BLOG: Secret to lead generation? Here’s the long and short of it

The game-changing role of digital marketing is more evident than ever in the ever-evolving estate agency sector.

Today’s estate agents need to embrace a balanced mix of short-tail and long-tail lead generation strategies to capture and nurture leads effectively.

OWN THE ASSETS

As a result it’s important to own the digital assets within your own territory. If you have 20,000 homes in your area, how many digital marketing assets have you captured within the region?

Of the potential 20,000, how many email addresses have you captured, phone numbers and social media profiles?

If you are currently at 10,000 then you would only have a 50% capture rate of digital marketing assets.

So what is your marketing strategy to nurture those leads? Is it through elements such as text messages and social media and through email marketing?

ESSENTIAL FOR BUSINESS

Both short-term and long-term digital marketing strategies are essential for businesses – especially if there is a potentially lengthy time frame between capturing a lead and converting that lead.

Short-tail marketing strategies, such as pay-per-click (PPC) adverts, are crucial for capturing individuals in the short term when the consumer is already in the mindset of looking for a valuation of a property or an estate agent.

These methods offer rapid results which is ideal for agents seeking immediate visibility or aiming to boost leads within a short window.

While your short-tail marketing goals can be accomplished in a day or a month they also help build toward your long-tail strategies.

GENERATE TRAFFIC

Search-engine PPC, paid display ads and social media ads are among the quickest ways to generate traffic and visibility and provide a prominent presence in search engines almost instantly.

While short-tail methods yield quick wins I’d encourage estate agents to invest in long-tail strategies like Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), building a social media following as well as email mail marketing and content creation.

These methods, though requiring more time to manifest, are all instrumental in building lasting relationships with clients and maintaining positive results.

EXTRA MONEY

The best part about SEO is that you don’t need to spend any extra money on it. SEO involves targeting specific keywords to gain natural search engine traffic, providing a cost-effective and high-return approach to online marketing.

Building a social media following takes time but the long-term benefits in increased brand recognition and sales are worth the investment.

Posting regular content and engaging with the audience are both key components of a successful social media strategy.

Crafting compelling content tailored to the target audience is also a critical aspect of long-term strategies.

MEDIA EFFORTS

Regularly creating original content, much like my own blogs on The Negotiator, enhances SEO and social media efforts, distinguishing your brand in a crowded market.

Email marketing plays a vital role in nurturing leads over time, ensuring a steady conversion flow and incorporating both short-tail and long-tail lead generation strategies is extremely useful for businesses.

For capturing leads, you should be using your short-tail strategies but the end goal is to convert those leads with the help of your long-tail strategies.

To ensure sustained success agents should adopt a holistic digital marketing approach, leveraging short-term strategies for immediate impact while investing in long-term efforts to both nuture leads and build lasting connections.

Richard Combellack (main picture) is Chief Commercial Officer at nurtur.group