Flipping a Real Estate Blog - A Lead Generation Makeover
© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.
In the past, I've often written about lead generation techniques that you can apply to your real estate blog. Now it's time for a visual demonstration. Below, I've "flipped" a blog to demonstrate just how easy it is to add lead generators to it. First, we will start with the before-and-after images of the blog, and then I'll explain the changes I've made.
This is a blog I designed, based on an actual real estate agent's blog. I changed the city and the title of the blog so there wouldn't be any copyright issues. But aside from that, this is a common layout that I've seen on dozens of real estate blogs.
Click here to enlarge the image
From a design standpoint, there's nothing wrong with this blog. It's very easy to read with a nice, clean layout. But it doesn't work hard enough to generate leads, so I added some lead-generation techniques to it (see "after" image below).
In the image below, I have added several features that will help this real estate agent generate more leads through the blog. The overall design and layout is the same, but I've added (1) a chat box to the sidebar area, (2) a Q&A feature above the blog entry itself, and (3) a toll-free number in the header area.
Click here to enlarge the image
The changes I've implemented above could be done on any blog. It would probably be easiest if you were using the Wordpress platform, but it could be accomplished with any blogging program. Best of all, it would be a one-time change to the blog template. After that, the lead-generation items would appear on all of the posts / entries, without any effort from you.
In order to generate more leads, I made three specific changes to this real estate agent's blog. Here's a brief discussion of each one.
All of these changes are fairly simple to make. The phone number is the easiest, of course. The Q&A box shown above the article is second-easiest. And the chat box is slightly more tricky (but still easy). If you would like to learn more about real estate lead generation tactics like the ones shown above, check out my e-book on the topic.
If you would like to create a simple form to add to your blog pages, like I've done in the "After" version above, you have a fairly simple task ahead of you. Anyone familiar with basic HTML code can create one for you. There are also some pretty slick websites online that will generate HTML forms for you, such as PHPform.org.
You can also generate HTML forms online through these websites:
You might also want to check with your current web hosting provider. They often have forms that you can install on your website quickly and easily. Creating the HTML form itself is simple, but you'll also need a script that tells the form what to do when people click on "submit" (i.e., send the information to you by email). Some of the form-generator websites listed above will handle this for you.
As for the online chat programs, there are plenty of those available too. Check out any of the websites below to see some of these programs. Some can be installed onto your own web server, while others are hosted remotely (though the chat box still launches from your site).
There are dozens of other products like these, so you'll have no trouble finding more of them for comparison purposes. I hope you've enjoyed this lesson on lead generation with real estate blogs, and I wish you well in your implementation of these techniques. Good luck!
Before — A Basic Real Estate Blog
This is a blog I designed, based on an actual real estate agent's blog. I changed the city and the title of the blog so there wouldn't be any copyright issues. But aside from that, this is a common layout that I've seen on dozens of real estate blogs.
Click here to enlarge the image
From a design standpoint, there's nothing wrong with this blog. It's very easy to read with a nice, clean layout. But it doesn't work hard enough to generate leads, so I added some lead-generation techniques to it (see "after" image below).
After — Same Blog with Lead Generators
In the image below, I have added several features that will help this real estate agent generate more leads through the blog. The overall design and layout is the same, but I've added (1) a chat box to the sidebar area, (2) a Q&A feature above the blog entry itself, and (3) a toll-free number in the header area.
Click here to enlarge the image
Lead Generation Techniques - A Closer Look
The changes I've implemented above could be done on any blog. It would probably be easiest if you were using the Wordpress platform, but it could be accomplished with any blogging program. Best of all, it would be a one-time change to the blog template. After that, the lead-generation items would appear on all of the posts / entries, without any effort from you.
In order to generate more leads, I made three specific changes to this real estate agent's blog. Here's a brief discussion of each one.
- Toll-free number -- A lot of people researching real estate in a given city will actually live somewhere else, in another city or state. I'm talking, of course, about relocation people. By adding a toll-free number to the blog (and putting it in a high-visibility area as I've done above), you'll get more calls from local buyers and relocation folks alike. This technique for lead generation has been proven time and time again.
- Chat box -- There are dozens of free chat programs you can install onto your web server. Once the program is installed, you can easily add a chat box to the sidebar area of your blog, like I've done above. Granted, somebody has to be around a computer throughout the business day (like a customer service person or an office manager). But it can be highly effective under the right circumstances. It's a good way to get people talking to you in the spur of the moment.
- Q&A form -- The box you see above the article itself is just a simple HTML form. You can code it into your blog template so it appears above each entry, as shown in the picture above. This is a great way to generate leads, because it prompts people to ask a specific question about a specific page they are reading. And (most importantly) it makes it really easy for them to contact you in the moment. They submit their email address and their question, and the information is then sent to you by email. You've just captured a new lead.
All of these changes are fairly simple to make. The phone number is the easiest, of course. The Q&A box shown above the article is second-easiest. And the chat box is slightly more tricky (but still easy). If you would like to learn more about real estate lead generation tactics like the ones shown above, check out my e-book on the topic.
Some Helpful Tools & Websites
If you would like to create a simple form to add to your blog pages, like I've done in the "After" version above, you have a fairly simple task ahead of you. Anyone familiar with basic HTML code can create one for you. There are also some pretty slick websites online that will generate HTML forms for you, such as PHPform.org.
You can also generate HTML forms online through these websites:
- Emailmeform.com
- Wufoo.com
- Formsite.com
You might also want to check with your current web hosting provider. They often have forms that you can install on your website quickly and easily. Creating the HTML form itself is simple, but you'll also need a script that tells the form what to do when people click on "submit" (i.e., send the information to you by email). Some of the form-generator websites listed above will handle this for you.
As for the online chat programs, there are plenty of those available too. Check out any of the websites below to see some of these programs. Some can be installed onto your own web server, while others are hosted remotely (though the chat box still launches from your site).
- Boldchat.com
- Volusion.com
- ProvideSupport.com
There are dozens of other products like these, so you'll have no trouble finding more of them for comparison purposes. I hope you've enjoyed this lesson on lead generation with real estate blogs, and I wish you well in your implementation of these techniques. Good luck!
Labels: Lead Generation
posted by Brandon at
9:40 AM
