How to handle a real estate sales lead
Posted on December, 14, 2012 by Ivan Radford -So, you’re advertising your property with Lead Galaxy and have an active property listing. Your property photos are good, you have written an effective listing description and you are taking advantage of our video service. The enquiries will be rolling in any minute.
But what do you with them once they arrive? Lead Galaxy offers seven simple tips on how to handle a real estate sales lead.
Check your details…
This is a crucial first step: without the correct contact details in the system, you’ll never receive a lead at all. The easiest way to check? Send yourself a lead. Fill in the form and send a test enquiry – that way you know your information is correct and also what to expect when the emails start to arrive.
… and your emails
Your contact information may be correct, but are you contactable? Thanks to smart phones and tablets, you can now check your emails as regularly as possible – investors will appreciate a quick response, even if it is just to acknowledge their enquiry until you have the time to reply properly. Most important of all, if you are away on holiday, ask someone else to answer your emails for you.
Don’t let the lead get cold
This follows on from checking your emails: sales leads are great, but only if they’re kept warm. That way you are far more likely to be able to convert it into a sale – especially if you are competing with other agents in the same area of the market.
Always follow up
Contacting a lead once? Well done. Contacting a lead twice? That’s more like it. Don’t be afraid to follow up your original response to a lead, either by email or by phone. Establish a relationship so you can find out how to meet their needs.
Ask questions
Lead generation is about bringing the buyers to you, but you don’t have to let them ask all the questions. Find out what they’re after: Do they need your home to be furnished or unfurnished? Do they need to move in as soon as possible? This opportunity may not be suitable for them, but some of your future properties might be. Keep their information to hand just in case.
Report any dead leads
There’s always a chance that you have a dead lead: maybe the email address doesn’t work or the phone number is incorrect. Check each several times, but if you have a dead lead, make sure you report it to us. If one of the contact details are incorrect, we will give you a 50% refund. If both are incorrect, you can get all your money back.
Watch out for scams
Dead leads are one thing, scams are another altogether. If an enquiry comes through saying your lead can only invest in a property if you lend them cash for some complicated reason, don’t do it. It sounds simple, but property scammers are out there in all shapes and sizes. Always be vigilant.
Get them to see your property
If your lead is definitely interested in investing in your property (and it’s not off-plan), get them out there to see it.
How do you arrange a successful viewing of a property? That’s for next time…
For more information on real estate lead generation and advertising your property online, get in touch with Lead Galaxy: www.leadgalaxy.com
How online video content can build your property business
Posted on December, 13, 2012 by Ivan Radford -Online video content is quickly becoming a valuable asset to property companies. Quick and easy to digest, online video is a great way to engage with potential buyers and bring to life people, products and places and with Experian Hitwise reporting that visits to online video websites in the UK have increased by 36% year on year, it’s no wonder video has become a key element for today’s property marketing professionals.
Just to highlight how important video has become, YouTube recently reported that it now receives around 3 billion views per day while a report from comscore.com shows that there has been a 66% increase in the last year of end-consumers viewing video content on mobile platforms across the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
Charlotte Ashton, Managing Director of leading property PR agency AB Property Marketing comments,
“Online video content is being used more and more these days by PR professionals for the distribution of news. We have been actively encouraging our property clients to invest in online video whether that’s providing expert commentary or video tours of stunning homes.
Our client Taylor Wimpey España for example has embraced this concept, producing bespoke video content for each of its properties. When we conduct video news releases we notice a real spark in the number of “click throughs” from journalists. Video simply generates more interest.”
Overseas property portal, TheMoveChannel.com recently introduced online video content to its site and has seen impressive results. Director, Dan Johnson explains:
“The impact a video can have upon the marketing of a property is huge. TheMoveChannel.com introduced videos to its property listings and we were surprised to see the difference so quickly. Each video added to a property listing has now been watched by over half of the visitors to that page – buyers clearly enjoy the chance to take a closer look at their dream place in the sun.
“Because it generates their videos automatically without any extra hassle and is compatible with all internet browsers, agents and private sellers are equally keen to take advantage of the service. Only this week we added another 17,000 videos to the site!”
For more information on the importance of online video content, please contact AB Property on 0845 054 7542 or at www.abpropertymarketing.co.uk.
Galaxy crash to quarter final defeat
Posted on December, 05, 2012 by Ivan Radford -
Lead Galaxy last night failed in their inglorious bid to conquer the table tennis world, crashing out of the prestigious Pongathon tournament in London at the quarter final stages.
