The Art of Conversion: Treat Your Leads Like a Date

The objective for any project marketing and sales team is to generate quality leads – the goal is to get the prospect through the door and the holy grail is converting that prospect into a sale.

The ability to target consumers at any time, means the art of sourcing leads has evolved dramatically in recent years.

Project marketing and sales teams who see the most success are those who create campaigns that pre-qualify leads and therefore generate quality leads.

With the evolution of digital marketing it is easy to speak to a large audience at a relatively affordable cost. ​

Domain spoke with Justin L​admore from ​Enigma Media and Kate Ellis Welsh, Burbank Group's general manager of brand and marketing to understand what elements they include in their marketing campaigns in order to generate quality leads that are more likely to convert.

At ​Domain we suggest following three simple steps when creating a project marketing campaign:

Burbank Developments' Kate Ellis Welsh explains that with the right marketing campaign you can effectively pre-qualify the leads that you generate.

While this means that the number of leads generated for the sales team is reduced, the leads will be better quality.

“We consider a quality lead to be someone who is currently in the market looking to buy; this person will view Burbank as the right fit – we will have the right product and price point for them” says Ellis-Welsh.

Refine

The first step is selecting the right target market.

“The key is speaking to the right audience... it all comes down to targeting an individual as soon as they become active in the market and then nurturing them through to conversion.

"To reach an active market, it is an absolute no brainer to advertise on a major property portal such as ​Domain. If someone is searching for a property, this will be their first point of call,” Ladmore said.

Enigma Media’s Justin Ladmore says it is vital your messaging is tailored to where the individual is at in their property-buying journey.

Ladmore’s two rules of thumb are:

1. If someone is searching for a two-bedroom home, don’t deliver them a message about a penthouse - treat your message like a one-on-one conversation.

2. Tailor your message as a person is moving down the sales funnel. At the beginning of their journey your messaging can be about placemaking and selling a lifestyle. As the person is getting closer to conversion tailor your message to ease their pain points – at this stage of the journey most buyers will begin to talk themselves out of the purchase.

Optimise

The next step is optimising your campaign by refining your messaging and starting a conversation with your target market.

Ladmore gives an interesting analogy for nurturing a lead: “pushing someone through the sales funnel is similar to dating... you don’t just ask a girl for her number straight away, you need to have a conversation with them, you need to get them interested and build enough trust and then they will want to know more."

Throughout the property journey, just like in a relationship, it is important that you are realistic and transparent.

A marketer can start this conversation and build trust through relevant messaging on the project website, or through a content driven campaign.

Domain recommends that project sales and marketing teams use as much data as they can when forming their campaign messaging.

By understanding what a prospect is searching for, you can deliver them relevant and useful messages. A great example of relevant messaging in a content campaign is the article ​West End apartments appeal to Glebe locals with chic warehouse design.

The article uses search-and-buy trends to convey a story relevant to the area in which the development is located.

Nurture 

Purchasing a home or investment property is one of the biggest decisions a person will make in their life and understanding a buyer’s pain points will help you easily form your messaging. Building trust and confidence is critical to converting a hot lead into a sale.

Ladmore explains the importance of cohesion between the sales and marketing teams.

“Get the sales team involved in the campaign planning stages, sit down with the sales team throughout the process and learn about the prospects coming through the door – what their selling points are and what brought them through the door – this information is gold”.

Let ​Domain help you reach an engaged audience | ​developers@domain.com.au​ | www.domainmedia.com.au

Main image: The Harrington Collection, Golden Age Group

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