The idea of prospecting .... actually going out and finding instructions .... is the elephant in the room for many estate agents.
You know you should be doing prospecting. But very often it ends up way down at the bottom of your to do list. In the busy times you don’t really need to do it anyway .... so you don’t!
However when the property market gets a little tougher, as it may well do in 2023, then it’s probably the time to start prospecting again.
Here are some tips and ideas for doing better prospecting:
Think about who you want to target
There’s no point prospecting to the whole country if you only need clients in one town or suburb.
So think about who you want to reach. What type of people are they? What type of houses are you hoping to sell for them? Use prospecting methods that will reach them. Targeting your prospecting will save time, save money and get better results.
Think soft not hard prospecting
It’s probably fair to say that the ship has sailed on hard prospecting methods, such as press ads., leafleting or direct mail. They can both be expensive, are too hard sell and consumers don’t seem to respond to them as much as they once did.
Most marketing research today suggests that consumers use a particular brand because they have heard about you already or have found you online.
It’s better to choose prospecting methods that go under the radar and raise your profile without hard selling.
Be clever with content marketing
Content marketing is definitely an under the radar form of marketing. The idea is that (hopefully) you get found when potential clients go looking for information online.
Add as much content as possible to your website and aim to do it regularly. Add news, tips, forecasts, case histories and useful information.
While general property market content is OK content that specifically references your local area including the places, streets, amenities and events locally should work best of all. It stands a much better chance of ranking highly on Google when people search for information on your area.
Max out on your favourite social media
Social media is a good way of getting your news and business message directly to potential clients. But in a very crowded social media world you have to do lots and lots (and lots) of it and do multiple posts every day to make any headway.
So rather than spreading yourself thinly across all social media pick just one or maybe two to max out on. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are all good choices.
Social media and content marketing can be used together to maximise the power of both – broadcast all your content on social media too.
Also when it comes to social media pictures and videos are as or more powerful than written content and take very little time to do.
Become your local property expert
Aim to get known as your local property expert. Reach out to your local newspapers and magazines, both offline and online. Offer to write a short, regular piece for them on your local property market. Look at market trends, offer forecasts and maybe look at interesting or unusual properties on the market.
You could also offer to do a slot for your local radio stations (or maybe even TV) talking about the local property market.
You could also create your own broadcasts and publish them on social media by way of a podcast.
Prospecting methods like these have relatively little demand on your time but can potentially offer a huge payback.
Engage with your community .... talk directly to potential clients
Sponsoring an event or charity fundraising are very worthy. But look for opportunities that allow you to get involved in the community and talk directly to local potential house sellers at the same time.
Offer to be a guest speaker on the property market to local business groups. Landlord groups could be particularly interested. Senior citizens’ groups could be perfect – they’re just the sort of potential clients who might be thinking about moving or downsizing.
And not only can community engagement bring you business but it will help enhance the profile of estate agency generally, which can only be a good thing.