Pitted against the might of Deloitte, who had selected their two best players from a pool of 180,000 employees worldwide, Galaxy failed to find a way into the semi-finals, narrowly being beaten by 2 sets to 1 in a tense match of the very highest quality.
Losing the first set 18-16 after a tie-break that lasted several minutes, the team of Dan Johnson and Mansoor Aziz battled back to take the second set 11-7. But the pair became the nearly-men of the table tennis world, succumbing to the disguised chops and flicks of their oriental opponents in a closely fought 11-9 final set.
Team Captain Mansoor Aziz didn’t try every serve in the book – the games were quite short and each combatant only gets two serves out of every eight, so using the full spectrum of possible serves isn’t really practical – but he did make early headway with some patent-pending spin serves that aren’t actually in any book and which initially bamboozled the Deloitte Duo.
However, though they didn’t have the smartest outfits, the sharpest banter or the silkiest skills, the accountants did a number on Lead Galaxy, eventually picking the serves and pushing on to victory.
Dejected and defeated, Johnson didn’t stick around for the semi finals, saying: “My girlfriend had offered to make me a commiseration chilli and opportunities like that just don’t come along too often. I’d hoped to stick around until the semi finals at least in order to let the flavours stew a little longer, but it wasn’t to be. The standard was good tonight. Some of these guys tonight looked like professionals – fully branded kit, pumps, shorts and full-on stretching and warm-up routines. We couldn’t compete with that and we fell a little bit short on the table as well.”
The Winners of Pongathon City Challenge 2012
At least the team didn’t go away empty handed, after managing to plunder two high quality table tennis balls from the large stock in use at the tournament. Johnson said of this act: “They weren’t mementos and this was not theft – there’s a genuine shortage of quality balls where we play in Spitalfields and these two beauties will be in regular use during our lunchtimes over the weeks to come. The tournament organisers are welcome to join us and can request to have at least one of the balls back returned to them at any later date to be determined solely by us.”
All’s fair in love and Pongathon…
Seven simple steps to an effective property listing
Posted on November, 26, 2012 by Ivan Radford -Powering the property search on range of sites, including TheMoveChannel.com, Lead Galaxy’s real estate leads span the globe as well as the overseas real estate market.
But how exactly do you advertise your property across the largest network of international property portals?
Here are seven simple steps to an effective property listing with Lead Galaxy’s easy-to-use system:
1. Name it
The name of your property listing is the first thing that people will see, so make sure it includes all the key details. If you are marketing apartments in a Spanish resort, say how many bedrooms they have. Where is it located? If you are selling tenanted flats or student accommodation, what returns can investors expect?
Combine them into one snappy headline, e.g. “2 bed tenanted condo 13% returns” (and not “Steve” or “Mary”), and you’re good to go.
2. Add a reference
This part is for you, not your buyers, so don’t worry about how snappy it is. If you have more than one development on the go, or you have separate listings for different-sized units within the same resort, enter something memorable so you can tell the difference when looking at the “Manage My Listings” page. Perhaps “Steve” or Mary”.
3. Put it on the map
No one will invest in a property if they do not know where it is. Lead Galaxy includes maps as a key part of its listings – to make the most of them, use our location finder to quickly pinpoint your property’s exact position. Or, if it’s easier, use a maps service, such as Google Maps, and copy the coordinates into your listing.
4. Describe it (briefly)
This is the section where you reel in the reader: expand upon your listing’s name, include all the vital statistics and any unique selling points. Just enough to capture their attention and get them curious; if it’s written succinctly and accurately enough, you can generate a lead from this section alone.
5. Take a picture
If pictures are worth a thousand words, make sure you take one. In fact, take several: you can add as many as you like. Make sure you use an exterior photo as your main image, then include any relevant interiors or shots of the surrounding area. Floor plans are also a good idea.
(Click here for more detailed tips on how to take a good property listing photo.)
6. Describe it in full
This is it. Your chance to sell your property in all its detail. Dimensions of rooms, tourist numbers, occupancy rates; anything you think is relevant, include it. To add it to your listing, click on the “Further Information” tab and enter your text there.
(Head this way for more detailed tips on how to write a listing description)
7. Tag it with keywords
Keywords are what help people to find your property when searching on a portal. “Swimming pool”, “Spain,” “Murcia”. Those are the kind of words to tag your listing with, but if your description is written well, you work here is already done. Simply click on the “Autocomplete” button and we’ll generate the keywords for you.
