Bruno Lessa: what differentiates a bad lead from a good lead?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2025 11:40 am
The evolution of real estate marketing
In the past, those looking for properties to buy or rent had basically few options: traditional newspaper classifieds or direct contact with real estate agencies, either by telephone or through visits to the companies.
In both cases, the service began and ended with a professional from the sector – in the overwhelming majority of cases with the real estate agents themselves.
Brokers held a monopoly on information. Clients depended on these professionals to know everything related to the property and, consequently, these professionals were considered great authorities when it came to real estate information.
Clients, in turn, did not have many options for other consultations and tended to go with the broker who provided them with the best information.
It is also worth noting that there were fewer players in the market than there are today. All of this has changed over time and technology has been a major driver of this.
The limited newspaper classifieds, which had limited malta whatsapp data even abbreviated words, were being replaced by real estate portals that presented more complete information, seductive images and continue to incorporate new resources to this day.
In addition, companies were creating their own websites that also presented their offers in a more attractive way.
In the midst of all this, Google's organic searches and sponsored links made it easier for potential buyers, who were looking for their dream property, to find the advert prepared to delight them.
Finally, social media… media such as Facebook and Instagram began to show property ads to potential buyers even before they searched for the property, anticipating the commercial relationship.
The biggest transformation that technology has brought to real estate marketing
Okay, nothing new here. If you have been involved in the real estate market for more than 10 years like me, you have certainly been able to experience a good part of this transformation that I mentioned.
But what I want to highlight here is something that many people are not realizing:
All these changes are making the client start to have contact with the property EARLIER AND EARLIER.
That's right, earlier and earlier! And this results in customers who are in the early stages of the purchasing journey, meaning they are not yet ready to close – even though they may have the financial means to do so.
As if being in the initial phase of the journey wasn’t enough, there’s also the fact that – unlike in the past – today there are several options for the customer to search and research.
The real estate market, which until then was dominated by a few existing players who had large advertising budgets, covering entire pages of classifieds, began to be disputed by several new players – both companies and self-employed professionals – who also began to attract the attention of potential buyers (in fact, if there is one contribution that digital marketing has made, it has been the democratization of the market for companies and professionals of all sizes).
This naturally slows down the process, as it leaves room for comparison.
How to deal with this new scenario? 3 tips
Faced with all these challenges, the question remains: How to attract customers with purchasing potential?
Based on my practical experience, including mistakes and successes, I would say that: understanding that the customer profile has changed and that the process is now slower. Accepting this reality is the first step to commercial success in the online world.
The second step is not to just think about the sale, but to walk with the customer throughout the entire purchasing journey.
A client who arrives early still lacks a series of basic and essential information and it is up to us to pass this information on to him, such as the acquisition process, bureaucracy involved, real estate financing, among others (in short, tell him what he still doesn't know).
The third tip is: build authority. In addition to selling the property, it is important to sell our personal brand so that the client understands that the seller is the right person/company to help them with the biggest purchase they will ever make, even if they research the competition (and, believe me, they will research). But that is the subject of a future post.
In the past, those looking for properties to buy or rent had basically few options: traditional newspaper classifieds or direct contact with real estate agencies, either by telephone or through visits to the companies.
In both cases, the service began and ended with a professional from the sector – in the overwhelming majority of cases with the real estate agents themselves.
Brokers held a monopoly on information. Clients depended on these professionals to know everything related to the property and, consequently, these professionals were considered great authorities when it came to real estate information.
Clients, in turn, did not have many options for other consultations and tended to go with the broker who provided them with the best information.
It is also worth noting that there were fewer players in the market than there are today. All of this has changed over time and technology has been a major driver of this.
The limited newspaper classifieds, which had limited malta whatsapp data even abbreviated words, were being replaced by real estate portals that presented more complete information, seductive images and continue to incorporate new resources to this day.
In addition, companies were creating their own websites that also presented their offers in a more attractive way.
In the midst of all this, Google's organic searches and sponsored links made it easier for potential buyers, who were looking for their dream property, to find the advert prepared to delight them.
Finally, social media… media such as Facebook and Instagram began to show property ads to potential buyers even before they searched for the property, anticipating the commercial relationship.
The biggest transformation that technology has brought to real estate marketing
Okay, nothing new here. If you have been involved in the real estate market for more than 10 years like me, you have certainly been able to experience a good part of this transformation that I mentioned.
But what I want to highlight here is something that many people are not realizing:
All these changes are making the client start to have contact with the property EARLIER AND EARLIER.
That's right, earlier and earlier! And this results in customers who are in the early stages of the purchasing journey, meaning they are not yet ready to close – even though they may have the financial means to do so.
As if being in the initial phase of the journey wasn’t enough, there’s also the fact that – unlike in the past – today there are several options for the customer to search and research.
The real estate market, which until then was dominated by a few existing players who had large advertising budgets, covering entire pages of classifieds, began to be disputed by several new players – both companies and self-employed professionals – who also began to attract the attention of potential buyers (in fact, if there is one contribution that digital marketing has made, it has been the democratization of the market for companies and professionals of all sizes).
This naturally slows down the process, as it leaves room for comparison.
How to deal with this new scenario? 3 tips
Faced with all these challenges, the question remains: How to attract customers with purchasing potential?
Based on my practical experience, including mistakes and successes, I would say that: understanding that the customer profile has changed and that the process is now slower. Accepting this reality is the first step to commercial success in the online world.
The second step is not to just think about the sale, but to walk with the customer throughout the entire purchasing journey.
A client who arrives early still lacks a series of basic and essential information and it is up to us to pass this information on to him, such as the acquisition process, bureaucracy involved, real estate financing, among others (in short, tell him what he still doesn't know).
The third tip is: build authority. In addition to selling the property, it is important to sell our personal brand so that the client understands that the seller is the right person/company to help them with the biggest purchase they will ever make, even if they research the competition (and, believe me, they will research). But that is the subject of a future post.