How to Follow Up with Inbound Leads

The truth about lead generation is that there's no instant way to know which leads will turn into clients. Some will be eager to work with an agent, others won't be quite ready to buy or sell, and some won't even reply when you reach out.

Not knowing who will fall into each category means that agents have to follow up with every lead. On top of that, it's important to nurture relationships over time, so you're top of mind when the window shoppers are ready to start their real estate journey in earnest.

But the key to starting that relationship off on the right foot and saving yourself time is following up with all your leads quickly. Establishing a semi-automated follow-up workflow will help you reply to and nurture leads in an efficient manner so that the process won't be a time drain, especially for the leads that, unfortunately, go nowhere.

Follow this four-part formula to create your own follow-up workflow for inbound leads.

Respond ASAP with a personalized message

In this digital age, consumers want instant gratification. When they send an email or submit their information on a lead form, they expect a fast reply. Responding within minutes of getting the lead—not hours or days—will improve your chances of connecting with them live. Wait too long and you've more than likely lost that lead, either to a competitor or cold feet, especially if too much time has passed between their initial inquiry and the time you reply to them. That's why it's important to reach out as soon as possible.

If you or an assistant can't be available to field inquiries throughout the day, then set up a digital workflow. Integrate your lead submissions with your CRM so that an initial email or text is triggered as soon as a new lead arrives.

CRMs make it easy to personalize automated messages. Just be sure to collect a first name in the lead submission form so you can insert it into your follow-up messages. No one wants to feel like they are part of an impersonal, automated workflow, and adding a first name is a simple, effective personal touch.

Meet leads where they are

It would be nice to be able to immediately call every lead as soon as they came in, but that's impractical for a busy agent. Let automated text and email communications lead your follow-up workflow, and then set aside time in your schedule each day to call priority contacts. Getting inbound leads on the phone gives you the opportunity to further qualify them and drive the conversation to schedule a meeting.

Of course, connecting on the phone isn't always possible, so ensure your semi-automated workflow includes further follow-up communications with a mix of contact types, such as text, email, and phone. This gives leads the opportunity to reply to you through their preferred method.

Make sure leads see your digital ads

During the follow-up process, you can improve your brand awareness with leads and build trust just through advertisements. When they see your Just Listed or Just Sold ad every day as they scroll Facebook or Instagram, they'll see persuasive signals that reinforce you're a successful real estate agent.

To do this, just add their phone number and/or email address to your custom audience list on the digital platforms you advertise on, such as Facebook, Google and Instagram. Your ads will run in the background, but your name will stay top of mind for your new leads.

Transition stalled leads to nurture communications

There's a delicate balance that real estate agents need to maintain with leads. You don't want to come across as pushy or annoying, but you also need to gather enough information to know where the lead is at in their buying or selling journey. When leads become unresponsive or difficult to connect with, it's time to transition them to a fully automated workflow.

Let your email nurture campaigns—such as regular e-newsletters and market updates—and digital ads do the heavy lifting to keep you top of mind and nudge stalled leads toward reaching back out. Depending on the level of communication you already had, you may decide to include an occasional text or check-in call.

Qualifying and nurturing leads is a full-time job in itself. If you don't have the bandwidth or desire to manage this part of your business, Homesnap Concierge can help. Explore the ways Homesnap Concierge can help you generate more high-quality leads.

To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.