And it’s as easy as that. Follow all seven simply steps and you have an effective property listing on the largest network of overseas property portals.
How to generate leads with just a property description
Posted on November, 19, 2012 by Ivan Radford -Powering the property search on the largest network of overseas property portals, including TheMoveChannel.com, Lead Galaxy’s lead generation service makes it easy to advertise real estate in all countries.
But properties are only as good as their listing. Want to maximise the number of leads your development generates? Try these simple steps to writing an effective property listing description:
1. Tell the truth
This sounds obvious, but that’s because it’s important. If your development is located in Brighton, UK and you put “Brighton, Michigan”, your real estate leads will be worthless. If your price is wrong, or you list the wrong number of bedrooms, buyers will be disappointed or may not enquire at all. Incorrect or misleading details not only lead to cancelled transactions and wasted time – they can also lead to lawsuits.
Be honest and you will attract buyers. Most important of all, they will be the right buyers.
2. Be upbeat
Being accurate is important, but so is being positive. Don’t be afraid to sing your property’s praises; the aim is to generate leads, after all.
3. Don’t waffle
We take it for granted, but online property marketing has changed the real estate industry. Print adverts are a thing of the past; on the internet, your descriptions – both on listings and landing pages – can be as long as you like. But take care not to get carried away; if your description is too long, people will stop paying attention. Remember: pictures are worth a thousand words. Upload an extra picture and save yourself a paragraph.
4. Think outside the box
Warning: Those afraid of beaches should not apply
While there are certain guidelines you should always try to follow, there is nothing wrong with bending the rules. A creative email campaign or landing page can make a stronger impression than an ordinary description. Don’t forget that your real estate is a unique opportunity for buyers. Show them that with an equally unique listing.
5. Highlight the key features
This one is essential, even in the most creative of descriptions. Bullet points of key selling points are standard in property listings and there’s a good reason for it: they work. Location, number of bedrooms, facilities, features, other interesting/unique details. All are essential information you need to include. If you’re selling a tenanted condo in the USA, highlight the returns investors can make. If it’s a lifestyle apartment in a brand new resort, put the facilities and location front and centre.
6. Proofread, proofread, proofread
No one wants to buy an aparmtent in Spain. They do, however, want to buy an apartment. Once you have written your property listing description, always proofread it for potential errors; appearing professional creates a better impression for buyers, especially in countries that may have a reputation for unreliable developers.
And that’s all there is to it. Be honest, upbeat, concise and creative and watch the enquiries come rolling in…
For more information on real estate lead generation, click here.
Lead Galaxy storm to London table tennis finals
Posted on November, 06, 2012 by Ivan Radford -
In their debut performance at the London Pongathon City Challenge, Lead Galaxy powered into the December finals after coming through a tough group undefeated.
In spite of having something of an off night, the dynamic doubles team of Director Dan Johnson and Senior Developer Mansoor Aziz coasted through to the finals, dropping only one game in six against some of the best non club-affiliated intra-company doubles table tennis teams*.
Dan Johnson and Mansoor Aziz prepare for battle.
Crowd congestion was a serious problem for the players, as eager cinema-goers flooded to the Monday night showing of Skyfall at Richmix in Shoreditch, where the tournament was being held. But in spite of not being at their deadly best, the duo made the final phase of the tournament, which will be held on 5th December.
Team Captain Mansoor Aziz had this to say: “We have to work on our weaknesses. I didn’t score many points today apart from on my serve.”
Traditionally the weaker link in the team, Dan Johnson had a largely competent night, adding: “Thank goodness we had the easier group. It was just so hot in there – I had to take my jumper off at one point and earlier in the day the sole came away on my Nina Ricci boots, so the footing was pretty treacherous. That played on my mind all night – I’m going to have to get them re-soled, at no small expense. I’m Gutted.”
The pair now have a full month to recover and prepare for the finals. We wish them well.
* (in the whole of the E1 postcode area in London)
Unlimited Easy Videos for all Cost Per Lead Customers
Posted on October, 31, 2012 by Ivan Radford -Video is a fantastic way to showcase properties where you have a lot of good quality images and want to create a fabulous first impression when a buyer first finds your property.
For no additional charge, “cost per lead” property advertisers can now create an unlimited number of Easy Videos using the amazing new system being pioneered by Lead Galaxy.
