The Art of the Real Estate CTA (Call To Action)
If you have a website, you have CTAs, or: Call to Actions. What is a CTA? It’s what you want people to do on your website. It’s part of how you define success. Whether you’ve thought about it or not, it’s part of your overall strategy around what you want people to do on your website, like fill out a form, give you a call, or sign up to your newsletter drip campaign.
But, when do you think about what CTAs you want on your website and as part of your overall strategy? The answer is easy. It’s before you even begin…
Even if you haven’t planned out what CTAs you want, they’re still there. They may not be working, but they’re still there.
For example, if the only actionable thing a person can do on your website is click an email address to send you an email, then that’s your CTA. Of course, a more complicated, well-thought-out website should have many CTAs all planned out around what the agent’s goals are and what the target audience will actually do.
So, how do you plan out your CTAs and what should they be? The answer really depends on your target audience, their goals, and your goals, too.
Let’s say, for example, that your ideal CTA is to have someone fill out a long complicated form, and then be redirected to a survey that they fill out, and then get sent a link to book a meeting your calendar, and then, well, you get it; it’s a lot of steps. I mean, sure, if that’s your process and that works for you, then it would be really nice if they did that, but there are very few people that will actually jump through that many hoops to do something unless they really really really want to do it.
And the fact is, in a competitive space like real estate, chances are your competitor is offering something similar with a much easier way to get it.
Another good example is a home evaluation CTA. I’ve personally seen agent websites that have a huge, long, drawn-out form to fill out, with everything from the year the home was built to how old the roof is to when their hot water tank was originally installed.
Does it matter? I understand that some of that information is necessary to give someone a very accurate value of their home, but when it comes to CTAs, making it easy for the audience is key. For example, why is no one out there doing a home evaluation by text message? It seems to me that it’s a CTA that would resonate with today’s busy consumer.
Think about this. When was the last time you personally actually signed up for something or filled out a form on a website? Likely, it’s because they had something you really wanted, like a coupon (literal value), or maybe it’s a brand you already really like (something of personal value). The bottom line is, getting someone to give you their all-important contact information is hard; really hard.
Most agents get stuck in the rut of offering the same old thing that they think is of value, like seeing the price on a listing or signing up for a newsletter that they haven’t explained the benefits of receiving. But, because of competition, today’s agent needs to be creative to offer that something-of-value.
If you’re not offering something of value or creating it with your CTAs, you won’t see results, period.
To get started planning your CTAs, make sure you’re offering your audience something valuable, something they can’t get anywhere else, or, if it is something they can get elsewhere, make sure that you’re providing it in an easier (or more compelling) way.
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