Online leads are a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to a real estate agent’s success. These types of leads are often far more educated in the properties they’re interested in compared to a passerby on the street, and since they’re coming to you online, they’re far more eager, ready, and expecting a quick response.

Following up with, nurturing, and closing these leads doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. In fact, their online presence is an opportunity you can seize for a more effective path forward to closing.

To improve your lead conversion with this type of lead, we’ve compiled these simple, yet important, practices to help.

Tip #1: Be quick to communicate

For the best odds of closing online leads more often, you must respond quickly — before they start to look elsewhere. You must make it your standard practice to respond to incoming leads within a matter of minutes.

The standard set by social media, online shopping, and more in a smartphone-centric world is one of instant gratification. It’s clear in today’s on-demand world, consumers expect results instantly, including in their online home search.  Don’t let a slow response time or missing a push notification be what stops you from closing.

A study by CallHippo found the best time to reach out to a lead via phone call is within an hour of their form submission. Any longer than an hour and the odds of your lead responding drop by a staggering 8 times. That’s a pretty steep decline, but it also highlights the importance of a rapid approach to reaching out to online leads.

Active home searchers need fast follow-up

Consumers making inquiries on Realtor.com^® are seeking more information on a listing they like that’s drawn them in. If you don’t respond fast enough, they may move on to another listing, costing you a potential client. With more and more people conducting their own home searches online, it’s crucial that you respond to leads before they look elsewhere.

How do you get ahead of needing to respond at lightning speed? Thankfully, there are tools to help you respond quickly and effortlessly. With Connections^SM Plus, you’ll receive instant lead notifications and a number you can call with just a tap on your smartphone. 

Rather than struggling to sift through information and perfect your follow-up plan and timing, Connections^SM Plus makes reaching out to your leads fast and easy, taking the guesswork out of how you’ll manage your online leads.

Connections^SM Plus helps you make connections that count 

Online leads come in all different forms and from a variety of sources, leaving you turning your wheels in a million different directions to keep up with them all. In addition to our 3 tips to close more online leads, you can streamline your online lead sourcing, follow-up, and close process, all with help from Connections^SM Plus.

Connections^SM Plus was built specifically to connect buyers who are ready to make their move with agents like you. The platform connects you with active, ready home buyers searching Realtor.com^® and also allows you to quickly follow up with leads with automated texts and emails, including customized Market Reports.

This saves you the time and effort of manual outreach, all while ensuring a fast lead response and easy entryway to building a strong connection. To make your business even more efficient, you get all your leads’ information, contacts, communications, and follow-up details in one centralized place. You can even take your leads on the go with the mobile app.

Slow down on spinning your wheels and get your business revved up with Connections^SM Plus.

Tips for quick communication success

To help strengthen your path to smooth — and speedy — lead follow-up, here are some action items you can take:

• Set up your leads to route to a specific phone number or email so they stand out to you as being ready for immediate follow-up.
• Create automated, pre-written texts and emails that sound like you and will immediately be sent to leads informing them that you will reach out shortly.
• Build out a nurture plan for email, phone, text, social media, and even snail mail for your online leads, so they get a fast response at any and all touchpoints.
  • As a bonus, by reminding them of your presence at every stage and platform used in their home search journey, you’ll stay front and center and top of mind.

For a deeper action plan to help improve your communication skills, click here to read about our recommendations.

Tip #2: Make smarter client connections

You don’t exactly want to spill all the goods to potential clients and share everything they need to know up front — they won’t have a reason to respond otherwise. Keep a little mystery and intrigue in the way you follow up with them. This helps your client connections be more effective, so you have better odds at closing.

To do this smoothly and successfully, set up time to talk with your leads as soon as possible, and in person if you can. This face-to-face meeting is where you can share important information, show off your strengths and expert knowledge, and just as importantly, dazzle them.

If clients can’t meet face-to-face for a meeting, or if the stars aren’t aligning on your schedules, fret not — you still have options. Follow these steps to stay connected with your online leads effectively:

• Take the pressure off and suggest meeting up for coffee to view and discuss property details.
• Send follow-up calls, texts, and emails with information of value, like price changes, mortgage rate updates, or intel from other nearby properties.
• Reach out on social media channels, like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and provide bite-sized, visually-appealing nuggets of real estate wisdom.

Staying in touch is a great way to continue to build a strong relationship with your potential clients and demonstrate your commitment to their needs. Taking these steps will also help to ensure your leads reach out to you directly when they find additional properties as they search online.

Tip #3: Communicate consistently and provide relevant information

To continue to reinforce your presence and keep the door wide open to your expertise and help, you also must keep your lead contact consistent and relevant.

Repeated contact through multiple touch points is key to converting an online lead. If they don’t respond to your initial email or voice message, continue to reach out with relevant information, especially in places where they’re already searching or visiting.

Don’t be afraid to take the initiative. If you keep at it with regular follow-ups, you’ll find that prospective buyers will warm up to you and begin to respond. Just remember, when a buyer does finally reach out to you, it’s important that you respond back quickly and in a helpful, meaningful way.

Try one of these useful approaches:

• Demonstrate your local market expertise by emailing the prospective buyer 3 or 4 comparable properties. Include a short bio detailing your local market knowledge.
• Set-up automatic MLS listing alerts to email the buyer properties in the same market and the same price range.
• Leverage your contact relationship management (CRM) software with automatic drip marketing to get help accomplishing easy, preloaded, and well-timed email sends.

Stick with it and watch your success grow

Nearly all consumers start their home search online nowadays, which means your approach to these savvy buyers needs to be fast, enriching, and consistent. To get closer to closing more online leads, taking our three-part approach can set you up on a path to success.

For more insights, visit our Resource Center for the latest and greatest in building  a strong real estate business.