If you have plenty of leads to work, then you probably don’t want to read this post. If, however, you are always looking to add more leads to your pipeline, you may want to give Craigslist a shot.
Craigslist, like anything else, is one of the things where if you don’t commit to using it regularly it won’t be worth your time. If you are willing to put a little bit of time (and I mean very little bit) into learning Craigslist and what type of content works, then it can be very good for lead generation.
I like to equate Craigslist to a poker game. Every game is different and every group is different. Before you jump into the game, sit back and watch and try to get a feel for who the players are and how they play. Then when you do join the game, you will be better prepared against your opponents.
Rules For Using Craigslist For Real Estate Leads
Dos:
- Post consistently – Posting once a week or sporadically is not going to cut it. Just like anything that you do, you have to do it consistently to see results. At least once a day, every day of the week. This will take you a grand total of 5 minutes a day.
- Track your results – Figure out which ads are working and which ones are not. If your ads aren’t working, tweak them and try again. If your ads are working, try and tweak them so that they work BETTER. A great tool to do this is CraigslistAdTracker.com. This is a free service. You can upgrade to paid if you want, but I’ve found that the free works fine for me.
- Post at different times of the day – You may find that different times of the day work better depending on your area. This goes back to knowing your opponents and knowing how that game is played.
- Use emotion and fear to draw clicks! Headlines like “This one won’t last long!” and “Don’t miss this steal of a deal!” will entice people to at least open the ad to find out what you are talking about.
Now here are some DON’TS:
- Don’t give away too much information. This is called a “disqualifier”. Too many agents post way to much information and then wonder why they are not getting any responses. It is simple: If you are posting an ad for a 3/2 for $350,000 then who is that going to appeal to? Only people who are looking for 3 beds and 2 baths at that price range. A general rule of thumb is if you ask about something during your client interviews, DON’T use that in a Craigslist Ad.
- Don’t link to your website. At least not the front page. Most websites are VERY branded for the particular agent and research shows that anything that is branded won’t convert well unless that brand is trusted. Link to EXACTLY what you are promising them. If you are linking to “Newest Listings In **yourtown**”, then make sure if/when they click on that link, it takes them directly to the newest listings in that town. DO NOT send them to the front page of your website and expect them to click around to find the listings. The only click they will be making is on the close button.
- DON’T put too much effort into your ads. Use the KISS principal. Short, sweet, and use words and phrases that will get people to click on your link. When it comes to Craigslist, your ONLY goals are for them to 1) click on the headline to open your ad and 2) click on the link in the ad and 3) use YOUR website to capture them.
I will be doing an article next week on Craigslist Ad Tracker to show you how to use it. It is a great tool that can really help you test and tweak your ads. If you want more information before then, you may want to consider buying an eBook called “Craigslist Lead Generation For Real Estate In Your Pajamas” by Keith Cuddeback. This is a great resource and was written by a Keller Williams agent who added in a lot of information about using Craigslist in conjunction with eEdge. Certainly worth a read at only $9.97.
Have you ever used Craigslist? Where were your results? Share below!
I learned a lot from this article – thanks for posting it! I’ve just started using CL and thus far my only responses have been spam. Mostly trying to steer me to post my ads on another site to gain google juice. I had one that I thought was a real lead that vanished after a phone conversation, and another that obviously hadn’t read my ad, offering to meet at a house today or tomorrow. On the off chance he was for real, I responded that I’d be happy to meet him at my office and gave him 2 choices on a time. Poof, he’s gone.
Your post shows me that I have work to do to improve my marketing on CL. I look forward to your upcoming post on CL Ad Tracker.
It also depends on HOW you are structuring your ads and what you are saying. Would you mind sharing a link to one of your ads? I’d be happy to take a look at it.
[...] With Craigslist Ad Tracker March 30, 2012By BrianSo last week I told you a few basics about how to use Craigslist to generate real estate leads. This week I want to show you how to optimize those ads by using Craigslist Ad [...]
Do you think ads targeting sellers, a waste of time on CL?
I do sprinkle in some seller targeting by offering market reports with titles such as “Find Out What Your Home Is Worth Instantly” although I’d have to say that I haven’t had much luck with it.
In my opinion, one of the best way to capture sellers is to capture them as a buyer first. Most people begin searching for a home (or looking at homes near them) to see what is available and how the market is before they look into selling their own home.