An Amazing Technology Solution
- All video production is 100% automated, based on information added to Lead Galaxy.
- The final video is composed using still images, motion graphic templates, dynamic text, map references, property listing information, background music and a voice narration library.
- Get all the benefits of video marketing without the need to pay for the high cost of filming and editing the property by a more conventional method.
- Videos are updated daily, meaning you can make changes to the listings content as often as you like and the video will automatically be updated at no extra cost.
Video Marketing Benefits
- Get additional traffic from Google, YouTube, TheMoveChannel.com and social media
- Listings with videos are shown above all the other properties on TheMoveChannel.com.
- Video can be watched directly from either the results pages or the property details page.
- All videos are automatically added to our video-only site at www.TheMoveChannel.tv
- Where a listing has a video, the video is viewed over 50% of the time – buyers like them!
- Video is statistically proven to increase conversion rates – get more viewers AND more leads.
- The best videos get free distribution to our increasingly popular YouTube channel.
- Google is known to favour video and where possible, will show videos in the search results.
- You can like, tweet or share your video on social media directly from our results page.
Click here to contact Lead Galaxy’s sales lead generation team
FindaProperty: The life and death of a real estate portal
Posted on October, 09, 2012 by Ivan Radford -
FindaProperty is dead. Long live FindaProperty.
That’s the cry of Zoopla this month as the UK property portal was absorbed into its new home as part of the Zoopla Property Group.
FindaProperty was founded in 1997 – around the same time as TheMoveChannel.com, in fact – by entrepreneur Andrew Pendery who spotted a gap in the UK for a property lead generation company. The model caught on and, after years of operating in Andrew’s bedroom (and later a Brighton office), became successful enough to achieve the razzle dazzle real estate dream: venture capital investment.
Businessmen Neil Anderson and Simon D’Urso bought Pendery out to tune of £2.8 million in 2004… only for FindaProperty to be sold again, this time to The Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers.
By this time, FindaProperty had competition. Rightmove had been formed, a joint initiative between Halifax, Countrywide Plc, Royal & Sun Alliance and Connells. And that ignited an industry race between portals as the property leads market became increasingly competitive.
Rightmove, as we know, went on to become the market leader for British real estate. For FindaProperty, a different fate was in store, which started in 2008 when Daily Mail and General Trust established The Digital Property Group. The group grew bigger, adding PrimeLocation.com and Globrix.com within its first year.
Once 2011 rolled around, DPG attracted the attention of yet another buyer: Zoopla. A proposed merger between Zoopla and Digital Property Group surfaced, sparking mass speculation over the future of the UK property industry. Would Zoopla’s new friends help it become big enough to tackle the market share of Rightmove?
FindaProperty carried on regardless, launching an eye-catching/annoying (delete as appropriate) ad campaign, which involved actor Ross Green rapping about property. That then became even more annoying/successful (delete as appropriate) with the introduction of a whole family of rappers.
But fast forward to October and all that has gone. The rappers have left the building.
The site now redirects to Zoopla, the FindaProperty logo reduced to a small picture at the top left of the page. A quick Google of the brand name sees the site scrubbed from search engine history, with only an app review on iTunes and a blocked mobile website to show for 15 years of work. Well, that and 12,541 followers on Twitter. What are they worth now? It is only fitting that @FindaProperty’s final message was a retweet of Zoopla’s account.
It is interesting to note that PrimeLocation continues to operate. Is that brand, dedicated to the higher end of the UK housing market, strong enough to continue targeting its exclusive clientele?
The rebranded Zoopla Property Group said in September that it would launch “its biggest ever marketing campaign” and that it had “plans to invest even more in its brands over the coming months to deliver even greater numbers of applicants, vendors and landlords to its member’s doors.”
With the war on Rightmove openly declared, how much of a game-changer has FindaProperty been in the real estate lead generation race? Will that be remembered in another fifteen years’ time? And what website will be next to join the fray?
FindaProperty is dead. Long live FindaProperty.
Tweet all about it – The social side of property marketing
Posted on September, 28, 2012 by Ivan Radford -Social Media is undoubtedly an influencing factor in our lives. It has not only changed the way we interact with friends and family but also the way we do business. In fact, a new study by Cison has discovered that more than a quarter (28%) of UK journalists believe social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are essential to their job and therefore essential to PR’s jobs too.
