How Can Realtors Use Zillow and Trulia to Boost Leads? Here are 4 Ways.

If you are a new real estate agent, you may be looking at the largest real estate portals and wondering, How can realtors use Zillow and Trulia to their advantage? Is there a way for realtors to use what these real estate databases offer without sacrificing their own brand? To answer these questions, we examined the marketing services that Zillow and Trulia offer to discover ways that independent real estate agents can use them to further their success. This is what we discovered.

Now that Zillow and Trulia have become fixtures of the real estate market, independent real estate agents have a harder job trying to build their brand.  However, even though these real estate portals now stand as gatekeepers between many home buyers/sellers and realtors, there are a few ways that realtors can use Zillow and Trulia to their advantage.

Create your profile

Start by creating your free agent profile. When clients search one of your listings on Zillow or Trulia, they need to be able to find information about you quickly. Make sure you keep your contact information updated, and include your ratings and reviews, past sales, and service areas to build confidence. Link to all your online marketing strategies including website, social media,

Claim your listings

If you’re not claiming your listings on Zillow and Trulia, you are essentially handing those leads to other agents. When these real estate portals put up your listing, they include contact information for their “Premiere Agents” for that zip code.  Once you claim your listing, Zillow and Trulia will put your picture and contact information first, with you identified as listing agent.

Follow up leads quickly

When you get a lead from Zillow and Trulia, follow it up instantly. If you don’t respond to prospective buyers in five minutes or less, they are going to contact one of the other agents pictured on your listing. It is important to reach out to clients to clients quickly, even if it is after hours, to make sure they don’t pass you by.

Incorporate marketing data

One of the biggest benefits offered by Trulia and Zillow for real estate agents is the treasure trove of housing information they make available on their sites. Take advantage of their marketing insights by using it to develop your own information packages for clients. You can also use this information to develop your content marketing strategy. Using the information to create informative blogs, interesting Tweets and Facebook posts, and helpful e-books will help you build your reputation as a knowledgeable real estate agent.

Can realtors use the other services that Zillow and Trulia offer to their advantage?

The marketing services offered by Zillow and Trulia for real estate agents include a free agent website, blogging and answering questions on Community Activity. The most important thing to realize is that the purpose of these sites is to have clients associate with their brand first, and individual realtors second. The free website will do nothing to build your brand, and it actually encourages clients to view you as just one of the many interchangeable realtor choices offered by Zillow.

The same goes for Community Activity. Answering questions on Trulia or Zillow will not build your brand or generate leads as well as doing it on your own. Sharing real estate information in your own blogs, posting on social media, and answering questions on LinkedIn will do a lot more to raise your profile and build industry authority.

When you have a custom designed real estate website, you have a marketing machine working for you.  Clients who look for you online will be directed to your personal site. Combine your personal real estate website with a bi-weekly blog, an active presence on social media, and email, and you have a powerful online marketing strategy that will build a strong real estate brand.

If you would like more online real estate marketing tips or help building your real estate brand, turn to For Sale Marketing. We can provide you with everything you need to build your real estate brand, including a responsive real estate web design that includes dynamic lead generating real estate forms, SEO-copywriting and content creation services, email and social media marketing packages, email newsletters with landing pages, and more.

Contact us at For Sale Marketing today at 954-866-1115 for complete real estate lead generation services designed to help realtors drive more traffic and convert more leads!