The 3 Reasons Why You Don’t Convert Online Visitors to Leads
Let me start by asking you a question: How many holes are in your bucket?
I use the leaky bucket metaphor for a site that doesn’t successfully convert visitors into leads. Traffic fills the bucket but leaks out of holes.
Deal is, you need to plug as many of these holes as possible.
How many holes are in your bucket?
Great question to ask yourself as you lie awake at night worrying about when the next lead is going to come in.
There are many reasons websites don’t generate the anticipated amount of business. Below are three of the most basic, easiest to address and often overlooked issues.
No One Can Find It
Sorry to be so blunt: If you built a site but did not optimize it before submitting to search engines, don’t expect to be found.
Okay, you may be found for your name. But not for the important keywords that searchers will typically use when looking to buy or sell homes.
And how often does someone go looking for real estate by typing in your name? Unless they know you. But I bet you’ve fatigued that list out already.
You need new leads.
Now, not being found on the search engines may not be important to you if you have a big marketing budget and actively conduct campaigns to promote your site.
But the majority of agents aren’t in this position.
Most are seeking lower cost options for promoting their sites. Most are struggling to stay afloat. If this describes your situation, it’s time to seriously look into search engine optimization, especially local search.
It works, and it can be done with a limited budget AND it can provide a high return on investment.
Does it still pay to optimize for search engines? Both with your time and talent?
Yes. But take a balanced view. Sweat the small stuff and don’t sweat the small stuff. You’ll see what I mean.
Your Call to Action Is Missing or Buried in Your Site
What do you ultimately want your visitors to do? You’ve got to make that crystal clear. Watch a video? Sign up for your mailing list? Search for homes? Take some other actions?
This is especially important: Can visitors take these actions on or within one click of your home page?
Include a call to action on your Home page and at appropriate points throughout your site.
And I’m not talking about an implied sales message, but a clear and direct call to action. Take a hint from The Real Estate Tomato, RSS Pieces, Russell Shaw or Craig Forte.
Visit these websites and see if you can find their call to action quickly.
Many people shy away from using bold, clear call to actions because they don’t want to appear too aggressive.
The reality is your visitors want you to make your call to action clear to them. They want to know from the start what they can accomplish on your site.
I’m not suggesting that you include pushy sales pitches. But I am saying you need to pro-actively invite your visitors to order, request, subscribe, sign-up, click or visit.
Find a tone that is appropriate for your site and add at least one specific call to action to your site today.
Tip: Read this article from hubspot to help you create strong call to actions.
You Stink at Lead Follow-Up
Having a well defined strategy to follow up on any leads generated from your site is key to converting visitors to leads. But we all know this is easier said then done–especially if you have a tight budget.
When you are short on cash, dig deeper into your creativity. I suggest you use your creativity to find cost effective ways to follow up on your leads.
Our browse Bill Rice’s list of Top 100 Tips for Lead Management and Sales Success.
This is also priceless [kind of]: read this case study by MarketingSherpa on How to Use Auto-responders to Convert Skeptical Visitors [paid subscription, but 7 day free trial to read the article. It’s worth it. Trust me.].
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog.
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