed in lead follow-up tactics, often leading to a boost in conversion rates. Due to the operational structure of virtual ISAs, they provide expansive coverage, including after-hours and weekends, ensuring none of your potential clients slip through the cracks.
Another option are in-house ISAs that provide a more personalized approach, particularly beneficial for teams with more budget (and generally higher standards).
Hiring an ISA depends a lot on your database size. Agents and teams with smaller databases might find there’s not enough volume for ISAs to work through. For more on ISAs check out this post.
As the real estate industry continues to evolve with technological advancements, the importance of effective lead nurturing cannot be overstated. The tools and strategies discussed in this blog illustrate the breadth of options available to real estate professionals looking to enhance their lead nurturing processes.
Leveraging the right mix of technology and well researched content you can develop lasting engagement with potential buyers and sellers, ultimately driving them towards being closed clients for your business. By using nurturing you can extract higher conversion rates and increase ROI from all lead channels.
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