Converting leads into paying customers

When it comes to digital marketing, converting prospects into paying customers really is the golden ticket to success. You may achieve a lot through your marketing strategy – amazing social media shares, viral blog content, top rankings for your SEO – but unless these result in new properties for sale and rent on your books, they are really just ‘vanity metrics’.

It’s never a good idea to rush things with a client.”

For many industries, conversion equals a sale, it’s that simple. But for real estate it can be more nuanced. Yes, ultimately conversion for your estate agency business means turning prospective vendors and landlords into instructions. However, there are steps along the way that are important too – getting your prospect to book a call back, arrange a valuation or join your mailing list could be considered conversions too. As we’ve said in many of our previous articles, it’s never a good idea to rush things with a client. Building up slowly generally produces a richer and more productive relationship. Based on our recent experience, there are three things you can do now to boost your conversions.

1 Improve your CTAs

The last vital step in getting customers to convert, your Calls To Action are probably the most crucial part of your messaging. Here’s how you can up the impact:

• Size – if you’re using buttons, flashes or banners on your website for your CTAs, make them visible for anyone scanning the page, but not so big that they overwhelm the reader, making your site look cheap and spammy.
• Frequency – think about more than one CTA per page to attract attention through repetition. Again, don’t over-egg it, but give people plenty of opportunities to interact. Include one CTA ‘above the fold’ or high up the page for people who won’t read the whole thing.
• Colour – use this carefully. You want your CTA to stand out while blending with your brand. Make sure there is enough contrast for it to be readable.
• Voice – be clear about what you want people to do. Use active sentences not vague or passive suggestions. Make it sound urgent and appealing but not desperate.
• Be consistent – use the same messaging, images and colours across your platforms so the CTA is easily recognised, processed and understood by your audience.
• Links – check your links are working, taking people straight to your CTA page. Be careful to make sure the page is quick to load. You can link to the page from places other than your CTA button too – images, headlines, your logo, for example.
• Make it mobile friendly; with so much property interaction taking place on phones and tablets, having your CTA display property on all devices is a must. Check your website has the right plugins to do this.

2 Use technology to automate the process

To some extent, AI and other new tech has made it easier for agents to speed up the conversion funnel. By automating some of your functions you can respond to customer queries or book calls and appointments instantly, meaning people don’t need to wait for you to get back to them. Instant scheduling software for booking viewings and valuations is especially useful, meaning potential customers can move themselves down the sales funnel without having to pick up a phone.

3 Use YouTube remarketing

Remarketing is about getting your content in front of people who have previously shown some interest in your brand. While we all know about remarking via Google, YouTube is a great but often overlooked alternative.

YouTube is the world’s second biggest search engine and a platform loved by billions worldwide, but it also allows to you to remarket your business in your area, based on location and the type of content viewed. This means you can target your ads to your niche audience, whether second stepper sellers or portfolio landlords looking to expand.

There are many benefits to YouTube retargeting including good return on investment rates. However, the main thing to consider is that video’s star is still rising when it comes to digital marketing. Statistically, viewers spend more time on sites with video, meaning YouTube content consistently boosts engagement rates, and increases brand awareness. YouTube ads also give you more time and scope to get your message across.

Finally, always remember the last stage of the customer relationships journey. It’s not just about one time conversion but creating loyal customers, who will stay on your books or sell with you again, as well as enthusing about you via word of mouth. Post-conversion follow-up emails and incentives can all help with this.

Got a question? Visit www.artdivision.co.uk