BLOG: How we avoid ‘funnel failure’ and connect with new landlords online

At Concentric Sales & Lettings we use multiple funnels to connect with potential clients – taking them on a journey from seeing an online advert to using our services, whether that’s property management or our off-market buying service.

But as the old saying goes, if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail!

CLICK ON IT

Lots of work needs to go into a funnel to make sure that it’s a success before it launches. It’s not simply a case of designing an online advert, uploading it to social media platforms and then hoping people click on it.

Instead, we go right back to think about who the people we want to connect with are, what they’re looking for in terms of information and guidance and how we can share that with them in a way which helps them.

We’re also naturally looking to promote the expertise and knowledge we have within the team if they’re looking for further support.

USEFUL GUIDE

This can involve writing a useful guide outlining the key points of new or changing pieces of legislation, hosting an exclusive online event for landlords to talk through an element of the industry, or sharing other specific content which will be of use to them.

Part of the preparation is around designing not only the information you want to share with potential new clients but also having a follow-up system in place. It’s great if someone downloads the guide or attends the webinar you’ve organised – but where do you go from there?

Your team need to be ready to call or email the landlord to follow up – perhaps an element of the guide sparked further questions for them, or perhaps the webinar made them realise they need some support to update their processes and ensure compliance across their property portfolio.

GO-TO-AGENT

Whatever they need support with next, it’s your job to ensure you’re there to provide that assistance – building on the relationship to firmly establish yourself as their go-to agent and helping them decide whether any of the services you offer would be of use to them going forward.

A ‘Complete guide to everything you need to know about the property industry’ just isn’t suitable for every single current or prospective landlord. Not only would it be an extremely long and detailed document it’s also unlikely to appeal if people have to trawl through extensive amounts of information to reach the answer to their specific questions.

The more a funnel is tailored towards a specific topic or type of landlord, the more likely it is to appeal once it’s launched.

FIRST-TIME INVESTORS

For example, if you’re looking to bring on board first-time investors, then sharing information about your off-market property purchasing service would be of value to them.

Conversely, if you’d like to help landlords looking to sell their properties, then highlighting the simplest way to do so (with your help) would be appealing.

“This is the reason we usually run four different funnels at the same time, all being seen by completely different audiences who all have different needs when it comes to the services a letting agent could offer them.

ONE FUNNEL

It’s always best to start off with one funnel and then build from there but the rule of being specific still applies no matter how many funnels you’re running.

A historical take on the lettings industry is likely to appeal to a very narrow market but a simple-to-digest guide on upcoming changes to a piece of key legislation like the Renters (Reform) Bill will be relevant to every single landlord who wants to ensure compliance with regulations.

In this way, the content you share as part of your funnel needs to be relevant as well as specific. Keeping it current means it’s likely to provide answers to questions landlords are asking right now – and that’s sure to increase the number of people clicking to engage with the content you’re sharing.

Ali Durrant (main picture) is Manager at Concentric Sales & Lettings, Wolverhampton