2012′s Social Journalism Study highlighted that using social media tools have become part of a journalist’s daily work routine with the majority using two or three social media tools regularly for professional tasks according to the study.
As a result of social media’s popularity, Google is placing more and more emphasis on its power considering social “signals” account for five of the six most influential factors in Google’s search results, according to a June 2012 study from Searchmetrics.
On this note, results from a BrightEdge survey published early this year discovered that 84% of search marketers say social signals such as Facebook likes, Tweets, and Google +1s will be either more important (53%) or much more important (31%) to their SEO in 2012 compared to 2011.
Commenting on the importance of social media and which channels are most important, social media expert, Roy Bristow explains,
“The importance of social media platforms is the immediate ability to converse with potential and existing customers on a regular basis as well as the media. Because of this, it requires an “open all hours” approach that should allow you to provide a voice and a response. It also requires a professional approach to manage each and every channel you select.
“The channels you engage with, certainly from a property PR aspect, need to amplify your existing online marketing strategy and whilst the premiere channels such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn, should form the basis of your campaign you need to ensure that you only use the channels that you can constantly update with new content.”
Bristow continues,
“Think about what you want your audience to do with your content on the social channels you’re using. Are you trying to get them to read, share, reply, click, purchase or engage? Be selective, be visually rich in your outlook, and be responsive, but most important be accountable. Measure your social activities so that you can learn which copywriting strategies are successful, which aren’t and how you can improve.”
For more information on the power of social media, a service which AB Property Marketing offers exclusively for the property industry contact Charlotte Ashton on 0845 054 7542 via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or at http://www.abpropertymarketing.co.uk.
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How to create good quality property sales videos
Posted on September, 24, 2012 by Ivan Radford -Looking to bring your property listings to life? Lead Galaxy’s new service lets you do just that by creating a property video with none of the hassle of cost.
But how can you make sure your video will drive up your conversion rates?
Here is how to create a good quality property sales video:
Sign up to LeadGalaxy
LeadGalaxy.com operates an international network of property portals, including TheMoveChannel.com and A Place in the Sun. Attracting a total of over 600,000 real estate buyers from around the globe every month, Lead Galaxy’s property lead generation for international agents and developers is unrivalled.
Add photos to your listing
Lead Galaxy’s unique property sales videos are created from your property listing – and that means pictures. Upload as many photos of your development as you can and keep them as big as possible (the maximum size of each image is 800 x 600 pixels). These will form the basis of your video, presenting your property in a dynamic, colour way.
Tag the images
When you upload your images, they can be tagged as “Local Area”, “External” or “Internal”. Taking the time to tag these properly will make sure that they are shown in the right order in your video, creating the strongest possible impact on the viewer.
Add descriptions
Descriptions accompany tags to make sure your photos are as informative as possible. Use up to 36 characters to explain what your images are showing and prospective buyers will be as informed as possible: and the more informed a lead is, the higher the rate of conversion.
Pick a main image
Your main image is the first thing a lead will see, so pick carefully: this will act as the thumbnail for your video as well as the central photo for your property listing. The better quality the picture, the better quality your leads.
Pick a good title
The title of your listing needs to attract property leads: again, the more informative the better. Keep it punchy, keep it clear and keep it search-ending friendly. Mention rates of return, location and property type where possible. “2 Bed Villa in Marbella, 10% NET” is great. “Property opportunity” is too vague. And remember: the title will be the name of your video as well.
List the investment’s key selling points
Much like an email campaign, key selling points are what will determine how successful your sales lead generation is. Why is your opportunity worth investing in? Your top six selling points will appear inthe video, so be clear as well as creative.
Put your listing on the map
Lead Galaxy’s listings service includes a dynamic map provided by Bing – and now that geographical information can be shown through video as well. Part of the video will zoom in on your development, showing the area around it. Simply use the embedded map tool to pinpoint where it is.
Opt in to the video service
Once you’ve created a property listing with Lead Galaxy, the video part is easy. Just choose to opt in to the service and – for a fee of only £2 per property per month – your video is automatically added to your listing. Listings with videos will be shown above the other properties advertised on TheMoveChannel.com, allowing investors to watch it directly from the search results page.
All videos are also added to TheMoveChannel.com’s dedicated video-only sister site, www.TheMoveChannel.tv, and distributed to TheMoveChannel.com’s YouTube channel, providing you with maximum exposure. And videos are automatically updated every week as well, keeping your listing as up-to-date as possible.