What's the biggest lead generater on your site?

[sward]

I find that my forms do okay( we have two an MLS search and a customer profile) but we get more response with a direct email link. I load that on every page. Email and the phone is our biggest lead maker. (Which reminds me anybody got a great email auto response program they want to turn me onto?)

But hey we are reaching folks all over the world and I'd say only about 5% are looking in another area, and didn't look at the map! About 50% are looking for the impossible : 5 acre lakefront with a cabin for under $100,000. *LOL* Yeah what color is their sky?

But most become customers, in fact we're too busy, anybody want a job in North Carolina? We're hiring agents!

[MikeDammann]

hehe ... let me study for my Cali test first

[MikeDammann]

you'll be even busier when Google updates again

[VegasMack]

We relocated from Missouri to Las Vegas, and our Vegas sites have only been up since spring 2004.

I am contemplating having a registration form required before anyone is allowed to search the MLS in an effort to generate more leads. I am starting to get the traffic, but the leads are just not coming in like we are accustomed to.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

-Mack

[Phoenix]

VegasMack,

Seems like a short time to be 'live' with a new site and expecting lots of leads. Looks like you are doing everything right though. Most of my visitors thank me for not making them register before searching the MLS.

How are you doing in the SERP's for your KW's, especially Google?

[MrJodyHudson]

Hi VegasMack,

First of all - your Logo Picture is FANTASTIC! What POWER that has.

Now for my loooong response!

In my experience, working with Realtors in areas outside of mine, the more you ask for from people who are NOT ready to have you "BUG" them, the less they will like your site. I'll make a bet; you make them sign up to get the MLS and they will go to another site where they don't have to.

I suggest you go the other way. Give them EVERYTHING they want, free, anonymously, and easily. Answer all the questions they have, all prices, all pictures, locations, exact addresses, etc. The real customers will thank you for it.

As your traffic to the site goes up, you will find that you want only the most qualified responses, not unwilling captives. Then YOU will find that you have people looking for 10,000 square foot mansions in the best locations for a 99% discount... ohh and with owner financing too.

There are some agents who like response and don't care what kind, they just want to feel loved! When my brother had me help him sell a mobile home, on leased land, near Rehoboth Beach here, in my area of action - he paid for an ad in the city papers that read:

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. 3 bedroom, 2 bath home, waterfront, fireplace, boat dock, screen porch on the water, decks, patios, parking for 7 cars and bulkheaded extra dock space $30,000 call Jody and put my office phone number on it.

3BR 2BA Homes on the waterfront in Rehoboth Beach at the time started at just under a million dollars and of course they were not trailers and not on leased land. That one ad nearly blew up my office with calls. Not ONE of the thousands of calls we got, ohhh yeah he ran it for weeks in the city papers... Not ONE of the calls wanted a trailer, not one wanted leased land, and not one wanted an address that was Rehoboth but was actually a mobile home park at the very edge and so far away that people didn't even think it should be called Rehoboth.

My dear Brother said; YOU WANT THE PHONE TO RING DON'T YOU? I told him if he EVER did that again I'd start writing his name and numbers on all the big city bathroom walls with a very good description to get his phones to ring.

The object is not to make people contact you. The object is to get QUALIFIED people who have good product knowledge and are READY, WILLING and ABLE TO BUY.

One qualified contact a week that is ready now, willing because they know what they want and you have it, and able financially and otherwise - is far, far, more valuable than the thousands of people who called and cussed us out about my brothers trailer.

Do everything you do on your site to satisfy the visitor according to what they want and if you do that most perfectly and you do it so they get it... you will get better prospects and more too.

All the best to you! I hope my example will strongly encourage you to go for quality of prospects before quantity! And, then qualified quantity!

[VegasMack]

I apologize to everyone that answered for the delay.

Sounds link some very good advice Jody.

I am ranking 2 and 3 on G for some of my most important K/W Matt. Still 8 or 9 for my most important KW/phrase Las Vegas Real Estate.

My Liberty Realty - Las Vegas Real Estate site is not to be found and I have no idea as to why.

Has anyone here used Relocation CDs offered on their sites and if so, how effective are they generating leads and closings?

Thanks,
-Mack

[sward]

I agree with Jody. I know other realtors use my site referring their customers to my MLS search sometimes. Before we changed companies I had the other agents in the office even stealing our leads. Our business got better after I added a pop up page
Working with a Realtor in North Carolina

Now I know a lot of people don' like and even block pop ups so the page is also available as a link too. But what the page does is talk about Gary as a person, it has a family picture plus offers consumer links about choosing the right realtor.
After we posted that page when people called into the office they insisted on talking to Gary not just any realtor.

I plan on expanding my consumer links this fall along with many more information pages about the area and local events.

In other words give people more then just listings on your site. Give them information about your communities, Like Hayesville North Carolina , Murphy North Carolina , and Hiawassee Georgia Tell them why they want to live there and not somewhere else. Become a source of information they can trust and the calls will come in.

[Ruperto]

One of the big features on my websites for buyers is the automatic email notification of new property when one goes on the market. In order for them to be automatically emailed, they need to register and give me some tidbits of information about their interest. This is a great warm lead.

[Ruperto]

For sellers, I offer to give them a free CMA. In order to initiate the request, they need to register. Ergo, a warm lead.