Making your Yard Signs your #1 lead generation spend

By Randall Standard, VoicePad CEO

As head of marketing for Comey & Shepherd Realtors, Tracy Wieland has seen a lot of lead generation systems, but the hundreds of agents she teaches get most excited about a system that turns yard signs into mobile lead generation machines.

For the last seven years, Comey & Shepherd Realtors has been using VoicePad, an IDX mobile lead generation system that leverages the power of the Yard Sign to generate the hottest leads. “Taking a Yard Sign and adding the mobile features takes things to another level,” says Tracy.

“Not only do agents get lead generation coming off their signs, but they also get lead generation from the VoicePad mobile app,” Tracy adds.

Using “Curbside Marketing”

Historically, yard signs have been atop of an agent’s list of the most effective marketing tools. National Association of Realtors’ research says that yard signs remains the third most powerful way buyers find a home to purchase. It’s been that way for 14 years straight. Only the Internet and real estate professionals top yard signs as a better way to find a home.

Yard signs have evolved with technology to create what is known as curbside marketing, which integrates a yard sign with a mobile lead generation system. VoicePad uses the capabilities of a mobile system — text, phone and GPS — to allow an agent to identify calls from prospective buyers who are standing in front of or driving by a yard sign.

With curbside marketing, the phone number on the yard sign can direct potential buyers to the agent, give them an audio recording about the property, or automatically text them a link to an IDX-powered property video tour that’s fully narrated in English or Spanish.

Capture the hottest leads
Calls from the curb may be the hottest leads that an agent can get, so when potential homebuyers call or text from the curb, agents need to respond quickly. We know from our own research that 42 percent of all calls go to voicemail, and most drive-bys don’t even leave messages. Agents need to talk to anyone who calls from the curb immediately.

This is where integrated curbside marketing technology works best. Today, smart calling technology from VoicePad allows an agent to be in many places at once, utilizing Simul-Ring — where an agent’s office phone, cell phone and associate or assistant’s phone all ring at the same time. This avoids sending that homebuyer calling from the yard sign to voicemail. Most importantly, agents see “Buyer” on the phone Caller ID for inbound buyer calls!

Mobile lead gen

Tracy at Comey & Shepherd notes the power of mobile is what makes VoicePad a hands-down favorite with her agents. The mobile features, she says, “Gets them better capture and lead generation.”

“The day of company powerhouse websites is over,” Tracy says. “No one is going to do the research on a desktop computer: they are going to do it on their phone. It’s where the consumer is and that’s why 100% of our people when coming on board go straight to VoicePad.”