7 Ways to Get More Real Estate Leads From Zillow

The best agents dedicate time every single day to lead generation. More often than not, it pays off only after months, sometimes years of effort. How can you ease some of that work?

Work your Zillow Group agent profile! It’s free, easy to set up, and can expose your information and expertise to millions of site visitors every month on the largest real estate network on the web, with the most unique visitors in the U.S. Once you set up your profile, there are a number of ways you can use Zillow Group to get more leads.

1. Be the go-to person for all things local

Fill your profile with information that buyers and sellers find valuable and useful. Provide information and links to things like schools, weather, local events, transportation, tips, local resources, and more. It shows you are the expert in that location and by being helpful, it could result in a potential client contacting you.

Pro tip: Get creative with short videos. Many agents have confirmed that adding a personalized video to their profile has also increased their volume of contacts. Besides profiling your listings, showcase your local expertise by posting videos that include restaurant reviews, neighborhood explorations and customer testimonials.

2. Get client reviews (and not just for closed transactions)

Reviews are everything, and you don’t ONLY have to get reviews from clients who bought or sold a home with you. There are multiple options available for requesting reviews from past clients and leads are interested in all scenarios. Take advantage of allowing others to promote you on your profile. Let them share their experiences about you with your viewers. This is a powerful feature that works.

Pro tip: Respond to every review you get — good, bad or neutral. It helps you build a rapport with buyers and sellers who read them, and it humanizes your digital presence. Even a simple “Thanks for reviewing me!” shows that you value all your clients and what each has to say, no matter what that might be.

3. Post your past sales to your Zillow Group profile

Adding past sales has the same impact as adding client reviews. Zillow’s Past Sales program gives you total control of what shows up on your Zillow Group profile, empowering consumers to see where you have been active. Your sales history shows your local experience and can motivate leads to contact you as their local real estate expert and professional.

Pro tip: Download the Zillow Premier Agent app to stay productive and connected while running around town. Get push notifications of new contacts, add recent sales, request reviews and much more.

4. Add your listings to Zillow

By exposing your clients’ homes that are for sale, you’ll definitely increase the volume of contacts you receive from Zillow. While this may seem like a no-brainer, the reality is that Zillow, Trulia and StreetEasy make up the largest real estate network on the web. Obviously, the more listings you have on Zillow, the more exposure you have, which results in more contacts and potential closings.

Pro tip: Brush up on how Zillow gets listings and how to sync them with your profile. Knowing how the process works will help you better use your listings to get maximum exposure on Zillow.

5. Show off with your listings, reviews and local market stats

Use Zillow’s Facebook Tabs for business pages, and the Zillow widget tools for your blogs and websites. Adding these Web tools to your public-facing platforms can potentially increase your contacts outside of Zillow and give you a stronger real estate-related Web presence. Also, by creating and adding a Zillow lead-capture and lead generation form, you’ll simplify the process for consumers to reach you and be one step closer to more contacts.

Pro tip: There is a wealth of housing information at your fingertips that you can share with clients. Zillow Research offers articles, graphs, charts — full of valuable consumer and market insights — that you can use on your blog, website, postcards, flyers and handouts.

6. Engage with local buyers and sellers using social media and forums

Check in regularly on your area's relevant Facebook pages to find out what’s being discussed in your local community. Or, check out real estate forums and get email alerts and be notified when someone in your local area asks a question there. Connecting with prospects in your local markets will increase your contacts. Readers — not active participants — are heavily influenced by your comments, answers, and involvement in these local and important discussions.

Pro tip: Learn how consumers conduct searches on Zillow, then participate on the forum by answering questions posed by buyers and sellers in your local area.

7. Become a Zillow Premier Agent

Maximize exposure to Zillow and Trulia visitors who are looking at ALL properties in your local market — not just those for sale or for rent. While there is a cost to participate in this program, the return on your investment can be significant. Becoming a Zillow Premier Agent is a great option for anyone serious about increasing their contacts and growing their local real estate business.

Pro tip: Once you become a Zillow Premier Agent, learn how to get the most out of My Agent relationships to truly understand what your clients need and how to help them.