The #1 question we get at least 5 times a day from real estate agents, regardless of experience, is, “How do I get clients?”

We feel you! Learning how to generate leads for your real estate business is a never ending pursuit! Make sure to bookmark this post for when you are feeling stuck and need some lead generating ideas!

1. Sphere of Influence (SOI)

Tap into your personal database and reach out to friends & family! There’s a reason why this is one of the first things brokerages encourage you to do this… It works!

2. Expired Listings

Check your local MLS for expired listings. These are homes that were on the market but didn’t sell. The good thing about expired listings is that you know they want to sell – they just need the right agent to help them!

3. FSBO (For Sale By Owner)

FSBO’s (or For Sale By Owners) can be a great way to get listings. Reach out and provide value to them that they simply can’t get by going it alone!

4. Chamber of Commerce

Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Not only do you get listed on their website but you’ll have the opportunity to network with your community.

5. MeetUp Groups

If you don’t know anyone in your area, meet up groups are a great way to meet like minded people. Meetup.com is a great site that has tons of clubs & activities. Find one that speaks to you, or if you have an interest that isn’t on there, create your own! You can find anything from hiking to scrapbooking to bar crawls.

6. Home Buyer’s Workshop

Host a home buyer’s workshop to educate potential home buyers. You can do both in person or virtual. For in-person workshops you can partner with a lender, have it a restaurant with snacks and drinks.  Check out our course on putting together a virtual home buyer’s workshop if that’s your thing!

7. Open Houses

Open houses are a great way to find unrepresented buyers. If you don’t have a listing of your own, check with agents in your office to see if any of them need someone to host an open house for them!

8. Cold Calling

Targeting your ideal neighborhood and cold calling is an option for leads. Find scripts, practice them & become comfortable with overcoming objections. Some agents build their entire career over this strategy and if it’s your thing – go for it! Be aware that there are rules regarding the do not call (DNC) list that could result in hefty fines if you break them. Just make sure you are informed before you pick up the phone.

9. Door Knocking

Another way to target neighborhoods is to hit the pavement and door knock. Bring along market stats, business cards or flyers to provide value to those you speak to. Our favorite way is to have door hangers that you can leave if no one is home. Check the neighborhood rules before you go as some neighborhoods don’t allow soliciting.

10. Social Media

The relatively new player in the lead generation game is social media. Using Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter can get leads coming in consistently when used properly. It’s a great way to connect with your target audience!

11. Website

Having a website (and using it strategically) can bring you leads. There are lots of options for real estate websites that range from free to expensive. The option you choose will likely depend on your budget and tech knowledge.

12. Sponsor Events (Sporting event, pet adoption, etc.)

Visibility is a key ingredient to getting leads. Sponsoring local events like sports, pet adoptions, school functions, etc. can increase your brand awareness and get you in front of your ideal client!

13. Send Out Postcards

Direct mailing isn’t dead yet folks! Make sure you put a strategy in place to target a specific neighborhood or area. Direct mailing has one of the longest return rates but can pay off in the long run when you become the go-to agent in your targeted area.

14. Divorces

Divorces aren’t exactly happy but they do have needs regarding their assets that you can help them with! Helping to sell their home can be a huge weight lifted off of their shoulders. It allows them to think ahead on how they want to rebuild their new life… possibly with a new home?

15. Paid Advertising

Real estate magazines, local magazines & newspapers, etc. can give you opportunities to increase your brand awareness.

16. Billboards

What’s better than a 10 ft. photo of you smiling as traffic goes by? Billboards are another way to increase brand awareness. Depending on your area, placement of the billboard, your budget and your brand – this can be a pretty effect way to get leads.

17. Car Magnets

Don’t be a secret agent! Car magnets can help your visibility as you’re driving around town.

18. Local Festivals & Fairs

Set up a booth or sponsor a portion of your local festivals or fair. This is a great way to chat with those in your local community.

19. Build Partnerships

Take time to build your go-to team. Lenders, contractors, interior designers, attorneys, etc. all play a part in your business. Build these relationships so that you become the first person they think of when they are talking to someone looking to buy or sell.

20. Wear Your Name Tag

One of the first pieces of advice I got when I got my license was to make sure that everyone I met knew I was in real estate. A good way to (subtly) do that is to wear your brokerage name tag when you are out and about. Grocery, post office, school… wearing your name tag can be good ice breaker.

21. Leave Your Business Card

Always make sure to have a stack of your business cards with you to leave wherever you go! Tuck them around your area as you go throughout your day to day business. You never know who will pick one up!

22. Pop By Gifts

Who doesn’t love a little surprise gift!? Putting together pop by gifts gives you a reason to reach out to your sphere, past clients, local businesses and vendors. You can choose to do this monthly, quarterly, or by season or holiday. 

23. Text Message Marketing

Text message marketing is an effective way to get attention. Make sure you are obtaining the list of numbers legally.

24. Blogging

Create targeted blog posts on your website to bring leads in.

25. Facebook Groups

Make sure to check your local Facebook groups before posting but these groups are filled with leads! If you don’t have any local groups already created then create your own!

26. Referral Gifts

Put together referral gifts for your preferred partners and people you’ve worked with. The thought goes a long way and you’ll be remembered. 

