Jacqueline Kyo Thomas
Mastering Zillow is a must for every real estate agent. Just judging by the numbers, Zillow is the most important real estate marketplace on the Internet. Last year, Zillow reported an astounding 194 million monthly unique users with 41% of them planning to buy or sell in the next 12 months.
Yup. Zillow is the final boss. If you can conquer Zillow, you're business will grow. Fortunately, Zillow is free to join and easy to set up. However, most agents overlook these dead simple lead generation strategies.
In this post, we’ll discuss what you need to know to get more clients on Zillow.
Improve Your Profile
Let’s start with the easiest way to generate leads on Zillow: Write your profile.
In research for this guide, I was astounded by the number of agents with short and/or lackluster Zillow profiles.
Your Zillow profile is often your first chance to sell yourself to your prospective client. Get them excited about the possibility of working with you. They don’t know you, but in the span of a few paragraphs, they can develop a quick connection with you that leads them to call you instead of your competitor.
Remember that you're not creating a profile for fellow agents, but for prospective leads.
Your Zillow profile shouldn’t read like an autobiography. Instead, focus on your prospective client. What do they care about? They care about working with a winner who will help them meet their goals. You’ve got to show you’re that person by doing the following:
- Highlighting your sales history
- Sharing any professional credentials
- Showing why you’re the go-to real estate expert in your local neighborhood
Even if you’re new without one sale, you can still play up your skills. Discuss your strengths (i.e. negotiations, marketing, etc.) to give them a reason to consider you. You can also connect with your values. What sets you apart from other agents? What drives you to sell? Remember to lead with the best stuff to encourage the prospective client to keep reading.
Also in your bio, share your story. How are you tied to the community? Did you grow up there? Did you move there and then fell in love with the area? People connect with stories, and your profile is a great time to share yours.
Choose a professional, high-resolution headshot as another connection point. Prospects want to connect with other humans, so go for a photo that has an approachable vibe – i.e. smiling and well groomed!
Add a video to your Zillow profile. This is another way to stand apart from your competitors. Zillow allows you to share YouTube videos on your profile. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it. Create a short video of one minute or less where you introduce yourself and re-iterate everything you’ve shared in your profile. Videos are even better than headshots because it gives your prospective client a chance to see you in action and then they get to feel like they know you.
Finally, share all of your contact links in your profile. Link to your website, your social media profiles, and also include your address and phone number.
Be Part of the Team
If you're a team, be sure to add this association to your profile. This is especially valuable if you’re a newer agent because you can ride on the solid reputation of your team.
However, remember to create your own individual profile, too. You may be part of the team, but you also need to sell yourself.
Focus on Keywords
Include keywords in your listings. Zillow users who are searching for properties in larger neighborhoods often include keywords to narrow their search. You can get found by including the most important keywords in your listing.
Add More Listings
When you claim a listing, you become the listing agent on Zillow for that property. This gets you a prominent placement atop the property page, and increases the likelihood that you’ll get called first— even if you’re not a Zillow Premier Agent.
The more listings you have on Zillow, the better your chances are of getting new leads. It’s a simple numbers game. You need as many listings as humanly possible. But how do you get new listings?
Reach out to expired listings.
Expired listings are a gold mine for real estate agents. Check your MLS for expired listings every week (if not every day). Then, reach out to them and give them a reason to trust you. This may be challenging because the owner is less optimistic now that their property hasn’t sold. However, you can inspire confidence by focusing on your unique skill set. What can you offer that will improve the chances of the home selling with you?
Consider Upgrading to Zillow Premier Agent
You can use Zillow for free, however if you want to supercharge your time there, you may consider upgrading to Zillow Premier Agent.
Premier Agents get a lot of perks. They show up on listings in their zip code. They get featured across other Zillow networks, including Trulia and RealEstate.com. They get an IDX website with professional templates to choose from and a custom domain name. They also get connected directly to hot leads over the phone.
It may be worth the price of upgrading, but remember that you can do everything on this list with a free Zillow account and some hustle.
Upload Videos
Your profile isn’t the only place to add videos on Zillow. You can also add videos to your listings. Videos are engaging, easy to consume, and gives the prospective buyer a chance to “tour” the property without leaving their screen. It also gets them a feel for the space that you can’t replicate on still photos.
While you can upload videos that are 10 minutes long, it’s best to stick to two minutes or less. Any longer and you risk losing the prospect’s attention.
Limit What You Share
While you should include enough high quality images to sell the property, be careful of adding too many images to your listings. An overload of images can create buyer fatigue, a peculiar phenomena where buyers get less excited with each click. Cherry-pick which images to include in your listing. Focus on the property’s best features and hold back less exciting images. Give the buyer a reason to contact you to see more. Show your best and tease the rest.
Follow Up Quickly
If you decide to sign up as a Zillow Premier Agent, Zillow will connect you directly to leads over the phone. Don’t let those calls go to voicemail if you can help it. Your prospective customer is the most engaged at that moment. If they have to wait for you to return a call, they may lose interest or reach out to another agent.
However, sometimes, you have no other choice but to follow up after. But do so quickly. The sooner you return a call, the better your chances are of converting the prospect into a client.
Also keep in mind that, of the 41% of Zillow users who are looking to buy or sell, the majority of them aren’t ready to act immediately. They may be mulling over the idea of buying a property or selling their home. Don’t get discouraged by a longer timetable. Eventually, they will need your services, so be sure to follow up with these prospective clients regularly. The goal is to stay top-of-mind for when they’re ready to act.
Final Thoughts
You can’t ignore Zillow if you want to be a successful real estate agent. It’s synonymous with home search. Use the above tips to generate leads through Zillow.
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