27. Birthdays & Anniversaries

Send out birthday & anniversary cards. People love getting snail mail! You can also set up targeted ads for your sphere on social media during their birthday month.

28. Phone Duty

Ask your office if they have phone duty opportunities. If someone calls into your brokerage and is unrepresented, it could mean free leads for you!

29. YouTube

YouTube is one of our favorite ways to get organic leads! Start a YouTube channel and provide educational and local content. 

30. Virtual Tours

Even if you have nothing else going on doing virtual tours can bring in leads! Choose vacant homes when possible and give a video tour. It helps increase your visibility and reminds others that you are in real estate.

31. Moving Companies

Collaborate with moving companies and become the preferred partner for them. Some moving companies will even supply your clients with free moving supplies (moving labels, packaging paper, etc.) as an added benefit.

32. Marriage Announcements

Check out the recent marriage announcements and send info to them. Alternatively, attending bridal shows can get your brand in front of soon-to-be married couples.

33. Contribute To Local News, Blogs & Publications

We talk a lot about being the go-to local resource for your area! Contribute to local publications by providing market updates, guest blog posts & relevant articles.

35. Answer Questions (City Data, Next Door, Quora)

Peruse local city/state forums like City Data or Quora. Just make sure you are providing value by answering questions and not selling your services. Update your profile so that people who look at it can see you are a real estate agent 

36. Attend Networking Events

Look for networking opportunities in your area. Connecting with other industry pros (even real estate agents) can open up doors to bring in leads!

37. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an underused social platform that is great for connecting with other businesses! If you don’t already have your LinkedIn profile set up, make sure to do so. And if you haven’t updated it yet, make sure to do that so that other agents can find you (for referrals, of course!)

38. Handwritten Notes

Who doesn’t love getting a hand written note in the mail? Send thank you notes to past vendors & clients or birthday/anniversary cards to your sphere. It will definitely get you noticed!

39. Paid Ads (Google, Facebook, etc.)

If you have the budget, running paid ads through social media & Google is a great way to get leads coming in. Remember that strategies are important and this will only work if you are using the right ads!

40. Develop A Niche

The riches are in the niches. Depending on your location and interests, having a specialty can be a smart way to get targeted leads.

41. Craigslist

Craigslist is a website that allows you to advertise listings and services. There are some spam issue with Craigslist but some agents swear by it & get tons of leads from it. Use it at your own risk & be careful no matter what website you use!

42. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Optimize your website and get found through organic searches. A website is needed for this and you’ll want to focus on content creation (like blog posts). Optimizing your website can produce big results when a smart strategy is implemented.

43. Email Marketing

Start a mailing list and generate leads through email marketing strategies. Make sure you are legally obtaining email addresses and not bulk emailing people.

44. Landing Pages

Get leads by creating a landing on your website. Make sure to provide something valuable to them in exchange for signing up on your landing page.

45. Build A Referral Network

Create your own local group or club of like minded businesses to help build a referral network.

46. Join A BNI Group

BNI groups are a great way to build partnerships and get referrals. Search your local area for BNI groups. These are usually pretty popular so you may need to wait a bit to snag a spot!

47. Housewarming Parties

Celebrate your buyer by gifting them with a beautiful housewarming party and invite all of their close friends and family to celebrate too! Remember it’s about your client, not you, but you can still meet lots of potential leads there and your client will be oh-so-thankful for the thoughtful party!

48. Create Branded Products

Creating and giving out branded products to your sphere and clients can increase your visibility and be fun! Think pens, hats, coffee mugs, key chains, etc.

49. Pay For Lead Generation Services 

It’s not our favorite way. but that doesn’t mean it can’t work for you! If you have the budget, splurging for a lead generation service can get you leads. (The quality of leads can vary so be aware that leads don’t always mean clients.)

50. Just Sold Signs

After selling a home, ask the home owner if you can keep a ‘just sold’ sign their yard until closing. Also, if you are the buyer’s agent, ask the buyer if you can put a ‘just sold’ sign in their yard for about week (or two).

51. Newsletters

If you aren’t already sending out newsletters (either physically or virtually), then it’s time to start! Newsletters will establish your expertise in your area if you showcase local events and happenings plus help you stay top of mind when it comes to real estate.

52. Bandit Signs

Depending on your farming area, bandit signs at major intersections can be a great attention getter. Just make sure that you are following local laws regarding bandit signage.

53. Investor Workshops

Hosting an investor workshop can help you build relationships with new clients that are wanting to start investing in real estate. Just like a home buyer workshop you can do this anyway you want but hosting with drinks and appetizers is always a good start!

54. Drive For Dollars

Driving for dollars is a term used by wholesalers and investors that describe a strategy for finding vacant or distressed properties. It can also be a good way to find off market listings for your buyers when inventory is low! At the very worst it helps familiarize yourself with neighborhood (so you can truly be the local expert!) So turn on your favorite podcast, grab a coffee & hit the road.

55. Revive Old Leads

Most agents I talk to have old leads from Open Houses, SOI or even a time when they paid for lead through a platform like Realtor.com or Zillow. Those leads may not have been ready yet but that doesn’t mean you can’t still revive them.